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Gareth Parker: Bike community volunteer and friend
Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)
Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, contact me via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a paying subscriber.
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This is as sad as it gets. Gareth was an amazing person who was intensely active with so many things that our community cares about.
Gareth had participated in 2 of the 5 Bike Safety Leadership Workshops to date. He followed up on those meetings with some of his great ideas. Here’s a quote from one of his emails:
“On the 1300 NPR news program Monday, August 22, 2005, there was a segment about a wristband technology which has been adopted by 12 states to monitor anyone on probation when drugs or alcohol are involved. It came out of sleep research that found than asleep patterns are different whenever a person has recently consumed drugs or alcohol. The story indicated that it cannot be fooled. Do you know anything about this? The behavioral modification results appear spectacular. This seems like something worth adopting here in Oregon. Especially as there is a real problem with repeat DUI offenders with suspended license. Personally, I have long favored adoption of the full Scandinavian model, not the incomplete designated driver model we promulgate. The full model includes lifetime loss of driving privilege with first DUI conviction.”
I have not seen reports of whether it was a DUII situation in Gareth’s death. But, many times, hit and runs do turn out to be alcohol related.
We have been working hard to reinvogorate DUII efforts in Portland. Just this week, we met with John Dieter, the Director of the DUII Intensive Supervision Program, to talk about how to reinvigorate DUII programs.
In conjunction with PSU, we will initiate an Opportunity Analysis to look at what our community can do to reduce DUII. More than half of our most recent bicycle fatalities have been alcohol related.
In that light, I will suggest that we name the DUII task force after Gareth. He worked tirelessly in life and we hope that we can carry that work forward by dedicating our DUII work to him.
As I’ve said too many times, each traffic fatality is a tragedy. Each person that dies are loved.
We must continue to work together to reduce the number of people who are getting hurt and killed on our streets. Please participate in these efforts. If you would like more information about how to get involved with bicycle safety efforts in your neighborhood, please call me at (503) 823-1052.
Please be safe out there.
Greg
This is as sad as it gets. Gareth was an amazing person who was intensely active with so many things that our community cares about.
Gareth had participated in 2 of the 5 Bike Safety Leadership Workshops to date. He followed up on those meetings with some of his great ideas. Here’s a quote from one of his emails:
“On the 1300 NPR news program Monday, August 22, 2005, there was a segment about a wristband technology which has been adopted by 12 states to monitor anyone on probation when drugs or alcohol are involved. It came out of sleep research that found than asleep patterns are different whenever a person has recently consumed drugs or alcohol. The story indicated that it cannot be fooled. Do you know anything about this? The behavioral modification results appear spectacular. This seems like something worth adopting here in Oregon. Especially as there is a real problem with repeat DUI offenders with suspended license. Personally, I have long favored adoption of the full Scandinavian model, not the incomplete designated driver model we promulgate. The full model includes lifetime loss of driving privilege with first DUI conviction.”
I have not seen reports of whether it was a DUII situation in Gareth’s death. But, many times, hit and runs do turn out to be alcohol related.
We have been working hard to reinvogorate DUII efforts in Portland. Just this week, we met with John Dieter, the Director of the DUII Intensive Supervision Program, to talk about how to reinvigorate DUII programs.
In conjunction with PSU, we will initiate an Opportunity Analysis to look at what our community can do to reduce DUII. More than half of our most recent bicycle fatalities have been alcohol related.
In that light, I will suggest that we name the DUII task force after Gareth. He worked tirelessly in life and we hope that we can carry that work forward by dedicating our DUII work to him.
As I’ve said too many times, each traffic fatality is a tragedy. Each person that dies are loved.
We must continue to work together to reduce the number of people who are getting hurt and killed on our streets. Please participate in these efforts. If you would like more information about how to get involved with bicycle safety efforts in your neighborhood, please call me at (503) 823-1052.
Please be safe out there.
Greg
Just FYI, for those of you that haven’t met Greg (see comment above), he is a Traffic Safety Specialist for the Community and School Traffic Safety Partnership in the Portland Office of Transportation.
How does one begin to talk about the tragic death of another human being? Especially, how does one talk about someone who dedicated his life to helping others be safe, and then…but Gareth Parker deserves the attempt.
Gareth was a true bicycle advocate, participating in every event, committee, action and volunteer opportunity he could. Ultimately he was an advocate for a better and safer world for all of us.
Gareth helped kids learn to be safer bicyclists, and he worked to improve conditions for all cyclists. His work and the work of many others has helped to make Portland the best cycling city in the country; obviously, there is still change that needs to be made among some of the metro area’s driving citizens, and perhaps it will take ‘Platinum-level’ improvements to protect us from those who don’t have the courage to do it on their own.
