News

Share the Road

Beginning January 2008, Oregon drivers can purchase a Share the Road license plate (see ODOT link below for viewing of plate and instructions if you would like to purchase one). Thanks to the efforts of Senator Floyd Prozanski, Cycle Oregon, Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA), our state legislature and governor, and many others, Oregon joined a handful of other states that allow drivers of motorized vehicles to demonstrate their respect for others and serve as a reminder to Share the Road.

Safe Distance Law Stimulated by Jane's death and other injuries and fatalities, the Oregon legislature passed a law requiring motorists in certain conditions to allow a safe distance between their vehicle and a cyclist, "safe" defined as the distance "sufficient to prevent contact with the person operating the bicycle if the person were to fall into the driver's lane of traffic." A link to a full explanation of the law is here.

Ireland Trucking Donation The Jane Higdon Memorial Fund received a generous donation from Ireland Trucking Company, for the purpose of improving safety for bicycles on our roadways. Thank you!

Eye to Eye Campaign The Jane Higdon Memorial Fund is a supporter of the Eye to Eye Campaign, a multi-city Oregon campaign to "foster awareness and respect on shared paths and roadways, making the streets and our communities safer for everyone." More about this campaign can be found here.

At the Eugene, Oregon press conference kicking off the campaign, Jane's husband Dr. Tom Jefferson expressed sympathy for the victims and families of those affected by roadway trauma, and how such educational campaigns can help something positive come from tragic events. Participating in support of the campaign were the mayor of Eugene, president of the Springfield City Council, and representatives of the Police and Fire Departments, the city of Eugene Transportation Dept, AAA (Automobile Association of America), BTA (Bicycle Transportation Alliance, and GEARS (Greater Eugene Areas Riders).

Eugene Marathon

The Eugene Marathon supports the Foundation as one of their charities. For those of you who participated in past Eugene Marathons, welcome back! For those of you who have not, this is your chance to run in a new marathon listed by Runner's World as one of the top new U.S. marathons, and visit historic Hayward Field in Track Town, USA!

Broken - Bicycling Magazine article

What can you do in your community to help with bike/pedestrian safety enhancements and get mobilized? Every time we take to the open road, we entrust our lives to a safety net of legal protection and basic human decency. That system has failed. The article and a picture of Jane is in the Jan/Feb. issue of Bicycling Magazine.