Yesterday morning the Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division set up a sting at SE 23rd and Salmon streets. Several cyclists were given $242 dollar fines (the same amount for motor vehicles) for rolling through the four-way stop.
This enforcement “mission” was motivated by a phone call to 823-SAFE (the City’s traffic safety hotline) several weeks ago by a woman who lives near that intersection. According to Traffic Division Lieutenant Mark Kruger, she complained that bicyclists were running the stop sign at speed without even slowing down and when she tried to confront them about it they became “caustic” (argumentative and sarcastic). Here’s more from Lieutenant Kruger:
“We didn’t get around to looking at the site for some time and when we sent an officer out there last week to see what was really going on the officer found a stream of cyclists running the stop sign just as the complainant stated. What was most remarkable was that the cyclists didn’t slow or even look left or right as they blew through the intersection.
So, based on that complaint and what we saw last week, we went out to work the site as our weekly Wednesday morning mission. We only stopped those who went through at speed, and there was no shortage of them.”
Some members of the cycling community feel this is a blatant over-reaction and misuse of public funds. They feel that the Police responded to this complaint differently because it involved bicycles. One cyclist in particular is concerned that this reaction is an ominous sign indicative of the attitude of the newly appointed Traffic Division Commander Marty Rowley.
Others feel like it’s just a case of the squeaky wheel getting the grease. Lawyer Mark Ginsberg is urging cyclists to pick up phone and complain about motorists. Ginsberg has already filed a complaint at 823-SAFE because he is concerned about speeding cars near his home on Mt. Tabor.
At this time, there aren’t enough facts to support an accusation of discrimination by the Traffic Division. Saying that this was a “vendetta against cyclists” is hard to justify. Last year they wrote around 500 total tickets to cyclists, and half of those were for riding in the bus mall (see stats here). Are we seeing a crackdown on law-breaking cyclists? Perhaps, but I think we need more evidence of unfair enforcement before getting too upset.
The bottom line is that far too many cyclists and motorists disobey traffic signals and stop signs. The problem isn’t with the Police, they just enforce the law. We need to solve this problem through a combination of community awareness, neighborhood activisim and traffic engineering.
The City of Portland’s Community and School Traffic Safety Partnership encourages neighborhoods to organize bicycle safety groups. One has been formed within Southeast Uplift and they have already done some great work. If you’re interested in this, please contact Sharon White at (503) 823-7100 or sharon.white@pdxtrans.org.
Thanks for reading.
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We cyclists often complain about not being treated fairly as traffic. Well, part of getting treated like traffic is to follow traffic signs and get fined like traffic when you blow past stop signs.
Roads have rules. Want to use the roads? Follow the rules.
Back in the day when I was, for a brief time, a criminal justice major . . . little known fact there . . . there was often discussion in class of the difference between the “letter of the law” and the “intent of the law”.
I run stop signs all the time on the quiet streets of NE Portland, but I do slow down and I do look. I give the police high marks in this case in taking a more nuanced approach, and focusing on those cyclists who more clearly are violating the actual intent of traffic-contol devices. I would hope that if an officer that observed me safely (though technically illegally) transiting a intersection would not lump me in with someone going 20mph. This instance and the Clinton Street action a few months ago all point towards the police making an honest attempt to be reasonable and fair.
One suggestion I do have for the police bureau is that they really make an effort to use bicycles at every opportunity in their enforcement of bicycles. From a community policing angle, any interaction between cyclists and the police will be much improved if they are both on a quieter more equal footing. If some whacko tries to ditch a bike cop . . . issue an APB, go ahead and break out the monster Ford with the running boards (you know the one) and a fleet of BMW motorcycles. I bet 99.9 percent of the time a bike would be a better choice, and it gets even better mileage than a hybrid patrol car will.
Below are the numbers of tickets issued by Traffic Division officers in the past few months.
