Letters to the Editor: Aug. 12, 2022

Law has changed

This letter is in response to Sandra Ponto’s letter about bicyclists not stopping at stop signs.

There has been a change to the rules for bicyclists. Starting Jan 1, 2020, bicyclists have been allowed to treat stop signs as yield signs here in Oregon.

This replicates a change initiated in Idaho. It has been in effect for more than 20 years in Idaho with very good results.

Most drivers don’t know about the change, as it does not affect how a driver goes through an intersection.

As with a yield sign, the bicyclist must yield to any through traffic. Only if the intersection is clear can the bicyclist roll through without stopping.

In the example she gave where she almost hit a bicyclist going through a stop sign, the bicyclist would have been in the wrong. She should have been able to drive through the intersection before the bicyclist.

Unfortunately, there are both bad cyclists and bad drivers. We need to look out for each other to ensure safety.

Peter Higbee

McMinnville

Save the farmland

“The preservation of a maximum amount of the limited supply of agricultural land is necessary to the conservation of the state’s economic resources and the preservation of such land in large blocks is necessary in maintaining the agricultural economy of the state and for the assurance of adequate, healthful and nutritious food for the people of this state and nation.”

That is from Section 1 of Senate Bill 101, enacted in 1973. Those are words that described the intent of Oregonians for the future of Oregon.

Since that time, developers, planners and city councils are running amok to develop whenever and wherever possible. There doesn’t seem to a development that they don’t like and wouldn’t work hard to implement.

The latest big development proposed along Highway 18 flies right in the face of SB 101. It is an example of the supposed need to develop only on farmland.

Once that area is developed, the rest of the contiguous farmland will be eyed for additional development. Tom McCall was quite right in referring to such developers as “grasping wastrels of the land.”

There is only so much farmland left. It is shrinking while the population is increasing.

Years ago, I referred to the unrestrained development of farmland as depleting “mother nature’s savings account.” No one seems able to create more land or justify why someone should go hungry.

Any future development should be for manufacturing jobs that pay family supporting wages. It should be implemented on the actual industrial land of McMinnville and kept off farmland.

John Englebrecht

McMinnville

Easing the way

I want to thank the city of McMinnville and state of Oregon for the new left-turn-lane signal where Baker Creek Road and Evans Street meet Highway 99W. It has made such a difference in the ease of going through that area.

Evelyn Stewart

McMinnville

Need doggie ER

I am quite disturbed that there are no pet clinics around here open nights and weekends for emergencies. We would have to drive to Salem or Tualatin.

We just experienced a situation with our pet dachshund, Tippy, and no emergency clinics could see him. All were at capacity.

Just how many cities do these clinics cover?

I talked with our vet in Carlton, and our hometown clinic is swamped as well. What is the solution?

Perhaps each vet could take a turn with night and weekend duty so our pets that we love so much could be cared for in an emergency.

Charlotte Adolf

Carlton