I have walked almost every day for over 40 years, including the past 12 on Eugene’s Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path System. I’m now retired and these walks remain essential to both my physical and emotional health, but the path no longer feels as safe as it once did.
Several years ago, I began hugging the right side out of fear that a speeding cyclist might run me over. With e-bikes now racing along the same shared space, my concern has become even more urgent and I ask: Is this how I die?
That scenario seems even more plausible after the Sept. 8 report in Lookout Eugene-Springfield about the planned overhaul of PeaceHealth Rides, our local bike-share program. Its operator hopes to replace the current fleet with 400 to 500 new bicycles by spring 2028, likely divided evenly between conventional bicycles and e-bikes…