2006
Jan:
Total cites issued 1,972
Cites to bicyclists 29
Feb:
Total cites issued 2,372
Cites to bicyclists 20
Mar:
Total cites issued 3,025
Cites to bicyclists 24
I agree with Tomas. Just remember, every time you blow a light or a stop sign within sight of a driver or pedestrian, you lose a supporter of cyclist rights. It’s not that hard to slow down to almost stopped as you approach an intersection. It might just save your life.
Over the past ten years, there has been exactly one crash at this intersection. It was a motor vehicle on motor vehicle crash, and no one was injured.
The police should use their resources on real safety problems, not simply handing out tickets because someone complained.
If the cops are ticketing cyclists for doing “rolling stops”, or for not putting down their foot at a stop sign, that’s harassment. Ticketing cyclists for running headlong through intersections? That’s due justice.
I’ve almost gotten nailed a number of times by cyclists running stop signs, both on my bike and as a pedestrian. Let’s remember the pedestrian killed last year in Corvallis by a cyclist who ran a stop sign. The streets are hard enough with scofflaw motorists all over the place – bikers don’t need to add to it.
Now: has the Portland Police Bureau ever done a sting to ticket motorists who, say, fail to yield right of way to a bike in a bike lane? If they are only doing these stings to catch cyclists, but aren’t applying the same standards to motorists, then they aren’t doing their job.
I’m a shakey statistician, but as long as our mode-split is over 1%, those numbers suggest that motorists are the ones being targeted…which probably shouldn’t be a surprise or, as far as I’m concerned, a problem.
Yes. the Portland Police Bureau did a few stings on motorists who fail to yield to cyclists in a bike lane last year.
I like the attempt by the complainer to actually confront the cyclist first. I’d rather not get in to a situation where people narc on each other via the SAFE hotline. The police also seem to have responded in a measured and appropriate way. The assumption that this is some sort of crackdown seems like a bit of a leap.
If arrogant cyclists (and motorists) didn’t annoy me so much, I’d think the ticket price seemed a bit high.
I also agree with Tomas.
I’ll say it flat out – I believe in bicycles following the law. I believe in helmets, not wearing headphones, signalling, obeying traffic control devices, and proper visibility. For the most part, I practice what I preach – probably 90% of the time. I’m still working on that other 10%. I believe we, as cyclists, should obey the law. Period.
I also believe that motorists should obey the law. Tri-Met especially should obey the law, and so should the police – who shouldn’t be disobeying traffic laws unless directly in the performance of their duty.
I also recognize that a good portion of the cyclists in town don’t agree with me, and that some advocate doing whatever necessary to protect themselves against cars, trucks, trains and cops. That’s fine – you’re entitled to your beliefs, and we’re each entitled to try to convince each other that we’re right and the other guy is wrong. Given *my* beliefs, please don’t expect me to be sympathetic to your cause if you’re barreling down a hill over the speed limit, through a stop sign, over the crosswalk less than 2′ from a pedestrian while pedalling 30mph with headphones on and no helmet at night with no lights.
I really think that we need to start taking the initiative to report bad drivers, hazardous intersections, unmaintained roads, cars parked in the bike lane, and cases of selective enforcement by the police. BTW – does anyone know if they ticket any cars in this sting?
Several years ago, my wife (in her car) was hit by a cyclist who blew thru this stop sign.
I wonder why we get upset with drivers who don’t obey traffic laws, when we ignore the ourselves?
Andy,
As I read the account written by Jonathan, the complainer actually did try to engage the cyclists in a discussion first and was treated very rudely by the cyclists. Says Jonathan, “when she tried to confront them about it they became “caustic” (argumentative and sarcastic).” So then complaining to the police is the next logical step. This is a fine example of community policing–responding to concerns of citizens complaining about rampant illegal activity in their neighborhood.
Don’t want a ticket? At least slow down and look carefully both ways before rolling thru a stop sign.
Nothing annoys the kind of driver who guns it from stop sign to stop sign like bringing your bicycle to a full and complete stop at each sign and looking both ways before moving again while taking the full lane you are entitled to. Following the letter of the law can be fun and entertaining. I recommend it.
