The issue of cyclists going too fast on the popular loop road in Mt. Tabor Park has at least one neighbor concerned about safety. I first heard about this issue on the Portland Mercury Blog last week and have watched as the message has spread.
The Mercury reports that the concern originated from Montavilla Neighborhood resident David Hartsook. Hartsook told his story on a recent KGW television news broadcast, has sent an email to his neighborhood’s Yahoo Group (which someone has just posted in the Portland Bike Forums), and he has emailed me.
I’m not sure whether or not this is just one person with a lot of concern, or if it is a larger issue.
Hartsook has sent an email to Parks Commissioner Dan Saltzman’s office. According to the email, Hartsook originally complained about cyclists going too fast in Mt. Tabor last summer. In the email he wrote to Saltzman aide Matthew Grumm, Hartsook said,
“It’s only a matter of time before I or someone else gets hit by one of these cyclists. Everyone is at their mercy when they take over the park.”
Mt. Tabor is home to a well-known summer race series and it’s low-traffic climbs and central location make it a popular training spot for local roadies.
No word yet if Hartsook’s email to the Commissioner has been answered, but I’ll keep you posted.
If you live in this neighborhood, perhaps you can shed more light on the situation?
For more photo of cyclists in Mt. Tabor Park, view my archives.
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UPDATES:
–12:52pm, According to a BikePortland reader who just watched a segment about this on Northwest Cable News, there is a proposal for a possible a 10mph speed limit for bicycles in Mt. Tabor Park to reduce bike/ped close calls.
–1:27pm, After hearing a more detailed recap of the TV news segment, it seems like the speed limit proposal is just an idea of Mr. Hartsook’s.