A post to the Portland Bike Forums caught my eye the other day. It was a message from Mrs. BJ Wilberding, wife of the late Mike Wilberding.

Mike was killed on August 1, 2006 when someone turned their car into his path as he rode home from work in Beaverton.

Now, Mrs. Wilberding wants to set up a foundation to give immediate financial aid to families of fallen cyclists.

Here's the message she posted to the forums.

In August 2006, my husband, Mike Wilberding was killed in a cycling accident. In his memory, I am planning to set up a foundation. The mission of this foundation will be to give immediate financial aid to families of the fallen cyclist. Insurance Companies are often slow in benefit payoff. Many families maybe under financial stress while their loved one in the hospital dying. I am appealing to all cyclist to support this effort to help such families. Fatal incidences are on the increase we need to support each other by contributing to these families. The foundation is still in the planning. I need to recognize an attorney who is familiar with and/or specializes in Foundations and is preferably a cyclist. If you know of such a person, please have them contact me.

Mrs. BJ Wilberding

If you or someone you knew can help Mrs. Wilberding, contact her at bjwilbo [at] comcast [dot] net.

________

More coverage of the Mike Wilberding tragedy.

Bike activists will hold a traffic safety rally at SE 26th and Stark on Thursday (2/15), at the location of a recent fatal crash that claimed the life of Nick Bucher.

The rally will be an opportunity to remind everyone to slow down and use caution when driving bikes or cars on neighborhood streets.

The event's organizer, Jacque Authier, wants participants to bring signs that espouse safety slogans and she hopes to have a similar event at a different location on the third Thursday of each month.

Last August, concerned cyclists gathered in Beaverton for a traffic safety rally in response to the death of Mike Wilberding.

I attended that rally and it was a very positive experience. I would engage stopped motorists and give them an "I Share the Road" sticker (only if they were open to the idea).

[A motorist shows her support.]

When done with respect and in a non-confrontational way, holding signs, making some noise, smiling, and encouraging folks to slow down and be safe can be an effective way to gain awareness for safer streets.

Hope to see you out there.

Details
Meet: SE 26th and Stark
Time: 4:30 - 7:00pm
Contact: jacqueauthier [at] earthlink [dot] net

[NOTE: There will be a celebration of Nick's life at 8pm tonight at the Hawthorne Stage (Google Map).]

Today is our rest day here in the great little town of Union, Oregon and if you want to know what Cycle Oregon is all about, this day pretty much sums it up.

The 3,000 or so riders, volunteer and crew that make up Cycle Oregon have descended on this sleepy little farming town (population 2,000) and the community has responded by working hard to keep us fed, entertained and happy.

Some riders chose to do an optional 91 mile loop up through the idyllic farming valleys around Catherine Creek State Park and returning through Baker City, but most opted to just veg out downtown and partake in the local hospitality.

[Cleaning for a cause]

Everyone, that is except the volunteers at the Community Cycling Center. There's no rest for them because their bike detailing promotion has proven to be very popular this year. At $35 per bike ($50 if it's "extra cruddy"), the CCC figured they'd make about $15,000 dollars and I'm sure they exceeded their expectations. Their crew deserves big props for their dedication and hard work in raising money for their programs the entire week.

But for everyone else, this rest day was the climax of their "active vacation". Choices for activities abound from a trip out to some hot springs, tours of local museums, wine tasting, and of course sampling the local cuisine.

Speaking of food, Augusto and Jason from Nossa Famila Coffee treated me to lunch (thanks guys!) but finding a place without at least a one-hour wait was impossible. Gravy Dave's Diner — where I had this beautiful burger yesterday — was mobbed with hungry cyclists. The employees even (begrudgingly) dressed up in '50s poodle skirts just for us.

[Don't even ask if
it's homemade.]

The people of Union did a great job taking advantage of the economic potential of the day. These sweet older ladies sold hundreds of slices of pie (see photo) and gallons and gallons of ice cream. I noticed some folks going back for seconds.

On a more somber note, the family of the late Mike Wilberding came to camp to lead a memorial ride with some of Mike's friends from Intel. I ran into Dayn Wildberding (Mike's son) and he showed me these special jerseys they had made and said about 20 of Mike's friends would ride into the hills and have a ceremony to remember his dad.

