Last week, the Oregonian published a multimedia web page full of bike-related information, a Google Map, stats and videos. When I pointed out the page, I shared my disappointment at the choice of, “Bike versus car” as the title of the story.
I find this term — which seems to be the phrase-of-choice whenever a bike safety story is in the news — to be unnecessarily divisive and not always descriptive of the real issues at hand.
After several commenters pointed out similar feelings (one of them called it “the epitome of sensationalism”) and some of them emailed the Oregonian to share their thoughts, online editor Mark Friesen wisely decided to change the title to “Bikes and Cars”.
Now, I’ve gotten word from several readers who’ve seen ads promoting a major, sweeps month story tonight (11/5) on KGW-TV with the tagline: “Who owns the road? Bikes versus Cars.”
One reader responded by sending this message to KGW this morning:
“I just saw an add on CNN for an upcoming story billed as “Who really owns the road? Bikes vs Cars” This title is needlessly divisive and only contributes to the feeling of animosity on our streets. While I’m happy to see KGW covering this issue, you would serve us all better by focusing on sharing the road and working together to make Portland’s streets safer, less stressful for all.”
I was interviewed for the story (which incidentally was planned long before our tragic October) and the reporter was smart, capable and genuinely concerned about the issues at hand. Based on what I’ve heard about the story, I have every reason to think it will be good.
Unfortunately, at the major media outlets, the headlines and promo pieces are done by someone completely separate from the reporter who did the original story.
If you’re around a TV tonight at 11:00, tune into KGW (channel 8) and check it out.
UPDATE: 11/5, 11:31pm – Here’s the the story: Safe Streets? Debate continues as cycling numbers hit record high
Did you see it? Let us know what you thought about it…
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I guess you just don\’t win sweeps week with: \”Tonight at 11: Most people drive and bike around the City of Portland all day, every day WITHOUT INCIDENT. Hear their pleasant tales of quiet satisfaction.\”
So, the profit motive explains such silliness. But we\’ve got to expect more from our media, especially given how they utterly failed us in the run up to the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq. What about the ethics of journalism?
Ethics of Journalism?
Jumbo Shrimp?
Extra small?
All confusing to me…
Who owns the roads? The taxpayers of this state do!
Taxpayers that drive. Taxpayers that use mass transit. Taxpayers that walk. Taxpayers that run. Taxpayers that hardly ever use them. And to the amazement of most people in Oregon, taxpayers that ride bicycles too.
How\’s that for diversity KGW? I\’m amazed that a medium that has broadcast in color for more than 40 years still only thinks in black and white.
\”Jumbo Shrimp?\”
Indeed.
They don\’t have trouble understanding that it\’s probably not fair to publish the names of minors who are crime victims, but my guess is that\’s not their own wisdom or ethical training, but rather because enough people would call and complain.
Remember, we\’re \”a growing micro-constituency.\” Call and tell them this silliness isn\’t helping anyone and only costs them viewers. Demand more.
The Oregonian staff hit the streets last week to document how cyclists and motorists are managing the daily commute — and what they can do to avoid collisions.
Thanks Oregonian staff I feel totaly safe now.. wow
Hum, maybe I\’ll dig out my tv and find some tinfoil for an antenna. But that is a lot of work to be terribly disappointed. Maybe they\’ll have it on the web late later.
Nelson @ 3,
Even someone who has never paid taxes still has rights to the public streets. Kids, people from out of state, undocumented workers, even tax resisters…
Thanks David very well put..
reminds me of the day a tax payer
ran me down on my bike to yell at me and
tell me the \” tax payer law only he knew of\” said i had no rights to the road.. LOL
Bet my tax bill is bigger than your tax bill.
a.O. (#1) – Thanks, that headline is the funniest thing I\’ve read this month. Would that all news headlines could be so droll and succinct.
keep betting fool
I wonder if they\’ll interview a driver who\’s \”fed up\” with bikes \”getting in the way\”…and \”being unsafe\”………..LOLZ!
Is this the story that they started working on when the bike ridership numbers were announced? I was interviewed on camera by KGW in September, and hadn\’t heard anything about it since.
\”Is this the story that they started working on when the bike ridership numbers were announced?\”
yep.. I think so. like I said, they\’ve been working on this story for several months. should be interesting….
I saw a trailer during the 6:30 news. Not a mention of bike vs car. Instead the title was \”dangerous intersections.\” The voice over promised the story would rank PDX\’s most dangerous intersections for cyclists.
