Cycling summit held at BBR

Bicycling has become a major component of the way of life in Sisters Country. That means impact on everything from roads to law enforcement.

The issues surrounding cycling were the focus of a tri-county bike and pedestrian summit held last Tuesday at Black Butte Ranch. Officials from Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties, as well as representatives from Bend, Redmond, Sisters, Sisters Trail Alliance, and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) were in attendance at the event sponsored by Commute Options and the Deschutes County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC).

Chris Doty, public works director for Deschutes County, discussed road maintenance in the county and the different types of paving done on county roads - their effectiveness, life expectancy, cost, and how that impacts cyclists and motorists.

Lieutenant Chris Carney, of the Bend Police Department, spoke about coordination efforts with multiple agencies and court systems to establish the Bicycle Diversion Program in Deschutes County. The Bicycle Diversion program allows local law enforcement officers to use discretion, and a common-sense approach when issuing citations to bicyclists.

"We really try to focus on bicycle safety and preventing crashes, and that's one of the reasons we write citations," Carney said. "And while we don't want to discourage officers from writing citations for blatant disregard for the law, we really try to use a common-sense approach. I mean for someone who slows down at a stop sign and makes sure it's safe, but doesn't stop, it doesn't always make sense to issue a $250 fine. But blowing through a red light, that's a different story."

Cheryl Howard, Chairwoman for BPAC, addressed cyclists and the rules of the road.

"BPAC has a 'know the rules, share the road campaign' and so we really try to advocate for both motorists and cyclists to understand what the rules of the road are," she said. "We realize that we really need to advocate for educating motorists on what the current legislation is for cyclists and educating cyclists that they, by Oregon statute, are a vehicle and need to behave as such."

BPAC is an advisory committee whose mission is to promote and encourage safe bicycling and walking as a significant means of transportation. The committee also serves to advise Deschutes County, the cities of Bend, Redmond, Sisters, and ODOT in bicycle and pedestrian transportation, matters pertaining to existing and proposed road construction and signing, with emphasis for cyclists and motorists.

Sisters resident Chuck Humphreys, BPAC Vice Chairperson and Chairperson for the Sisters Trail Alliance, was also in attendance.

"I'm interested in everything we can do to improve facilities for cyclists and pedestrians to improve safety," Humphreys said. "And this tri-county summit is a great way of knowing what other localities are doing, what my locality is doing, and learning new ideas and having a chance to make the case for further changes that would improve things for everyone."

Not only is cycling and pedestrian transportation an important part of an overall transportation plan for cities and counties, it's also an important part of the overall plan and experience for the destination resorts in the area.

"The bike paths have been a very vital part of the transportation infrastructure for us, and if you've driven around the Ranch before you know our roads aren't exactly very auto friendly," said Scott Huntsman, general manager of Black Butte Ranch. "And with very limited parking in some of our primary pool facilities, getting around by bicycle or getting around by walking is a very important mode of transportation, and I think our bike paths have done a great job at creating the environment that makes this place so special."

For information on commute options in the tri-county area visit http://www.commute

options.org. For information about BPAC, visit www.deschutes.org.