Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
fall time
Hi peoples. I finally got the part for my truck, but it is going to take a long time to fix and will not be fun. I hope i can get all the work done today or at least in the next few days I have to get my emissions test done before I'm done in az for ty's wedding. So wish me luck. Of course with my tuck not in full function I have been on my bike every day of last week. Portland, after the fatal right turn bike crashes is talking about adding bike boxes to most intersections in town. bikeportland.org.
last weekend katie the dogs and I went for a walk in forest park, it was the first time i'd been and the fall colors were in full effect and i have some pretty ok pics, enjoy.
and some pumkins that we carved too early.
last weekend katie the dogs and I went for a walk in forest park, it was the first time i'd been and the fall colors were in full effect and i have some pretty ok pics, enjoy.
and some pumkins that we carved too early.
Monday, October 22, 2007
an other one.
go to this web site.
http://bikeportland.org/2007/10/22/kgw-cyclist-dies-after-collision-with-garbage-truck/
The biggest problem with this fatal bike crash is that I (CHRIS BOGLE) was right there just half hour before that happened, and I will ride past the ghost bike tomorrow on my way to work. I hope I don't get hit.
http://bikeportland.org/2007/10/22/kgw-cyclist-dies-after-collision-with-garbage-truck/
The biggest problem with this fatal bike crash is that I (CHRIS BOGLE) was right there just half hour before that happened, and I will ride past the ghost bike tomorrow on my way to work. I hope I don't get hit.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
a bike ride mostly
Death puts focus on bike lanes
Safety - Police say a new law would make for safer turns; cyclists say it's infringing on their rights
Related Documents (PDF):
1
Saturday, October 13, 2007
STUART TOMLINSON, MARK LARABEE and HELEN JUNG
The Oregonian Staff
The death Thursday of a 19-year-old college student beneath the wheels of a cement truck turning right across a bicycle lane highlights a long-standing disagreement between Portland police and bike advocates.
The police would like to see Oregon enact a traffic law similar to California's -- which requires trucks and cars planning a right turn to move into bike lanes well before they reach an intersection or driveway. The point is to prevent the so-called "right hook," accident, which occurs when vehicles cross bike lanes as they execute turns.
But bike advocates have opposed changes in the law, arguing that drivers need to learn to obey an Oregon statute which says vehicles "must" yield to any cyclist in a bike lane.
Late Friday, about 400 cyclists rode in a funeral-like procession along Burnside Street, mourning Tracey Sparling's death. But confrontations between drivers and bicyclists during the vigil revealed the ongoing tension between the two groups in Portland.
The dispute over the safest way for motorists and cyclists to share urban roads turns on a seemingly arcane aspect of traffic law. But it underscores a deepening conflict as Portland's efforts to encourage bicycle commuting and a more densely populated downtown crowd ever-growing numbers of cyclists, pedestrians, trucks and cars into finite space.
Roger Geller, the bicycle coordinator for Portland's Office of Transportation, said adopting a statute like California's for right turns would create more danger for cyclists. As trucks or cars move into the bike lane, Geller said, bicyclists might swerve left into traffic. Or they might move ahead into the intersection in an attempt to beat the turning vehicle. In some places, turning cars would continually block the bike lane.
"You're introducing other hazards," Geller said. "The police bureau argues that you can't change years of behavior, but behavior has changed. We've got to train motorists to respect the bike lane."
Lt. Mark Kruger of the Portland Police Bureau's traffic division counters that Oregon's current law puts an impossible requirement on drivers making right turns to spot cyclists in blind spots or unexpected positions.
"Motorists have been conditioned for 100 years that no one is going to pass them on the right," Kruger said. "Spring forward to where we are today, where we've added bike lanes to the mix, and some bicycles are traveling at high speed. It can lead to significant, deadly conflicts, as we saw Thursday.
"Bicyclists expect and are trained by activists groups that when you've got the bike lane, you can do what you want to do," he said. "We have a lot of these collisions that don't end in fatalities, but they are stubborn to the point that they won't give up ground for the sake of safety."
Sparling, the 19-year-old cyclist killed Thursday, was on her way to classes at the Pacific Northwest College of Art. The motorist, 54-year-old Timothy S. Wiles, a veteran driver for Rinker Materials, was delivering a load of concrete to a construction site at Southwest 12th and Washington.
Officer Pete Kurronen, the lead investigator of the accident, said Sparling rolled to a stop to the right of the truck, directly below its cab and in the driver's blind spot. She was in the bike lane.
When the light changed, Wiles turned right. Sparling barely moved, witnesses told The Oregonian.
