BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — A fatal bike accident in Broken Arrow is under investigation, just one week after the city added a bikeway for the first time.
Broken Arrow Police tell 2 Works for You 74-year-old John Mathes was riding between Garnett and 129th East Avenue when he was hit and killed by a pickup truck Wednesday morning.
As biking becomes more popular in the area, the community is asking for more safety measures. Bikers in Green Country say they take every safety precaution they can, and even then there are often close calls.
"I always have a flasher whenever I'm on the road. Every time I'm on the road, daylight or nighttime I have a rear-flasher and a front-flasher with me," said Spokehouse Bicycles owner Zach Pfaff.
Broken Arrow added a bikeway on Main Street a week ago, and the city plans on expanding it in the year ahead. But just a few miles away, police are investigating how a biker was hit in broad daylight.
"There's heavy bicycle traffic presence. It's a 40 mile an hour zone. It's not heavily trafficked until rush hour and this was after rush hour," Officer Chris Walker said.
Bikers tell us anytime something like this happens, it hits close to home.
"When you're in the bike community and you're riding with the groups on a typical schedule and stuff... you just become a part of this family. It's just one big family here in Tulsa. And people will tell you that all the time when they come here for Tulsa tough," Pfaff said.
The owner of Spokehouse Bicycles said he advocated for the Main Street Bikeway as a safer option, making it possible for him to ride with his six-year-old son.
"I would prefer to have a bike lane to get from A to B than to just have him on the street. So it's just about my son's future, being able to ride around with him and be at peace when we're cruising around," Pfaff said.
Officers said their investigation indicates the biker was crossing New Orleans from Aster Avenue and entered the road in front of a pickup truck moving east. They don't believe the biker or driver was intoxicated.
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