Montavilla Neighborhood Association

Adult Cyclists Face Few Regulations

Aug 20, 2000

Oregon cyclists are not required to pass a test on the knowledge of traffic rules nor are they required to wear safety equipment if over the age of 16. So why aren?’t they considered a safety risk to themselves and others?
A harbinger of the progressive attitude toward cyclists came in 1971 when the Bicycle Bill was passed. It made possible the addition of bicycle trails or bikeways that contributes to the relatively high number of cyclists in the city. According to state law, cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities and motorists.

But some say the city?’s freewheeling attitude toward bike use has been taken too far. They point to the lack of safety training and equipment needed to ride bicycles on city streets as an example.

Published by the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Department of Motor Vehicles, the bike use manual states there are four basic principles of safe operation.

They are maintaining control of one?’s bicycle; riding on the right, with traffic in a predictable manner; being visible and riding alertly; and protecting oneself. But cyclists are not required to read the manual. There are no statistics on the number that have read it and, therefore, no way to ascertain how many cyclists are on the road without knowing its rules.

There are about 200 miles of bikeways around the city, and there are plans to create more. Although there are no figures on the number of people who commute daily by bike, it is estimated that about 2,400 cyclists cross the Hawthorne Bridge every day. The figure is a sharp increase over 1975?’s count of 200.

Although many cyclists around town can be seen wearing protective headgear, an almost equal number can be viewed riding without helmets. Elbow and kneepads are an even rarer sight among cyclists.

"I hardly ever see knee pads and (elbow) pads," said a Tri-Met driver who preferred not to give his name. "But I?’d say that 60 to 70 percent wear helmets."

In term of road rules, he said he estimates about 90 percent of cyclists abide by them. But the driver added that he sees bicyclists committing and getting away with traffic infractions that motorists would never be allowed to get away with.

"The only thing I see with the cyclists is that they follow all the rules until they get to a stop light and then all of a sudden they?’re pedestrians," said the man, who has driven a Tri-Met bus for the past eight years. "You see a lot running red lights."

He went on to say he only has had a couple of negative experiences with bicyclists while driving. His biggest complaint? The bike messengers who work downtown. But the driver said he does not feel the average cyclist is a danger or hazard to motorists.

Roger Geller, a bicycle coordinator for the Office of Transportation, said his office does its part to educated cyclists on safety via publications, city tours and demonstrations it offers about bicycle operation.

Oregon law states that individuals under age 16 must wear bicycle helmets; kneepads and other personal safety equipment are not mandated. Asked why it is not required that adults wear helmets, Geller said it could have to do with the fewer numbers of adults showing up in emergency rooms to be treated for bike-related injuries.

According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, in 1998 there were seven fatalities involving bicycles and 733 injury crashes involving cyclists. Persons under 19 accounted for half of the bicycle-related injuries, while children ages 10 to 14 accounted for 20 percent. Overall it is estimated that 56 percent of all cyclists in the state used helmets regularly that year.

The figures may support Geller?’s theory as to why persons over 16 have the right to ride on city streets with motor vehicles without any type of protective headgear. He said those who choose to forego helmets do so for reasons ranging from familiarity with roads to the discomfort of wearing head protection.

"I don?’t believe there are any (helmet) laws in European or Asian countries," said Geller. "You go over there and 99.9 percent of the people are without helmets."

Kevin Beckstrom, DMV public information officer, said although bikes are classified as vehicles, a big distinction is made between motor vehicles and bicycles. It takes greater responsibility to operate a 2,000-pound car than it does a 30-pound bike.

In the 1980s Metro looked into making bicycle use more along the lines of car use when it studied what effect requiring cyclists to register their vehicles would have.

According to Geller, the move was primarily a financial one on Metro?’s part. The money generated from registration fees would be used to finance bike facilities, in addition to making it easier to track stolen bicycles. But it was determined that the costs involved in implementing such a program would be greater than any benefit gained from it.

Requiring cyclists to carry licenses like drivers also has been discussed. But the DMV, as vehicle licensing agent, would be required to provide bike operation training. Geller said it is a move the department is not willing to make.

-The Skanner, July 26,2000