Yesterday’s tragic bus/bike collision in Beaverton that claimed the life of 15 year-old Austin Miller occurred at an intersection that is known to be tricky and dangerous.
The precise mechanics of what happened are still unclear, but we do know that Miller was struck by the #52 TriMet bus as he entered SW Farmington Road from SW Murray Blvd.
Meanwhile, people in Beaverton who ride through that intersection are all too familiar with its risks. Here’s a sampling of the comments from readers who ride that stretch of road:
From “Brent”;
“I make a right at this corner from the multi-user path on to the west bound bike lane. I am very vigilant on watching for buses at this location as they tend to enter the bike lane just as they start to clear the intersection. Most of the time it is safe to make this turn but still dangerous coming off of that multi-user path.”
From “wsbob”;
“Absolutely, a very dangerous intersection…so many cars pass through there, fast…during rush hour, it’s a very scary place for cyclists.”
From “Andy”;
“That intersection is on my commute too. It’s very problematic. The bus stop is recessed from the curb, and the victim probably didn’t realize the bus was pulling in. And if the cyclist was indeed coming from the multi-use path, the bus driver probably never saw him.”
From “Guy M”;
“I ride this route on my daily commute, both to and from work. And while I do not go west on Farmington, my commute takes me further south, I do find this intersection to be a test of nerves.
…This sort of reentry into traffic and a bike lane from a multi-user path is a formula for disaster.”
From “Peter O”;
“So sad, I also used to ride through there daily but changed my route because I didn’t like the traffic there. I had many close calls with the buses around there. They like to enter the bike lane early (sometimes 100 yards) before they make the stop and they don’t always look.”
See more comments here.