Cleveland High

[flying_dutchman]

This area is quite hectic during the rush hours. Parents zig and zag into the bike lane to drop off their little darlings in the morning. In the afternoon, testosterone overdosed football players have menaced me for sport.

Just say'n

[Haven_kd7yct]

I have similar problems with Tigard High... but luckily for me, I don't HAVE to go that way.

[lynnef]

Cedar Park Middle School - after-school sports practices. The parents pull off the road to park in the grass (hey, I've done that myself, back in the day), but I'm always on the alert for back-up lights going on!

Also in the morning, long lineup of parents dropping kids off, and pulling back out onto Park Way, not noticing the bicycle dropping off the hill to from the west (yes, I slow to school zone speed). I have excellent brakes...

[rainperimeter]

I especially dislike cleveland high kids. when i'm sitting there in the bike lane at 26th and powell and they're at the bus stop, right there at burgerville. they're all on fire in my mind...

[Duncan]

Franklin HS is the same way- parents stop in the middle of the street- people turn left and right (or pull Uturns) w/o signalling to get parking places.

Earlier this year after a student hit me in front of the school, I spoke with both PPD traffic enforcement and the school. The PPD sent out a few cruisers, wrote some tickets, and the school put put out the word to students and parents to be more courteous. I feel like both worked. I have lived by the school for years and it comes and goes in waves, but if you have an issue with a school I would suggest that you talk to them.

[flying_dutchman]

Dear Sir or Madam

I am a neighbor and a bicycle commuter who rides past your school most days. Now that the school year has begun the interaction between different modes of transportation in front of the school has become worrisome. Drivers dropping off students turn abruptly to stop in the bike lane to drop off their children. This forces cyclists to have to go into the travel lane and share space with motor vehicles. This morning one car stopped in the bike lane to drop off her passenger, south of Powell, forcing me to brake hard to avoid an incident.

The terrain along 26th is flat, and it is easy for a strong cyclist to move at the same speed as a car. Most drivers do not appreciate how fast we can move. Drivers also do not appreciate how vulnerable we are or how much we trust that they will signal their intentions and respect our space. We trust our lives to the driving public, and in return we are often treated as an annoyance.

I am quick to admit that there are scofflaw cyclists and their behavior can be frustrating, but most cyclists in front of Cleveland High are abiding by the spirit and letter of the law.

On Monday on my commute home a car full of football players from your school were menacing cyclists for their own sport. The car was a small silver Japanese station wagon or hatch back and there were three guys in the car. While driving, they would pull up close to the biker and shout in a startling manner. They thought this was great fun, but if I, or the other riders who they frightened had juddered from their startling shouts, and clipped a curb they would have fallen with injury. Again we trust motorists to respect our space.

Cyclists are just folk who are trying to do the right thing. Please talk to your students and communicate to drivers dropping off kids that it is already dangerous enough out there with out them wantonly harassing us of simply blocking our passage.

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