Story Photos
 Richard Haight, left, and Ryan McMaster ride the sidewalk/'bike path' on Ocean Beach Highway at the north end of Lake Sacajawea. Bill Wagner / The Daily News
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No Place for Bikes
Saturday, September 20, 2008 11:35 PM PDT
By Thacher Schmid
Printable version
E-mail this articleRon Schaefer feels caught between the law and a "Dodge one-ton dually."
Since returning to Longview just two months ago, the bicycle commuter and local gas station attendant has already been hit - twice - by motor vehicles.
He prefers sidewalks, but a police officer recently warned him to stay on the street.
"But three days after he told me that is when I got thumped in the back," Schaefer said. "I got brushed by a Dodge one-ton dually and ended up biting concrete," suffering bad cuts, scrapes and bruises.
Last week, the League of American Bicyclists picked Washington the nation's most "bicycle friendly" state, due mostly to legislative and funding priorities. Local cyclists like Schaefer and civic leaders say the Longview-Kelso area lags behind, lacking bike lanes and racks, safe routes and education for sharing the road.
But transportation planners say that may change, pointing to new initiatives such as new routes, creation of a new Longview bicycle committee and a plan to increase the number of bike racks around the community. They say changes won't be easy, because money is tight and bicycles have long been viewed as a marginal means of transportation. But it's worth it, they say.
"To me, it's all about how it just improves the quality of life and livability of the community," Longview City Manager Bob Gregory said.
Among bicyclists, the most commonly cited problem is the near-total absence of bike lanes on local streets.
It's a particular problem in Longview's downtown business district, where a growing number of cyclists have taken to sidewalks to stay out of busy streets but are receiving tickets from Longview police for doing so.
"It's not very (bicycle)-friendly," said Shaunalynn Pusctai, who owns a Commerce Avenue tattoo business and has been stopped by police for cycling on sidewalks. "There's no bike lanes - where am I supposed to ride my bike?"
In 2007, Longview police wrote seven tickets to cyclists for bicycling on sidewalks, up from zero the three previous years, said crime analyst Anita Hyatt.
Capt. Dan Jacobs said officers responded to complaints from downtown businesses about cyclists "buzzing" pedestrians. It's okay to bicycle on sidewalks as long as it's outside the downtown business corridor.
"The education part is one of the biggest stepping stones for law enforcement and the community," said Jacobs, a bike-trained officer. "Some drivers don't believe bicyclists should be on the streets at all because they're not motorized. (Bicyclists) have to ride somewhere."
Monica Monteon, a local cyclist who is part of local advocacy group Cowlitz On The Move, "disagrees" with cyclists on sidewalks, saying it is only through exposure that drivers will learn to accommodate bike riders.
"The sidewalks are for pedestrians," she said. "If I don't bike on the road, cars aren't going to get used to it."
On Ocean Beach Highway and Oregon Way, however, signs direct bicyclists to sidewalks.
Confusion over where to ride is just one problem local cyclists highlight. The others include:
n There are only four existing bicycle lanes or paths in the Longview-Kelso area
n A 2005 county survey found 100 percent of cyclists experienced problems sharing the road with local motorists
n 29 percent in that survey reported "harrassment" from drivers
n Arterials such as Washington Way or 15th Avenue are dangerous for cyclists
n Except for the Allen Street Bridge, local bridges are unsafe for bicyclists due to the lack of bike lanes and/or presence of debris alongside the road
There are bright spots, including Longview's wide avenues, bike racks on buses and a history of community groups providing free helmets and bicycle tutorials. The Lower Columbia area is a destination for sport cyclists - the hard-core road bikers and mountain bikers - who love the region's logging roads and some county roads.
Regional bicycle events such as the Seattle-To-Portland Bicycle Classic or the Longview Rotary Club's Tour de Blast to Mount St. Helens have alienated some motorists but also expanded interest in bicycling.
Richard Haight of Three Rivers Bicycling Club called the lack of local bike lanes "horrible," but he said local motorists are more respectful than in Portland, the only big U.S. city rated "platinum" -- the highest ranking -- by the bicycle league.