I think it’s specious to say that cops are “just enforc[ing] the law” when we all know that how one chooses the enforce the law makes all the difference in the world. I have gotten an icnreased feeling in the last year particularly downtown that police, due to the highly publicized cyclist deaths last year, are trying to enforce the law on cyclists themselves, rather than on unsafe drivers.
Evan,
We all agree the police should use their resources on real safety problems. But who makes the decision on what constitutes a “real safety problem”?
Should we really expect the Traffic Division of the Police Bureau to research crash data and make complex decisions about traffic safety before responding to a citizen complaint?
They honored a citizen’s concern, went to the site, determined the concerns to be valid, then decided to crack down on a high volume of road users egregiously breaking the law.
Perhaps we should focus on why there are so many cyclists breaking the law at this particular location.
After all, the Police enforce the laws that are put in the books by lawyers, legislators, and bike advocacy groups. They work streets that are engineered and designed by the City of Portland and ODOT. These streets are full of many people that resent them and are just waiting for a reason to complain about their conduct. This puts them in a tough position.
Are they always perfect in their work? No. Is anyone? No.
This is getting long…I just think we need to keep the focus on solving the problem instead of allowing the usual divisiveness and bad feelings between cops, cyclists and motorists get in the way.
A few comments:
Again, there are limited police resources, and police should focus those resources on making the community safe. In deciding what is a real safety problem, we can look at ten years worth of data on where crashes and injuries have happened. We have data, and we should use it.
The PDOT Traffic Safety Division knows where the (reported)crashes have happened for the past ten years. We’ve seen those maps, and I’m sure the Police have seen them. So I think, yes, we should expect them to do due diligence before spending their limited resources (a morning’s worth of four motorcycle cops) on a citizen complaint. It would take them all of ten minutes.
And just because a couple cyclists were rude to a pedestrian doesn’t justify giving tickets to every cyclist who is using a designated bikeway.
Finally, yes, we should focus on why a stop sign exists in the middle of a down-hill on a designated bike way, when there is little cross traffic. It’s ridiculous.
This is also being discussed in the Forums.
What gets me about this is that the law does not account for reasonable behavior. When I roll stop signs on lightly traveled streets in SE I am breaking the law just as surely as the fools who I see running redlights across burnside of MLK.
I commend the police for making an effort to use judgement in enforcement but I think they need to work more on education. Like the lights program there has to be a positive response to this behavior. Maybe giving folks a flier with accident data and a warning. I hate to say it but I think folks need a graphic illustration of what a car an do to a cyclist.
Also, the police’s stock is pretty low in my mind when on a regular basis I see them harassing the homeless and others on horse back and in cars in water front park. As a clean cut, middle class cyclist I’m sure if stopped I’d be treated much differently then some others. Fair or not that is the reality of things. I want to be able to trust the police but I just can’t. Have them do ticketing on bikes, have them prominantly display badge numbers on their clothing, they need to take steps to open themselves to public monitoring. Enforce accountability, if they have nothing to hide they should welcome public monitoring as a way of optimizing professionalism and preventing abuses.
Next legislative session we, as cyclists, need to fight hard to make it legal for cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs. There is a legal solution to this issue, we just need to make it happen. I has been tried and hopefully it can happen in the next go round.
Does anyone know if cops have been asking for riders drivers licenses? As near as I can tell from the law, you are required to accurately identify yourself but not produce identification while opperating a bike. Does anyone with more legal knowledge know if this is correct? If so I would assume you would not want to produce ID to prevent the violation being placed on your driving record. Lawyers?
Wear your helmet, have lights and ride safe but remember the law is not always the best guide of safety. I’ll be calling 823-SAFE to complain about the people who park in the bike lane near my house. Including on car with a Giant bicycles bumper sticker and to report all of the cars tearing down my narrow side street at 35mph. We have to advocate for our concerns if we want them addressed. Be safe and advocate!
-Scott
Curt, I agree with you. As far as this particular sting is concerned, this does seem to be a case where a sting arose from community policing, not from some vendetta against cyclists. I don’t have any problem with a justified sting like this one.
