04:22 PM PDT on Sunday, June 18, 2006

By KRISTINA BRENNEMAN, kgw.com Staff

A bicycle safety sign was installed Sunday along Tualatin-Sherwood Road in memory of a Tigard teacher killed last year when he was struck by a car while riding his bicycle.

kGW photo

Eric and Lorna Kautzky

Eric Kautzky, 56, was an avid biker and teacher at Tigard High School for 24 years, before retiring in 2004.

His widow Lorna took part in the special ceremony in Sherwood, which kicked off the bike safety project.

The bike safety sign was the first of its kind in Oregon and others may follow. State Rep. Jerry Krummel has been working on legislation that would make the signs available statewide.

"We will be seeing more and more bicyclists so safety is paramount," said Sherwood Police Detective Dwight Onchi. "It's so important."

Onchi noted that this month Bicycling Magazine named Portland as one of the 21 best cycling cities in the U.S., a clear sign that number of people cycling will expand.

Kautzky, a science teacher and athletic trainer at Tigard High School, rode in bicycle races with Team Rose City and frequently rode along the Tualatin-Sherwood Road.

"Some of our officers recognized as biking almost on a daily basis, at the time of his death," Onchi said. “They'd wave to him."

Joel Flores, 18, was convicted of one count of criminal negligence/homicide in Kautzky's death. Witnesses said Flores had driven his car along the curb in the bike lane for about 200 feet before striking Kautzky from behind, Onchi said.

In his 24 years as a teacher, Kautzky cared for and rehabilitated thousands of student athletes. After retiring, he worked for Sports Medicine Oregon, a clinic in Tigard.