"If you rate (Longview) on the city planning, community outreach or any of that, it's probably very low on the scale, but if you put it on the scale of safety, I find that people in Longview generally slow down, they honk friendly, they'll say, 'hey, we're back here,'" Haight said. "I would challenge the local riders to not be afraid to get off of Pacific Way."
New ideas
Longview Traffic Engineer John Bean says this area is "in the infancy" of including bicycles in its planning. He recalled that when the city put in a "sample" bike lane on 38th Avenue in the late 1990s, "some people wondered why we even put it in."
Lately, bicycling has gained traction.
"We will be joining the real world here soon," said Rosemary Siipola of the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments. The council, a regional planning agency, completed a bicycle-pedestrian trails plan in 2006 and will be developing a local transportation system plan next year, Siipola said. County officials are already meeting with Kelso and Longview planners to talk about it.
"This community isn't bicycle-and pedestrian-friendly, and we need to make some efforts to do that," said Gregory, the Longview city manager. "It's certainly on people's radar screens."
Thursday, the city, Longview Downtowners and Bob's Sporting good announced a cooperative effort to dramatically improve the availability of bicycle racks" in Longview. The racks will be sold through the Downtowners retailers group for a reduced price.
Kelso Mayor David Futcher, who rides his two-wheeled Segway on city sidewalks, said sees more cyclists hitting Kelso streets in the future, and the city needs to accommodate them better.
"I think (bicycling) is something we've got to work on, and in fact in our recent goal-setting, that was one of our higher goals," Futcher said. Adding bicycle lanes was the eighth goal out of 21 set at a July 1 planning meeting, he said.
Longview Assistant City Manager David Campbell and Gregory said Longview is planning to fund a new bicycle path along Industrial Way in 2009 and 2010 as part of a Highlands revitalization plan. Gregory said the ten-foot wide gravel-cinder path from Oregon Way to Washington Way will cost $500,000, not including landscaping, lighting or pavement.
Campbell complimented Castle Rock's "aggressive" expansion of its bicycle path along the Cowlitz River.
Kelso Community Development Director Mike Kerins, Siipola and others said extending the Castle Rock loop south along the Old West Side Highway is another likely priority in the next year or two.
Losing out
State and federal transportation priorities are tilting toward "multi-modal" transport as planners add "green" elements and de-emphasize fossil fuels. In the long term, Siipola said, Longview, Kelso and Cowlitz County could lose out on funds if bicyclists aren't a part of local transportation priorities.
"We've really got to do this to be eligible for the funding that's going to be coming down the pike," Siipola said. "We will lose out. So we will be doing this stuff."
There are signs of new movement in Longview. Bean received an email from Longview Assistant City Manager David Campbell last week discussing the creation of a new committee by order of the city council.
"We are talking internally, staff-level at this point, about the value of creating a bicycle advisory committee ... to help the city plan for future needs, and also to serve as kind of an advocacy group, maybe kind of an education group," Campbell said.
Any movement on the issue will have to overcome a history of inaction. City documents show there was a "special ad hoc bike committee" in Longview from 1980 to 1981. It's not clear what it accomplished.
"Bicycle advocates are in the minority (in Longview)," Gregory said. "At some point if it's really going to take off, I think there has to be a grassroots group that's really going to champion this and make it take off, and so far I haven't seen that in this community."
In the near term, local bikers would be well-advised to keep their heads on a swivel.
"We've got to at least be able to get through town and get around town," said Schaefer, who doesn't plan to wear a helmet even after his accidents. "Watch your butt. Wear some lights. Do everything you can to be visible, because the cars aren't looking for you."
bronco wrote on Sep 21, 2008 1:09 AM:
feistyone wrote on Sep 21, 2008 4:40 AM:
KalamaMom wrote on Sep 21, 2008 7:30 AM:
Argoman wrote on Sep 21, 2008 8:12 AM:
#1mrt6j wrote on Sep 21, 2008 8:51 AM:
Cheney119 wrote on Sep 21, 2008 9:23 AM:
lurkertom wrote on Sep 21, 2008 10:23 AM:
elthea wrote on Sep 21, 2008 11:09 AM:
Rosey Glasses wrote on Sep 21, 2008 11:55 AM:
cyclist wrote on Sep 21, 2008 12:05 PM:
A few of my thoughts!