Since you addressed your response directly to me, please reread my previous posting. Apparently I came across as one of the yahoos. I do not advocate cyclists breaking the law, and I will not apologize for those who do.
The idea that the police have ever used statistics as the sole basis for where to focus their energy is rather naive. Squeaky wheel, whatever you want to call it . . . public perception of what constitutes a problem is at times a more important. Looking at something like this only through the narrow lens of bicycle users is not going to get anyone anywhere. The numbers that Jonathan posted do not tell a tale of grossly unbalanced policing, indeed they show the opposite. The lady who complained has every bit as much right to do so as someone who finds a truck parked in their bike lane.
Crash stats and hyperbole about the intersection design really has little to do with this particular situation, it’s all just spin. That said. if that 4-way stop sign really should go it will certainly make a compelling entry for May 11th on the BTA blog, as well as a prime opportunity for yet another letter to someone.
Evan,
They responded to a complaint, then observed that, in the officer’s opinion, had some merit. You would expect the police to respond to your complaint, no matter what it was.
If you refuse to obey the law on your bike, then be prepared to pay the fine. I do. I don’t always follow the law on my bikes, but if I get caught, I get caught. I don’t care what Joe Driving Public or Jane Cycle Commuter thinks of my riding style. The truth is, there are bad drivers and there are bad cyclists and when either one breaks a law, they should be prepared to pay for it, and quit their belly aching about it, because how often had you gotten “away” with it, before you were caught?
Amen Pete
Precisely Ethan. The correct course of action here is to lobby for legislation, such as has been enacted in other states, which allows bicyclists to treat stop signs as yields.
There is nothing mysterious, confusing, or conflicted about such a legislative change. There is nothing sacrosanct or immoral about rolling a stop sign. However, the letter of the law does not allow it. Cyclist’s proper reaction should be a demand to change the letter of the law.
The BTA’s talked about making it a priority, but when push comes to shove in the legislature it is easy to let that one slide and concentrate on less controversial things like project funding. Perhaps if enough members spoke out to the BTA on this issue they would move it up their priority list.
I’d like to see a design solution, rather than an enforcement solution, at this intersection. How about removing the stop signs for the bike route, and installing a traffic circle instead, along with the stripey crosswalks?
West Cougar (and others),
The BTA’s Legislative Committee has interest in considering a change in the stop sign and red light law for bicycles.
A statute already exists in Idaho (and it was written by a guy who now works at PDOT!)
The BTA approached me several weeks ago to get feedback from thecommunity on the issue. I haven’t posted it yet, but I am working on it now and will post it ASAP.
Stay tuned.
Part of my regular bike rides consist of coming to a stop and holding a trackstand either momentarily until clear or until the light turns green. I assume these cyclists running stop signs / lights either do not posess this skill, are in a hurry to make up time for their slow speed, do not care about self preservation, or they are just plain ignorant.
Remember kids, cars will kill you. It doesn’t matter what special rights you might think you have, that car will flatten you.
I actually wouldn’t expect the police to respond to my complaint regardless of what it is. I would expect the police to listen and decide whether addressing my complaint is the action that will most further public safety. If not, they can tell me why they’re not going to respond to it. This probably should have been one of those situations. Or they could have gotten the City to respond by putting up a sign, or fixing the intersection.
If you doubt the police’s responsiveness, do a little experiment: next time you see a police officer, complain that the cars are going 3 miles (or 6 miles, or 9, or 12 miles) over the speed limit and ask that they enforce the law and give out tickets. Point out that the likelihood of fatality in a car-pedestrian crash goes up dramatically with speed, to 90% when a car is going 40mph, and that your complaint is based on actual traffic safety information. See the response you get.
I’d bet that the response you’ll get (and I’ve gotten) is “judges wouldn’t stand for it, people wouldn’t stand for it, and I’m not about to do that,” not, “You’re right, that’s the law, people are breaking that law, it’s proven to be dangerous, and you’re a citizen complaining about it, and therefore we’ll enforce the law.”
