Memorial Ride for Cyclist May 5 in Decatur

A memorial ride will be held May 5 to honor the memory of Paul Taylor, a Decatur area cyclist who was killed on the road a year ago.

The Paul Taylor Memorial Ride will start at 9 a.m. May 5 at the old DeKalb County Courthouse on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Decatur. It's organized by BikeFriendlyATL, a group Dave Mathews of Decatur formed to make the roads safer for cyclists.

Patch asked Taylor's widow, Barbara Taylor, for a comment. This is what she said in an email:

I continue to be touched at the level  of support from our neightbors and friends but even more amazed at the support from the cycling community.  The memorial ride will be a wonderful tribute to Paul and I hope that it will help in the efforts to raise the awareness of motorists. I feel very privledged to have Dave Mathews being so vigilant for someone he had never met.  He has put an incredible amount of time and energy into the ghost bikes being placed all over Atlanta and through our connection with Paul's ghost bike, I have a new friend.

BikeFriendlyATL has placed . The group has organized other memorial rides for other cyclists killed on the road.

Paul Taylor died the morning of April 30 after being struck by a pickup truck on North Decatur Road during a training ride.

The driver told Decatur police he came upon Taylor off his bike and kneeling in the roadway. Police filed no charges, saying they didn't have enough evidence, which angered the local biking community.

because he coached youth sports and organized a large church barbecue every year.

Across the state, Rides of Silence will be held at 7 p.m. May 15 to honor dead cyclists.

You might be interested in these other stories.

• Local cyclists angry about handling of fatality

• Are Atlanta's roads safe for cyclists?

• Driver says cylist was kneeling in the roadway

• Paul Taylor was about to start a new job