WTF is going on this year?!?!?!

I ride through that same spot all of the time... very scary.

i hate to say this now, but it's actually really surprising to me how infrequently this actually happens. anybody who spends any time driving either a bike or a car knows first-hand how many inattentive, malicious and terrible drivers there are out there. there are so many people that have no right to be behind a wheel.

Way to over-simplify the situation and vilify all drivers, Lyle! Good thing 100% of bike riders are entirely responsible, law-abiding and always wear their helmet.

i think i saw this guy before he was hit. if it is the guy, he was wearing a helmet.

believe me, i didn't just mean car drivers. i'm one, too.

i mean, i've seen some REALLY shitty bike riding, too...

however, you can't deny that the consequences of a shitty car driver are a lot more costly to others than a shitty bike driver.

yea, no riding fixies with no front brake and no helmet listening to the ipod. none of that, please.

RE: signal timing change.

Here's a comment from PDOT's signals and street lighting division manager:

"City Signals & St. Lighting staff did make some signal timing changes last Wednesday at N Interstate & Greeley to improve efficiency. While observing the new timing, we noticed that several north-bound left-turners seemed to be running the red light. So, we restored the original signal timings last Friday and plan to study the intersection further before making any other changes. In light of unfortunate crash today, we will also check to see if we can do anything to improve intersection safety, especially for cyclists.

Bill Kloos
Signals & St. Lighting Division Manager
PDOT"

There are bad drivers of both motor vehicles and bicycles.

The problem is that when a bicycle is involved with a motor vehicle, the bicycle will always lose, no matter who's doing the bad driving.

That's why I don't act like a Zoobomber going down hills, don't ride a stupid fixie, don't wear dark clothing at night, and always wear a helmet, and try to look out for idiotic bikers when I'm in a car. (The good bikers are always visible.)

Do you think a solution might be to have bike lanes travel in the opposite direction as the car lanes do? ie If you were traveling west on Burnside on a bike you would travel in the far left bike lane (with cars travelling towards you--in their own lane heading east). Car and truck drivers would be able to see you as a bicyclist and cyclists would be able to see any vehicles making turns etc...just an idea.

Until I moved recently, this was my regular commute route to work downtown from North Portland. Anybody who knows this route knows it's an unsafe situation for cyclists, as I've mentioned multiple times to the Portland Office of Transportation prior to this tragedy.

In my experience, the worst part of this intersection is that a cyclist has no sense of when the traffic light will flip. Some suggest this situation dictates that bicyclists should ride to a crawl when approaching the light.

In theory, sure. In practice, it's not going to happen. As a cyclist you have a lot of momentum coming down that hill. Interstate begins to build back up just after hitting its trough near the Greeley intersection. A cyclist is predisposed to wanting to carry as much momentum as reasonably possible through the Greeley intersection. This, to me, is unassailable. It's rational and consistent with the laws of gravity. Design standards have to be based on reality, not theoretical ideals.

I've always thought the particular topographic circumstances merit a special treatment. As a cyclist I want predictability early in the Interstate descent to know what phase the traffic light will be in when I meet the intersection. Heretofore PDOT has ignored my suggestions.

I don't want to suggest or imply the treatment I propose would have saved this person's life, but I guarantee it would make the intersection much safer. Predictability goes a long way to establish safety.

The Oregonian's Jeff Mapes, a regular bike commuter, recently wrote a thoughtful piece about how America accepts these deaths by default. He's right, and that's wrong. It needs to stop. We can't eliminate through design all of these situations, but when we intuitively know something isn't quite right something should be done.

If the cyclist had taken the lane, he'd, at most, have hit the cars ahead of him, and maybe lived.

The problem is bike lanes. They're the worst things to happen to us cyclists. We feel cocooned in them, safe from all harm, and assume we're highly visible. Get rid of 'em, the way they're getting rid of crosswalks.

has anyone considered the idea of having a separate light for bikes similar to how bike traffic is handled in Amsterdam. this would probably be the solution to having predictability for cyclists.

As callous as it may sound, finally the Darwin effect is clearing up the gene pool. I've been a pedestrian for 9 long years, with minimal driving and even less biking. The amount of moronic bicyclists I see on a daily basis is exponential to bad vehicle drivers. The biggest problem is bicyclists can decide which set of rules they want to consistently follow. Are you going to sit at the red light with the cars or are you going to cut through like a jaywalker? Guess what moron, now you're dead. You'd think these fleshbags would realize 4000 pound car wins every time.

