(That’s Bob Huckaby on the left, KATU’s Steve Dunn
in the middle, and some bike blogger on the right.)
UPDATE, 9/9: The show is now posted online. Watch it here.
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The potential of two statewide ballot measures that would require a license plate on all bicycles and would mandate bicycle law testing for everyone who doesn’t have a driver’s license, has once again thrust the licensing debate into the public dialogue. This Sunday morning, our local ABC station, KATU, will air a special segment on the topic as part of their Your Voice/Your Vote program. Last night, KATU News anchor Steve Dunn did a great job moderating a discussion on the issue between myself and Bob Huckaby, the man behind the ballot measure effort.
Before the show, KATU posed the licensing question to their Facebook page and they used a few of the comments during the show (they also used soundbites from on-the-street interviews). Unfortunately the way they present the issue on Facebook it is a little misleading because it reads as though people on bikes don’t have any legal training at all, when in fact a vast majority already have an Oregon driver’s license. For what it’s worth, the post has 403 likes and a large percentage of the 242 comments are eagerly supportive of the idea.
Also yesterday, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) posted their stance on the issue. Under the headline, “Bike Licenses Won’t Fix Oregon’s Roads,” the BTA wrote, “Instead of pouring resources into a new government program that would discourage people from riding bikes, Oregon should be educating all road users and promoting safe, healthy transportation options.”
So far, I’m very pleased how Bob Huckaby and I have continued to have an open, respectful and candid dialogue about this. He feels as strongly about his perspective as I, and many of you, feel about yours.
I hope you’ll tune in to KATU (channel 2 in Portland) this Sunday morning at 9:00 am. The show will also be available on their website a few days later and I’ll post it here to keep the discussion going. Thanks to all of you for the constructive and informative comments thus far.
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UPDATE, 9/9: The video has been posted online. Watch it below…