People have tried to get this stop sign taken out before, in the 1990s. We can try to get it taken out again. It was put in after a citizen who lived on the corner insisted it go in when the Salmon Street bikeway was created in the 1980s.
As a daily commuter, via bicycle, I see bike riders blowing thru stop signs and red lights. Its like those traffic control devices don’t exist. At my age I don’t feel like loosing 5 years to a wheel chair so I stop for red lights and at least SLOW DOWN at stop signs. I will even stop and let cars have the right of way at stop signs. try it some time, it puts a smile on the drivers face (sometimes). What blows me away is when a biker pulling a child behind them blows a stop sign without even looking side to side. Now thats crazy. . .
If we bike riders don’t clean up our act I’m sure we will have to be licensed to ride within the next 5 years.
I pulled in to a minmart in NE Portland about 4 weeks ago and let an officer know about 2 cars parked in a bikelane. He said it wasn’t his area (a mile up the road) but he’d go check it out . . . pretty responsive if you ask me. Seemed like a super nice guy and he took me seriously from the word go. I have had some huge issues with some of the bad apples on the force, but the vast majority of police officers are like this guy. They don’t get up in the morning dreaming of ways to screw cyslists.
Tim-
I believe technically, a track stand is not a legal stop. From what I understand, on a bike, you are not legally stopped unless you put a foot down.
RE: Legal stops and trackstands. I posted something about this back in November. It includes a quote from former Commander Bill Sinnott.
On that note, I have also heard that some cops are giving tickets to trackstanders on fixies. Unless I misunderstand the law, this should not be happening and needs to be stopped.
If anyone has gotten a ticket on their fixie after coming to a complete stop, I’d be interested to hear about it.
there has got to be some middle ground here..if a cyclist slows to 5mph and rolls through when it’s all clear, they should not be ticketed just like a car should not be.
there are some othere considerations w/r/t bikes as well.
1. i don’t have to turn my head, in many cases, to see that traffic is clear right and left. if officers are using this as basis, they should not. i have nothing impeding my site.
2. i can come to a complete stop on my fixie or geared bike without putting my foot down are doing a proper track stand. just a quick, yet complete, stop.
so it’d be nice to think cops are suddenly a nuance understanding bunch but… it has not been my experience.
ps i don’t live in portland, so good luck with this.
“People have tried to get this stop sign taken out before, in the 1990s. We can try to get it taken out again” -Evan
Sounds like it’s a good time to try again. That intersection ought to be a 2-way. Who do we write and what points should we make?
“People have tried to get this stop sign taken out before, in the 1990s. We can try to get it taken out again” -Evan
“Do, or do not. There is no try” -Yoda
“I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it’s hell” -Harry Truman
In Idaho bicyclists can roll through a stop sign “with due caution and at a prudent speed” (or words to that effect). Oregon should have a similar law on the books. Under this system, if you get hit running a sign, it would be obvious you weren’t being cautious or prudent, thus releasing the driver from liability. It’s a win-win situation.
Andy
There is a post on the Shift list regarding traffic warrants required to install a stop sign or in this case a four way stop, along with an opinion that this intersection doesn’t meet the warrants. See this link: http://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/shift/2006-05/msg00099.html
But all it would take for that stop sign to go away is a ladder and a socket wrench at 2AM (Just sayin’).
Did any cyclists get a ticket in this sting for a trackstand? Did any not get a ticket for slowing close to a stop? Or were they all flying through at a relatively high rate of speed?
It is, indeed, true that the 823-SAFE number has received a number of concerns from several people about the speed of cyclists through the stop sign at 23rd & Salmon. One of the neighbors included a blind woman who reported trouble crossing the street.
It is also true that all requests for enforcement are reviewed by Police to see if violations are occurring at the location and if enforcement is feasible to operate at a given location. Further information about how enforcement at this particular location was selected for enforcement should be directed to the Portland Police Traffic Division.
Also, let me give a little further background on 823-SAFE. 823-SAFE is a customer service phone line and email address that is housed in the Portland Office of Transportation. We regularly receive requests for enforcement. Other requests relate to parking, intrersection safety, pedestrian & bicycle safety, school safety, traffic calming, visibility, and parking. One person staffs the service to respond to citywide requests.
