A Register-Guard Editorial: A Cyclists here to stay - 26 July, 2006 (Also refer to these previous WoJ posts on Jane Higdon)

Some of the positive change Sen. Floyd Prozanski hoped for has already occurred along the narrow, twisting rural road where 47-year-old Eugene bicyclist Jane Higdon was killed by a logging truck on May 31. Thanks in no small part to Prozanski’s efforts, the state Department of Transportation recently installed six “Bicycles on Roadway” signs on Territorial Road between Veneta and Lorane. A second set of signs will be added later this year.Prozanski, a cyclist who rode regularly with Higdon, praised ODOT’s quick response on the sign installation and pledged to press for permanent improvements to Territorial Road. The District 4 senator from Eugene is encouraging Lane County and ODOT to find funds to widen Territorial and add shoulders.A wider, safer Territorial Road would be welcomed by cyclists and motorists alike.

Many residents who live along the scenic, popular bike route believe the road today is too dangerous for motor vehicles and bicycles to share.Higdon’s death raised an alarm that Prozanski rightly recognizes must be heeded. Oregon’s rural routes are increasingly promoted for recreational bicycling.

As Prozanski noted in his guest viewpoint, two weeks after Higdon’s death The New York Times named the Willamette Valley as one of five international bike-and-wine-tour destinations. The section of Territorial where Higdon was killed has at least five wineries or tasting rooms close by and is a popular route for tourists and locals alike.

Just last weekend, more than 700 cyclists pedaled along Territorial Road as part of the annual Cycle Oregon ride. Though sensible people were thrilled to host these riders for part of the 19th annual Cycle Oregon event, a few Lane County folks weren’t feeling so hospitable.

Tacks were strewn along the pavement, and taunting signs were placed on the route. One sign read “Attention bicyclists: Find a safer road.”

The signs may express genuine frustrations, but they reveal a deeper problem that no amount of road improvement can solve. It’s an attitude that has to change, or Jane Higdon won’t be the last cyclist to die needlessly on an Oregon road.

Bicycles are vehicles entitled by Oregon law to use the roads like any other vehicle. Motorists who encounter a slow-moving farm tractor understand they must wait for a safe opportunity to pass.

That’s how the law says it’s supposed to work when roads are too narrow to allow bicycles and motor vehicles to travel safely side-by-side. Slowing down for cyclists on a narrow road might require motorists to add another minute to their trips.

Driver impatience and intolerance can be deadly for bicyclists, and impatience and intolerance are no one’s legal right. But cyclists do have a legal right to use the roadways to travel to work, to shop, for recreation - the same reasons motorists need to use the roads.

The price of gas and a growing appreciation for the sustainable, healthy benefits of cycling will continue to add to the number of bicycles using Lane County’s urban and rural routes. Please remember to obey the law and share the road.