For Dave Patterson, biking has always been his go-to mode of transportation.
“Its always been a freedom for me,” said Patterson. “Its been a love since i was a little kid. If i could not drive, you know, I’d ride my bike more.”
In his 15 years in the Rogue Valley… Patterson has had a lot of close calls on the road.
“Oh I have had many. I’ve been hit by cars and I’ve been run into the curb, I’ve been run off the road.”
Patterson has always wanted Medford to improve its bike routes for the community. Cities like Portland have greatly improved the safety for it’s cyclists but it’s hard to compare to Medford.
“We don’t have the infrastructure but anything that can be pointed in that direction to make it safer and do what you can with what you got.”
Members of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) want to accomplish that, but the plans take time as the city lets the community weigh in. While the first tier of development wont be finished for 5 to 10 years from now, city officials say having the public aware of the potential changes is important.
“You know there a lot of people out there with differing opinion but if somebody has opinion on how to make it better by all means share that,” said Chris Olivier, coordinator for the planning deparment of Medford.
Olivier appreciates the public input that has already been given. Plans and routes have already been amended to help develop more convenient roads, benefiting both drivers and cyclists. He understands that people might be frustrated at how long the process will take but asks that people get involved if they want to help.
Patterson understands the full projects will take a bit to complete but he’s hopeful even small changes can be implemented before then. An idea that the city is already looking at starting, painting bike lanes in designated routes set up through the planning project.
“Just having the bike lane on the street is gonna raise enough awareness that’ll change peoples minds. Hopefully,” said Patterson.
BPAC and the city of Medford have two tiers of work and transportation updates set to be rolled out from 2018-2038. Plans involve improving bike routes and safety, widening roads across the city and urban renewal projects.
The next meeting will take place at the Lausmann Annex on Monday, October 9th at 5:15.
If you would like to learn more about the project or how to get involved with the process, click here.
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