'Eye to Eye' Project to Promote Bicycle Safety in Oregon

More Cyclists Means A Need For More AwarenessNow that more and more people are getting on their bikes due to high gas prices, summer weather and increased awareness of the environmental and social impacts of driving, there has also been a slight increase in traffic accidents between cyclists and motorists as inexperienced riders and angry, unaware motorists hit the roads. After improving infrastructure (by adding bike lanes, bike boxes, and other measures) the best approach to ensuring safety on the roads is an awareness campaign that also includes training rides for new riders.

Oregon, Already Bike-Friendly, Seeks to Do MoreThis is something that Santa Cruz, California, recently began doing, and now the Bicycle Transportation Alliance of Oregon has launched the Eye to Eye Project, a campaign specifically aimed at reducing the number of bicycle-car collisions. Making use of signage, safety rides and flyers, riders and drivers alike will be made more aware of the importance of sharing the road. What's more, several hundred free bike bells and lights will be given away "to cyclists riding without proper headlights and reflectors." This idea was prompted by "a recent rash of serious or even deadly accidents between bicycles and cars in Oregon." It's somewhat surprising that a state as bicycle friendly as Oregon is having these sorts of issues; one can only imagine how strong the need is for similar campaigns in cities across the country.

Via: ::Kval.com and ::OregonLive.comMore on CyclingPhysically Separated Bike Lanes: Concrete is Better Than CopsCar? What Car? . .Hauling Furniture By BicycleWhy Cycling is to Transportation What Efficiency is to EnergyGhost Bikes: A Memorial to Cyclists