[Vision2020] Riding a bike in Moscow

[roger hayes]

Pat:

Thanks for reminding the drivers on Mountain View to look out for our 
kids.  We can all agree that children don't always display the best 
judgment whether on bicycles or not.  That these two children were 
riding on Mountain View road, whether riding double or not,  is a 
perfect example. Besides downtown arterials , I think it is one of the 
most dangerous street on which to ride in Moscow.   Too bad all the 
parks, the pool, and the schools are located on, or across that road, 
huh?

Another item with which we agree is the "crosswalk" issue.  I believe a 
bike is a vehicle. However, getting across a busy street can really be 
difficult on a bicycle. It just doesn't have the acceleration of a car. 
  So the pause in traffic has to be a big one in order to cross like a 
vehicle. Any more, with the increase in numbers of cars constantly 
plying the roads, waiting for that hole in traffic can take a long, 
long time.  Faced with an unbroken wall of traffic traveling 10 to 15 
mph faster than the speed limit, a bicyclist has two choices:  be 
aggressive and get across the best one can, or dismount and become a 
pedestrian. Even though the law provides that cars should stop for 
bicyclists in a crosswalk, bicyclists should be cautious and respectful 
of oncoming cars.

So, the issue is, how do we all live in our town.  Do we want a city of 
fast moving cars, where children, pedestrians, and bicyclists have to 
dodge vehicles and are generally discouraged from any mode of 
transportation other than being in a motor vehicle?  I doubt it.

Any trip north in Idaho or Washington takes us through the small towns 
of Tensed, Oaksdale, Plummer, and Worley.  The speed limit in those 
towns is 25 mph.  One will get a ticket if caught going 30 mph. 30 mph 
is downtown Moscow is considered slow on the north / south highway 
through town.  We ought to start an aggressive program and law 
enforcement to lower the speeds all over Moscow.  That will go a long 
way toward soothing bicycle / pedestrian / vehicle conflict.

Roger Hayes
Moscow