A man turned himself into investigators on Sunday after fatally striking a bicyclist on a highway, then leaving the scene, according to Oregon State Police.
Just after 7 p.m. Saturday, police say they responded to the collision in Marion County on Hwy 64 near milepost 5. According to investigators, the bicyclist, Harley Austin, 42, was riding south in the bike lane on Hwy 164 through the intersection of Talbot Rd SE when Hammons, who was driving a Dodge Ram 3500, turned onto the highway and collided with Austin.
Why is there a bike lane on a highway?
To be clear, I’m not taking the side of the driver. Fuck people with unnecessarily huge vehicles. I side with cyclists almost 100% of the time. But this just sounds unsafe.
To me, a highway means speeds in excess of 50mph. That isn’t a place where we should have a body unprotected sharing the road.
In some rural areas, the “highway” is literally the only way to get from point A to point B. Many businesses and homes are directly on the highway. It’s not the same as Interstate 5 which is a few miles west of there.
Unlike a freeway, which has bigger speed limits, a highway is just any road designed for high traffic. It still has intersections, traffic lights, and driveways into properties.
I suppose it’s perfectly fine that it means that to you, but US highways run through every little dying town and the speed limits are usually 25-35mph in town, usually for the sole purpose of being a revenue generating speed trap. In fact I just looked it up and this intersection is a school zone with a 20mph speed limit.
usually for the sole purpose of being a revenue generating speed trap. In fact I just looked it up and this intersection is a school zone with a 20mph speed limit.
You think maybe there’s other reasons bar revenue traps at play here then?
I’m an urbanist, I live in a dense city, I literally do not own any motorized transportation
There are hundreds of shitty little towns across America that survive solely off of ticket revenue by putting up a gas station, a church, and a dollar general on a road that’s primarily designed for cross-country travel by slamming the speed limit from 65mph+ to 25 within a 200 meter distance, and anyone who lived in that area without a car would literally die due to lack of a job, income, access to food, etc etc etc so I’m really not buying this argument
Braking really isn’t that hard in a car and it’s not like you lose a meaningful amount of time doing the speed limit for a podunk town. This entire argument can only begin to make sense with a lot of carbrained entitlement
Bikes are fine on highways. On freeways that are enclosed and its impossible to roll onto ground or terrain probably not, which is why freeways have rules against it.
In California, if there is not a parallel alternative route for bicycles to take, they are allowed on the freeway. Many parts of the 101 freeway fit this exception.
State highway 130 (look it up on google maps) is a favorite of cyclists. It is a two lane state highway with a 40 MPH speed limit. for most of its length, there are no shoulders. In many places, the white line on the edge of the lane is also the edge of a vertical cliff. There are places where I have seen an SUV in front of me with one wheel on the white line, and the other on the double yellow line because the lane is so narrow. The road is so winding that there are very few places where you can even get to the speed limit, let alone exceed the speed limit.
But bicyclists love it because it was built to allow horse drawn wagons to haul heavy loads to the top of a 4000’ peak, so it has a very gentle grade, and there are great views along its entire length.
Huh. I use “highway” and “freeway” interchangeably. Just did a search and found the following, so thanks for enlightening me:
Highways have controlled areas, and traffic lights, tend to be placed in rural areas and always allow you to drive off. Freeways have higher speed limits and are, in essence, a faster way to get from one city to the other with minimal traffic control.
I guess maybe this is a result of my having grown up in a midwestern state where both could exist without distinction. TIL.
Why is there a bike lane on a highway?
To be clear, I’m not taking the side of the driver. Fuck people with unnecessarily huge vehicles. I side with cyclists almost 100% of the time. But this just sounds unsafe.
To me, a highway means speeds in excess of 50mph. That isn’t a place where we should have a body unprotected sharing the road.
In some rural areas, the “highway” is literally the only way to get from point A to point B. Many businesses and homes are directly on the highway. It’s not the same as Interstate 5 which is a few miles west of there.
Unlike a freeway, which has bigger speed limits, a highway is just any road designed for high traffic. It still has intersections, traffic lights, and driveways into properties.
Repeating from another post, but thanks for the clarity. Grew up in a place where these words were interchangeable.
I suppose it’s perfectly fine that it means that to you, but US highways run through every little dying town and the speed limits are usually 25-35mph in town, usually for the sole purpose of being a revenue generating speed trap. In fact I just looked it up and this intersection is a school zone with a 20mph speed limit.
You think maybe there’s other reasons bar revenue traps at play here then?
Yeah, it’s a school zone.
There’s also the word “usually” there, and I stick by it. Nice gotcha tho.
Maybe even if it’s not a school zone there could be reasons you might want to limit car speeds that have nothing to do with revenue traps is my point
Yawn
I’m an urbanist, I live in a dense city, I literally do not own any motorized transportation
There are hundreds of shitty little towns across America that survive solely off of ticket revenue by putting up a gas station, a church, and a dollar general on a road that’s primarily designed for cross-country travel by slamming the speed limit from 65mph+ to 25 within a 200 meter distance, and anyone who lived in that area without a car would literally die due to lack of a job, income, access to food, etc etc etc so I’m really not buying this argument
Braking really isn’t that hard in a car and it’s not like you lose a meaningful amount of time doing the speed limit for a podunk town. This entire argument can only begin to make sense with a lot of carbrained entitlement
Bikes are fine on highways. On freeways that are enclosed and its impossible to roll onto ground or terrain probably not, which is why freeways have rules against it.
In California, if there is not a parallel alternative route for bicycles to take, they are allowed on the freeway. Many parts of the 101 freeway fit this exception. State highway 130 (look it up on google maps) is a favorite of cyclists. It is a two lane state highway with a 40 MPH speed limit. for most of its length, there are no shoulders. In many places, the white line on the edge of the lane is also the edge of a vertical cliff. There are places where I have seen an SUV in front of me with one wheel on the white line, and the other on the double yellow line because the lane is so narrow. The road is so winding that there are very few places where you can even get to the speed limit, let alone exceed the speed limit. But bicyclists love it because it was built to allow horse drawn wagons to haul heavy loads to the top of a 4000’ peak, so it has a very gentle grade, and there are great views along its entire length.
Huh. I use “highway” and “freeway” interchangeably. Just did a search and found the following, so thanks for enlightening me:
I guess maybe this is a result of my having grown up in a midwestern state where both could exist without distinction. TIL.
im not even american so maybe my definition isnt applicable for you.
I think some rural states don’t, and they even allow horses and pedestrians.
In Kentucky some freeways have signs saying “no horses on freeway”. I always took that to mean there were some freeways that allowed horses.
We live in such a strange world.
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