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.