Albany Democrat-Herald

Today's news on bikes: No rolling through stop signs, at least not legally, but a proposed path between Albany and Corvallis - publicized during a mass ride Sunday - is making halting progress.

Oregon cyclists will continue to be expected to stop at stop signs, the same as automobile drivers.

A bill that would have authorized bike riders to roll through stop signs if it was safe has died in the Legislature.

Sponsors lacked the votes to get the bill out of the House Transportation Committee, the committee staff said today.

HB 2690 was modeled in part after an Idaho law, which for several years has let bike riders treat stop signs as yield signs.

During a public hearing in April, committee members worried about safety issues if cyclists were legally allowed to do what most do: roll through stop signs after slowing but without putting a foot down.

In the mid-valley, about 150 people on bikes joined a ride Sunday from Corvallis to Albany along the Albany-Corvallis Highway.

Nick Hawley, an employee of the Calapooia Brewing Co., organized the event to call attention to plans for a multi-use path alongside the Toledo Branch rail line between the two cities.

Benton County Commissioner Linda Modrell joined the ride, as did Roger Irvin, the county's public works director. Both are supporters of the project.

In an interview today, Irvin guessed that if the project can "stay in the funding stream," the path might be complete in about 10 years.

Benton County is working on design and right-of-way acquisition along the entire length of the 10-mile path, using a $460,000 federal transportation enhancement grant obtained two years ago.

Benton County also has asked for a grant of about $600,000 toward construction of the first leg, from Circle Boulevard to about Cheldelin Middle School in Corvallis.

Congressman Peter DeFazio, D-4th District, has asked for a $580,000 earmark in the federal budget for 2010 for another leg of the path, on the Albany side, Irvin said.

Progress on building the path has not been "very fast," Irvin acknowledged. But he was impressed by the number of people who supported it on Sunday's ride.