Public urges more bike lanes; council appoints members to bike and pedestrian fact‑finding committee

A resident urged the Coos Bay City Council to expand and repair bike lanes to make the city more suitable for bike commuting, and the council appointed three volunteers to a new bike and pedestrian fact-finding committee formed by the Parks Commission.

Aaron Kin, who said he lives on Commercial Avenue, told the council Coos Bay is compact and well suited to cycling if bike lanes are improved and maintained. “We have a great city here, pretty compact. Could be a great place to have a lot of people commuting by bike,” Kin said.

Councilors said the administration plans to form a bike and pedestrian fact-finding committee and that materials, including the book Happy City, have informed the city’s thinking. Councilor Carmen Matthews noted the city will recruit volunteers for the committee and invited interested residents to watch for the application period.

The council considered three volunteer applications and voted to appoint Ryan Tuss, Emily Ranig, and David Milliken to the five-member committee with terms expiring June 30, 2026. A motion to appoint the three and set their terms through 2026 carried on a voice vote; councilors discussed balancing staggered expiration dates for future appointments so all seats do not expire at once.

The committee will carry out fact-finding work; staff described the positions as volunteers and said the Parks Commission created the committee with council approval. Councilors also discussed related outreach: a bike-to-school event scheduled for the next morning at Lighthouse School as part of National Ride Your Bike to School Day, and a planned Safe Routes to School connection.

The discussion mixed public comment advocacy, council planning for volunteer recruitment, and an action to fill three current vacancies. Councilors emphasized that more volunteers are needed to fill remaining seats and that the council will revisit term expirations during future appointments.