Auction Raises Bike Safety Money After Newport Beach Cyclist Accidents

Newport Beach residents came together at a recent auction to raise an estimated $7,500 for the Share the Road 2012 Bicycle Safety Improvement Fund. The community has become involved in bike safety around the city following two fatal cyclist accidents in Newport Beach which occurred just hours apart from each other in September. The silent auction event was organized by the hosts of the recent Newport Beach Memorial Bike Ride, which took place in the fall of 2012. The event was held at Surf City Cyclery in Costa Mesa and was attended by an estimated 200 people. The organizers of the event told local media that all items in the silent auction were sold, including bikes for adults and children, electric bikes, bike accessories, vacation getaways, and tickets to sporting events. The residents of Newport Beach aren’t the only ones contributing to the Share the Road 2012 Bicycle Safety Improvement Fund. The city itself has pledged to donate three dollars for every dollar raised by the public, up to $450,000. In addition, Amazon.com also is lending a hand. The online shopping website is directing residents to buy from a specific link which will allow the company to donate four to ten percent of its profits from these purchases to the fund. Finally, a number of local Newport Beach businesses are displaying donation jars on their counters. In September, 29-year-old Sarah Leaf of Corona de Mar was biking on Pacific Coast Highway when a truck turned right into her bicycle. She sustained fatal injuries. The very next day, local physician Catherine “Kit” Campion-Ritz was struck by a car while biking with her husband. The car fled the scene of the fatal cyclist accident.

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