Known for his tenacity and steadfast pursuit of a safer world, I can only wonder about the irony of Gareth’s passing. But he died doing what he loved most, he had passion for a better world and acted on it, and he made a positive change to the world in which he lived. To me, this is the best of lives lived.
This is as sad as it gets. Gareth was an amazing person who was intensely active with so many things that our community cares about.
Gareth had participated in 2 of the 5 Bike Safety Leadership Workshops to date. He followed up on those meetings with some of his great ideas. Here’s a quote from one of his emails:
“On the 1300 NPR news program Monday, August 22, 2005, there was a segment about a wristband technology which has been adopted by 12 states to monitor anyone on probation when drugs or alcohol are involved. It came out of sleep research that found than asleep patterns are different whenever a person has recently consumed drugs or alcohol. The story indicated that it cannot be fooled. Do you know anything about this? The behavioral modification results appear spectacular. This seems like something worth adopting here in Oregon. Especially as there is a real problem with repeat DUI offenders with suspended license. Personally, I have long favored adoption of the full Scandinavian model, not the incomplete designated driver model we promulgate. The full model includes lifetime loss of driving privilege with first DUI conviction.”
I have not seen reports of whether it was a DUII situation in Gareth’s death. But, many times, hit and runs do turn out to be alcohol related.
We have been working hard to reinvogorate DUII efforts in Portland. Just this week, we met with John Dieter, the Director of the DUII Intensive Supervision Program, to talk about how to reinvigorate DUII programs.
In conjunction with PSU, we will initiate an Opportunity Analysis to look at what our community can do to reduce DUII. More than half of our most recent bicycle fatalities have been alcohol related.
In that light, I will suggest that we name the DUII task force after Gareth. He worked tirelessly in life and we hope that we can carry that work forward by dedicating our DUII work to him.
As I’ve said too many times, each traffic fatality is a tragedy. Each person that dies are loved.
We must continue to work together to reduce the number of people who are getting hurt and killed on our streets. Please participate in these efforts. If you would like more information about how to get involved with bicycle safety efforts in your neighborhood, please call me at (503) 823-1052.
Please be safe out there.
Greg
How does one begin to talk about the tragic death of another human being? Especially, how does one talk about someone who dedicated his life to helping others be safe, and then…but Gareth Parker deserves the attempt.
Gareth was a true bicycle advocate, participating in every event, committee, action and volunteer opportunity he could. Ultimately he was an advocate for a better and safer world for all of us.
Gareth helped kids learn to be safer bicyclists, and he worked to improve conditions for all cyclists. His work and the work of many others has helped to make Portland the best cycling city in the country; obviously, there is still change that needs to be made among some of the metro area’s driving citizens, and perhaps it will take ‘Platinum-level’ improvements to protect us from those who don’t have the courage to do it on their own.
Known for his tenacity and steadfast pursuit of a safer world, I can only wonder about the irony of Gareth’s passing. But he died doing what he loved most, he had passion for a better world and acted on it, and he made a positive change to the world in which he lived. To me, this is the best of lives lived.
Irony and sadness. Not only a tireless volunteer for the BTA’s safety programs, but also he has been pushing for stricter laws and compliance efforts to increase bicyclist safety. He advocated strongly for laws and programs that would provides lights for all cyclists to ensure visibility.
I know that these efforts will continue in his name.
Just FYI, for those of you that haven’t met Greg (see comment above), he is a Traffic Safety Specialist for the Community and School Traffic Safety Partnership in the Portland Office of Transportation.
How does one begin to talk about the tragic death of another human being? Especially, how does one talk about someone who dedicated his life to helping others be safe, and then…but Gareth Parker deserves the attempt.
Gareth was a true bicycle advocate, participating in every event, committee, action and volunteer opportunity he could. Ultimately he was an advocate for a better and safer world for all of us.
Gareth helped kids learn to be safer bicyclists, and he worked to improve conditions for all cyclists. His work and the work of many others has helped to make Portland the best cycling city in the country; obviously, there is still change that needs to be made among some of the metro area’s driving citizens, and perhaps it will take ‘Platinum-level’ improvements to protect us from those who don’t have the courage to do it on their own.
Known for his tenacity and steadfast pursuit of a safer world, I can only wonder about the irony of Gareth’s passing. But he died doing what he loved most, he had passion for a better world and acted on it, and he made a positive change to the world in which he lived. To me, this is the best of lives lived.
Irony and sadness. Not only a tireless volunteer for the BTA’s safety programs, but also he has been pushing for stricter laws and compliance efforts to increase bicyclist safety. He advocated strongly for laws and programs that would provides lights for all cyclists to ensure visibility.
I know that these efforts will continue in his name.