*PLEASE NOTE: This post was updated on 11/18/11 to reflect an additional person who was killed. Ricky Andrews was not officially recorded by the City as a bike fatality and I only learned of his incident recently. – JM
Just for the record, I want to acknowledge that six seven people have been killed in Portland this year while riding bicycles. For reference, this is the most bicycle fatalities ever recorded in one year in the city of Portland. (Last year we had zero, in 1997 and 2001 we had five.)
Below are links to my coverage of each of them (Note: Two of the six deaths did not include a motor vehicle. One was bike-on-bike and the other was a bicyclist running into a telephone pole.)
- Nick Bucher: 02/02/07
- Jerry Hinatsu: 05/04/07
- Daniel Hunt: 08/21/07
- Curtis Lee Web: 10/08/07
- Tracey Sparling: 10/11/07
- Brett Jarolimek: 10/22/07
- Ricky Andrews: 11/18/07
We should never accept traffic deaths as simply collateral damage of our unbalanced transportation system. One fatality is one too many.
But, even if we can never fully prevent these tragedies from happening, we can all do something to improve the safety of our streets.
Get involved. Attend meetings. Be an advocate for safety. Question the status quo. Operate your vehicle with the highest respect and understanding of the consequences for your decisions.
And, most importantly, always be aware of your surroundings, whether your hands grip a steering wheel or a set of handlebars.
Thanks for reading.
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I know it wasn\’t in Portland proper, but if you consider the greater Portland area, you should consider adding Tim O\’donnel.
\”…the cyclist turned in front of the car.\”
\”…while riding the wrong-way in the bike lane.\”
\”Ladeane was pulling out onto SE 11th from a parking lot just before SE Stark St. and Hunt hit him head-on.\” (both cyclists)
\”…the bicyclist had a blood alcohol level of .383, over four times the legal limit.\”
And the final two rode into the right sides of large, slow moving vehicles, at intersections, which were signaling their right turns.
bikes dont kill people, people kill people…..
and cars are death machines.
so people who drive cars need to ALWAYS be aware….always. there is never an excuse for hitting and killing a cyclist, regardless of weather the cyclist was drinking, turning wrong, etc….
these people lost their lives, and due mainly to the incompatence and inattention of drivers.
yes, as cyclists we need to be always on the defensive. cycling drunk or without a helmet or running lights or whatever…..not smart. but do you desurve to loose your life?! no. so consider the supreme loss that some of us have felt this last year….our commrades and friends…. because they made sustainable and healthy decisions to ride bikes instead of drive cars(i’d rather see someone drunk on a bike then a drunk behind the wheel of a vehicle.)….please stop perpetuating the blame that this cities’ effed up media has already put on the cyclists who have been killed.
and
again, bikes dont kill people. cars do. a lot.