Ivan Aguilar, A Worthy Tribute...

"We will not forget"

"His smile would always cheer us up"

some of the long procession from University Quad to the memorial / ghost bike site on Kellogg Drive

the Aguilar family graciously acknowledged the support of everyone there

memorial ride along the route Ivan took to and from school

With some clear time in the middle of the day, I followed my own suggestion and went out to the University for the memorial to Ivan Aguilar. I am glad I did. It was touching to see so many of Ivan's fellow students there to remember him, it was heartening to see so many faculty and staff giving their support, it was heart-rending to witness the love and pain so evident in the faces of Ivan's family.

Being only minimally familiar with the Cal Poly Pomona campus I took a little time to ride around prior to the memorial. It was shocking to see just how little bicycle infrastructure exists. Perhaps coming from a university where bicycle infrastructure has long been a recognized feature, with separated paths criss-crossing, and reaching into virtually every corner of the campus, as well as extending into the surrounding communities, I may be a little biased. Never-the-less, it seems as though any university in this day, and certainly one with the sustainability and urban planning background like Cal Poly, should see the efficacy and worth of planning for bicycle mobility.

Though seeing so many supporters was good and just, a worthy tribute, as was noted during the memorial, would be to build upon the momentum that began with the passing of Mr. Aguilar a week ago, to let this not be the end of the matter, to keep up the work to build a more efficient and safe place for the university community.

Just a little follow-up on this concerning the police finding of driver fault, as reported at the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.