“As a 30-year cyclist, I feel this message is crucial.”
–Howard Russell, ODOT
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has launched a bike safety campaign.
Word of the campaign comes from ODOT’s Howard Russell. Russell is the safety enforcement manager of the agency’s Motor Carrier Division, which he says is a specialized unit devoted to preventing truck-related accidents. In addition to public education, his division investigates trucking companies and does roadside truck inspections.
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Russell contacted us a few days ago to share more about their new campaign. Here’s the poster that will be the main visual component of the effort:
Russell himself has ridden a bike for over 30 years and told me he feels this message is “crucial”. About the poster, he wrote in an email:
I have seen cyclists make this error and can only assume they do it in the mistaken belief that the truck driver can see them. The rider pictured is in an extremely dangerous spot, especially if the driver suddenly turns right. The cyclist has nowhere to go.
Russell says the posters might be showing up in newspaper ads and inserts, but he said he’d like to get the posters into bike shops. “I want to get them everywhere there are cyclists.”
ODOT’s campaign follows similar bike/truck safety efforts recently launched by Portland General Electric, the City of Portland, and the Portland Water Bureau.