There are good reasons why bicyclists in Albany and elsewhere in Oregon don’t usually come to a complete stop at stop signs when there’s no cross traffic. Now a bill pending in the state Senate would make it legal too.
High-water gates see action once again
Written April 8th, 2019 by Hasso Hering
The high-water gates installed on Bryant Way came in handy today as the Calapooia River topped its banks and sent some of its flow down the floodway that cuts across the county road west of Bryant Park.
On the blink: Ellsworth bike-on-bridge lights
Written March 19th, 2019 by Hasso Hering
Crossing the Ellsworth Street Bridge in Albany on a bicycle can be a bit of a thrill. To make it less risky, ODOT installed a system of flashing lights when the bridge was rehabilitated in 2002. (To make a long story short, the lights are out but were supposed to be fixed shortly, as indicated […]
Posted in: Bicycling, Commentary, News
Tags: bike on bridge warnings, Ellsworth Street bridge, ODOT, Oregon bicycling
Tags: bike on bridge warnings, Ellsworth Street bridge, ODOT, Oregon bicycling
Cyclists at the ‘gore:’ What to do now?
Written December 3rd, 2018 by Hasso Hering
That’s an awkward place for a bike lane to end, and apparently I’m not alone in thinking so. Someone made the same point to the Albany Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission.
Posted in: Bicycling, Commentary
Tags: Albany bicycling, Albany cycling routes, Albany traffic, Interstate 5, Knox Butte Road, ODOT
Tags: Albany bicycling, Albany cycling routes, Albany traffic, Interstate 5, Knox Butte Road, ODOT
On Second, will radar slow drivers down?
Written April 23rd, 2018 by Hasso Hering
Drivers on Albany’s Second Avenue will soon be seeing something new to catch their attention. The city council Monday called for the installation of a radar speed display sign on Second at Thurston Street, a block before vehicles go over the hump of the railroad track.
Linn set to widen Riverside Drive
Written July 28th, 2017 by Hasso Hering
Linn County’s plan to widen Riverside Drive — a long-awaited safety improvement for drivers and bike commuters — is about to take off.
Posted in: Bicycling, Commentary, News
Tags: Albany-Corvallis bike link, Linn county roads, Riverside
Tags: Albany-Corvallis bike link, Linn county roads, Riverside
Wrong rebates in Oregon road bill
Written July 2nd, 2017 by Hasso Hering
House Bill 2017, the road transportation bill concocted by a committee of the legislature, would hit buyers of new bikes costing $200 or more with a $15 sales tax. But if legislators were serious about solving transportation issues, those buyers should get a rebate instead.
Thinking of carousel parking ideas
Written June 21st, 2017 by Hasso Hering
At City Hall they’ve been thinking about what to do if an acute parking shortage hits downtown once the Albany Carousel opens. And no, the alternatives so far don’t include asking visitors to come by bike, as much sense as that (in theory) would make.
A tribute: Why we have bike lanes
Written May 21st, 2017 by Hasso Hering
Albany has a pretty good network of bike lanes and trails, and a 1971 law known as the Oregon Bike Bill is the main reason why. So here’s my periodic tribute to the legacy of the late Donald L. Stathos, the Republican legislator from Jackson County who authored that bill.
Bike path lines: An idea worth copying
Here’s a helpful little detail Albany might want to copy on couple blind curves on the riverside Dave Clark Bike Path: A center line intended to keep cyclists and others from possibly running into each other. I happened to notice such a line on ODOT’s Bikeway along Highway 34. The painted stripe goes down the […]
Tags: bike path traffic, Dave Clark Path, Highway 34 bikeway