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The eighth annual Zachary Manago’s Ride in Paradise attracted more than 250 participants Saturday, including some who knew the 18-year-old cyclist for whom the ride is named.
Manago was killed Dec. 17, 2010, in a hit-and-run collision on Kamehameha Highway in Wahiawa during an around-the-island bike ride with friends. The vehicle’s driver, Douglas Curtis, was apprehended several days later and sentenced in 2012 to a 10-year prison term.
Manago’s parents, Dennis and Daphne Manago, and the Hawaii Bicycling League created the memorial ride to prevent similar tragedies by increasing safety awareness for all road users, identifying danger zones and raising money for the league’s advocacy and education programs.
Christian Yee, who was biking with Manago on the day he died, hasn’t missed any of the annual rides because he wants to remind people to keep the roadways safe for bicyclists. He said this year’s event is more special because it included a segment on the recently designated Zachary M. Manago Memorial Bikeway on Ala Napunani Street in the Moanalua-Salt Lake area.
“We used to consider Pineapple Hill Zach’s memorial area, now it’s going to be the bike path where he lived,” Yee said.
A highlight of the 47-mile ride was the recent transformation of Ala Napunani Street, where the Manago family lives, into a “complete street,” a term used to describe streets designed to accommodate everyone from pedestrians and cyclists to motorists and mass-transit users. The street now has buffered bike lanes.
Mark Mizusawa, another of Manago’s cycling friends, pointed out this year’s ride followed a city ordinance that went into effect July 1 requiring drivers to provide at least 3 feet of separation when passing a bicyclist. More than 300 individuals, including members of the Hawaii Bicycling League and partner organizations, submitted testimony to get the measure passed.
>> View more photos from the ride in our gallery.
“Making roads safer for cyclists was very important for Zach,” Mizusawa said. “Not all areas of the island are as bike-friendly as others.”
Manago’s mother said three Hawaii cyclists were killed the year her son died, and bike safety has been a statewide concern for years. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 30 cyclists were killed on Hawaii’s roads from 2005 to 2014, the most recent state count available.
Daphne Manago said bike safety was top of mind for her son, who was enrolled at Hawaii Pacific University and hoped to play on the baseball team. Lack of parking at the downtown campus inspired him to begin biking to school, she said, and it wasn’t long before he became active in Oahu’s cycling community. He was just getting into advocacy when he was killed.
She said she still treasures the college essay he wrote about the need for bicycle lanes on Oahu roadways, and is grateful to the bicycling community for supporting her son’s vision for a safer riding environment.
“I hope the ride increases awareness about safety. No one else should have to die while riding a bike,” Manago said.
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