Tag: Advocacy (Page 3 of 4)

 From:  Invest in non-motorized transportation | The Salt Lake Tribune

“Transportation studies show that more pedestrians

and bicyclists on our streets make the streets safer

for everyone: As the percentage of trips made by

non-motorized transportation increases,

the percentage of injury accidents per miles

traveled decreases.” 

 

This is because:

1. More bicyclists and pedestrians increase driver awareness.

2. As more people bike and walk, they become more empathetic drivers, better able to anticipate and respect non-motorists.

3. Pedestrians and bicyclists have a “traffic calming” effect. Slower traffic means fewer and less severe accidents.

4. More pedestrians and bicyclists result in more spending on safer infrastructure for active transportation.

“This is a classic chicken-and-egg problem. Do we ignore the safety needs of non-motorists because they are a minority? Or do we invest in facilities to make walking and bicycling safer and more convenient? There is ample evidence that building infrastructure for active transportation substantially increases the number of pedestrians and bicyclists. Build it, and they will come.”

We have signs that bicycling in Oklahoma City is getting better.

Hopefully, getting safer too.

As I posted earlier in “Use Full Lane” there are plans underway to mark 70 miles of designated bike route in Oklahoma City with signage to include the standard green “bike route” signs, sharrows – in the street bike/arrow painted signs, and most impressive – alerting motorists (and cyclists) for cyclists to “use full lane” and for drivers to change lanes to pass cyclists.

These signs are along Hefner Road, just east of the Hefner Parkway.

In light of the news that another cyclist was hit this past Wednesday in Oklahoma City, these signs bring hope to cyclists and their loved ones that roads in Oklahoma City will become safer for those riding bikes.

Part of our struggle has always been to make drivers aware that cyclists have a legal right to be on the road – these signs clearly make that point.  As cyclists, we need to do our part and follow the laws of the road as specified in Oklahoma, which also can only help to ensure our safety.

Adding this signage to designate various bike routes is a significant step toward making Oklahoma City more bikeable.

In Oklahoma City there are plans underway for “Use Full Lane” signage to be installed along 70 miles of designated bike route.  This is a huge step forward for our bicycling community toward making the roads safer and more rideable.

Photo provided by Mike Flenniken, Team Bike Buddies

Unfortunately, when you have progress you sometimes encounter opposition to that progress.

Mike Flenniken,Team Bike Buddies, notified TBB members this morning that someone had vandalized by running over the very recently installed “Bicycles Use Full Lane” signage installed on a four mile section of Hefner Road between Morgan Road and Cemetery road in Oklahoma City.

Flenniken reported that the signs were singled out as it appeared the driver had to cross from one side of the road to the other to take them all out.

No good deed goes unpunished as they say.

No bad deed should go unpunished either.

In an effort to apprehend the person or persons who destroyed the signage, a fund has been established for a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

To donate to the reward fund, please contact Mike Flenniken at [email protected] or call him at (405) 613-9767.

Mark and I donated to the fund this morning, hopefully the biking community will contribute what they can, and with any luck the person(s) that did this will be caught and convicted.

Until then, ride safely and take satisfaction in the fact that here in Oklahoma City, we are getting signage installed along 70 miles of designated bike route that spell out our legal right to use the road.

The following is an excerpt from the website “Bicycling Law” maintained by attorney, Bob Mionske.

“A week after Bradley Walck killed Ardie Lewis in Oklahoma, Illinois governor Pat Quinn signed Matt’s Law—named for cyclist Matt Wilhelm, who was killed in that state by a texting driver—which bans composing, sending and reading any “electronic message” while driving. In Utah, drivers who kill while texting face up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine; in Alaska, the sentence can be as much as 20 years.

Still, only a handful of states have banned texting. What’s most remarkable is that 20 states, including Oklahoma, have considered texting legislation, but have failed to act.” 

(Mionske article continued here).

After learning of the conviction of the Seminole driver of Negligent Homicide, a misdemeanor, for killing a bicyclist on the road, I was outraged.  Further outrageous was the fact that he could have been sentenced to a year in jail (or better yet, a year of community service), but instead he was placed on probation and 40 hours of community service.  I could have accepted a year of community service (perhaps 10 hours a week) – it would have better fit the crime and produced a valuable service to the community.

In addition to rants on Facebook and Twitter, I wrote to my State Senator and Representative the following letter (I also copied Senator Andrew Rice, who announced yesterday he planned to introduce legislation to better protect bicyclists):

Dear Senator Jolley & Representative Moore,

My husband, Mark  wrote to you last night about his concern over Dr. Bradley Walck’s conviction of Negligent Homicide, a Misdemeanor, when Walck struck and killed 50-year-old bicyclist, Artie Lewis. I will not repeat the details of Mark’s letter, suffice it to say, my feelings/thoughts are the same.

To say the bicycling community is outraged is an understatement. I have fellow bicyclist friends of the community as “friends” on Facebook and Twitter, and the anger and outrage expressed is very high.

We are also all waiting to see what charges, if any, are made in the two recent deaths of cyclists, Debra Miller and Clyde Riggs, where the drivers of the vehicles are known. What value will the lives of Miller and Riggs hold? Will the persons that killed them receive a similar slap on the wrist?

I am happy to learn that Senator Rice will be introducing legislation to better protect bicyclists. Senator Jolley and Representative Moore, I hope that you will be supportive of these efforts.

Having reviewed the Colorado Bicycle Safety Act summary, in my opinion, it is not strong enough. In Oklahoma, we currently have a “3-foot law” and bicyclists’ riding two abreast is legal. While the Colorado type law would make harassing a bicyclist a more serious offense, it did not appear to address instituting stiffer penalties for injury or death to a bicyclist by a driver.

I applaud Senator Rice’s statement yesterday and his efforts to pursue legislation on behalf of every bicyclist (and pedestrians, runners, the disabled), young and old. It is my hope that new legislation will go further then what Oklahoma currently has.

Mark and I plan to research what other states have done and provide that information to the three of you as well as local bike organizations. Perhaps reviewing the best of what other states have done will help to insure that new Oklahoma legislation will go further than what is currently law to afford greater protection of bicyclists. When injury or death does occur, it is my hope that the new legislation will provide for an appropriate penalty.

In November 2007, I approached the City of Edmond about adopting the “3 foot” state law as a city ordinance. Working with the Edmond Bicycle Committee, it was adopted as a City Ordinance in January 2008.

If there is any way I can support you in this effort, please let me know.

Sincerely,