I had an idea for responding to stop sign \”running\” in Ladds, or anywhere else that PPB decides to hold their next stop sign sting operation. Go out with a video camera. Videotape a cyclist running the stop sign and getting a ticket. Also videotape a motor vehicle rolling through the same stop sign. Edit the two video clips together in a horizontal split screen. Compare the speed of the car and bicycle. Put up the video on youtube.
But it IS bikes vs. cars:
Car driver \”doesn\’t see\” bike
Car hits bike
Bike rider dies
Car Driver gets slap on wrist
Sounds like cars vs. bikes to me.
good job kgw. lol way to stick it to the bikes
I just watched the report on TV. They started with saying there were two cyclists killed by cars and that they were investigating who was to blame for bike/car accidents.
The report went DIRECTLY into how common it is for cyclists to run stop signs and ended right after.
VERY disappointed.
that was the dumbest ****** i\’ve seen in such a long time, i mean ladd\’s addition, come the **** on, you can see the whole **** circle from that spot.
**** worthless crap.
Just saw the story – SUCKED!
Really… they could only catch cyclists slowly running the stop sign? Last time I checked no one died when a cyclist rolled through a stop sign. Also – I resent that they started with two deaths that had nothing to do with running stop signs.
Has Amy Troy ever even riden a bike around town? As a journalist – that\’s what I would have done. Ride around and when you almost get killed three times in your three mile commute, then do your story.
I just saw it too.
I agree it was rough to see the video from Brett and Tracey\’s crashes and then go right into how cyclists run stop signs at Ladds…but overall I think the story was OK (given my expectations of local TV and the limitations inherent therein).
I felt the lead-in was a bit over the top. Announcer: \”Cyclists dying on the roads…which side is to blame…etc.. etc..\”
–They ran a video at Ladds Circle for 5 minutes and caught 33 bikes and 6 cars rolling through it.
–They had \”on-the-street\” interviews with people in cars and people on bikes griping about one another.
–They had PDOT\’s Greg Raisman saying that they\’ve found a 50-50 fault rate for crashes and that the overall crash rate is going down.
–They specifically mentioned three intersections:
At the end they ask for viewer input on \”What\’s the best way to promote sharing the road?\” Possible answers are:
–Motorists need to be more aware of bikes
–Bikes need to be better following traffic laws
–Our roads need to be designed better for shared use
–All of the above
The story and poll are now posted on KGW.com.
I think both bikes and cars need to learn to use a little patience, even if it makes you slow down or stop, bikers remember that some times we may not see you. It is much safer not to pass on the right at an intersection. You all probably don\’t like that comment but it is true. What do you say?
hi \”motorist\”,
thanks for the comment. I agree, we could all be a little more patient out there. no one\’s life is worth a few extra seconds…
I tuned in a little late, so may have missed the first 2-3 minutes. The footage of cyclists cruising through stop signs in Ladd\’s was an eye opener. It would be nice to see the 5 min segment in real time (it was speeded up for tv), but they did show some real time of maybe 5-7 cyclists; they don\’t even slow down for the signs.
Not absolutely sure, but I don\’t recall seeing that the riders showed indication of hesitating even slightly at the signs, or of even looking (beyond possible use of peripheral vision only) from side to side for vehicles or pedestrians. Really, it was disgusting, and not at all excusable under the circumstances. All of them should have received $200 tickets, the bonehead traffic class, and a heap of community service.
The Ladd\’s Addition cirlce is a defacto roundabout. I\’d be in favor of removing the stop signs.
The dishonest thing about juxtaposing stories of the two cyclists\’ deaths with footage of the Ladds sting is that they had nothing to do with each other, and everybody knows it. This is another case of Kruger manipulating the debate behind the scenes, since I\’m sure he offered the tape to a gullible KGW reporter to deflect any criticism of the PPB for failing to take action against either truck driver. I see even some people here got fooled by this cheap stunt.
Once when I was stopping at the big circle in the middle of Ladd\’s, a pair of riders were approaching me from behind. The woman in the duo remarked, \”we\’ve got a stopper!\” followed by \”oh, she\’s signaling too…\” They glided past me while I stopped.
I was both mortified that I was being pointed out as some sort of freak, and angry that my behavior was perceived as so unusual that it warranted comment.
