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April 06, 2013

Comments

Brian, Too bad some group won't take up the problem of Bicycle Riders on Liberty Road South of Hi-Lo road where the bike lanes end. Driving to and from town can be a hazard when coming up behind a Cyclist barely moving up a hill in the car lane. Cyclists should lobby for Bike lanes on Liberty Rd. not only for their safety but also for the safety of motorists trying to pass them when they yield the road to motorists.

Wayne, I agree. Pulling out to pass a bicyclist on a hlll or curve, where there's a blind spot, is dangerous for both the driver and the cyclist.

It would be great for the County to improve all roads with bike lanes! But this is not likely to happen without great support from drivers - frequently it is the case that people in cars prefer road funds to be used only on auto travel lanes, and not on facilities for other road users.

The County, it happens, is updating the rural transportation system plan. You can read about it here.
http://www.co.marion.or.us/PW/Engineering/rtsp/2013update.htm

If you would like to support more bike lanes on rural roads, your comments would greatly help!

As for this particular site with a hill, you may recall a little over a year ago David Apperson was killed on his bike after being struck by a person driving a truck in Polk County.

That driver was cited for failure to obey the "basic rule" (ORS 811.100) and for unsafe passing (ORS 811.065).

If because of limited visibility on a road, a person driving is not able to anticipate slow and large farm equipment, a person on a horse, a person on bike, a stranded motorist walking, or on-coming traffic in the opposite lane, then it is quite possible that the driver is in violation of the basic rule.

So it is possible that "pulling out to pass [someone in a car or bike or horse...etc] on a hill or curve" is not actually legal and that the proper thing to do is to reduce speed until it is safe to pass on a straight-away with better sight lines.

(And as you say, the Minto Bridge and Path will be a lovely amenity for downtown recreation!)

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