Safe school routes? Bend student struck on bike

It was a year ago that Bend High senior Rona Campbell said she was hit at the Eighth Street and Franklin Avenue roundabout when a car failed to yield to her as she rode to school.

“Definitely shook me up a little bit, first thing in the morning, getting hit by a car,” Campbell said. “It made me really paranoid of biking for awhile.”

The scary moment ended with a broken bicycle, but fortunately Campbell wasn’t hurt.

She said as soon as she got a new bike ,she was back on two wheels.

Campbell said she’s not upset with the bike lanes in east Bend , but rather the lack of awareness from drivers and the chaos that sometimes comes with congestion.

And she said she’s had a couple other close calls since the accident, recalling that she was almost hit last week when a driver failed to look both ways while turning at a stop sign.

“Early in the morning, there are just tons of cars and it gets pretty jammed up,” Campbell said.

Bend Transportation Engineer Robin Lewis agrees the busy areas in east Bend could use some updates, particularly Highway 20 and Third Street.

“When we mapped our crash data, crossing those multi-lane roads was an issue,” Lewis said. “Like Greenwood and Sixth, where we have Juniper Swim and Fitness, we’ve got Bend High and we have Marshall High School, the Community Center.”

Lewis said the city is considering new crosswalks, flashing beacons and medians in some of these high-traffic areas.

According to Commute Options Education Coordinator Brian Potwin, raising driver awareness is only half the solution. Potwin, who leads a program called ‘Safe Routes to School,’ teaches classes for cyclists and pedestrians.

“We’re educating students on how to engage in the rules of the road,” Potwin said. “Being very aware, and with that being predictable, as a bicycle driver or pedestrian.”

Potwin said all students should consider walking or biking in groups and wear bright colors. Cyclists should always wear helmets, ride with traffic, and use hand signals.

Potwin also suggests parents go over potentially hazardous spots or barriers with their children, and make a plan to overcome it ahead of time.

For more information on getting to school safe or to find safe route at your child’s school in Bend you can visit http://www.commuteoptions.org/program/safe-routes-to-school/.