This Week in the Mercury
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Bikes Did Someone Set Up a Trip Wire for Bikes in Ladds?
Posted by Sarah Mirk on Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 1:07 PM
Reader Lauren Hudgins just sent in this account of a bizarre experience she had in Ladd's Circle:
I just biked through Ladd's Addition around 1am. Someone had set up clear tape like a trip wire across the road. Another biker and I stopped to dismantle it, assuming it was kids playing a prank and complaining about how dangerous it would be for someone on a bike, but not for cars. As we biked away, we heard a man's voice calling from the bushes in Ladd's Circle, "Thanks for stopping!"
Bikes not stopping at Ladd's Circle has been a vocal complaint of neighbors for years, prompting police stings of cyclists at the circle. Based on Lauren's account, the tape certainly seems like a vigilante bike-stopping effort. Has anyone else seen anything like this? Lauren went back this morning to snap this photo:
- See the offending piece of tape cut down and balled up on the right?
UPDATE: Reader @cobweb sent me a terrible/hilarious photo he took at the same intersection last September. Check it out below the cut.
UPDATE UPDATE: Biking police officer Robert Pickett has been informed of the incident. "We both agreed that we hoped it was a prank and that he would ask his officers in the area to keep their eye out for this happening again," says Hudgins.
1
Clear tape - like, packing tape? I guess I could see that stopping a bike... if the bike was made out of marshmallows.
3
It seemed like the sort of tape that you roll around boxes or bundles of things to keep them together during shipping. The first biker was already tugging at it and it was stretching rather than breaking. I pulled out my leatherman to cut it with the knife but the first biker finally got it to break.
4
Oh my god BIKES!!!! I'm so sick of BIKES! BIKES BIKES BIKES BIKES BIKES BIKES BIKES!!!!
This city is becoming so boring.
This city is becoming so boring.
5
I agree with people who don't want to see bikers running lights or completely blowing stop signs at high speed, but these fanatics who insist on full stops for bikes at residential stop signs need to STFU and get a life already.
8
@CC: Agreed, especially when we're talking about a stop sign that goes into a one way traffic circle in Ladd's. Some people have too much free time (he says while commenting on a blog).
9
This stop sign really should be replaced with a yield. That said, I always stop at the roundabout because I don't want to get slapped with a massive ticket the next time there's a PPD sting. And last week, while I was riding through the circle, I got heckled by a carload of young women for having stopped at all. So clearly the vigilante is not representing the opinions of all non-cyclists.
10
@ tk., at least you use your free time to thoughtfully express views, rather than dreaming up illegal plans to potentially deliberately injure someone to make a stupid, niggling point.
A point presumably about safety, no less.
A point presumably about safety, no less.
11
Really I'm just trying to be a big enough smartass to get one of those fancy gold stars, but I guess that works too. I like the giant aggressive day-glo note in the update. When you start out by insulting your intended audience, your message is certain to get through!
12
@Ben: I definitely share your sentiment. Seems like cyclists are damned either way in this city. For instance, if you're heading out east and the bike lane disappears, you're an asshole in the road or an asshole on the sidewalk, no matter how accommodating or careful you're being.
Also, does this mean I now have to be concerned about strange men jumping out of the bushes when I bike through Ladd's?
Also, does this mean I now have to be concerned about strange men jumping out of the bushes when I bike through Ladd's?
14
Weird. I got angry and hollered at a bike at this circle a few weeks ago. That's unusual for me, and I had no idea there was history with this circle.
I was driving, and stopped at the stop sign. The cyclist came up behind me and whizzed by on my right side without stopping - and it was unfortunately timed so that he weaved around me just as I was starting to go, so I had to stop again or I might have hit him. Saw him at the next intersection and loudly told him "that was a stop sign back there!" He looked totally baffled.
If that happened every day during my commute, I might hang up that sign and laugh about it, too.
I was driving, and stopped at the stop sign. The cyclist came up behind me and whizzed by on my right side without stopping - and it was unfortunately timed so that he weaved around me just as I was starting to go, so I had to stop again or I might have hit him. Saw him at the next intersection and loudly told him "that was a stop sign back there!" He looked totally baffled.