On the other hand, during the countless times I\’ve stopped when there have been cars present, I\’ve been quite pleased with myself that I\’m doing good PR for bikes. I\’ve actually been complimented by car drivers and other passersby many times for the simplest of actions.
Heather: I\’m with you. Keep it up. This is not a war, it\’s a PR campaign.
Where to start.
1. The stupidity of a stop sign vs a yield sign at Ladd\’s circle. Pedestrians still have the right of way to cross, and the city would promote one of the biggest bikeways in the city.
2. KGW for cherry picking one of a few spots where people regularly blow the stop sign. Go to any other intersection in the city and you would get the opposite result.
3. Heather is right, the law is the law. It needs to be followed upto the point we get it changed. BTA priority should be to get a yeild sign to replace the stop sign.
4. Finally, you can\’t fault a dog for being a dog. Local TV follow the mantra \”if it bleeds it leeds\”. The real intellectual discussion is in print, but unfortunately people remenber the images. Lisa is right, it is a PR campaign and we need to start playing. The question is how?
So the report used post-enforcement-action footage of Ladd\’s Circle and totally failed to remark on how it proves that concentrated stop sign enforcement actions are an ineffective use of resources, and also completely neglects to mention that Ladd sees such a high volume of bike traffic because it\’s got very little motor vehicle traffic, indicating that the six cars blowing the sign is a pretty big number as well? Now that\’s what I call a complete lack of insight…
YIELD SIGNS in Ladd´s, dammit.
brilliant.
Jonathan
Please do take credit for helping KGW retitle their report last night to \’Bikes and Cars\’. In the end it really didn\’t say anything, except that cyclists-run-a-lot-of-stop-signs and we-should-all-play-nice-on-the-roads.
Make full stops folks, show them what its really like.
Steve
Ladds is certainly a cherry-picked example and reveals a possible agenda in the story. I\’ll give my own \”observation\” from last week. I stopped at Skyline and Thompson on the way to work one morning to let my fingers warm back up. In the five minutes I stood there, I counted 33 cars go through the intersection–a 4-way stop.
A total of 4 cars actually came close to stopping, and that appeared to be because they had cross traffic.
Of course, that seems to be the norm for NW Portland from the river to the west hills. Bike, car, truck, Trimet bus(!), stop signs and red lights seem to be mere suggestions.
It\’s a big problem. Perhaps its less a question of bike vs. car, but one of a collective sense of entitlement that pervades our society.
Once when I was stopping at the big circle in the middle of Ladd\’s, a pair of riders were approaching me from behind. The woman in the duo remarked, \”we\’ve got a stopper!\” followed by \”oh, she\’s signaling too…\” They glided past me while I stopped.
I\’ve gotten this a few times myself. Not often, but a few times. Once on 26th, crossing Belmont, this middle-aged woman on a hybrid heading west on Broadway hollered, \”Why are you stopping?!?\” – ridiculous considering I wasn\’t even in the same lane, side, or even same street as her. And twice coming down the hill on Mississippi, right at the sign at the bottom, I\’ve had the same (or a similar-looking) hipster girl sitting at a table out front scream, \”JUST FUCKING GO!\” while her idiot friends laughed their heads off. I\’m convinced that these are the same sort of folks who, put behind the wheel of a car, are similarly bewildered and/or offended by people driving the speed limit or slowing down if they get a yellow before they\’ve entered the intersection – effectively, possessing no sort of understanding that we\’ve got laws which aren\’t arbitrary, but designed to promote predictable and safe flow of traffic. As many of us keep saying, \”It\’s not cyclists, it\’s not drivers, it\’s stupid people.\”
\”2. KGW for cherry picking one of a few spots where people regularly blow the stop sign. Go to any other intersection in the city and you would get the opposite result.\”
that\’s BS right there. i live in between hawthorne and division and between 20th and 39th. i can say that there\’s a huge minority cyclists that stop for any sign in that whole grid. even fully decked out commmuters blow the intersection at lincoln and 34th.
when are you all going to realize that we have a huge problem with white, 20-40 year old recreational cyclists blowing stop signs left and right, the sort of aloof, self-righteous hipster type. you\’ve seen it a million times, especially couples on townies, they love to slow roll stop signs while talking to each other. they just don\’t like the challenge of stopping and starting. completely understandable, but completely illegal. i\’m glad they showed the ladds footage. look in the mirror. i agrew with the lady who was chided for stopping, that\’s what i see ALL THE TIME in SE. the numbers are not on our side here, it\’s such bad PR. i mean, stop at the fugging sign.
everybody bee-yotching about the stop sign in Ladds and how it should be a yield sign has probably blown it, and really can\’t comment any further on bike safety. yes it\’s stupid, as stupid as the one on 39th and Glisan, but its there, and you have to stop each time.
