RAY THOMAS
All, I am on the BTA's Legislative Committee and can offer this about their
position. The BTA's Legislative Committee has considered several variations
on laws that would make negligent driving that hurts or kills a vulnerable
roadway user like bikers or pedestrians into a type of homicide felony that
would include a license suspension, community service and driver safety
certification. THis type of driving has typically received at most a
Careless Driving, a violation with no license suspension. The BTA has not
yet taken a final position on the various proposals for the 2007 legislature
which include this one. The AMerican Motorcycle Association proposed
legislation is on their website and has previously been submitted on OBRA
list. It is good intro to this area. Ray Thomas
>From: "Darell Provencher"
>To:
>CC: "'Provencher, Darell'"
>,teamrosecity@topica.com
>Subject: [OBRA Chat] Mike Kalan's Funeral -- Next Steps
>Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 18:14:50 -0700
>
>I went to Michael Kalan's funeral today at St Matthews Lutheran Church in
>Beaverton. About 150 people were there. Probably a couple of dozen
>relatives
>were there, most of them still obviously in a state of shock and disbelief,
>abruptly ripped from there everyday lives and brought here today by an
>accident that could have been avoided.
>
>After the service I met Wendy, Michael's wife. I told her I had never met
>Mike, but I was compelled to come because of the emails and a couple of
>phone calls I received on Saturday morning. Apparently Mike was wearing
>what
>had been described as a yellow, red, and black jersey, and could have been
>a
>member of Team Rose City. At that time, the Washing County Sheriff's dept
>was trying to secure his identity. I spent most of Saturday morning talking
>to KGW TV on the phone and talking to the Sheriff's dept. It brought back
>unpleasant memories of a little over a year ago (June18) when I found out
>that one of our team mates, Eric Kautzky, had been killed when hit from
>behind by an 18 yr old driver who had fallen asleep at the wheel. These
>were
>both accidents that should never have happened. To see their impact in the
>eyes of friends and relatives is very hard indeed.
>
>Mike was 35 yrs old. After KGW called me back later Saturday afternoon with
>his identity, I googled his name and discovered he was an accomplished
>Category A cyclocross rider, with top 5 placings in races throughout the
>Midwest and South -- Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina. Mike Kalan, bike
>racer.
>At the funeral, I learned that Mike grew up in Denver. He rode bikes alot
>as
>a kid and loved things mechanical. He majored in mechanical engineering at
>Valparaiso University. He met his wife Wendy there, and they were married
>in
>1995. I saw his two beautiful children at the service, McKenna (age 3?) and
>Alex (age 6?). There were also plenty of pictures of Mike on two bulletin
>boards, mostly cross and mtn bike photos, and family pictures with his
>children and wife.
>
>Mike and his family moved to Portland just 5 months ago. No doubt he was
>out
>riding last Friday evening and thinking about the upcoming cross season.
>Wendy gave me a big hug and thanked me for coming. I now know Mike Kalan as
>a human being, a father, a husband. If last Friday didn't happen, I could
>have perhaps someday called him a friend.
>
>Needless to say there is still shock and anger amongst those who knew Mike
>well, and those of us who didn't. We all deal with this kind of terrible
>news differently. I for one would like to take some kind of positive action
>to help prevent these situations in the future. So what are some next
>possible steps that we as a cycling community can take? A couple of ideas:
>
>Starting with the West Union/Shute/Helvetia intersection, can we get some
>"Cyclists on Road" signs posted from each direction? Are there other roads
>or intersections that could be identifiied in the metro area where these
>signs could be posted? Anyone know how we could move this idea forward?
>
>Oregon State Law -- Perhaps we should be lobbying key legislators for
>tougher vehicular homicide/manslaughter laws. Where does the BTA stand on
>this and what actions are being planned?
>
>See also:
>
>http://bikeportland.org/2006/09/19/pdot-advocates-work-towards-tougher-laws/
>
>One last thing. If you want in some way to take some action to help Mike's
>family, you can do so by making a contribution to a fund for his children,
>Alex and McKenna:
>
>Checks to:
>
>Alex and McKenna Kalan
>c/o Wells Fargo Bank
>2645 NW Town Center Drive
>Beaverton, OR 97006
>
>
>Thanks for listening everyone. Please ride responsibly and safely.
>
>Darell Provencher
>
>
>
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