One of the major questions the community is grappling with after the deaths of both Tracey Sparling and Brett Jarolimek is; why were the truck drivers not given a citation for failure to yield to a bicycle in a bike lane?
The law (ORS 811.050) seems clear:
“A person commits the offense of failure of a motor […]

With all the discussion going on about how to make bike travel safer on crowded downtown streets, I thought we should take a closer look at some of the options on the table.
The first one has to do with signage and how legislation, enforcement, and engineering deal with non-motorized vehicle travel lanes (previously known as […]

On SE Caruthers.(File photo)

An article in the Daily Journal of Commerce (DJC) today reports that the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) will seek $300,000 in grant funds to continue their enhanced enforcement activities at the MLK Viaduct construction site.
The work zone (near OMSI, east of the Esplanade) has been the source of headaches for many cyclists […]

This morning I asked Traffic Division Commander Mark Kruger if he had any information he could share about the police presence at the Midnight Mystery Ride (MMR) and the Zoobomb ride over the weekend.
Here are his thoughts on the MMR:

“Friday night NE Precinct officers requested our assistance when a group of bicyclists was reported blocking […]

Bus mall construction.(File photo)

The Traffic Division of the Portland Police Bureau are warning of increased presence in the downtown bus mall construction zones.
Commander Mark Kruger says he was contacted by a PDOT engineer in charge of the project who said they’ve seen,
“numerous examples of bicyclists disobeying road closure signs and riding through areas where heavy […]

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 […]

I just received a report on Wednesday’s enforcement mission at Ladds Circle from Traffic Division Sergeant Mike Fort:

Photo: Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division

Normally, I would just report the statistical results from an enforcement mission, but this mission in Ladd Circle was so dynamic, that I am obligated to share much more of the story. Traffic […]

A scene from yesterday’s enforcement mission in Ladds Circle. Neighbors complained about bicyclists and the Police Bureau responded with motorcycle officers.Photo: Aaron Tarfman

The recent enforcement mission in Ladds Circle has created a fervor of action and discussion. Twenty-four hours after the incident and comments are still coming in.
Here’s a quick recap of what […]

I just got a tip from a reader that the Portland Police Bureau has set up an enforcement sting at Ladds Circle in southeast Portland.
The tipster said lots of cyclists were getting “scooped up” on their morning commute for not coming to a complete stop before entering the circle.
Consider this advance warning […]

At the Tour de Fat Parade.File photo: 8/27/06

I have covered bicycle-related law enforcement issues extensively on this site.
My coverage has mirrored changes in my personal understanding and experience of the complex relationship between police officers and bicyclists in Portland.

In the past few years, I’ve had many experiences with the Police Bureau. Back in August […]

On Friday, a friend of mine was riding into downtown via the Hawthorne Bridge. As he approached a red light at First Street he came to a stop, but his feet did not leave his pedals (this is known as a track stand).

When the light changed he rolled away and was nabbed by a […]

What red light?

Just a word of caution… this Wednesday (3/14) is the inaugural “Share the Road Safety Class.” This is the diversion class hosted by Trauma Nurses Talk Tough, that was recently made official and has been in the works since last June.
It was set up to educate cyclists (and others) about traffic laws […]

If you ride on the Esplanade and the Springwater Corridor south of OMSI you know that there’s a ton of construction going.
In addition to the Big Pipe Project, ODOT is currently working on a $64 million project to replace the MLK/Grand Viaduct.

In the next few weeks, ODOT will establish an official construction […]

A local cyclist, concerned with what she feels is too much “negative police attention on cyclists,” emailed the Mayor’s office after this morning’s enforcement action and has heard a detailed response from one of his staffers:
Here is the response as relayed by the Mayor’s “public advocate,” Jeremy Van Keuren:

“Dear XXXXX:
Thank you for emailing about the […]

Lieutenant Mark Kruger, 2nd in command at the Police Bureau’s Traffic Division had this to say about this morning’s enforcement action at Broadway and Flint:
“Today we worked a mission at Broadway and Flint because we have a complaint from the Water Bureau of bicyclists running the stop sign there and creating a hazard. PDOT […]

This just in from BikePortland correspondent Carl Larson:
Portland Police Bureau motorcycle officers are currently conducting an enforcement sting on NE Broadway Blvd. as it approaches the east side of the Broadway bridge.
If you’re headed that way, consider this a friendly reminder to be on your best behavior.
If you were stopped and/or ticketed, please […]

I just received the bicycle citation numbers from the Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division (the Traffic Division writes 80% of all tickets in the Portland metro area). I took the numbers and made a few charts.

Some things to consider when looking at these numbers:

The number of moving motor vehicle citations do not include photo […]