Kurronen said it's unlikely Wiles will face criminal charges because there was no negligence or recklessness, and he was not impaired by drugs or alcohol.
Wiles could be cited for failure to yield to a bicycle, a Class B violation that carries a $242 fine.
The vigil for Sparling on Friday night began at the west side of the Burnside Bridge. The group pedaled down the street largely in silence, except for the chiming of cyclists' bells. As the blocks-long parade passed Powell's Books and turned right onto Northwest 12th Avenue, bystanders and customers stood outside to watch.
One driver, blocked on Northwest 13th Avenue by the throngs, yelled at cyclists as they passed. Her anger triggered a few cyclists to stand in front of her car. Another cyclist remained with her until the crowd had passed, asking her to relax and let the mourners pass.
But as cyclists crossed Burnside, riding against a red light, other cars honked impatiently. A police car following the crowd warned them to obey the traffic lights.
At the crash site itself, people left flowers, notes and candles. Several cried. One note said, "I'm sorry you had to die and nothing is being done about it."
Among those riding was Marilyn Hayward of Beaverton. She said the ride should be a message not only for drivers to slow down but also for cyclists to be more cautious.
"It's horrible what happened," she said. "At the same time, my heart goes out to the driver, because he's got to live with it for the rest of his life."
Although the evidence is anecdotal, police say the construction projects dotting Portland's downtown have raised the dangers to drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
Streets have been narrowed in many spots to a single lane, eliminating some bike lanes. Work on high-rises, sewer pipes and the new bus mall has added to the congestion and confusion. Bicyclists and motorists mix it up in an ever-dangerous dance. And finding parking can seem like a World Wrestling Federation grudge match.
"Construction makes it difficult to get around," bike messenger Jorge Carter said Friday after making a delivery on Southwest 10th Avenue. "It makes you have to plan your routes a little more effectively."
Most drivers are courteous to bicyclists, though a small percentage still yell at him to get out of the road. He said he always rides defensively and knows drivers can't see him. "You are a small object and you aren't armored," Carter said.
Kruger said there's no indication all the downtown congestion has caused a rise in serious accidents. The danger posed by frustrated drivers may be balanced by their slower speeds.
Stuart Tomlinson: 503-221-8313; stuarttomlinson@news.oregonian.com Mark Larabee: 503-294-7664; marklarabee@news.oregonian.com Helen Jung: 503-294-7621; helenjung@news.oregonian.com
goto this link for a better story and more related stories.
http://bikeportland.org/2007/10/12/hundreds-join-solemn-burnside-procession/
This was one of the saddest things I have ever done, riding my bike with what i thought to be over 600 other people.
All of us riding because that poor girl could have just as easily been any one of us. The ride was quite minus a few bells and a few disgruntled, homeless portlanders. At the end of the ride there was a ghost bike that will become a permeant land mark in downtown portland, just like the other ghost bikes that are scattered around the city at other fatal crash sites.
( A note to my family and friends)- please ride and drive safe.
Now here are a few pics from nime and katies last beach trip.
Safety - Police say a new law would make for safer turns; cyclists say it's infringing on their rights
Related Documents (PDF):
1
Saturday, October 13, 2007
STUART TOMLINSON, MARK LARABEE and HELEN JUNG
The Oregonian Staff
The death Thursday of a 19-year-old college student beneath the wheels of a cement truck turning right across a bicycle lane highlights a long-standing disagreement between Portland police and bike advocates.
The police would like to see Oregon enact a traffic law similar to California's -- which requires trucks and cars planning a right turn to move into bike lanes well before they reach an intersection or driveway. The point is to prevent the so-called "right hook," accident, which occurs when vehicles cross bike lanes as they execute turns.
But bike advocates have opposed changes in the law, arguing that drivers need to learn to obey an Oregon statute which says vehicles "must" yield to any cyclist in a bike lane.
Late Friday, about 400 cyclists rode in a funeral-like procession along Burnside Street, mourning Tracey Sparling's death. But confrontations between drivers and bicyclists during the vigil revealed the ongoing tension between the two groups in Portland.
The dispute over the safest way for motorists and cyclists to share urban roads turns on a seemingly arcane aspect of traffic law. But it underscores a deepening conflict as Portland's efforts to encourage bicycle commuting and a more densely populated downtown crowd ever-growing numbers of cyclists, pedestrians, trucks and cars into finite space.
Roger Geller, the bicycle coordinator for Portland's Office of Transportation, said adopting a statute like California's for right turns would create more danger for cyclists. As trucks or cars move into the bike lane, Geller said, bicyclists might swerve left into traffic. Or they might move ahead into the intersection in an attempt to beat the turning vehicle. In some places, turning cars would continually block the bike lane.
