A quick update to our last post regarding Oregon House Bill 2682, which seeks to legally extend bicycle lanes through intersections.
Our thanks go out to Peter Werner, local Bend attorney and active transportation activist, who made the journey to Salem to speak in support of HB2682 during the public hearing on Wednesday evening. Werner shared with us that seven people testified in support of the people with none opposing it. Support also came from the statewide head of the Oregon Department of Transportation.
He also shared a photo of Jonathan Chase Adams (from Adams’ father), who was the victim in a fatal 2017 collision with a FedEx semi-truck in Bend. That tragedy was likely the catalyst behind the proposed bill. The pictured bright, smiling face serves as a reminder – the undeniable preference in our transportation system for moving automobiles quickly can take a very large, and unacceptable toll.