Road scholars
Portland’s new Share the Road class takes the sting out of tickets
by Mike Morrison
A new and innovative “Share the Road Safety Class” designed to educate traffic violators on how to safely share the road with bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists was launched in Portland on March 14. The goal of the class is to increase public awareness of traffic laws and safety issues through education and to decrease the number of traffic violations and crashes involving bicyclists, pedestrians, and motor vehicles.
In explaining his support for the class, Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams said, “Traffic safety is my number one priority as Transportation Commissioner. This class is the right approach. It offers people the chance to learn how to be safe and what their legal responsibilities are in a much more comprehensive way than just giving them a ticket. It has experts teaching people how to be safe and includes them in one of the most important conversations about our city - making Portland the best city in the country to walk and ride a bike.”
Portland Police officers and the Multnomah County Circuit Court will offer the Share Road Safety Class only to eligible traffic violation defendants who are accused of violating particular laws which involve the interaction of bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists. The class will be offered as an alternative to taking their case to trial, potentially receiving a conviction and having to pay a fine. Only persons who have never taken the class before will receive the benefit of either having the eligible charge dismissed or not having to pay fines which start at $73 and go up to $421.
“It didn’t take long for me to realize as a judge hearing hundreds of traffic violation trials that many people don’t know or don’t understand what the law requires,” Multnomah County Judge Larsen said. “ This class will include everyone - walkers, bicyclists and drivers - because we all have shared rights and responsibilities when traveling on our community streets. We’re giving folks an opportunity to avoid a conviction or fine by providing an incentive to learning what the law requires, how to apply it, and why it makes sense to share the road safely,” he said.
A strong partnership among several agencies was formed to develop and present this class: Legacy Emanuel Trauma Nurses Talk Tough, Multnomah County Judge pro tem Christopher Larsen, Portland Police Traffic Division, Portland Office of Transportation, Oregon Department of Transportation, Bicycle Transportation Alliance and Willamette Pedestrian Coalition. The class is being offered once a month at a cost of $30 per registrant.
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