I spent the morning trying to find some wireless web access and ended up underneath an apple tree is some guy's front yard (yes I had had his permission). When my battery died, I worked from a desk at the old Union High School. Then, when my work was done I returned to the yard and uploaded a few stories. On the way to my front-yard wi-fi spot, I couldn't help but snap this photo of some local boys in front of an old house. Is this classic Americana or what?

[Norman Rockwell would love this place.]

I'll always remember my time in Union. They gave us a great welcome, treated us with care and sent us on our way with warm memories...which we'll need for tomorrow's ride.

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 outraged that the driver was initially only charged with a $242, "failure to yield" citation.

[She's with us.]

About 25 people showed up at SW 5th and Hall streets to stand with signs, wave at motorists, and do their part in making Beaverton a safer place to ride a bike. The event was very positive and motorists were supportive of our message; we got many honks, waves and smiles.

Ironically, several people waved to us with one hand while talking on their cell phones with the other. This prompted someone to make a sign that read, "Hang up and Drive!"

I passed out "I Share the Road" stickers to drivers as they waited at the red lights. The lady in the photo above was especially supportive because her husband rides to work and she worries about his safety.

[Bill Alsup]

Bill Alsup is a Nike employee who told me Mike's death "really hit home" because he rides these roads all the time. When I asked him what brought him out to the event he said,

"This sort of thing isn't usually my personality, but when you here about this recent crash and someone getting water thrown at them and then being run off the road...it just gets your attention."

The event also got the attention of the media; both KATU-TV and The Oregonian gave it solid coverage.

It's very inspiring to know that in the course of just one month, community activist Brian Scrivner was able to start a new Traffic Safety email list (which now has 108 subscribers) and use it to organize this event.

It felt good to be on the streets in Beaverton. It seems the energy for change is high and the time is right to start working with local advocates and cyclists to have a greater impact in the future.

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 circumstances surrounding Wilberding's death spurred a large amount of community response, including the formation of a web-based traffic safety activism group.

[Sign from a recent traffic
safety event in NW Portland]

According to organizer Brian Scrivner, he and other volunteers from this group plan to educate passing motorists with signage that promotes safe driving. Scrivner has scheduled the event to happen during rush hour for maximum visibility.

Scrivner also worked with PDOT on a recent traffic safety awareness event in Northwest Portland. You can read more about that event on IShareTheRoad.com.

This event is open to everyone and volunteers are encouraged to show up and get involved. Details:

Beaverton "Safety Awareness Get-Together"
Friday, Sept. 1st, 4-6PM
SW 5th & Washington, Beaverton
Bring: yourself, ideas for safer streets, willingness to hold a sign

There was interesting story in Sunday's Oregonian about a rise in motorcycle fatalities in Oregon. The headline read, "Beware the thrill of the open road" and as I read it I couldn't help but think how motorcyclists and bicyclists share common concerns and experiences.

Like cycling, motorcycling is on the rise and there are many newbies out there without tons of experience riding in traffic. The result is that fatal motorcycle crashes are up 29% from 2004-2005.

Portland is definitely seeing it's share of these fatalities. While at the station prior to my ride-along last week, I heard the officers talk about at least one recent fatal crash that likely involved a newbie rider.

ODOT and law enforcement personnel are baffled by the increase. They are encouraging all new motocycle riders to take safety classes. Good advice for sure but I have no doubt that much of the problem is from those other, four-wheeled vehicles.

It's interesting to see how ODOT and police officials talk about this problem; that is, whether they seem to put the responsibility on motorcyclists to be safer, or on other motorists to be more aware of their presence.

Here's the quote from ODOT:

"It's not always the motorcyclists fault either. You have to be a better driver because car drivers often don't even see motorcyclists. They're thinking pretty much that they're sharing the road with other cars."

This quote really struck me because I have been saying this exact thing in response to the Mike Wilberding tragedy.

The driver in that case obviously didn't purposely kill Mike, but he was careless because he could only see well enough into the intersection to know that there were no approaching cars...he never considered there might be an oncoming bicycle.

And again back to the Oregonian story, here's a quote from an Oregon State Police officer:

"We're seeing more people out there with less experience. And with that comes the jump in crashes. Whether it's increased speed or motorcycles not being visible to other motorists. Things have shot up."

How do we make visibility more visible? Maybe we should change "share the road," to "see the road."