If that happened every day during my commute, I might hang up that sign and laugh about it, too.
17
A few months ago I was talking to a friend who rides his bike to work through SE every single day. He told me a story about his coworker getting pulled over for running a red light, "even though he was on a bike!" I said something about how you still have to obey the rules of the road and he flat-out wouldn't believe me. His comeback was "What, you think I have to stop at, like, a stop sign, while I'm on my bike? Those are for cars!"
Sure would be nice if you had to get a bike license from the state before they let you play on the roads...
Sure would be nice if you had to get a bike license from the state before they let you play on the roads...
18
Re: Yield Signs -
Like everyone here, I'd say Yield signs at turnabout sure SOUND like a better idea. But I'm willing to bet $5 that Oregon originally HAD yield signs as the standard, and they were eventually changed to stop signs because people just weren't yielding and there were too many accidents. Doesn't that sound plausible?
Like everyone here, I'd say Yield signs at turnabout sure SOUND like a better idea. But I'm willing to bet $5 that Oregon originally HAD yield signs as the standard, and they were eventually changed to stop signs because people just weren't yielding and there were too many accidents. Doesn't that sound plausible?
19
@Reymont:
very similar experience for me at this circle, which I navigate two or three times a week in the morning. I'm not a big believer in bikes coming to a complete stop - I hate having to regain momentum, etc. - but would slowing down a little bit hurt? Especially when there are other vehicles around.
very similar experience for me at this circle, which I navigate two or three times a week in the morning. I'm not a big believer in bikes coming to a complete stop - I hate having to regain momentum, etc. - but would slowing down a little bit hurt? Especially when there are other vehicles around.
21
I'm glad you posted about this. I walk and bike through this neighborhood on a regular basis, and being clumsy, can imagine clear tape ensuing my fall, no matter how flimsy.
22
I will never understand why it's so important to some people for bikes to come to a complete stop. If you slow down enough to make sure you're not going to run over someone in a crosswalk or shoot out right in front of a car, you're fine.
23
@elderpeche - That's not why you stop! You probably don't AIM at pedestrians or cars, right? And they don't normally aim at you, unless you have more enemies than most people. We have stop signs for the same reason we have turn signals - they're not for the people you see, they're for the people you DON'T see.
24
One more thing: I see bikes stop to the same degree and as often as cars in that neighborhood. Most cyclists and drivers alike only slow to the point of looking both ways for traffic without coming to a complete halt. People isolating bikes for common traffic violations is one of my biggest pot-kettle pet peeves in this town.
25
@ Reymont its really not necessary to stop at stop signs and traffic lights while riding a bicycle. Bicyclists have better vision, are less likely to injure somebody and are not going as fast. A better rule would be to require bicyclists to slow down as much as and insofaras it's necessary to do so in order to be safe. Applying car rules to bicycles was probably an afterthought, and a poorly thought out afterthought at that. There are huge differences between the two modes of transportation and the same rules should not apply to both. Its common sense rather than assholery or radicalism that causes bicyclists to not follow the rules of the road (usually).
26
Remember, the City's Traffic Engineering department recommended against stop signs here. The stop signs are here - as are the cops who bust cyclists for following rules of physics - because the neighbors scream louder than people who believe there shouldn't be stop signs. If you're interested in removing the stop signs, call City Hall. Again and again. And tell your friends to do the same.
28
Remember, the City's Traffic Engineering department recommended against stop signs here. The stop signs are here - as are the cops who bust cyclists for following rules of physics - because the neighbors scream louder than people who believe there shouldn't be stop signs. If you're interested in removing the stop signs, call City Hall. Again and again. And tell your friends to do the same.
And, of course, be courteous of pedestrians and not bike crazy fast through the circle. I think that's what makes neighbors so riled, as there are perceived issues of safety.
And, of course, be courteous of pedestrians and not bike crazy fast through the circle. I think that's what makes neighbors so riled, as there are perceived issues of safety.
29
I wish the city would just treat us like adults and put yield signs around round-abouts instead of stop signs.. That's how they're best used anyways.
