The bicycling community lost a strong voice on Saturday when Bruce Rosar was struck and killed by a motorist shortly after he left a group ride in North Carolina.

A certified bicycling instructor, Rosar was known to remind cyclists about following the rules of the road as well as advocate for their right to share the road with automobiles.

The crash happened in Apex after Rosar and some other cyclists left a 62-mile ride organized by a bicycle shop in his hometown of Cary. A police spokeswoman said Rosar turned into the path of a Honda at an intersection when he was struck; police want to interview four or five witnesses to determine the cause.

Rosar's resume at his website shows he was active in a long list of bicycle advocacy organizations. He also espoused bicycle safety in TV and newspaper reports in recent years.

In reporting his death, the News & Observer quoted people who knew him:

"Bruce was such an advocate and an example," said David Cole, a member of the N.C. Bicycle Club and a former co-worker at IBM. "It just really brings home that if this could happen to Bruce, this could happen to anyone."

... In the last year, Rosar had been working to bring the so-called shared space concept to a small test site in North Carolina. Popular in Europe, the idea removes curbs and lines in the road, and mixes motorists, pedestrians and others together. It forces people to think about who is on the road, said Scott Chilcote, a member of the N.C. Bicycle Club.

"Bruce could have sat down and happily discussed this for two or three hours and never lost a bit of enthusiasm," Chilcote said. "He's been to Europe and has seen how effective it works."

League of American Bicyclists board chair Amanda Eichstaedt gave her condolensces on the League's homepage:

“I am terribly sad to announce the death of Bruce Rosar earlier today in Apex, North Carolina; he was killed in a collision with an automobile. Bruce was elected to the League’s national board in March 2008 and as recently as late June had traveled to San Jose, Calif. for a board meeting and our Smart Cycling conference.

"It is a tragic irony that Bruce was one of our certified League Cycling Instructors with a passion for safe riding; he was active throughout the Raleigh/Durham area promoting cycling and cyclist safety. He will be missed terribly and our hearts go out to his family, friends and riding colleagues. We are still gathering details of the crash and will keep the League family informed of additional details and responses."

Friends are urging bicyclists to do two things in Rosar's memory:

"First, follow the rules of the road to stay as safe as possible. Second, join and support the newly formed statewide advocacy group that Bruce was instrumental in starting and served on the board of: NC Active Transportation Alliance. Go to www.ncactive.org and you'll find where to send a check, or, even easier, how to join using PayPal. I'm not sure how many members they have now, but I know it's on the low side because they're just getting started. Let's change that."