I wonder if there's an opportunity for cyclists and motorcyclists to join forces? There's no doubt both groups would benefit from more outreach and education not only amongst themselves but to others motorists as well.

In case you haven't noticed, KATU (our local ABC-TV affiliate) has been doing some quality reporting on bicycle-related news stories lately.

I can barely stand to watch most network TV news, but KATU reporters Anita Kissee-Wilder and Brian Barker are doing great work. As avid cyclists themselves, they bring a much-needed perspective and sensibility to the newsroom.

An example of this came last night in Anita's story on the recent death of cyclist Mike Wilberding. The story is currently on the front page of their website and they've got the full text and video up as well. It's worth watching.

The story—which features interviews with advocate Susan Otcenas and Mike's son Dayn—is balanced yet provocative and gets some important points across to an audience that desperately needs to hear them.

Far from a quick soundbite, the story was relatively long and in-depth; a sign that bicycle-related stories are gaining respect in the newsroom. My hunch is that this is due in no small part to the internal advocacy of Kissee-Wilder and Barker.

I see this as yet another sign that cycling continues to transcend mere hobby or recreational status in the eyes of the Portland mainstream media and non-cycling (yet) public.

The email (full text is below) was also sent to several other citizens who had written Drake about their questions and concerns regarding the recent death of Mike Wilberding.

Most notable is the mention that the "failure to yield to a bicycle" ticket has been thrown out and the case has been turned over to the District Attorney for, "possible prosecution for criminally negligent homicide."

Thank you for your recent e-mails. I appreciate hearing from each of you. The content of your e-mails was very similar, so for the sake of efficiency and time I'm choosing to send one response. I've talked with our City Prosecutor, City Attorney and Police Chief as a follow-up to your e-mails. I've taken your comments very seriously, but also wish to correct some outdated or outright inaccurate information from some of you.

I'm a member of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA), ride a bike frequently and also run most every day. I value exercise and conditioning, recognize that more people than ever do bike and have actively supported Beaverton's efforts (the last 14 years as Mayor) in advancing biking in this community. I'm very proud of the fact that the League of American Bicyclists has named Beaverton a 'Bicycle Friendly Community' annually from 2003-2007.

All that said, it is tragic what happened to Mike Wilberding. Some of you are incorrect about the disposition of this case. Because of Mike's death and the nature of the accident, the City actually sent the case to the Washington County District Attorney for review and possible prosecution for criminally negligent homicide. It is now in the hands of the DA and it will be their examination and eventual decision whether to prosecute. I'm not in a position to say whether the driver was or wasn't blinded by the sun.

Beaverton and surrounding areas have grown considerably in the last decade and also has a huge amount of traffic going through our community coming from other places. We have major State highways and County roads, in addition to City streets to patrol. Our Police Department Traffic Team works hard to enforce all laws, regardless of the mode of transportation. If you have ideas for improving enforcement, please contact our Police Dept. Traffic Team to suggest ways to focus enforcement and improve.

We are also open to driver and bicycle awareness and training. One potential source could be our Bicycle Advisory Committee, which is a standing commission of the City and annually seeks new appointees. Our City Transportation Engineer, Randy Wooley, is an active bicyclist who understands the biking community and the many issues faced when taking to the streets.

I think the need for education goes both ways. Being a biker, I also notice bicyclists who run stop signs and lights regularly. I nearly hit one Saturday morning at 6th & Menlo St. after he drove through a stop sign as full speed, though I had already stopped and entered the intersection. I honked at him and he promptly gave me the middle-finger salute.

One of you commented about dirty roadways. Three jurisdictions clean and maintain streets (State, County & City), so you'd need to be specific about which street needs more frequent cleaning. City boundaries are awkward, so you may be outside one of the cities and not know it. The real root of the problem is that people disregard their trash indiscriminately and don't care enough about others.

Mike Wilberding's death was a tragedy and he seemed like a quality person. If the driver was negligent, I believe the DA will prosecute him. Again, thank you for writing me and sharing your concerns.

Sincerely,

Rob Drake, Mayor
City of Beaverton

Given this response and the other recent activism around this issue, I feel like the Wilberding tragedy will be forever remembered as a catalyst for positive change in Beaverton.

There's a lot of work to do, but we've got to start somewhere.

