Safety: Autumn Riding – REPRISE!
From the one who warned you about wet leaves and potholes last month (see Autumn Riding), I have another caution to offer. Coming off of the Hawthorne Bridge eastbound, there are a couple of steel ramps to get cyclists safely over some obstacles in the roadway. I have been impressed by how well the ramps, both getting on and getting off, have been constructed. The transitions from the roadway and back again are smooth – no sense of impact (as on the ramps near the floating portion of the Eastbank Esplanade). There is, however, one extra bit of warning. Even though the surfaces have a bit of texture built in, when they are wet, they are just damned metal plates and as slippery as a peeled onion.
I discovered this firsthand. I was on one of the ramps approaching the intersection with a cross street (I think it was 6th Avenue), and a car beside me passed me, slowed, and stopped. The car had its turn signal on and was waiting for me to clear the intersection. Unfortunately, I didn’t have all that much confidence that the driver was actually going to wait… ✎ …so I hit the brakes. BIG MISTAKE. Much to my chagrin, the wheels kicked out from under me, and I went down. Hard. Didn’t crack the helmet, but I put a big wrinkle in it. I also managed to peel some skin off my left forearm, though my expensive Showers Pass jacket wasn’t torn. I’ll have to get some new handlebar tape, and the left shifter is a little scuffed up, but aside from that, the bike was undamaged.
Moral of the story: This time of year, slowing down is good, and slowing down early is even better.
BONUS: City Asks for Patience as Bike Lanes Fill with Leaves – BikePortland
Dave McQuery, Membership Secretary