Mary Fetsch
Former Chief Media Relations Officer
$120,928.00 (2015)
per:
Fetsch is the latest to leave. In my experience, not the most honest person on the block.
She was also on the Board of Directors of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. Years ago when I was an avid cyclist I was continually freaked out by being BUZZED by Trimet Buses. I was in the bike lane, the Bus would suddenly floor it, cross over the line separating us, which forced me right up against the curb. The enormity and velocity of the machine vibrated my world to pieces. There was nothing like it - raw fear and panic. It was happening frequently and to other cyclists was well. We were complaining to Trimet but our complaints were never taken seriously. One of the Managers told me I should be riding on off streets. I contacted Fetsch to see if there was anything she could do. She said she understood the problem and suggested I talk with training - which is what I did. Allen Morgan. Those of us familiar with him said, "Good luck with that."
One day I was listening to a bicycling show on KBOO and they happened to be interviewing two Trimet employees/cyclists, about - of all things - 'the training they provide their Operators to insure bicycle safety. I listened in disbelief !! Thought my head was gonna spin off and explode!!
About a week later as I was getting ready to leave the bullpen one of the guy's from the KBOO interview was there. I asked if he was Kiriam Limiay (spelling), who was an Assistant to Fred Hansen. He acknowledged and I went off on him, "Who gave you the script for that that program?" He said, "Mary Fetsch". He, in fact, rode a bike. I asked if he had ever sat in on any of the 'bicycle awareness training classes he proclaimed Trimet provided on the show, "No but Mary filled me in." At the risk of being insubordinate, at that point, I dropped it, but it left a really really bad taste in my mouth. They were giving cyclists in our community a false sense of security. Trimet is after all, an alternative form of transportation Public Agency and yet they had their heads up their asses when it came to protecting other forms of transportation sharing the roads with the 40,000 pound, 20 ton Buses, then lying to the community with a, 'so what' attitude! They even refused to provide safe, covered areas for our bikes all the while allowing the executive floors to bring their bikes into their cubicles. A more quintessential example of this Agency's absolute arrogant superiority towards the tax payers doesn't exist.
NEVERTHELESS,
...as the BUZZING problem continued I eventually took it to Mayor Sam Adams who arranged for City bike advocate Linda Ginenthal to give me a call to see if the City would assist Trimet in creating solutions instead of denying the problem. She was one of Mary's buddies. LOL Said, "Not my Mary... she wouldn't do that" Instead of discussing the problem she defended her friend. It eventually went to a meeting with the City. Trimet sent several of their trainers, all of whom lied about training Bus Operators on bike safety. The folks in the room knew they had a problem and were disappointed by Trimet's rhetoric.
Trimet, in fact, continued to refuse the need for bus/cyclist training UNTIL 13 YO Austin Miller was killed by a Trimet Bus while riding his bike in Beaverton. Unfortunate as it is, most Agencies refuse to correct their problems until someone is killed. Trimet, however likes to be MORE different in that they additionally continue to deny their huge LEFT MIRROR is responsible for killing a few people walking in the crosswalk several years ago. As long as the mirror remains positioned to block the Operators view when making a left turn, no one's safe.
Note: About 3 years ago while riding a bus to work I ran into a coworker I hadn't seen in years. We visited. He brought up the KBOO interview and shared with me that he was the other voice that day along with Kiriam. He said they used to hang out. Kiriam asked him to say he rode a bike too, and no, he never rode a bicycle. He said Kiram talked him into it.
Example of a a Bus BUZZING a cyclist.
Uploaded on Oct 16, 2011
Bus passing cyclists FAR TOO CLOSE and at TOO GREAT A SPEED on Broad St, Newark, NJ at approximately three minutes past 2 pm on Sunday October 16, 2011. The bus comes into view, at 1:02(note the cyclists patiently waiting for the lights to change before setting off). Slow motion of the pass is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzX7FE...