In addition to 823-SAFE, the same staff receives emails about the same subject matters at safe@pdxtrans.org. If there is a desire to provide a collective community voice about a particular place, it would help us serve you better and continue to serve the myriad of other citywide issues that come in if larger groups concerned about a specific issue send requests through the safe@pdxtrans.org address rather than the 823-SAFE line.
If people in the bicycling community and/or the BTA would like better understand how these services work and how to utilize them, we’re be happy to organize a meeting with PDOT, Police, and the bicycling community to meet to discuss how to use this limitted resource.
Having said all that, here’s the list of locations with the highest number of reported bicycle crashes in the city from 1995-2004:
REPORTED LOCATION
CRASHES
8 SW 69TH AVE / SW GARDEN HOME RD / SW MULTNOMAH BLV
7 I5 FWY SB / N BROADWAY
7 NE BROADWAY / NE GRAND AVE
6 N BROADWAY / N FLINT AVE / N WHEELER AVE
6 SE 72ND AVE / SE FOSTER RD
6 SE 82ND AVE / SE FOSTER RD
5 N GOING ST / N INTERSTATE AVE
5 NE FREMONT ST / NE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVD
5 SE 26TH AVE / SE POWELL BLVD
5 SE 122ND AVE / SE POWELL BLVD
4 SW TERWILLIGER BLVD / SW CONDOR LN
4 NW BROADWAY / NW COUCH ST
4 E BURNSIDE ST / NE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVD / SE
4 NE KILLINGSWORTH ST / NE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLV
4 SE 7TH AVE / SE HAWTHORNE BLVD
4 NE 9TH AVE / NE WEIDLER ST
4 SE 10TH AVE / SE HAWTHORNE BLVD
4 SE 11TH AVE / SE DIVISION ST
4 NE 9TH AVE / NE KILLINGSWORTH ST
4 SE MCLOUGHLIN BLVD W OF 17TH AVE
4 NE 20TH AVE / NE IRVING ST
4 SW CAPITOL HWY / SW VERMONT ST
4 NE 21ST AVE / NE BROADWAY
4 SE 111TH AVE / SE HOLGATE BLVD
i used to come to full stops at all stop signs, wait at red lights, signal, etc…
That was until day after day I was cut off, almost hit, hit, or yelled at that I shouldn’t be on the road.
If i’m not going to be treated like I belong there, then fuck it. why bother? the majority of drivers don’t even follow those rules. I know this, because everyday I am either hit or almost hit by a driver not following the law.
The difference being, that when I run a stop sign, I am the only one that is hurt, when car runs a stop sign, everyone can be hurt.
Proactive motorist education is the biggest item I feel is missing from PDOT’s traffic safety programs. Some kinda sacred cow or something, I guess. PDOT’s attitude seems to be that motorists are just supposed to learn by osmosis, from seeing all the bicyclists on the streets.
I really hate it when bikers say that running stop signs places only them at risk. That is retarded and self centered. I know for a fact that if I am on my bike, and get hit by a biker running a stop sign it is going to hurt me. Furthermore, a car is going to try and avoid a collision with a biker who runs a stop sign. This puts people in the car at risk, as well as other traffic, pedestrians and bikers. Pull your head out of your self righteous ass for one second and think about it.
I’m all for rolling through a stop sign after making sure it’s clear. AFTER IT’S CLEAR. I can’t even count the number of times I stop at a stop sign and some jackass blows right by me without even looking at why I’m stopping. Usually it’s for a pedestrian at a crosswalk or something of the sort. If bikers would show more respect out on the roads then maybe we would get a little more.
I have to second Ken’s thought there, but with acknowledgement (with which I am fairly sure Ken would agree) that there is a HUGE difference between getting hit by a car and getting hit by a bike.
I humbly suggest that traffic fines be based on combined driver/rider/vehicle weight. Maybe 10 cents a pound. That would be approx. $20 for your avg. cyclist out there, and something like $270 for the driver of a 2,500 lb car (adding in driver weight). If nothing else, it would hammer home the difference in weight and power.
