Walla Walla cycle safety group plots road ahead

With more people riding bicycles, following solid safety practices and rules of the road are important.

The Washington state Department of Transportation notes the following on its website:

Bicycle helmets – State law does not require helmets, but many cities and counties do.

Riding on the road – When riding on a public roadway, a cyclist has all the rights as well as the responsibilities of a motor vehicle driver. Cyclists who violate traffic laws may be ticketed.

Roads closed to bicycles – Some limited-access highways, such as interstates, are closed to bicycles for safety reasons. In addition, local governments may adopt ordinances banning cycling on specific roads or on sidewalks within business districts.

Children bicycling – Parents or guardians may not knowingly permit bicycle traffic violations by children under their care.

Riding side-by-side – Cyclists may ride next to each other, but not more than two abreast.

Riding at night – A white front light visible for 500 feet and a red rear reflector are required. A red rear light also is recommended.

Shoulder vs. bike lane – Cyclists may choose to ride on the path, bike lane, shoulder or travel lane as suits their safety needs.

Walla Walla surgeon Dr. Fred Field said he hangs on to hope provided by late anthropologist Margaret Mead:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Field, lead trauma surgeon at Providence St. Mary Medical Center, said he found much encouragement Thursday when a group of 40 people crammed into a conference room meant to hold about half that number.

It was the initial meeting of a bicycle safety work group, formed in the aftermath of the death of a Walla Walla University student earlier this month.

Madison Baird, 20, died Feb. 11 after the bike she was riding on Whitman Drive in College Place was struck from behind by a pickup truck whose driver told police he couldn’t see her because he was blinded by the setting sun.

Field, pediatric anesthesiologist Dr. Rob Smith and trauma coordinator Susan Leathers have seen the human damage of a bike wreck when they work on victims wheeled into St. Mary’s emergency department. It’s a job they told Thursday’s gathering they would be eternally grateful never to have to do again.

The focus of this first gathering was to begin looking at ways of reducing deaths from bicycle-vehicle collisions and shun choosing sides or assigning blame.

“Let’s find a common theme and work around that,” Smith said.

For the next hour, individual experiences, observations and opinions poured out – from victims, doctors, law enforcement officials, bike club members, city engineers and safety committee people.

Without exception, education was deemed the one need that stands above all others.

“Education is vital,” said Greg Knowles, owner of the Bicycle Barn and a 20-year organizer of biweekly community bike rides. “We don’t beat cars.”

For example, said pediatrician Don Ashley, most drivers don’t realize what even a small increase in speed on a city street can mean. If a car hits a bike rider at 20 mph, there is an 85 percent survival rate, he explained. “At 30 mph, it’s a 15 percent survival rate.”

Some at the meeting said it’s time to bring bike safety back into school teaching and family culture, starting with simple things like helmet use and taillights on bikes. Some called for rewriting Washington’s drivers manual to include wording on sharing the road with pedestrians and bike riders.

“People don’t realize how lethal their vehicle is,” bicyclist Phil Kress said. “Is there an emphasis on ‘lethal’ in the drivers manual?”

Walla Walla County Sheriff John Turner said answers to road safety for all are “as varied as the myriad factors that go into every collision.”

Driver and bicyclist inattention is a growing problem, and Walla Walla’s aging infrastructure has its limitations, he said.

“Traffic is the No. 1 source of all calls in Walla Walla County,” the sheriff said, adding that attention to the “four E’s” – education, engineering, enforcement and emergency response – could improve things.

Person by person, meeting participants shared thoughts on the genesis of most bike-vehicle collisions.

Many agreed local streets and roads are not built to accommodate bike and car traffic, including those that are supposed to be designed as such.

Part of that, said Allegro Cyclery co-owner Steve Rapp, is because, although the “vast majority of drivers are attentive and courteous,” there are a lot more vehicles and bicycles on the roads. And tourists add to the numbers.

Stanley Green, a recreational cyclist who said he has experience as a transportation engineer, said there will never be the funding in local government coffers to completely separate cars and bicycles.

Walla Walla city engineer Neal Chavre and Ki Bealey, public works director, agree there is much to do.

“We have done a great deal in the last 10 years,” Chavre said. “I’ll be the first to admit there’s a lot to do when you’re working with a 150-year-old city.”

Bealey said the best way to ensure nothing happens is to avoid City Council meetings and keep ideas and opinions to one’s self.

“Everyone in this room can show up at a City Council meeting,” he said. “But I don’t see that happen. Be a voice. … Show up, make your voice heard.”

A cultural collision between motorists and cyclists also was discussed.

“We don’t have a culture that’s mutually accepting of other modes of transportation,” Kurt Frederick said.

The disparity tends to excuse dangerous behaviors, such as driver inattention and bicyclists who don’t make themselves visible enough after dark. Cellphone use, eating and listening to music while riding or driving also are hazardous distractions, speakers agreed.

A culture can be changed, however, said Linda Givens, director of critical care services at Walla Walla General Hospital. She worked on the first helmet-use campaign in Walla Walla in the early 1980s, when helmets were considered dorky.

“Now, who wouldn’t wear one of these?” she said. “These are cool,” she added, picking up a helmet from the conference table.

“You can change a culture,” Givens said. “We need to look at this as a real opportunity to make Walla Walla a community that’s voted the most bike-friendly.”

Not getting bogged down with what has gone before and staying focused on what will happen is the important next step, Smith said in closing.

“This is a real deal. People really die,” the doctor said. “Think about if you’re not doing something, how will you explain that to those families who lost someone?”