Fourteen years ago this month, a sailor stationed aboard the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center was struck and killed while riding his bicycle to work.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Steven T. Collins, 22, a hospital corpsman, was riding eastbound on Indian Trail at around 6 a.m. on Wednesday, March 6, 1996, when he was hit by a car driven by an 82-year-old Twentynine Palms man who failed to see the bicyclist ahead of him on the road.
The need for improving road safety for bicyclists, especially those commuting to and from the base, was brought to the attention of the City Council following the tragic accident. Since that day, walkways and bicycle paths adjacent to local roadways have been a priority in planned road reconstruction projects throughout the city, including the upcoming Safe Routes to Schools project.
A major component of the current $4.2 million Adobe Road Improvement Project is construction of a two-way bicycle path from the Combat Center’s main gate leading into the downtown area. In a unanimous decision at its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 9, 2010, the Twentynine Palms City Council agreed to name the Adobe Road bicycle path after the late Petty Officer Steven Collins.
According to City Finance Director Ron Peck, fundraisers held by friends of the victim following the accident raised approximately $12,000, which was given to the City to be used for a memorial to Collins.
“With accrued interest, that fund stands at about $15,000 now,” Peck said. “The money will be used for signage and enhancements to the bike path in memory of Collins.”
A dedication for the Collins memorial bike path will be held upon completion of the Adobe Road reconstruction in May.
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Where we live, we have a two-lane asphalt road with barely any shoulder, yet there are signs that it is a bike route, or some such nonsense. I’d hate to think of the average life expectancy of anyone who regularly would use that path, and I’m not making a joke here – it looks to me to be extremely dangerous, especially after seeing how some folks drive in our area.
I am sorry that Collins lost his life at such a young age, and in such circumstances. I hope the improvements help make things safer for others. And I would like to see real bicycle paths become a reality for the hi-desert.
I remember this happening. His wife, Amy, was my science teacher at TPJHS, and I remember another teacher taking over in the middle of class when she got the news. No surprise it’s only taken half of my life (literally), to get a bike path put in…I’m just glad it’s happening before someone else is given that same bit of news.