Yeah folks, roll the stop sign, but please just check yourself.
And Josh, think about this, so you run a stop sign, get hit and killed by a car that had the right of way, and what do you think is the effect on the driver? Even if it wasn’t his/her fault, can you imagine the guilt that they would live with everyday? It’s the same thought that bugs me when I see cyclists out at night without lights. If I hit and killed someone when I was driving, because I couldn’t see them, I would be devestated.
I commute through this intersection often and regularly see bike rascals blow through the stop sign at high speeds. Observing a motorcycle cop on his way up Salmon today at high rate of speed to get to this intersection was however a bit discouraging. On may way down this hill this morning a woman almost walked in front of me with her pooch because she clearly failed to look both ways before crossing the street. We all need to be respectful,observant, and share the road.
Does anyone posting here really think that if each and everyone of us called 823-SAFE (or used the email address) and complained about the countless motorists who regularly speed on SE Division and SE Hawthorne (for example), that the police would respond at all to these complaints, let alone in the same manner they have to a complaint of bicyclists running a stop sign at a location where safety isn’t even much of an issue? This is selective enforcement at its worst and indicative of the motorist-first, anti-bicylclist bias of the police. And if Greg Raisman is passing on information to the police that he obtained from the 823-SAFE line that has resulted in this enforcement action, he should be ashamed of himself. Compared to the risks motorists create throughout the city daily, there is no real safety issue here at all, and ticketing bike commuters at this location has no real safety benefit to the community at large, it just serves to divide the cycling community and create antagonism between cyclists and the police.
Addendum: SE Salmon like SE Lincoln St. is increasing becoming an east/west bicycle commuting route. This highlights the need for a central eastside bike only commuter road. In the 1900’s, before the rise of bike nation, progressive Portland put in a streecar all the way to Mt. Tabor. With limited public input the city is now in the process of annexing part of MLK for a fancy new north/south streetcar. Let plan now on how to annex an east/west street for those zero energy vehicles powered by bagels and two legs. Maybe we’ll decide on Salmon street. Aren’t bikes more efficient than street cars and trams?
Funny. I just happened across this website tonight after getting a **censored** ticket on this sting.
That street is a bike route. There are no other stop signs going down that hill from about 38th to 20th and it’s a nice zoom down the hill. **censored** that **censored** who complained. This is just another bullsh*t sting at an easily idenified area where people are of course going to blow through that stop sign. It’s a 4 way stop. You’re going 35 mph down the hill. If there aren’t any cars there, guess what…why stop. Yeah, yeah, I don’t want to hear the bike **censored** safety speech. This sucks. And the ticket is ridiculous at $250.00 or whatever it is.
Kiss My **censored** PPD.
Good points Mr. Smith
About who to talk to about removing the stop sign:
Talking to the folks at the City, the first step is to call 823-SAFE and ask them to look into removing it. That’s a somewhat lengthly process, but only because they look into the issue carefully. If they look into it and decide not to remove it, we’ll have their reasons and we can decide who to lobby next.
If you don’t stop at stop sogns you could get hit by a car, or even another bike…Ouch! That hurts.
I stop, what you do is your choice. Ok, sometimes I blow thru, but only when no one is looking 😉
But, I honestly feel that we are lucky (or smart) to live in such a bike friendly city, so it is incumbent upon us to represent cyclists as a responsible group if we ever expect to get respect as a legit form of transport from the masses.
If I were to be ticketed for “not stopping at a stop light” when I had come to a complete stop held a trackstand for two minutes and proceeded to hold the trackstand as the officer called me out, I think I’d have to punch that cop in the face (well, at least feel like doing it). I’m sure the laws are put in place to promote safety. When someone is obviously showing that they are a skilled and cautious rider, it seems absolutely ridiculous for them to recieve a ticket. Never the less, I’ve been riding bikes in Portland for 31 years and have never recieved a ticket or had an accident with a car or pedestrian.