OCONOMOWOC, Wis. — As people were out on the trails enjoying a bike ride in Tuesday’s spring weather, a father was remembering his daughter.
Dirk Debbink and his family were at Oconomowoc’s Common Council meeting, advocating for a federal bill named after his daughter Sarah Debbink Langenkamp.
She’s an Oconomowoc woman who died last August in Maryland as she was riding her bike home.
“We've come to accept, like you probably have too, that the grieving process will never end,” said Debbink. “Fortunately, with the help of many here and many from other walks of life, we also know our love for Sarah will never end .”
The bill at the table would make it easier to use federal funds to create protected bike lanes.
“Painted white lines on a street that are considered bike lanes are actually death trap. It’s just a white line on a pavement that a truck can drive right across and crush you as they did for Sarah,” Debbink shared to the Council.
The Oconomowoc Common Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday night after Debbink’s emotional testimony, with a standing ovation from all members.
The Debbinks aren't alone in advocating for safer measures.
Joe Smessaert, who's worked in the cycling industry for over three decades, also supports the proposal.
“Any laws that are going to be passed that make it safer for cyclists, we're in huge support of that,” Smessaert shared with TMJ4.
He's the general manager of Wheel & Sprocket in Delafield, a bike shop that sees hundreds of cyclists pass through each year.
“We literally have people driving up from the city parking their cars and either biking by themselves on a road ride or taking their family out.”
As support for bike safety heads to Washington D.C., construction is taking place down the road in Oconomowoc to do the same thing.
This month, work begins on an underpass that will connect the Lake Country Trail under Highway 67 so cyclists can avoid crossing busy lanes.
“If they can go under the road and not have to worry about traffic or their children being hit by a car obviously that’s a huge thing for us,” Smessaert said.
Smessaert and Debbink say whatever can be done to keep those on the trails and streets protected is important so people can do what they love without worrying.
The Debbik family is now heading to the nation’s capitol to garner more support from lawmakers for their daughter’s namesake bill.
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