In the wake of a hit-and-run crash that killed Gloria San Miguel over the weekend, the local cycling community is banding together to demand action.
San Miguel was riding her bike on the 12th Street Bridge between Newport and Covington when an unknown vehicle hit her early Saturday morning. Newport Police responded to the scene around 12:30 a.m., but the suspected driver had fled the scene.
San Miguel leaves behind her partner, Zach Vickers, and her young daughter, Luna.
In a tightly woven community, San Miguel was the common thread. The folks at Roebling Point Books and Coffee say San Miguel was an advocate and dear friend.
She began working at the bookstore and coffeeshop six years ago, taking a brief hiatus to manage a general store out of town. Emily Webster and San Miguel met when the family moved back to Covington in 2019 and she became a manager at the Newport location of Roebling Books in 2021.
“It’s a tightly knit community, and honestly, Gloria was one of the people making it tightly knit,” she said.
Although she wasn’t the director, San Miguel was known for supporting local causes through the relationships she made. Webster recalled San Miguel’s support for the Covington Farmer’s Market, Queen City Bikes, Redden Gardens, as well as local artists and musicians.
Those who knew her best are now calling for bike lanes and more awareness among drivers to make the river cities safer for cyclists.
Richard Hunt, Roebling Books owner and former president of the board at Queen City Bikes, said Covington streets aren’t safe for bike riders.
“I commuted in New York City on my bike for 15 years,” Hunt said. “I feel less safe here.”
Next door to Hunt’s bookstore is Lil’s Bagels, owned by Julia Keister, who is another bike rider and friend of San Miguel. Keister has been hit twice: once in Madison, Wisconsin, in a hit-and-run where she broke her collarbone, and a second time in New York City. In both instances, there was no bike lane.
“I moved here from New York, where I biked all the time,” Keister said. “But I found it to be too dangerous of a place to bike in Covington. There’s really few bike lanes anywhere in Cincinnati, but especially in Covington.”
A petition for bike lanes prompted by San Miguel’s death has more than 1,400 signatures as of Monday afternoon.
“I would sell this whole shop if it meant fixing this problem,” Keister said.
But more can be done beyond bike lanes, Hunt said. He pointed out that the grooves on Roebling Bridge create a “floating” sensation for drivers, but they can be dangerous for bike riders.
“In Chicago, a woman was riding across one of those bridges and her bike slipped and she was killed,” Hunt said. “They create these metal plates to put across the bridge, fastening them down, so bicyclists feel perfectly content to ride and perfectly safe. They call them ‘Annie Plates,’ instead of bike plates. So, maybe calling these ‘Gloria Lanes’ will get more people behind it.”
After getting hit, it’s hard to get back on the bike. Kids enjoy bike rides, but Joe Humpert said fear keeps people from riding as adults. He’s president of Queen City Bikes and helping organize riders in the river cities to demand safer roads.
San Miguel was part of Queen City Bike rides for Pride month, and most recently she was part of a ride advocating for women’s health and abortion rights.
Humpert is planning a group ride soon to raise money in San Miguel’s honor to support her family. A GoFundMe page for them has raised more than $27,000 as of Monday.
Had it been someone else who died on the 12th Street Bridge, those who knew San Miguel best said she would be advocating for change just as they are now. That’s what’s so frustrating to Humpert, though. He knows San Miguel wasn’t the first.
And he knows she won’t be the last.
“I would hope that we can make all the roads safer,” he said. “I think the broader issue, though, is just empathy and recognition – get off your phone, slow down, and don’t drink and drive. It’s a very, very complex issue, and I think framing it in terms of bike lanes on the bridge is a good, quick fix but I think it’s a little short-sighted.”
For now, the bookstore has become a place where residents can pay their respects at a memorial in the community room. There are flowers, candles, and a notebook full of passages from those missing San Miguel.
Meanwhile, Newport Police is asking for the public’s help with its investigation. Anyone with helpful information is asked to call Campbell County Dispatch at 859-292-3622 or to remain anonymous at 859-262-TIPS.