Make full stops folks, show them what its really like.
And note that that doesn\’t mean putting your foot down if you don\’t have to do so – the law doesn\’t even mandate it. If there\’s no perpendicular traffic, all you need to do is cease to move forward, pump your front break for a second after (yes, AFTER!) having stopped (yes, STOPPED!) so as not to topple over, and then proceed on your way. If you can downshift when approaching a stop, pull this maneuver, and clearly see the coast is clear when you look in both directions, it\’s really easy to get back up to speed in a few seconds.
story had bad PR.. 2 people died..
run stop signs come on, This morning
on my way home from dropping my girls off at school, was at an intersection
in wilsonville, hit the cross walk for signal. Sure enuff right when it went to
walk the SUV tried to go first. Whats the problem.. PEOPLE cant wait one sec.
also on the way to school this car didnt let my girls and i go first, not that it
makes a diffrence but im tring to teach my kids how things are not correct at this time in our life on the planet..
people live in a bubble called a CAR..
It is very disappointing to see story after story talk about bikes breaking laws while pretending drivers of cars do not. 33 cyclists X 200 lbs = 6600 lbs running the stop sign. 6 cars x 3000lbs = 24000 lbs running a stop sign. The bike is silent and can see and hear what is going on, the drivers are in a bubble listening to music, talking on the phone, eating breakfast and reading the paper. Everyone needs to obey the law but if I can only choose one area to use my limited enforcement resources it is going to be with the 24000 lbs.
\”The bike is silent and can see and hear what is going on, the drivers are in a bubble listening to music, talking on the phone, eating breakfast and reading the paper\”
this holier-than-thou attitude is exactly what i\’m talking about, and exactly what our little internal problem is.
As a 100% bike commuter, I\’ll just echo that I thought it was horrible that they picked on bikes running a stop sign in a low traffic area, yet never once mentioned that Brett and Tracey were legally in their lane, and killed by drivers illegally entering the bike lane — those drivers have yet to, and are unlikely to be cited. It\’s really outrageous.
Having said that, regardless of the logic of the stop sign placement in the round-a-bout, it\’s pathetic that so many cyclists can\’t even be bothered to slow down a little. I rarely come to a complete stop in a low traffic area like that (I\’ve ridden that area many times), but I slow down to under 3mph, and look both ways a couple of times before proceeding.
And my final comment is to the neighbors in that area — it seems to me that those who complained just want the right to walk around not having to pay attention to the world around them, and be absolved of any responsibility of sensing their own environment.
It is clear that cyclists need to do some cleaning in their own house, I see the need for it everyday — but to juxtapose the horrible recent deaths against some yahoo\’s on bikes rolling through a low traffic stop sign at 10mph is ridiculous.
Jonathan, thanks for your hard work in bringing these topics to light, and giving us a place to talk about them.
Ron
N.I.K, you have the right of it:
It\’s not cyclists, it\’s not drivers, it\’s stupid people.
And yes, people are impatient.
And yes, yes, journalists need a sensational story to get people to watch their news show. Look how much free press we\’re giving KGW by talking about their story.
Hmm, apparently there\’s another sting going on in Ladd\’s Circle this morning. Try not to beat that Kruger Conspiracy drum too hard, folks…
\”And my final comment is to the neighbors in that area — it seems to me that those who complained just want the right to walk around not having to pay attention to the world around them, and be absolved of any responsibility of sensing their own environment.\”
yes, i was wondering why there were any stop signs there at all, it being roundabout, until my last time there… i was stopped at Palio, waiting for the cyclist to my left who had blown the stop sign on the other street,when a jogger jogged up to me on the sidewalk and proceeded straight through the circle so he could jog through the little lawn there… thats when it hit me, that the Ladds peeps are spoiled brats.
by the way, let\’s go over that scenario again, me waiting at a stop sign while another biker and jogger blissfully blew by me, unawares… it\’s a jungle out there.
