Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles; site hpmtla.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!hao!hplabs!hpisla!hplvla!hpmtla!roy From: roy@hpmtla.UUCP (roy) Newsgroups: net.bicycle Subject: Re: Bicycles, Violence and Hatred Message-ID: <5800001@hpmtla.UUCP> Date: Mon, 22-Apr-85 12:06:00 EDT Article-I.D.: hpmtla.5800001 Posted: Mon Apr 22 12:06:00 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 28-Apr-85 07:18:15 EDT References: <1370@reed.UUCP> Organization: HP Manufacturing Test Division (Loveland) Lines: 84 /***** hpmtla:net.bicycle / reed!kehoe / 5:04 pm Apr 20, 1985*/ On Tuesday, April 9th, I went to a public meeting con- cerning the SE 26th street bicycle route, at Cleveland High School. The meeting was moderated by Joe Walsh of the Office of Transportation (City of Portland). He described the existing bicycle route from the Hawthorne Street bridge to Reed College (SE Clay to Ladd to 21st to Clinton to 26th to Reed College), and explained that the bicycle route is not safe on 26th between Clinton and Holgate because 6500 cars a day use the street and the average automobile's speed there is 39mph (the speed limit is 30mph). Parked cars force bicyclists into the driving lane, and it's not safe for bicyclists to ride in such traffic. I know these facts to be true, as I live across the street from the Clinton Street Theater, and I ride my bicycle on SE 26th every day. Mr.Walsh described four alternatives: 1) using 28th instead of 26th. This is unacceptable for several reasons, including the lack of a crossing at Powell and the dangerous traffic south of Steele; 2) using SE 21st, 22nd and Gladstone streets instead of Clinton and SE 26th streets; 3) timed bicycle-only lanes on 26th -- i.e. no parking on 26th between 7 and 9am and 4 and 6pm. This is also unwork- able, for numerous reasons; 4) restricting parking on 26th to one side of the street and painting two four-foot wide bicycle-only lanes on the street. Parking would not be adversely affected because parking is currently light enough that all the cars could easily park on one side of the street. The bicycle lanes would keep bicycles and cars safely seperated. Mr.Walsh explained that the funds to repaint the street and/or to install signs would not come from local taxpayers, but would come from the gasoline tax fund. Well, the bicyclists at the meeting began to say that both the second and fourth alternatives were good ideas, but then several non-bicyclists began expressing their opinions. One man said that a bicycle route would lower property values. Another man expressed fear that a bicycle route would cause thousands of bicyclists to come from all over the country to ride on SE 26th. One woman said that she had children and was against a bicycle route because it would somehow (she didn't say how) endanger to her children. Another woman complained about taxpayers' money being spent on bicycle routes instead of the police. One man complained about taxpayer's money being spent to limit his freedom. Apparently he meant his freedom to drive and park on what- ever part of the street he wanted. Another man kept insist- ing that the City Council was going to use this as a pre- cedent to widen 26th by taking eight feet out of his front yard. Mr.Walsh assured him that there were no such plans, but the man kept saying that he didn't trust Mr.Walsh. Someone else said that a bicycle route would bring "tran- sients, like Reed College students" into the neighborhood. Now, I know how many bicycle haters there are out there. I've been assaulted twice by motorists (most recently last December, while I waited at the stop light on SE 17th and Bybee, a man jumped out of his car and attacked me with a big stick), and I've been run off the road more times than I can remember (most recently on Monday, April 8th, on Ladd Circle, I came to a full stop at a stop sign, and a motorist behind me had no intention of stopping. He slammed on his brakes, honked his horn, and when I left the stop sign he forced me into the curb). But until last night I hadn't realized that any bicycle haters were capable of getting out of their cars and walking to a public meeting. One man expressed his opinion that "if bicyclists obeyed traffic laws they'd be safe on the streets." Would bicy- clists be safe when the _a_v_e_r_a_g_e motorist on SE 26th is driv- ing 39mph in a 30mph zone? Should bicyclists obey traffic laws when I get run off the road for stopping at a stop sign? Who is he kidding? I wish that I could sum up this essay with a positive conclusion, but I can't. What is there but hatred and fear on the streets out there? How can anyone change that? I wish I knew. Dave Kehoe /* ---------- */