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 [...]

Crosswalks, buffers & clear signals

by Ray Thomas
The 2007 Oregon Legislation is considering two bills that would have significant impact on the rights of non-motorized highway users: Senate Bill (SB) 299 and Legislative Counsel (LC) 1292.
The purpose of this article is to provide a brief introduction and overview of the two drafts. It is likely that amendments will change the [...]

Cell-ebrate this!

by Mark Lansing
Picture this, if you will: a motor vehicle being operated by someone seemingly not paying close attention to the task at hand. The subtle cues are as numerous as rain showers in Roseburg—little things like staying in the freeway’s left lane after passing a slower vehicle, or something larger like running a red [...]

Cycling Injuries and law change

by Ray Thomas
We are tired of hearing about terrible accidents where a motorist kills or grievously injures a bicyclist by failing to give the rider a lawful share of the road and the only consequence for the motorist is a traffic ticket that doesn’t even require a court appearance and includes no drivers license suspension.
Bicycle [...]

Accidents that result in property damage

by Ray Thomas
Fortunately, most bicycle accidents do not result in personal injuries. Instead, wheels get bent, helmets scraped (you did have your helmet on didn’t you?) and, if the accident is the motorist’s fault, a “property damage” claim is made against an insurance company.
For the bicyclist, property damage claims are frustrating. Few lawyers are interested [...]

Going after dangerous neighborhood cranks

by Ray Thomas
If you listen to groups of bicyclists, during food or rest breaks, talking about riding in Oregon, you will inevitably hear about dangerous neighborhood cranks who for some reason have it in for bike riders. These folks will typically use whatever equipment they have access to in order to register their protest to [...]