The Beaverton Police Department’s Public Information Officer Sgt. Paul Wandell says a statement about bike safety printed in a city newsletter has been “blown out of proportion.”
The advice — that bicyclists should, “walk your bike across busy intersections and streets” — was printed as a bike safety tip and it has touched a nerve among […]

Cover of the newsletter.

“Public Safety” is the theme of a special edition of the City of Beaverton’s Your City newsletter (Beaverton is about 7 miles southwest of Portland).
When BikePortland reader Alan Bennett read through it he was shocked to see that under the heading of, Riding Safe: Bicycle Tips, it was recommended that when biking, […]

“Signing any sidewalk as a bicycle path increases the likelihood of tort settlements even years later.”–FHWA Course on Bicycle and Transportation Planning

The recent tragedy in Beaverton leaves many unanswered questions.
Among them is whether or not Washington County contributed to a dangerous situation by designating a sidewalk as the bike route — a practice […]

Approximate crash location. Click for Google Map.

KATU has the story of a collision last Friday in Hillsboro that resulted in the death of 47 year-old Hillsboro resident Kerry Alfred Teufel.
Here’s what they reported:
“According to Hillsboro police, Teufel was riding east in the traffic lanes on Southwest Oak Street near Southwest 17th Avenue […]

Graphic from “And we Bike” website.Click to enlarge

As part of a new bike safety campaign, a coalition of advocates in Washington County is planning a memorial ride for Timothy O’Donnell this weekend.
O’Donnell was struck and killed by a car on a rural Washington County road last June.
On Saturday (9/22), the Portland Velo riding club […]

(Photo: Jonathan Maus)

The death of 66 year-old Timothy O’Donnell last June in Washington County continues to spark activism over safety concerns on rural roads.
The tragedy helped shine a light on bike safety during the last legislative session in Salem and was a key ingredient in the passage of the Vulnerable Roadway Users Bill. His […]

Over the weekend, the discussion over enforcement against bicycles in North Plains continued both in the comments of my post from Friday and on the OBRA email list.
Among the reactions was a comment by North Plains Police Chief Scott Whitehead. Whitehead wrote in to clarify his position on the situation:
“It seems that several people […]

The Meyer Memorial Trust, created by the late retail magnate Fred Meyer, announced their latest grant recipients on Friday.
Among them is the Beaverton-based has Washington County Bicycle Transportation Coalition (WashCoBTC). The group has been awarded $7,500 for “strategic planning and board development.”

Originally formed as a chapter of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA), the group […]

[Mark Duff in action atAlpenrose Velodrome in Portland.]

Mark Duff is well-known in the Oregon road and track racing scene. Since moving here from Colorado six years ago, he’s been a consistent top performer in both disciplines and has been involved with racing for over two decades.
Now, the 39 year old former owner […]

Yesterday I posted some unconfirmed information about safety improvements coming to the intersection of West Union and Helvetia Roads in Washington County.
This intersection recently claimed the life of a cyclist and has been a notorious place for close calls.

Shortly after my post I contacted Washington County transportation planner Gregg Leion. Turns out Gregg is […]

[UPDATE: Improvements have been confirmed. Read this post for all the details.]

[Intersection of WestUnion and Helvetia Rd.]

OregonLive bike blogger and Washington County resident Peter LaPorte says Washington County is finally planning to add safety improvements to the intersection of West Union and Helvetia Roads.
This is the intersection where Mike Kalan was killed back on […]

[Who would have thought?]

Last Friday in Beaverton, just across the street from a Share the Road demonstration, there was a strange car/bike crash that I still can’t figure out.
When I first saw the scene, it looked pretty simple. An older lady sat flustered in her big Town Car while an adrenaline-pumped cyclist gathered his […]

[The media helped us spread the word.]

Concerned citizens from Portland and Beaverton came together last Friday for a traffic safety awareness action. The event took place just a few yards from the intersection where Mike Wilberding was killed on August 1st.
Mike’s death sparked heated emotions from many people in the community who were […]

[John Carothers has beencharged with a felony.]

A press release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Department credits “leads provided by citizens” in helping them locate the truck and boat trailer of Newberg resident John Carothers (right).
Carothers—the man behind a hit and run on Highway 219 last Saturday—has been charged with a felony for fleeing the scene […]

Breaking news in last Saturday’s hit-and-run out on Highway 219.
Washington County Sheriff’s Department has arrested 37 year-old John Carothers. According to reports, Carothers willingly turned himself in.
Carothers sent cyclist, surgeon and mother of triplets Cindy Sharp to the hospital with serious arm injuries after running her off the road last week a […]

[Intersection of SW 5th and Washington]Photo: Susan Otcenas

Citizen activists mobilzed by the death of cyclist Mike Wilberding on August 1st have channeled their emotions into a traffic safety awareness action. The event will be held on September 1st from 4-6pm at SW 5th and Washington Streets in Beaverton (the intersection where the crash occured).
The […]