Lex II: Mutationem motus proportionalem esse vi motrici impressae, et fieri secundum lineam rectam qua vis illa imprimitur.

It's the law.

Douglas, both of the cyclists who've died in the last two weeks were following not just the law, but expected behavior for cyclists traveling in bike lanes.

Enough with this whole "people who drive cars are assholes" crap. Keep on shouting that ad nauseum, and by default you will also continue to see these kinds of unfortunate accidents. Why? Because that kind of one-track mentality will never be capable of assessing the situation objectively, nor arrive at actual solutions.

There are bad motorists. There are bad cyclists. As a pedestrian, I have been nearly mowed over by both while I have been crossing with the light in my favor and proceeded with caution. Sometimes motorists don't turn on their turn signals so I don't know that they intend to make a turn; likewise, sometimes cyclists don't think to warn pedestrians of where they are headed. So let's just admit that each side has its own set of douchebags and move the hell on.

It seems that both of the recent accidents that resulted in fatalities happened in a similar manner. Should we maybe be looking at the actual infrastructure set-up that allows bikes and cars to share the road? Separate lights? Education for both cyclists and motorists about blind spots? As was mentioned above, a bike lane can often put a cyclist in the way of a turning vehicle -- maybe that is something worth looking at.

i rode my bike to work today

also, i propose elevated bicycle freeways over all streets from quadrant to quadrant to suburbs. bicycle-only bridges and free coffee and cocktails before and after work for bike-to-work commuters.

i'd pay extra taxes for that!

Where is all this fixed gear hatred coming from?
I've seen a lot of stupid shit from other cyclist of every variety (i.e. last month I saw a douche bag on a single speed freewheel with no brakes!). However I've never seen anything that would indicate that type of bike you ride dictates how safely you ride.
And to Douglas, I dare you find any report that shows that the number pedestrians (i.e. walkers) hit by cars is equal in ratio to the number pedestrians hit by bicycles.
I think we can all agree that cyclists who follow the rules of the road as they see fit are taking their own lives into their own hands (my self included) but at the same time pose less of risk to other people than drivers who break traffic laws.

I got hit in the bike lane riding to work about a year ago. Luckily I had on a helmet and the driver stopped just short of driving over me (my pant leg was under the front right tire). I agree that being in the bike lane can create a false sense of security. I also think that riding in peak traffic times increases the risks (but what are you going to do, not go to work?).
To all the folks who blame just one side of the equation (bikes, cars)- not only are you quite stupid, but you are embarrasing yourself and should just shut the hell up.
To the idiot bikers- please, stop. Really. Wear the helmet, reflective clothing, obey the traffic laws.
To the idiot drivers- you are at the wheel of a large killing machine. Try to remember that, would ya? Maybe mix in some very well intentioned caution and glances too.

Dear Tage Savage (this is in response to your letter printed in the Portland Mercury),

You say, "And as for your call for "bicyclist accountability" and "less vilification of drivers," sorry there, guy. Bikes don't emit carbon monoxide, cars do."

Following your logic, I have decided that...since I am in debt $100,000 for the privilege of being a public school teacher, and have spent thousands of my own dollars and countless hours of my time on my students, including buying my first car at the age of 33 (the most fuel-efficient car I could afford) so that I could take kids to buy fabric and patterns for our DIY club... I am morally superior to you. Therefore, I am entitled to put myself in situations where I am technically at fault without being held liable if anything does happen. I am really looking forward to putting my new-found self-righteousness into practice, and if you will be kind enough to send me your address/bicycling route, I would love to fling myself in front of you while I'm rollerskating to work.

Kary Aloveah
Portland

PS Suz, bad bike riding can cause a cyclist to die by smashing into a truck, which can't be too pleasant for the driver of the truck. Did you read the fucking police report? It doesn't sound like the driver was at fault.

PPS Self righteous bike riders everywhere...I rode in all weathers until the age of 33, and used bike routes almost exclusively. I don't understand riders who insist on using narrow, busy streets like Prescott and Alberta when there are bike routes not more than two blocks away. Drivers cannot pass bikes on these streets safely when there is traffic, and drivers will resort to using bike routes. I absolutely do not believe in spending more tax money on bike routes unless cyclists are going to use them, and avoid streets where car traffic cannot get around them safely.