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Year: 2006

Expert witness backfires on DA in bike lane case

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

[City of Portland’s
Chief of Bicycles,
Roger Geller]

One of the more interesting and dramatic cases in yesterday’s “Bike Day at Court” was the case involving Jeff Smith.

Smith is a PDOT employee who, ironically, has worked in the city’s bike program for many years.

Smith was issued a citation for failure to use a bike lane while riding his bicycle westbound on SW Main Street between the Hawthorne Bridge and 1st Avenue.

Interestingly, instead of just the cop defending his ticket (which is the usual practice), according to one observer there were “four or five” District Attorneys present for this case,

“the DAs were constantly huddling together, talking amongst themselves, and advising other officers in the room.”

Read more

One cyclist’s perspective on bike day in court

The following notes on yesterday’s court proceedings are from local transportation activist and regular Shift volunteer, Carl Larson (photo).

    “These trials really drove the larger point of all of this home to me. These officers hide behind the shield of “safety,” but in many cases, their real goal is to protect the interests of motor vehicle operators. They clearly see bikes as a threat to the flow of traffic and deal with them accordingly.”
    -Carl Larson

    The case of Nerf (nickname of a Portland cyclist):
    Nerf was going north on the sidewalk in front of the Marriot Hotel on SW Broadway. He pled no contest to the sidewalk charge, but Barnum milked the fact that he was on the sidewalk as best as he could. If I heard correctly, though, he actually pursued Nerf by riding his motorcycle on the sidewalk! Insane.

    According to Barnum’s testimony, he asks Nerf where his brake is, and Nerf produces his stick (slung under his bag). The judge asks for exact dimensions of the stick (1″ x 12″). Ginsberg actually let Nerf seriously defend the stick as a means of stopping, even going so far as to point, on a diagram of a bike, to where he would jam it against his wheel.

    Read more

Update from bike day in court

As I write this, bike lawyer Mark Ginsberg is doing battle in the Multnomah County Courthouse in downtown Portland.

He is fighting the questionable tickets of ten cyclists.

BikePortland.org correspondent Elly Blue was there this morning and said that unfortunately the judge of the day is Gregg Lowe, the same guy who upheld the fixed-gear ticket against Ayla Holland and has proven by his demeanor and judgments to have a less-than clear understanding of bicycles.

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Xtracycle founder’s band coming to Portland

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
Walk and Bike to School Day

[Made possible by
the Xtracycle]

Xtracycle founder Kipchoge Spencer is coming to Portland.

His band, The Ginger Ninjas, will play at the Hollywood Theater at 7pm this Thursday (11/9).

The gig is part of the Environmental Action Tour and proceeds go to 1% For The Planet.

This is your chance to meet and support the guy behind one of the most significant bicycle inventions in history…

…and I’m sure if you asked nice he’d even sign your Xtracycle.

Robert Ping named to National Safe Routes to School Task Force

[Robert Ping]

Robert Ping, the BTA’s Safe Routes to School Program Director, has been named to the national Safe Routes to School Task Force.

This task force is made up of representatives from various Federal agencies and leaders in health, transportation, and education and reports directly to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

This select group is responsible for preparing a report to Congress that describes a national strategy and establishes best practices for advancing Safe Routes to School.

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