It\’s really quite simple. Obey the laws and act as if you\’re a piece of traffic (or a car). Don\’t pass on the right at intersections – wait in line. We won\’t be treated fairly until we accept the great responsibility that is ours by having the right to the road.
when are you all going to realize that we have a huge problem with white, 20-40 year old recreational cyclists blowing stop signs left and right, the sort of aloof, self-righteous hipster type
Again: THEY\’RE NOT THE PROBLEM. The problem is that there is a long-standing precedent among many people, whether they\’re irritatingly smug hipsters or soccer moms or lycra-clad race heads or gummy old \”lived in Portland all my life! ***SPITOON PING***\” types or whomever, that traffic laws are arbitrary. \”Oh, it\’s fine to break the speed limit, just don\’t go TOO far over and you won\’t get stopped.\” \”Oh, it\’s a yellow light! I\’d better hurry my ass across that line!\” It\’s a case of choosing the most convenient course of action, because laws are for suckers and of no consequence if you don\’t get caught, right?
Wrong! These laws are there by design to help manage traffic flow and prevent unsafe behavior. The point of a speed limit is \”this is the fastest rate of travel deemed safe\”, not \”here\’s the rate for pussies and old people, so feel free to do a bit more.\” The point of a yellow light is \”slow down because traffic on the road perpendicular to the one you\’re traveling on is going to get a green in a moment and you need to stop so as not to collide with them\”, not \”don\’t be a stooge, beat that red!\”. The more I think about it, the more I\’m led to believe that years and years of this behavior in car culture has led a lot of people to engage in similar behavior on a bike. \”No cops? Then it\’s convenience!\” behavior is stupid no matter what vehicle you\’re piloting; it\’s just a question of how many people you might take with you in the process of proving your stupidity.
In 5 minutes, 33 cyclists bust into Ladd Circle intersections without slowing or stopping at the stop sign. That\’s one cyclist every 10 seconds. And with the steadily increasing use of bikes for transportation that\’s going on, this frequency will probably become greater.
I would like to know how any resident of that neighborhood could be regarded as unreasonable for being concerned and offended by that kind of blatant disregard for the important safety measure that stop signs represent. Why should Ladd\’s Addition residents be obliged to to allow their neighborhood to be reduced to a hell created by completely selfish, self absorbed cyclists?
If you can\’t walk peacefully with your toddler through your own neighborhood without having to fear for being nailed by a spoiled cyclist, life has become something like living next to a freeway. It\’s hard for me to believe that cyclists participating on this weblog consider something like that to be acceptable.
N.I.K.: Yes.
Heh… On my way to work this morning, waiting in the line of traffic to turn West on Division from SE 21st, two young women zipped up to the head of the line, one passing on the right, the other crossing between the stopped cars and passing on the left. They easily beat me to the Ladd\’s Addition circle, where (after stopping at the stop sign) I easily passed them– as they were stopped, getting ticketed.
I have to admit to a small Kathy Bates moment (\”face it girls, I\’m older and I have more insurance\”)– not that I\’d ever wish any vehicular violence, or even a ticket really, on those sweet young things, each of whom was pouting adorably as I passed.
Personally I think those stop signs should be yields, but they\’re not. And further, it seems to me that disregarding them, and the concerns of neighborhood pedestrians in that area, is not much different from the bikes-be-damned behavior we deplore from drivers.
when are you all going to realize that we have a huge problem with white, 20-40 year old recreational cyclists blowing stop signs left and right, the sort of aloof, self-righteous hipster type
ooooooh, now i get it! it\’s the white people\’s fault! And here I was thinking that it was merely cyclists riding in the way that makes the most sense for them, instead of blindly following the rules of the road which are designed for 3,000 pound vehicles with poor visibility.
I would think that, being a stupid white person. I think I\’m aloof, too, but I\’ll have to check on that. oh, but wait, i\’m not recreaetional, i\’m a commuter. Am I still the problem? Is it more important that I\’m white or a recreational rider?
Seriously, that\’s an amazingly ignorant statement. We can disagree about the effect of obeying laws not designed for us, but your comment reeked.
Jason #36 says:
\”Perhaps it\’s less a question of bike vs. car, but one of a collective sense of entitlement that pervades our society.\”
Excellent point! I have begun to look at that in my own life, especially when some on road event makes me angry. Often it is due to some sense of \”entitlement\” that I had been unaware of up to that point. Glad you mentioned it. Wish I knew how to help people become aware of this in themselves.