Author: RideCoordinator

First Section of Amazon Path Reopened!

Posted on by RideCoordinator

This just in- the first section of the Amazon Path, from 30th to 24th is finished!

The City expects the section from 24th to 30th to be finished by the end of next week.

A beautiful morning on the newly rebuilt Amazon Path
A beautiful morning on the newly rebuilt Amazon Path

Speaking of paths.  Here is an email that was sent out to the GEARs google group but is worth reposting here.  Write a letter to City staff regarding access to the Ribbon Trail:

The new Ribbon Trail (http://www.lcmba.org/) that we wrote about in the last issue of the GEARs Newsletter is already being threatened. After hearing concern from Hendricks Hill Neighbors the City is thinking that they will not allow bikes on the new Ribbon Trail.

So, before this becomes reality, lets write to Phillip Richardson <PHILIP.S.RICHARDSON@ci.eugene.or.us> and Neil Bjorklund <Neil.H.BJORKLUND@ci.eugene.or.us> and copy:louieswing@gmail.com

And let them know about your sense of the value of this trail as a bicycle connection that really works.

Dear Phillip Richardson,

I want to share with you my sense of the importance of allowing bicycle use on the new Ribbon Trail.

The Ribbon Trail is a key connection in getting safely up and over the hill toward LCC on my bike. As a father of 4 young kids that searches out places where riding is safe from faster car traffic, I feel that the Ribbon Trail makes a valuable connection from one part of town to another. One that is both fun and safe.

To limit this trail to pedestrians only would be making a big mistake, truly making it more difficult for families and students to choose to travel by human power. In this time, we need to be making changes the other way – always looking to make the choice easier to go by bike….

Crash on Monday is Fatal

Posted on by RideCoordinator

Another cyclist has died on our city streets. Marcellus Tryk, 47, also known as Donald Tryk, was listed in critical condition at RiverBend Hospital on Monday but according to a story by KVAL he died yesterday at the hospital.

I have only found the one news story about it. I have a call into the police department to try to find out more. If anyone has more information please share it with me so we can get the information out.
Here’s the story as reported on KVAL.

——-

**UPDATE- I just got a call from the police department and the investigation is still open and they can’t release many details.
I did find out that the crash occured near 339 W. 17th (just west of Lincoln St- near Cornucopia) and that when responding the officer found no damage to the car or bicycle involved and that there were no witnesses.   Because of that it sounds to me like they are not investigating too much more. Now that he has died that may change but now that one of the most important witnesses is no longer here to tell us what happened I hope that we as a bike community can help to make sure that his case is fully and fairly investigated.  If he was startled by an opening car door then an investigation needs to be done into whether the motorist violated ORS 811.490 which prohibits opening a car door unless it is “reasonably safe to do so.”

Just a few weeks ago a cyclist in Portland filed a lawsuit against a driver for a dooring (information from lawyer Ray Thomas on “dooring” is linked to in the article as well).

Green Bike Tours in Eugene

Posted on by RideCoordinator

This weekend was the kick-off of the Green Home Bike Tours hosted by the Neighborhood Leadership Council’s Sustainability Committee. This first tour was in the FarWest Neighborhood (West of Chambers to City View and around 18th Ave) and the next one will be in the River Road neighborhood. Check the GEARs calendar for all the details. This weekend was also the “Prom” down by the river- maybe we’ll get some photos and stories from that up as well.

Here are a couple photos from the Green Homes Bike Tour.

DeFazio Leads the Pack on Transportation

Posted on by RideCoordinator

I-5 Bike/Ped Bridge Opening
DeFazio at I-5 Bike/Ped Bridge Opening

Local Congressman, Peter DeFazio, is breaking away and headed for the yellow jersey in the race for real change in our transportation system, leaving the most popular and famous ‘change maker’, President Obama, back in the peloton. Congressman DeFazio (D-OR) is attempting to work on a “comprehensive overhaul” of the transportation system while the Obama administration is calling for congress to hold off and create a temporary fix. DeFazio is calling for a “transaction tax on crude oil securities” to pay for the deficiency in the Highway Trust Fund (which is nearly bankrupt) and to pay for the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009. On DeFazio’s website a statement about the plan states:

The Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 requires $450 billion in funding over 6 years. Because of existing funding mechanisms through the Highway Trust Fund, there is a $140 billion funding gap. A transaction tax on crude oil securities would raise more than $190 billion over 6 years, more than enough to fill the gap.

