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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 1981)
Emerald Vol. 83, No 38 Eugene, Oregon 97403 Tuesday, October 27, 1981 Photo by Bob Baker Low and dry Two-year-old Alex Waters sat it out in his bike cart while hooded mother Loise braved Monday s rainfall Campus intersection scares law secretary By MARION GREEN Of the Emerald University law school secretary Marilyn Bradetich has witnessed many near misses and one complete wreck — involving her own car — at the intersec tion of 11th Avenue and Kincaid Street Since her 1979 accident, which "totaled my car," Bradetich says she’s urged the city to install a signal light at the intersection However, after submitting petitions, attending Eugene City Council meetings and corresponding with the city’s traffic division, Bradetich still has been unable to get the signal In an average eight-hour period, more than 900 cars per hour traveled down 11th Avenue, and at least 75 per hour traveled Kincaid Street, Weishar says, adding that pedestrian and bicycle traffic levels were also high. “It's pretty well agreed that it’s needed,” he says. Meanwhile the accidents and near misses keep mounting In the last five years, the intersection has been the scene of seven accidents — including one involving a pedestrian and another involving a bicycle — and countless close calls, Bradetich says. "Every day we see near misses,” she In the last five years, the intersection has been the scene of seven accidents — including one involving a pedestrian and another involving a bicycle — and countless close calls. A spark of hope dimmed last year when the city budget committee denied a traffic division recommendation for the signal, Bradetich said But the signal may have better chances this year, says Mike Weishar of the traffic control division. “Last year, it was at the top of the (traffic division's) signal priority list," Weishar says “I expect that it will be near the top again “ Weishar points out that the city’s budget looked poor last year “and it doesn't look a whole lot better this year I guess we ll just have to wait and see,” he says To make the list, the intersection’s traffic count must exceed certain levels Last year, the intersection was third highest on the list, Weishar says says. "It’s really bad.” Faculty and staff from the law school, computing center and Deady and Allen halls park cars in the lot just across the intersection of 11th and Kincaid. "The traffic is coming so fast on 11th that you just have no protection,” Bradetich says. Cars parked along 11th near the Northwest Christian College pose an additional hazard because drivers on Kincaid often cannot see cars coming from the left, Bradetich says “When you get one of thoce Volkswagen vans parked there, you just can't see at all,” she says At a different 11th Avenue intersection last week, Mary Lawrence, a law profes sor, was hit by a car and was sent to the hospital with an arm injury. Bicyclists protest impoundment, chain-snipping By STEVE KNIGHT Of the EnwraM A number of angry bicylists have stormed into the campus security office during the past two weeks, protesting a new policy and method of impounding unregistered bikes About two weeks ago, crime specialist Karen Riley announced that campus security officers would cut the chains of unregistered and illegally parked bikes and take them to the security office But the policy shouldn't alarm student bicyclists, Riley says Campus security will give four or five warning citations before impounding bikes, Riley explains, adding that no bikes have been impounded since the policy went into effect Oct. 15 “We will give fair and ample notice before a bicycle is impounded for not being registered," she says, unless the bicyclist violates specific parking rules Although registration itself isn't new, Riley says there has been a significant increase in bike registration since the impoundment warning appeared in an Emerald article 11 days ago Between 30 and 50 bikes have been registered each day, she says. Campus security also will be cracking down on illegally parked bikes, Riley says, including those parked against trees, in stairwells and along ramps for the handicapped “Bicyclists need fair warning, because we haven't been enforcing these regulations," she says. The fire marshall recently has complained to campus security about the large number of bikes parked inside buildings, which is against the fire code, Riley says, adding that "flagrant violators”— students who park their bikes in front of fire exits, for instance — will have their bikes impounded without warning The bulk of the money the University receives from registration and bike-related fines goes into a general bike fund, administered by the campus planning com mittee The committee uses the money to purchase bike racks and build bike paths, Riley says Last year campus security turned over $6,883 to the committee The planning committee also determines bicycle policies — such as the decision to impound reg istered bikes, Riley says, adding that campus security is charged only with enforcing those policies The public safety office, which includes campus security, "has nothing to do with the rules,” she says, suggesting students who want to change the rules should contact the transportation sub-committee of the campus planning committee The planning committee also came up with an experimental plan last spring to restrict bikes from most sidewalks on campus The committee hopes to eventually limit bicyclists to a few major bikeways David Rowe, a University planner who works closely with the committee, says the plan was devised because of the increase of "pedestrian-bicyclist" conflicts around campus. Riley agrees that bikes and pedestrians don't mix. “People don't understand what it's like to get hit by a bicycle," Riley says. "Most of the time the pedestrian has to be hospitalized.” Student bicyclists are facing stricter regulations these days. Not only are unregistered bike going to be impounded, but cyclists are restricted to marked bikeways on campus.