30
I walk through Ladd's all the time and I'll tell you what, I can't tell you how many times I've nearly been run over by both cars AND bikes when I am walking towards the flow of traffic around a circle. Both operators look to see if there is traffic coming, but they don't bother to look the other way to make sure a pedestrian isn't about to enter the intersection. Dumb-asses on bikes and cars, YES! But mostly cars.
31
@Around - To paraphrase you: "Traffic laws shouldn't apply to me because I'm safer than most of the other people on the road."
32
I wonder if the Merc might do a public records request and find out what wacko has logged a bunch of complaints regarding that circle?
Also, did aforementioned wacko run into the road and replace the tape each time a car drove through?
Also, did aforementioned wacko run into the road and replace the tape each time a car drove through?
33
Ladd's Circle is not a roundabout though. Please try to remember that. It is a landscaped traffic circle, sure, but not a roundabout.
35
Here is the ODOT report that explains why there are stop signs on Ladd's Circle: http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/ENGSERVICES…
37
I had to dodge the piece of tape too, but thankfully there was a pick-up truck or SUV of people traveling in the opposite direction that stopped to warn us of the tape that they had just seen. Also Lauren may have been just ahead of us, as my friend grant and I both individually said "Thanks For Stopping" to the motored vehicle of people (there was a group of four of us, but staggered 500 ft. or so into two groups of two).
39
@around -- i respectfully (if only slightly) disagree. bicyclists don't always have better vision, at least me w/ my helmet doesn't, and oftentimes aren't going slower than cars in residential neighborhoods. and when a bicyclist injures someone, they typically don't have insurance to cover it. i do agree that requiring bikes to slow down is better than requiring a complete stop. however, i think bicyclists far too often (myself included, in my worse moods) don't take responsibility for their impacts on others and instead point to cars as a greater evil.
40
I lived on Ladd Ave for 10 years and can't tell you how often I have almost been run over at that intersection by entire packs of cyclists during morning rush hour. One, two, three cyclists aren't a big deal but when the light turns green on Division and 25 bikes start out they usually blow that stop sign. I have even seen bikes rear-end the bikes that do stop. It seem like we are still in the early days of bike commuting and once we catch up to Europe we will sadly need bike cops and (gasp) bike licenses to standardize road behavior.
41
I live in Ladd's, and regularly walk it with children in tow. The neighborhood is full of children. There is an elementary school one block from the Circle, and many kids get to it via the Circle. I don't care about bike vs. car; I care about car vs child and bike vs child. Bikes need to stop where children are at play, same as cars. A bike screaming down the Harrison hill has more than enough momentum to do a lot of damage to a kid crossing an intersection at the circle.
42
Yeah, and if we can get tasers like the queer police will get to well, tase gay offenders we , erm, the bike police can have fun at tasing arseholes who place wires for cyclist to fall on their faces, even if they stop, and then start on pretty fast as is a rule on street biking on weekends.
43
2 things:
Thing 1: Bicyclists should slow down at ANY intersection and be aware of what is going on in all directions. The comment above about kids should be enough to give any sensible bicyclist pause. That being said, there will always be people out there (and this includes bicyclists) who don't give a shit about kids, so when you're walking with children, walk defensively. It's your only bet. But people on bikes have much more hassle getting going from a standstill so it seems reasonable to just expect them to slow down to a safe speed.
Thing 2: This dickbreath who is putting up packing tape, he's gotta be very close to the scene of the crime if the tape is up, because it won't last long with cars driving through Ladd's. So I say get a posse of bikers, but leave the bikes at home and hit Ladd's late and grab this cunt up. I'm sure he's a total pussbag, so it shouldn't be too much to detain him while the popo show up. Not inciting a riot, just sayin'. He wants to prove a point, we want to prove that his point sucks.
Thing 1: Bicyclists should slow down at ANY intersection and be aware of what is going on in all directions. The comment above about kids should be enough to give any sensible bicyclist pause. That being said, there will always be people out there (and this includes bicyclists) who don't give a shit about kids, so when you're walking with children, walk defensively. It's your only bet. But people on bikes have much more hassle getting going from a standstill so it seems reasonable to just expect them to slow down to a safe speed.