It goes on to describe the transaction tax in more detail but what is missing is the vision of the changes that this new transportation system may include. In an interview (Full MP3 version) with Rachael McDonald on KLCC DeFazio discusses many issues and towards the end he talks about transportation. He states that ‘legacy infrastructure’ needs to be maintained but he also talks about overhauling the Department of Transportation, reducing greenhouse gasses, giving people transit options, and increasing safety. He doesn’t specifically mention Active Transportation but he has a history of supporting biking, walking, and transit. Here is the portion of the interview regarding transportation:

DeFazio talking transportation

As DeFazio stated yesterday at a media event for the new bridge to connect the Cal Young neighborhood with the Delta Ponds area and the Willamette River money spent on projects like bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure are “a heck of a lot better spent than one penny going to Wall Street”.
Delta Ponds Bridge Area-2
It will be interesting to see what action the Obama administration takes on his plan. The next few months could see a lot of action for transportation at the congressional level and all of that will eventually have a big impact on what America’s new transportation model may look like.  $450 billion is a lot to swallow in the current economic climate and a lot of this new transportation plan will certainly continue with a lot of the old ‘highway mentality’ and not enough funding for active transportation but it looks like it might be making a positive step in that direction.  Let’s hope.

Bike Day wrap-up & Meet in the Street Meeting

Posted on by RideCoordinator

The GEARs table was hopping at Bike Day with the main focus being the Flat Tire Fix-Off. Folks stopped by to see how fast they could change a flat. The top three finishers took the stage at the end of the day and to make it more exciting they competed blind folded!
Paul (GEARs President) stomped the competition by changing the flat in just over 2 minutes. David Roth, from the City of Eugene Transportation Planning department came in second, and Andrew from Paul’s Bicycle Way of Life came in third.
There were a lot more great events and items to wrap-up but for now I’ll pass on some links to some photos and videos from various Bike Day participants and also pass on the word that a Meet in the Street meeting is happening tonight.

Flickr set of Bike Day from Katura
and
YouTube videos of Bike Day from Katura

Here’s the latest from Heidi on MITS:

Meet in the Street is moving along in it’s organization. We have a
date (10/4), a time (8 am -2 pm), a route, and a nearly complete
budget (about $20k), an approved parks permit, dialogue with the
university, outreach to the Whiteaker neighborhood, and more.

We’ll meet on Monday evening to finalize some more details and move
the event organizing along. Hot topic is the deadline to meet
sponsorship application with Point2Point. And discuss the event
theme…how do folks feel about Makin a Splash (in case it’s rainy
that day)? Of course we’d like it to be hugely successful. 🙂

Please come help! Monday evening (6/15) at Keystone Cafe from 7-8
pm…we’d love to see you there.

Thanks!
Heidi

GEARing up for Summer

Posted on by RideCoordinator

Hot days, thunderstorms, and more cyclists out on the roads; sure signs that summer is just around the corner.

Another indicator is that Bike Day is coming right up. The annual event kicks off the summer and this year (the 5th!) promises to kick it up a notch. The theme is Celebrating Eugene’s Bikulturalism and here will be demos and competitions, booths, food, and a beer garden!
So whether you want to bring your kid down to ride in the bike safety rodeo or you want to show off your dirt jump skills there’s something for you and your two-wheeled thing (…or one, three, four, or more wheels) including a track stand competition, tricycle races, bike polo, bike blended smoothies, cyclocross races, a bike fashion show, tire changing competition and entertainment by the Bottom Brackettes, Grey Matter Jugglers, Sideroads, Kutsinhira Youth Marimba, and KRVM DJ’s!!!!

The Eugene Weekly wrote up the event along with a good cover story on why a bike boom would be a great economic stimulus for Eugene.

We need some volunteers to make it happen so if you’re interested drop me a line and you can table the GEARs booth or help out in the Beer Garden! shane (at) eugenegears-dot-org or 541-556-3553