As we reported back in January, the Oregon Department of Transportation is currently working on a much-needed update to the Coast Bike Route plan.
“With the changes in bicycle infrastructure standards, and the growth of bike tourism destinations and travel options both nationally and along U.S. 101,” an ODOT spokesperson told us in January, “the time was right to closely examine and identify opportunities to increase safety, accessibility and enjoyment for both local community members and travelers on the Oregon Coast Bike Route.”
As part of that work they have released a survey. If you’ve ridden the route — or if you’ve wanted to but are just too afraid (something I hear from a lot of people) — please take a few minutes and do the survey.
Advertisement
Here’s the intro from the survey splash page:
As the project team begins work on the Oregon Coast Bike Route Study, we are looking for input from people who have ridden the Oregon Coast Bike Route (OCBR) or who are interested in similar cycling experiences but have chosen not to ride the OCBR. If you fall into either of those groups, please complete the survey below. We appreciate your feedback and input.
You’ll notice the survey doesn’t focus much on infrastructure. It asks for details about your ride experience, quality of campsites, how much you spent on the trip, and so on. Don’t despair, planners assure us they are also looking at infrastructure as part of this project too.
Learn more about the work they’re doing on ODOT’s website. And stay tuned for updates.
And here’s that survey link one more time.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
Never miss a story. Sign-up for the daily BP Headlines email.
BikePortland needs your support.
happy to fill this out. I rode from Florence to San Francisco last summer with 3 others. had a fantastic experience.. If only there were less logging trucks on 101
You rode the right part. IMO, the north coast has too much traffic and not as much scenery.
I thought the RV drivers were worse than any of the professional drivers. At least the professional drivers are notionally risking their livelihoods if they squash you, and they seem to have a very good handle on the width of their vehicles. I found the pro drivers would give me every inch they could; the RVs would squeeze me even when they didn’t need to.
Yeah, I rode the whole Pacific Coast in 1997…the RV drivers were the worst. I remember seeing an RV trying to do a three point turnaround in the middle of 101, even took out an Oregon Coast Bike route sign in the process. 🙁
I love the South Coast. The Brookings area is particularly wonderful.
That was a strange survey. By now, one would think ODOT should know that the major flaws on the coast are their failed bridge situation, suddenly disappearing shoulders, uphill non-shoulders with passing lanes and in-town issues (as well as the complete lack of traffic law enforcement, but that’s not ODOT’s budget item). Maybe Matt Garrett and his ten highest paid assistants should all ride this thing twice in pairs. I’m sure sometime between their first run and their second run they will see fit to fix some of the worst defects.
I have made a habit of riding down the coast from Gardiner to Sonoma County for years. While my wife is an accomplished cyclist (with about 350,000 miles in the saddle), the only time she would join me on this ride she insisted that we start most days at 2:30 AM to avoid the worst of the traffic. We happen to enjoy moonlit rides and the waves crashing into the shore under a full moon is a beautiful sight, but one shouldn’t have to consider traffic patterns for a route the state is trying to promote as a touring destination.
Yah, at the final question, I wrote some suggestions for infrastructure improvements and “Would you want your child or other loved one to ride this route?”