Thing 2: This dickbreath who is putting up packing tape, he's gotta be very close to the scene of the crime if the tape is up, because it won't last long with cars driving through Ladd's. So I say get a posse of bikers, but leave the bikes at home and hit Ladd's late and grab this cunt up. I'm sure he's a total pussbag, so it shouldn't be too much to detain him while the popo show up. Not inciting a riot, just sayin'. He wants to prove a point, we want to prove that his point sucks.
44
Forgive me for bringing scientific evidence into this, but why are we paying cops to hang out at Ladd's Addition?
Check out this ten year bike crash map. You'll notice a crash-less Ladd's Addition in the bottom left. Bored neighbor dude needs to discover yahtzee.
http://bikeportland.org/wp-content/SEBoule…
Check out this ten year bike crash map. You'll notice a crash-less Ladd's Addition in the bottom left. Bored neighbor dude needs to discover yahtzee.
http://bikeportland.org/wp-content/SEBoule…
45
Guess what Traffic Division discovered after setting up stings at Ladd's? Bikes AND cars failing to stop at the stop signs. Whoever is so activated by bikes rolling through, yet not caring about the cars must be some sort of modal-biased hothead!
46
@Night Moves: Interesting map. I'm not surprised to see so many red dots along Hawthorne, it's a bad street for bikes past 12th.
47
@tk Hawthorne's a bad street for everyone! Skinny lanes. In the right lane you have people trying to parallel park, and in the left lane you have jerks waiting 20 minutes to turn left across traffic. Lots of bikes trying to mix in with all that goodness, lots of pedestrians wandering across the street. Poor visibility for people coming in from sidestreets, so they have to "gun it and hope it's clear."
48
I too live in this neighborhood and am a runner. More often than not, I have to stop at this very intersection to let a cyclist (or group of them) by, as they seemingly refuse to stop at this stop sign. I don't care if they are on a bike and not in a car- I am a pedestrian and they are legally required to stop. Yet they never, EVER do! I have no problem sharing the road with cyclists whether it be in the role of a pedestrian or driver of a car, BUT I expect cyclists to obey the same laws I am required to. Imagine if I decided to blow right past this stop sign in my car?
49
@Sperpis
Read the comments above, the police quote in the Oregonian, etc. Cars blow this stop sign all the time.
Mostly, they slow down as much as bikes do.
Read the comments above, the police quote in the Oregonian, etc. Cars blow this stop sign all the time.
Mostly, they slow down as much as bikes do.
50
P.S. As frustrated as I get at the cyclists' refusal to stop at this sign, I would never advocate violence toward them. (In other words, it wasn't me!)
51
Love biking... however... people need to obey the rules or seek to change them. Just not bitch about how they shouldn't have to stop. Makes sense but since you're sharing the road you need to obey the laws.
One of my dear friends also complains that automobile drivers don't watch out enough, but he fails to obey the rules. He also thinks that if he gets hit by a car, that the driver's insurance should take care of the non-motorized rider's medical/property costs. He's also completely irresponsible so it doesn't surprise me that he and his friends act douchey when people talk about cyclist responsibility.
How about we change the laws so complete stops are not necessary, but if you get creamed or cause an accident by not coming to a stop, no fault on the car driver. People should be responsible for their own actions and choices and be respectful of others who should be doing the same. Cyclist or driver... be reasonable and not douchey.
Same road, same rules.
One of my dear friends also complains that automobile drivers don't watch out enough, but he fails to obey the rules. He also thinks that if he gets hit by a car, that the driver's insurance should take care of the non-motorized rider's medical/property costs. He's also completely irresponsible so it doesn't surprise me that he and his friends act douchey when people talk about cyclist responsibility.
How about we change the laws so complete stops are not necessary, but if you get creamed or cause an accident by not coming to a stop, no fault on the car driver. People should be responsible for their own actions and choices and be respectful of others who should be doing the same. Cyclist or driver... be reasonable and not douchey.
Same road, same rules.
52
I put up a first-hand account of what I saw and heard while biking through Ladd's and finding the trap on Describe the Ruckus.
http://www.describetheruckus.com/?p=1685
http://www.describetheruckus.com/?p=1685
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