From the Eureka Reporter:

"A news release from the California Highway Patrol stated that the man, whose name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, was bicycling on the right shoulder of the highway when a 2002 Nissan Pickup traveling eastbound and driven by 27-year-old Alan Bear, of Hoopa, drifted off the right side of the roadway and onto the paved shoulder, striking the bicyclist. The man was ejected from his bicycle and landed on the grass shoulder. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the release, it remains undetermined if drugs or alcohol was a contributing factor in the collision. Bear was arrested, the release stated, and the investigation is continuing."

This tragedy follows on the heels of several high-profile collisions that injured cyclists on expressways and freeways in the Humboldt Bay Area, including an HSU professor on route 255 South of Manila in July, Another HSU Professor on Route 101 near the airport last year, and a KHUM D.J. on route 101 south of Eureka

This is a sad and frustrating day for the bicycle commuting community of Humboldt. As a friend wrote in an email: "_____ was honestly one of the kindest, most generous and loving men I've known. He wanted that Annie & Mary Trail."

The North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA) approved the process of railbanking the Annie and Mary August 13 after over a decade of disuse of the line. Funding still needs to be identified to create a trail as an alternate route to 299 for non-motorized users wishing to travel between Blue Lake and Arcata.

The NCRA is not currently considering railbanking other unused sections of railroad line that parallel expressways and freeways that are frequently used by bicyclists, such as the 101 Eureka-Arcata Corridor, and Route 101 between Eureka and College of the Redwoods.