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Officials Urge Motorists To Share Road With Bikes

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota's transportation and public safety departments are urging motorists to share the road with bikes after the state's first bicyclist fatality of 2011.

A 25-year-old bicyclist died Thursday when she was struck by a dump truck near the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

With the snow gone, bicyclists are back on the road. Officials expect the number of bicyclists to continue to rise in 2011, and they're urging caution for those new to bicycle commuting.

Preliminary figures show there were nine bicycle fatalities in Minnesota in 2010, slightly lower than the 10 recorded in 2009.

Most bicycle crashes happen during afternoon rush hour.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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