Route alterations
target bike traffic
Soon after they come to the
University, most students
learn to move instinctively
through the everyday chaos
that engulfs 13th Avenue dur
ing class changes. Once they
become adept at dodging
bicycles, cars and other
pedestrians, they can concen
trate on tomorrow’s history ex
am or the big party this
weekend.
But a committee of Universi
ty faculty and staff members
want to change the way
bicyclists interact with
pedestrians, both on the
heavily-used 13th Avenue and
all other areas of campus
where cyclists ride.
Members of the transporta
tion subcommittee, a branch
of the campus planning com
mittee, plan to recommend to
Pres. Paul Olum that some of
the worst trouble spots on
campus be made safer for
both cyclists and pedestrians.
The committee has been
struggling with the congestion
problem for several years, ac
cording to David Rowe, a cam
pus planner who has worked
with the group.
"I think a lot of cyclists view
themselves as quasi
pedestrians,” says Rowe.
‘‘They just aren’t very alert
when they’re riding.” The
result is frequent clashes bet
ween bike riders and pedes
trians.
One recommendation in the
draft document is that the
University designate bicycle
routes on campus. The routes
were planned to help separate
cyclists from the heavily-used
walkways between buildings,
according to Rowe.
Rowe believes the proposed
routes allow cyclists to reach
their destinations and at the
same time reduce conflicts
between the riders and those
walking.
The routes were also sug
gested to be included in the
University’s revised bicycle
regulations, which took effect
in January. According to the
rules, those who ride outside
the specified routes during
weekday school hours are sub
ject to fines by campus
security.
However, Dave Tanner,
director of campus security,
says his office has neither the
personnel or the money to en
force the regulations. Two
students work part-time
ticketing unregistered and
illegally-parked bikes, but
security officers don’t ticket
cyclists who run stop signs or
fail to give pedestrians the
right of way. Both are part of
the revised bike rules.
Russell Fernald, a biology
professor and chairman of the
transportation subcommittee,
believes that only a very few
cyclists ride dangerously
enough to cause serious
hazards to pedestrians. But
the small number makes it
very hard on everyone else,
says Fernald.
Fernald says pedestrians
who feel threatened by
speeding cyclists should ask
them to get off their bikes, if
they’re causing a hazard on a
sidewalk.
Another transportation sub
comittee member, Charles
Nordgaard, believes the routes
are appropriate, but he’s not
sure cyclists will abide by
them.
‘‘People are going to go
where they want,” says Nor
dgaard, who is the city bicycle
coordinator. “They have
habits, and they won’t change
them overnight. But several
years down the road, this map
may have an impact on making
campus safer. It’s going to
take a lot of educating by the
University, though.”
Nordgaard believes the pro
blem could be solved by plac
ing all bike parking racks only
on specified campus routes.
Placing racks in a central
place, such as on 13th Avenue,
has helped to encourage peo
ple to park their bikes and
walk to class rather than to
ride across campus.
But bike parking space is
often scarce on campus,
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especially near the law school
and the EMU, according to
Tanner.
The University may get
some money for more racks
this year, but Rowe isn’t sure
exactly when it will come
through. “You can’t enforce
the rules unless you provide
the facilities to do it," he says.
Meanwhile, the committee
is planning safety alterations
to some of the most
dangerous areas of campus:
• 13th Avenue, University to
Kincaid. Congestion at the
two intersections is very thick
during class changes, but
reducing it would take more
money than the University has
right now. The committee
recommends moving the
travel lines closer to the
center of the roadway, moving
the bike racks to encourage
pedestrian cross-traffic in
more specific areas and paint
ing pedestrian crossing
marks. Other suggested im
provements are making
drainage grates safer for
cyclists and replacing built-up
curb ramps with curb cuts at
intersections.
• Lawrence Breezeway.
This area is thick with
pedestrians, cyclists and park
ed bikes. A sharp corner with
poor visibility creates a turn
ing hazard for bicyclists. Pro
posed improvements include
installing a convex mirror on
the corner of Science I,
posting caution or congestion
signs, possibly extending a
curb ramp along the Onyx
Street sidewalk and
designating “clear zones"
where bikes may not be
parked.
• Walkway from 13th
Avenue and University Street
to Lawrence Hall. One idea to
cut down conflict between
bikes and pedestrians is to
build a bike path between the
service drive behind Friendly
Hall and the walkway.
• EMU Breezeway. Posting
congestion or caution signs
would encourage cyclists to
yield to pedestrians, who have
the right of way.
• 14th Avenue, east of Onyx
Street. The committee pro
poses building a ramp at the
dead end of 14th Avenue to
give bike riders a continuous
route between the central
campus and the dormitories.
• The southeast corner of
Beall Hall. The path between
18th Avenue and the library
has a narrow, sharp curve with
visibility blocked by bushes.
The committee suggests
widening the curve, painting a
yellow center line and posting
limited visibility warning
signs.
Stories by Aieta Zak
Photo by Bob Baker
Bike thefts have dropped this year, but students still should be alert for "so
meone who’s walking around with a pair of bolt cutters at 2 a.m.," according to
campus security officer Mike Larion.
Bike theft rate declines;
but officers advise care
With so many bicycles in one place,
bike theft is a given at the University.
Each week Eugene police receive bet
ween six and 12 reports of bikes stolen
from campus, many from the dormitory
areas.
But the bike theft rate has fallen
drastically this year, according to Of
ficer Gary Elliott. About six years ago,
says Elliott, the value of bikes reported
stolen from Eugene annually came to
$750,000. He believes most of the
bikes were stolen from the campus and
surrounding area.
Since the beginning of fall term, less
than 100 bikes have been reported
stolen from campus. “Either bike theft
is not as bad this year, or people aren't
reporting them," Elliott says.
Failure to report bike thefts makes it
harder for police to establish possible
crime patterns, says Elliott. Most bikes
on campus are stolen by individuals,
but once in a while police find a profes
sional bike theft ring operating in town.
Officer Mike Larion, who also works
at the University, urges cyclists to
register their bikes with campus
security. If the bike is stolen, police
can use the serial number to trace it.
Without an identifying number, the
chances of returning the bike to its
owner are very slim, says Larion.
Since many bikes are stolen from
the dormitory areas, Larion en
courages students to report
suspicious-looking people in the
residence areas.
“Someone who’s walking around
with a pair of bolt-cutters at 2 a m. ob
viously should be questioned,” Larion
says.
Most padlocks and some cables can
be easily sliced with bolt-cutters, ac
cording to Elliott. He says a U-shaped
lock, made of a sturdy metal material,
is impossible to cut.
“How much you spend on a lock
depends on how much your bike is
worth to you,” says Doug Handshaw,
owner of Collins Cycle Shop. Some of
the U-shaped locks, though effective in
deterring theft, are expensive and
heavy to carry around, he says.