Hundreds of cyclists take over Burlington streets on Wednesday for critical mass ride honoring Shiloh Skalka
By Sophia Falbo
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BURLINGTON, Vt. (WPTZ) — Hundreds of cyclists took over Burlington streets on Wednesday for a critical mass ride honoring Shiloh Skalka.
Two miles of biking, with many holding signs along the way, as a tribute to the 16-year-old Burlington girl who died doing just that.
“Shiloh was riding a bike when she was killed, so it’s important to show that bicyclists are out here,” said Val Cyr, communications specialist at Local Motion. “We take up space on the road, and we deserve to be part of traffic.”
Skalka was hit by a car, driven by 79-year-old Douglas Knapp, while riding her e-bike at the intersection of Pine and Locust Street on July 16. She later died from her injuries at UVM Medical Center.
Police cited Knapp in connection with the fatal crash. He’s due in court later this month.
“I’ve been processing it,” said Christian Skalka, Shiloh’s father. “I can say I’ve just mostly been struggling to make it day by day and moment by moment.”
Bike advocacy group Local Motion hosted Wednesday afternoon’s critical mass ride.
“I came out today because I am grieving but also because I am so angry,” said South End resident and parent Jason Van Driesche.
Volunteers installed a ghost bike just feet away from Skalka’s memorial that is continuously growing.
“It’s a bike that’s painted white just to show that this is a spot where a cyclist was killed,” Cyr said. “It’s left on the side of the road as a memorial, as a reminder for anyone passing that something awful happened here.”
Some neighborhood parents said Skalka’s death is their biggest fear come true.
“A few days after Shiloh was killed, my daughter, who is 19 [years old], and loves to bike all over Burlington, was headed downtown on her bike,” Van Driesche said. “And I looked at her, and I said, ‘Be careful, sweetheart,’ and she said, ‘I know.'”
And Skalka’s accident is highlighting the need for better biker protection, now more than ever.
“The city’s slow walk improvements for biking over and over and over and prioritize convenience for people driving over saving people’s lives,” Van Driesche said. “That makes me furious, especially when something like this happens.”
The ride comes exactly one week after Local Motion organized a walk-and-bike forum for South End residents to suggest ways to make biking feel safer.
A memorial fund, with more than $100,000, has been set up in remembrance of the beloved teen.
Her father said it’s a way to pedal forward and show solidarity with all cyclists.
“All power to Shiloh and her memory,” said Christian Skalka. “More needs to be done for biker safety in Burlington and in Vermont, and I hope this can send that message.”
Volunteers said Skalka’s ghost bike will remain on Pine Street for the next several weeks.
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