Citizen prosecution of dangerous drivers

A users’ guide on how others have done it and how you can do it for yourself
by Ray Thomas
Some drivers are so dangerous that some action must be taken to protect others. It is usually the case that a bad driver will offend again and again and the most serious cases will often result in [...]

Getting our share

Rights to development of pedestrian/bicycle facilities
Background
The legal rights in Oregon to development of pedestrian/bicycle facilities were established in the 1971 Oregon Bicycle Bill. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) describes the evolution of this important legislation on its website as follows:
ORS 366.514, aka the bike bill, was passed by the Oregon Legislature in 1971. It [...]

Education is the first step

On working to create a legal movement for non-motorized roadway users in Oregon
by Ray Thomas
It is time for us to band together with all user groups and pursue our common goals of making Oregon’s roads more safe. Significant progress has already been made in recent years by the activist bicyclist movement, efforts to increase the [...]

Motorist’s repeat harassment of bicyclists

by Ray Thomas 
We have previously discussed, from both a legal and citizen perspective, “The Red Pick-Up Guy” of West Salem who was prosecuted for multiple criminal charges in July, 2007 by the Polk County District Attorney.  This was the fellow (reported to the Polk County Sheriff by numerous members of the Salem Bicycle Club) who [...]

What we learned from the Red Pick-Up Guy

by Ray Thomas
In July of 2006, I wrote an article on how cyclists can deal with “neighborhood crank” drivers, who for some reason have it in for bike riders. The article discussed the case of the “Red Pick-up Guy,” who was the bane of cyclists in the West Salem, Oregon area for years before local [...]

Oregon’s new passing law

by Ray Thomas
Sometimes strange things happen to a bill as it passes through the Oregon Legislature. For example, SB 108, which creates a new “safe distance” law for motorists passing bicycles, started out as a measure requiring commercial truckers to use a “forward crossview mirror” so as to see pedestrians immediately in front of [...]

The “Right Hook” hazard from right-turning vehicles

by Ray Thomas
The two recent fatalities in October of 2007 resulting from large trucks being driven over bicyclists in a marked bicycle lane illustrates that we have a long way to go before bicyclists are safe to ride on the street, even in bicycle lanes. The “right hook,” caused by a right-turning motorist who fails [...]

What shall we do now?

by Ray Thomas
Oregon’s bicycle community mourns every time we hear about a seriously injured rider. We share our vulnerability on the roadway so when one of us gets hurt we take it personally. We know like few others how much heart it takes to go out on the roadway and try to share it with [...]

Vulnerable Roadway Users

by Ray Thomas
The 2007 Oregon Legislature passed HB 3314, creating an enhanced penalty for careless diving if it contributes to serious physical injury or death to a “vulnerable user of a public way,” and will go into effect January 1, 2008. The purpose of this article is to discuss the Vulnerable User legal concept and [...]

The “Red Pick-Up Guy” revisited

by Ray Thomas
This article is a follow-up report to “Dangerous Neighborhood Cranks And What To Do About Them,” (August 2006) which described the background and initiation of prosecution of a motorist who heckled bicyclists for years on the road near his house in rural west Salem. He lived on a popular ride and repeatedly used [...]