"You're introducing other hazards," Geller said. "The police bureau argues that you can't change years of behavior, but behavior has changed. We've got to train motorists to respect the bike lane."
Lt. Mark Kruger of the Portland Police Bureau's traffic division counters that Oregon's current law puts an impossible requirement on drivers making right turns to spot cyclists in blind spots or unexpected positions.
"Motorists have been conditioned for 100 years that no one is going to pass them on the right," Kruger said. "Spring forward to where we are today, where we've added bike lanes to the mix, and some bicycles are traveling at high speed. It can lead to significant, deadly conflicts, as we saw Thursday.
"Bicyclists expect and are trained by activists groups that when you've got the bike lane, you can do what you want to do," he said. "We have a lot of these collisions that don't end in fatalities, but they are stubborn to the point that they won't give up ground for the sake of safety."
Sparling, the 19-year-old cyclist killed Thursday, was on her way to classes at the Pacific Northwest College of Art. The motorist, 54-year-old Timothy S. Wiles, a veteran driver for Rinker Materials, was delivering a load of concrete to a construction site at Southwest 12th and Washington.
Officer Pete Kurronen, the lead investigator of the accident, said Sparling rolled to a stop to the right of the truck, directly below its cab and in the driver's blind spot. She was in the bike lane.
When the light changed, Wiles turned right. Sparling barely moved, witnesses told The Oregonian.
Kurronen said it's unlikely Wiles will face criminal charges because there was no negligence or recklessness, and he was not impaired by drugs or alcohol.
Wiles could be cited for failure to yield to a bicycle, a Class B violation that carries a $242 fine.
The vigil for Sparling on Friday night began at the west side of the Burnside Bridge. The group pedaled down the street largely in silence, except for the chiming of cyclists' bells. As the blocks-long parade passed Powell's Books and turned right onto Northwest 12th Avenue, bystanders and customers stood outside to watch.
One driver, blocked on Northwest 13th Avenue by the throngs, yelled at cyclists as they passed. Her anger triggered a few cyclists to stand in front of her car. Another cyclist remained with her until the crowd had passed, asking her to relax and let the mourners pass.
But as cyclists crossed Burnside, riding against a red light, other cars honked impatiently. A police car following the crowd warned them to obey the traffic lights.
At the crash site itself, people left flowers, notes and candles. Several cried. One note said, "I'm sorry you had to die and nothing is being done about it."
Among those riding was Marilyn Hayward of Beaverton. She said the ride should be a message not only for drivers to slow down but also for cyclists to be more cautious.
"It's horrible what happened," she said. "At the same time, my heart goes out to the driver, because he's got to live with it for the rest of his life."
Although the evidence is anecdotal, police say the construction projects dotting Portland's downtown have raised the dangers to drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
Streets have been narrowed in many spots to a single lane, eliminating some bike lanes. Work on high-rises, sewer pipes and the new bus mall has added to the congestion and confusion. Bicyclists and motorists mix it up in an ever-dangerous dance. And finding parking can seem like a World Wrestling Federation grudge match.
"Construction makes it difficult to get around," bike messenger Jorge Carter said Friday after making a delivery on Southwest 10th Avenue. "It makes you have to plan your routes a little more effectively."
Most drivers are courteous to bicyclists, though a small percentage still yell at him to get out of the road. He said he always rides defensively and knows drivers can't see him. "You are a small object and you aren't armored," Carter said.
Kruger said there's no indication all the downtown congestion has caused a rise in serious accidents. The danger posed by frustrated drivers may be balanced by their slower speeds.
Stuart Tomlinson: 503-221-8313; stuarttomlinson@news.oregonian.com Mark Larabee: 503-294-7664; marklarabee@news.oregonian.com Helen Jung: 503-294-7621; helenjung@news.oregonian.com
goto this link for a better story and more related stories.
http://bikeportland.org/2007/10/12/hundreds-join-solemn-burnside-procession/
This was one of the saddest things I have ever done, riding my bike with what i thought to be over 600 other people.
All of us riding because that poor girl could have just as easily been any one of us. The ride was quite minus a few bells and a few disgruntled, homeless portlanders. At the end of the ride there was a ghost bike that will become a permeant land mark in downtown portland, just like the other ghost bikes that are scattered around the city at other fatal crash sites.
( A note to my family and friends)- please ride and drive safe.
Now here are a few pics from nime and katies last beach trip.
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