Two women were hit by a tractor-trailer truck while participating in the 16th annual Cool Breeze Century bicycle charity ride on August 21st.
They were traveling North on a stretch of Highway 101 between Ventura and Santa Barbara when the right rear section of the trailer struck one of the women. That caused her to veer right and crash into the other rider according to the Ventura County Star. Both women were seriously injured.
The women are seasoned cyclists who had participated in the Cool Breeze ride before.
The state Department of Transportation is planning improvments to Highway 101 including a dedicated two-way bike path on the side closest to the ocean instead of a bike lane on the highway.
The bike path would be 10 fee wide with railings on both sides. Construction is scheduled to start next year and be completed by 2010.