John and Robin McCaffrey

No, Mike was right. The bicyclist would have been at fault if there had been
an accident.

There is a bike path to take riders around to the right side of the right
travel lane which the rider didn't use.

I believe the speed limit there is either 40 or 45. The bus had its own
lane. The rider was moving from the middle lane, across the right lane
(bus) to get to the bike lane.

How many times do you think he'll be successful travelling 30-35mph and
cutting in front of a bus going about 40mph?

John

From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org] On
Behalf Of Chris Alling
Sent: Thursday, April 02, 2009 10:54 AM
To: Obra
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] What was he thinking.

>From your description it sounds as if the bus should have yielded the right
of way to the cyclist and he should be lambasted for not applying the brakes
and yielding. It sounds like the bike was traveling legally with the flow af
traffic.

_____

From: JRaedeke@roguecc.edu
To: obra@list.obra.org
Date: Thu, 2 Apr 2009 10:07:49 -0700
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] What was he thinking.

Amen !!! Let's all try to not give motorists any reasons to dislike cyclist
on the roadways. Let's make positive progress.

john

From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org] On
Behalf Of Mike Rosenfeld
Sent: Thursday, April 02, 2009 9:38 AM
To: OBRA
Subject: [OBRA Chat] What was he thinking.

I am not one to publicly lambaste another cyclist but I witnessed such a
huge display stupidity this morning I have to take the time to vent.

The incident took place where Capitol Highway merges onto Barbur Blvd. I
have attached a picture of the area to refresh memories.

There is a bike path for those heading towards downtown to go around the
overpass and then merge back onto Barbur Blvd safely.

It was about 7:45am, pouring down rain, and very low visibility.

I was driving (yes I know...you can pick on me for driving) towards downtown
and was passing under the overpass. I see a cyclist with minimal lighting
and dark cycling gear, The rain jacket was Red, bluish helmet. I would have
to gauge this cyclist as a racer due to the type of bike, smooth spin, and
speed at which he was traveling, also the gear was indicative of someone who
knows how to ride in the rain....speed would be maybe 25 to 30 mph. They
decide to bypass the bike path round-about and go under the over pass.

As I close the distance and pass under the overpass I see a Trimet bus
coming down the ramp getting ready to merge onto Barbur from Capitol.

The cyclist stands up and starts to sprint.

The Bus increases speed.

I slow down in case the cyclist needs to veer into my lane....Every muscle
in my body tenses and I mutter a curse under my breath through clenched jaws
as the cyclist cuts across in front of the bus. And this is no
joke.....there was only 5 feet of clearance between the rear wheel of the
cyclist and the bus...it was even less by the time the cyclist clears the
bumper of the bus and is safely across the lane.

The brake lights on the bus never even flickered.

I really thought I was going to watch this guy die....not just hurt but
actually dead. The bus was doing at least mid 30's and would have smeared
the cyclist for at least 100+ feet before stopping.

This is the sort of thing that gives people legitimate complaints against
cyclists.

I know the argument that some experienced cyclists have with regards to
being in control of their environment and know the limitations of their
handling skills and speeds....but for goodness sake this was just down right
STUPID!!

I hope the cyclist is in fact a racer, a member of OBRA, and is reading
this. My message to you is this:

Your actions impact more than just you. If you had been wrong in your
abilities to clear the buses bumper, I and at least 30+ other people would
have watch you die. Horribly. Think of how the driver of the bus would
have felt knowing he or she had taken your life. For what?? 30 extra
seconds? Not wanting to deal a little bit of gravel? Think about this
before you do something like this again. Your actions.....your
decisions....have consequences to yourself and others.

I am a cyclist. I have been riding both competitively and for leisure on
and off for 25 years. I state this to lend credence to my assessment of the
situation.

Mike Rosenfeld

_____

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