Category Archives: Ray Thomas

Upcoming Hillsboro Bike Legal Clinic on June 18th!

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Please join us for a free hour long presentation by veteran TCNF bicycle and pedestrian attorney Ray Thomas on Oregon law relating to people bicycling and walking. Ray will cover a wide range of topics, including lighting, signaling, bike lane use, riding two abreast, sidewalk riding, and what to do if you’re in a crash. Attendees will receive a free copy of Ray’s Oregon bike legal guide, Pedal Power, which is also available on our website here.

Details:

Tuesday, June 18th, 2019 from noon til 1 PM

Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center (2875 NW Stucki Ave, Hillsboro, OR 97124)

The clinic will happen In the Oregon Room or, if weather permits, outside in the Elk Plaza

Check out the FB event here and info on the clinics generally here.

We hope to see you there!

Marked and Unmarked Crosswalks in Oregon: Our Take on ORS 801.220

On January 4th, 2019—less than a week ago—a pedestrian here in Portland was killed by a motor vehicle while crossing the street at the intersection of SW Salmon and Park. This intersection only features one marked crosswalk. According to the statement released by police, the pedestrian was in an “unmarked crosswalk” when he was hit.

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Right of Way in the Crosswalk: Legislative Solutions to Making the Cars Stop Without Entering the Killing Zone

by Ray Thomas, Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Attorney

I. INTRODUCTION

Why did the man on the curb with the dog glare angrily at the approaching motorist?
Why did the elderly lady with the bag of groceries look wistful?

Why did the child standing on the curb look confused?

What do these people walking all have in common besides trying to safely cross the street? The answer is confusion and frustration over where they stand, or don’t stand, with approaching motorists to claim their legal right to cross the street in a crosswalk.

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Bike Lanes Continue Through Intersections For Sure With New Legislative Proposal

When a person riding a bicycle gets right hooked in an intersection, the Oregon Vehicle Code contains a section that protects the cyclist’s right to the right of way. ORS 811.050 provides:

“A person commits the offense of failure of a motor vehicle operator to yield to a rider on a bicycle lane if the person is operating a motor vehicle and the person does not yield the right of way to a person operating a bicycle . . . upon a bicycle lane.”

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Ray and Chris Thomas Join Ruckus Composites for Podcast on Bicycle Law

Ruckus Composites is a Portland-based company that specializes in repair of carbon fiber bicycles. Ruckus’ Shawn Small and Dan Steinle frequently record podcasts on topics related to bicycles and carbon fiber, known as the Fiber Side Chats. Shawn and Dan recently invited Ray and Chris Thomas of Thomas, Coon, Newton & Frost to their studio to discuss bicycle law, including rules of the road, how Oregon compares to other states, and how insurance coverage can protect bicyclists.

The episode is here. We hope you enjoy it!