The crash in Beaverton last week that claimed the life of Mike Wilberding has sparked outrage and spurred action from citizen activists.

The incident has caused some cyclists to question the priorities of bike advocates and city planners. One commenter asked,

"what is the more important fight at this time: more bike infrastructure or vastly improved law enforcement to protect cyclists?"

Many people are fed up with what they consider just the latest example of too lenient punishment doled out by authorities for fatal crashes that involve cyclists. In the case of Wilberding, the motorist at fault was issued a $242 ticket for "failure to yield to a bicyclist."

[What the driver saw.]

The motorist—25 year-old Aaron Hessel—claimed he couldn't see Wilberding because the setting sun was in his eyes.

This excuse riled up Beaverton resident Susan Otcenas. Otcenas, owner of an online cycling apparel business, decided to do some detective work and returned to the scene of the crash to photograph the sun at the same time the incident occured (see photo at right).

Otcenas sent the photo (and two others) to the Mayor of Beaverton and a representative from the Beaverton Police Department. She hopes to demonstrate that the driver's claim of being blinded by the sun was simply not a valid excuse for his actions. In her email to the Mayor she said,

"As you can see, the sun is quite high in the sky, well over the height of the trees."

And she also cited Oregon law (ORS 166.635) which states that someone is considered "criminally negligent" when they:

"fail to be aware of a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the result will occur or that the circumstance exists."

The last sentence of her email read:

"I would urge the DAs office to pursue this case to determine if criminal charges will be filed. Mike Wilberding, his family, and cyclists who use the road everyday deserve no less."

[Brian Scrivner]

Brian Scrivner—a long-time bicycle activist who recently organized a traffic safety education action at NW 9th and Lovejoy—has decided to organize and rally the community around this issue. He has gotten the ball rolling by establishing an email list to organize future actions. According to Scrivner,

"(this new email list is) for those who want to work to make reduce dangerous motorist behavior to make streets safer...We’re going to find out how to have motor vehicle drivers held accountable for criminally negligent driving, and MAKE IT HAPPEN. We’re going to find out how to create a traffic education media campaign that is so intense, every driver will hear five times per week that:

• cyclists are traffic
• cyclists have a right to occupy a lane and in fact should for safety at times
• cyclists have the right of way in a bike lane
• driving is a privilege, not a right
• you should never drive where you can’t see
• when you exceed the speed limit, or fail to yield when the law requires, or drive while distracted and you kill someone, you are a murderer

As of this morning, Brian's new Traffic Safety list already has 18 subscribers.

Whether you think the motorist in this situation is a murderer or just someone who made a tragic mistake, there are several lessons to learn from this tragedy:

• driving a motor vehicle is a huge reponsibility that must be undertaken with utmost care and understanding of the serious consequences that can come from a moment of carelessness.
• as cyclists, we must remain vigilant, aware and defensive at all times.
• as a community, we must continue to increase the awareness of traffic safety issues and pressure our leaders for new legislation that holds careless drivers accountable for their actions.

I am proud that my community is turning this tragedy into a point of positive action, and I think Mike would be proud too.

I received a sad email yesterday. It was from a reporter, looking for someone to interview about the death of Mike Wilberding last Saturday in Beaverton.

I had to double-take at the name, but quickly realized it was the same Mike behind Cycle-Pak, one of my first advertisers here on BikePortland.org.

At 6:22pm August 1st, Mike was riding home from work going eastbound on SW Fifth Street in Beaverton when an oncoming car turned left in front of him. The driver said the sun was in his eyes and that he never even saw him. The police have cited the vehicle for failure to yield to a bicycle.

Mike was taken to OHSU and passed away Saturday from the injuries. He was 58.

My heart goes out to his family and friends.

Mike's company, Cycle-Pak was just getting off the ground. He had exhibited at the Seattle Bike Expo and was trying to grow awareness for his nifty corrugated bike shipping boxes here in Portland.

I met him at the Free Geek Bike Swap Meet back in May. I was working on an article about him and his company and he was going to send me some background information for the story.

The reporter that informed me of the tragic news is hoping to write a story about the crash in tomorrow's Valley Times newspaper. If you knew Mike, he would like to interview you. Please contact Kevin Harden at (503) 546-0736 or email him at kharden[at]commnewspapers[dot]com.