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Residents urge protected bike lanes on U.S. 101 after local crash near Tower Park
Summary
Two members of the public raised concerns during the Coos Bay City Council public-comment period about cyclist safety on U.S. Highway 101 near Tower Park and urged redesigns that would provide physical protection for cyclists.
Two people spoke during the public-comment period about bicycle and pedestrian safety on U.S. Highway 101 in Coos Bay, urging the council and staff to consider physical street-design changes.
Ken Faulkner opened public comments and thanked city personnel for their service. Mike Powers, who gave an address listed in the record, described a slow-speed crash near Tower Park in which a pickup truck struck a bicycle in a painted bike lane. Powers said the bicyclist was fortunate to survive and used the incident to emphasize that painted bike lanes provide limited protection when motor vehicles have high front profiles. "Painted bike lanes are not really very much protection at all," Powers said, and he recommended that when roads are rebuilt the bike lane should be next to the curb with parked cars between cyclists and moving traffic so parked cars provide a buffer.
The nut graf: The comments were part of the general public-comment period and did not result in immediate council action. The speakers urged the council to consider street-design and policy changes, including rethinking right-turn-on-red practices in commercial corridors and planning for protected bike lanes during future road projects on Highway 101.
Council members acknowledged the comments and moved on to the consent calendar; no staff report or formal referral to a city department was recorded in the meeting excerpt.
Ending: The public-comment segment concluded without formal council direction; the conversation was informational and offered suggestions for staff consideration.