Bike riders need to strictly follow the rules of the road or get ticketed.
I filmly believe in helmets and rear view mirrors. They have both saved my skin and head numerous times.
I have biked on the city roads and sidewalk. I have been hit by a car (out of a vision blocked driveway)on the sidewalk. Where is the safest place to be?
Some roads are down right not suited for biking (Kalama River Road is one)and should not be used by safety minded smart bikers.
The proposed bike path along Industrial Way is a bike path from and to no where.
The STP is a very unsafe, embarrasement for any safety minded biker. Police should monitor this ride and ticket law breakers.
Cities that are rated as having a high
"quality of living" have extensive bike/walking paths. We have a dike all the way around this town that has an adjoining ready built path that is being ignorted. Talk about a cheap unused asset!
Biking will increase in Longview as the cost of and time spent in a car increases. The last 5 years on Ocean Beach is a good example. Longview should be planning for it. "
Rural Citizen wrote on Sep 21, 2008 1:21 PM:
It might interest the people here in Longview that other civilized cities in the nation have a thing called a "TRUCK ROUTE" and signs prohibiting vehicles weighing more than a designated amount on streets where families live.
Gigantic trucks delivering loads should have their designated streets where bicycles don't go and bicyclists and smaller cars should have their safe streets away from big trucks. Then we could all live more safely.
Got a load to deliver to your store?
Hire a bobtail driver to bring it from the warehouse on the truck route to your store. It has worked for decades in bigger cities. "
TK wrote on Sep 21, 2008 1:38 PM:
DW wrote on Sep 21, 2008 2:20 PM:
ccd wrote on Sep 21, 2008 3:46 PM:
no one wrote on Sep 21, 2008 4:47 PM:
I have never hit a bicycle but one hit me while I was pulling out of an alley downtown and he was flying down the sidewalk and couldn't stop in time. "
Rosey Glasses wrote on Sep 21, 2008 5:10 PM:
Atrucker wrote on Sep 21, 2008 5:16 PM:
Logging trucks have just as much right to the road and even more so as they pay road taxes , that you never pay. And fuel taxes that you pay half or less of what they pay .
Oh A bobtail can still pull a 53ft trailer so what's the diffrence here .
Truck route LOL , Longview has few of those in the right place . West side and ocean beach are highways and used as such , so is 15th and Oregon way . Get a grip. Oh , you can't move a truck that is over it's axle weight so where do you get the over weight stuff?
You need to take trucker 101 my freind , in stead of just blowing off steam . have a nice day. As for bikes I rode hundreds of miles around here as a kid , never had a problem . "
smf wrote on Sep 21, 2008 5:19 PM:
Cheney119 wrote on Sep 21, 2008 5:22 PM:
mhmltn wrote on Sep 21, 2008 5:29 PM:
cherokee wrote on Sep 21, 2008 5:40 PM:
river ranger wrote on Sep 21, 2008 6:20 PM:
cynic954 wrote on Sep 21, 2008 8:05 PM:
radical one wrote on Sep 21, 2008 10:49 PM:
Cycling has little negative environmental impact and promotes good physical health, but cyclists need to be taxed. They gotta pay their share. The only fair way is to tax the heck out of cyclists. Make em pay BIG TIME for their portion of the wear and tear on the roads! "
SPARROW wrote on Sep 21, 2008 11:46 PM:
Funny how you can always tell which employee came to work on their bike vs the drivers by sound their shoes make when they walk in the door. "
kalamamom wrote on Sep 22, 2008 4:57 AM:
Redline67 wrote on Sep 22, 2008 8:25 AM:
DW wrote on Sep 22, 2008 11:14 AM:
Cheney119 wrote on Sep 22, 2008 3:19 PM:
DW wrote on Sep 22, 2008 5:13 PM:
pacifica2010 wrote on Sep 22, 2008 5:22 PM:
BTW, when bikes were first introduced in the late 1800's everybody thought they were dangerous... horse carriage riders wanted them banned from streets and pedestrians wanted to ban them from sidewalks. Seems like we haven't made much progress... "
Rosey Glasses wrote on Sep 23, 2008 7:53 PM:
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