[Grovenet] Biking in Forest Grove (WAS: Kevin Van Dyke? Is that name familiar?)

Fri Oct 6 09:20:43 PDT 2006

One of the things Cobi and I planned to do when we moved here was to get
bicycles. 

A few days of observing the almost total lack of bicycling facilities
convinced us that riding a bike here was hardly safer than playing marbles
on the traffic lanes of I-5. 

California has a lot of things wrong with it, but I'm still in awe of Davis,
California where they addressed the issue with an innovative program called
"Street Smarts" that is billed not as a "traffic management" program but as
a "traffic CALMING" program. What a neat idea. It is described like this: 

"Street Smarts is a traffic calming program from the City of Davis Traffic
Engineering Division.  It is designed to make our streets safer, to reduce
the number of traffic-related accidents, injuries and deaths.

"Street Smarts addresses traffic problems at their source:  in the minds of
drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.  Its intent is to raise public awareness
about our attitudes and actions on the streets.  It is to remind us that
laws are laws.  It offers new ways of thinking about the role each of us can
play as part of a Street Smarts solution."

As one writer observed:

"Davis became a pioneer in the implementation of cycling facilities,
particularly bike lanes and bike paths. As the city expands, new facilities
are usually mandated. As a result, Davis is covered in bike paths, and
biking is one of the more common types of transportation, used especially by
UC Davis students because of bicycling's relative inexpensiveness and the
relatively large size of the campus. Davis has been referred to as the "most
bicycle friendly town in the world," as the streets are wide, most of the
bike paths are in good repair, and one can get just about anywhere without
leaving bike paths or bike lanes in streets (except to make left turns,
cross intersections, avoid debris, pass slower traffic, etc.)."

The City of Davis says:

"It is the goal of the City of Davis to create and maintain an integrated
system of bikeways. The City recognizes the need to encourage bicycle travel
for both transportation and recreation and works to promote bicycle use as a
viable, attractive, non-polluting form of transportation and assure safe and
convenient access to all areas of the city."
http://www.city.davis.ca.us/topic/bicycles.cfm

Here in Forest Grove we are literally on a highway to nowhere. Very few
people driving through town are "passing through" to anywhere beyond Forest
Grove and the immediate area. We're well suited for a traffic "calming"
program because we have little true "tourist" traffic through town. 

There are many opportunities open to Forest Grove, but it takes the people
of Forest Grove demand action. Our good Mayor and City Council isn't likely
to spearhead any such activity: their job is to respond to the citizens
here, not to run off on their own telling everyone else what's good and
what's not. 

And if they don't respond, "throw the bums out!" 

It's what we do on election day <G>. 

Ron D'Eau Claire 

-----Original Message-----
From: grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com [mailto:grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com] On
Behalf Of STEVE JERRETT
Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2006 10:11 PM
To: Forest Grove local interests list
Subject: Re: [Grovenet] Kevin Van Dyke? Is that name familiar?

I was sorry to hear about Kevin, my former neighbor. Some of you may
remember a few years back when he posted on Grovenet as "outdoorsman."

Incidents like this are exactly the reason that I have gone from several
hundred highway miles on my bike  each of the last few summers to 0 this
last summer.

I should have quit earlier when I was cut off and hit by an inattentive
driver in FG and knocked to the pavement. Only minor injuries. I was lucky.

It's unfortunate that bikes and motor vehicles  can't coexist more safely.
The risk of accidents due to inattentiveness is compounded by aggressive
drivers with personal vendettas towards bikers. Most bikers can share
incidents where aggresive motorists have failed to give proper clearance on
highways, cut them off at intersections, etc. I have had that happen on
numerous occasions.I have also had objects thrown at me,while riding legally
in the bike lane or near the shoulder of the highway.  

Just a couple of weeks ago, two males in their twenties in a motor vehicle
crowded a lone female cyclist riding  on a rural highway near Hillsboro. As
they passed by her dangerously close, one of them reached out and tried to
hit her, then gave her the finger and yelled something. I followed them to a
nearby convenience store and approached them. When I asked them why they
were behaving so dangerously (not my exact words ) they peeled out like a
couple of cowards.

I now ride on my stationary bike in the basement. Not quite as enjoyable but
much safer.

Steve

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Bob Browning 
To: Forest Grove local interests list
Sent: 10/5/2006 11:29:38 AM 
Subject: Re: [Grovenet] Kevin Van Dyke? Is that name familiar?

I'm not going to touch that one, though I did once kick a TriMet bus that
was trying to run me over downtown on the Mall!! The driver then had the
gall to yell at me!!

bob "when you're little and soft, you gotta keep your eyes open for big,
hard things" browning

David Morelli wrote:

On Oct 4, 2006, at 9:50 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

...
Sometimes they're crowing through just after it turns red, but not  
always.  Sometimes they are making a right turn. No one stops for a  
red light if they're turning, right? At least that's what one  
driver told me after I jumped out of his way in the crosswalk.

Ron D'Eau Claire

Perhaps one of our attorney types can provide the judicial spin.  If  
I carry a steel headed walking stick, and enter the crosswalk on my  
green/walk signal, may I strike any driver's car who assaults me?  As  
a warning and to provide evidence that they are not following the  
state mandated yield to pedestrians in crosswalks who have a valid  
walk signal?

Personally, I believe that, if I can hit their car while I am in a  
legal cross walk while making a legal crossing, that should be  
sufficient evidence that they were breaking the law prior to my strike.

David
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