Rider calls police after being forced off I-205 path by truck driver

Images of the illegal path user taken by Redditor NewAgeHookers.

A man in a pickup truck allegedly forced a bicycle rider off the I-205 bike path in southeast Portland Saturday afternoon.

According to the Reddit thread where the incident was posted it happened where the path intersects with SE Steele Street, just east of Lents Park.

The person who posted the thread says he/she was a victim of verbal assault and called the Portland Police Bureau after it happened. “I was forced off the path today by these fine upstanding gentlemen who shouted ‘FUCK YOU’ and ‘WE KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE’,” wrote the Redditor named NewAgeHookers.

The person who posted the incident is a regular user of the path and says this isn’t the first time they’ve encountered a motor vehicle on this section of the path. “Not only are the current bollards easily damaged (and seldom repaired),” wrote the poster, “the whole design of those loop-around streets is bad. All it takes to get on the path is hopping a low curb, and any old pickup can do that. It needs some kind of landscape barrier like earthen berms or rocks.”

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Location where the images above were taken.

This isn’t the first time we’ve reported on people driving on the 205 path.

In 2007 a man reported that he was run down by a pickup truck driver while biking on the section of the path in the middle of the Glenn Jackson Bridge. In 2013 a woman managed to drive onto the bridge path and got her small sedan stuck on a narrow section. And last year a woman drove onto the bike path from the SE Powell Blvd MAX station.

The Oregon Department of Transportation owns and manages the I-205 bike path; but when people use the path illegally ODOT defers to the PPB. We’ve reached out to both agencies for comment and will post anything we hear.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

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Middle of the Road Guy
Middle of the Road Guy
6 years ago

Man, it’s always the Ford pickup drivers.

Adam
6 years ago

And the BMW drivers, and the Mercedes drivers, and the Land Rover drivers and the…

Spiffy
6 years ago

it’s not a white truck, so that’s a change…

Racer X
Racer X
6 years ago

…perhaps its a legacy of Henry Ford’s ‘political’ publications from the 1930s…

bikeninja
bikeninja
6 years ago

Just an observation, but it seems that many of the bad and beligerent drivers around town have washington plates. Now that the new highway bill enables tolls, lets get some set up on the interstate bridge pronto.

Huey Lewis
Huey Lewis
6 years ago
Reply to  bikeninja

Meh. I’m more bothered by Californians.

oliver
oliver
6 years ago
Reply to  Huey Lewis

Nope. Washington drivers by 10-1.

Stephen Keller
Stephen Keller
6 years ago
Reply to  oliver

The truck in the photos doesn’t appear to have any plates.

TonyT
6 years ago
Reply to  Stephen Keller

Washington plates are clearly visible in the top left image.

Dan A
Dan A
6 years ago
Reply to  Stephen Keller

Has one in the back, under the tailgate.

Stephen Keller
Stephen Keller
6 years ago
Reply to  Dan A

Guess I’ll have to look at it with a real computer is tea of my phone.

JR'eh
JR'eh
6 years ago
Reply to  Stephen Keller

Rear plate is Washington State B41329N. Clearly in violation of the “no motor vehicles” MUP rule and has an improperly secured load. I rode out there to Powell Butte that same day and was sad to think to myself for the first time that I should really carry something for self defense.

Huey Lewis
Huey Lewis
6 years ago
Reply to  Huey Lewis

Look, I just look for any opportunity to jab at California. It feels good.

Spiffy
6 years ago
Reply to  Huey Lewis

and it’s easy cuz it’s half the Portland population…

Adam
6 years ago
Reply to  bikeninja

Nine times out of ten, when I see someone driving on the bus mall downtown, it’s a Washington plate.

Spiffy
6 years ago
Reply to  Adam

and half the time it’s an Uber driver…

Pete S.
Pete S.
6 years ago
Reply to  bikeninja

Confirmation bias much?

Racer X
Racer X
6 years ago
Reply to  bikeninja

Damn … I was falsely relieved at thinking it was an Oregon vehicle by the location of the incident…well one can always “hope” that it was an Oregonian driving a truck stolen from Washington.

SE Rider
SE Rider
6 years ago
Reply to  Racer X

Why would it matter if it was an Oregon vehicle?

Justin M
Justin M
6 years ago
Reply to  bikeninja

Build a wall to keep all the Washingtonians out of Portland! They’re bringing drugs, driving poorly, and some, I assume, are good people. And Washington will pay for it!

Kate
Kate
6 years ago
Reply to  Justin M

Their bad hombres! 😉

DIMcyclist
DIMcyclist
6 years ago
Reply to  Kate

Hey- it takes ambition to transport a meth lab all the way across Lents.

Todd Hudson
Todd Hudson
6 years ago

I bike from NE to Lents a lot. I’ve been choosing surface streets lately, due to the uptick of sketchy stuff on the 205 path. It’s the new Springwater Corridor.

SE Rider
SE Rider
6 years ago
Reply to  Todd Hudson

Yes, the intersection of the two has become pretty bad.

Adam
Adam
6 years ago
Reply to  Todd Hudson

That section between Burnside and Start is SKETCH city.

Thanks ODOT!!

SE Rider
SE Rider
6 years ago
Reply to  Adam

More like thanks Charlie Hales and City Council.

Hello, Kitty
6 years ago
Reply to  SE Rider

You forgot to explicitly call out Amanda Fritz. Surely she is directly responsible, somehow, right?

Mary
Mary
6 years ago
Reply to  Adam

I live in outer SE and bike along the 205 and the Springwater often. The folks camped out have never been anything but polite any time I’ve gone by them. Yes, it can be intimidating and frustrating to see the 205 and the Springwater crowded with camps, but the unfortunate circumstances of people just trying to find a place to be doesn’t make them bad people.

bikeninja
bikeninja
6 years ago

If it wasn’t for the raised middle finger I would have guessed that this guy was calling out,” Which way to the Mad Max casting call?”

Pete
Pete
6 years ago
Reply to  bikeninja

He got lost looking for the gates of Valhalla.

JJ
JJ
6 years ago
Reply to  bikeninja

Naw looks more like the ghost of Bradley Nowell from Sublime.

rick
rick
6 years ago

wow

Brian
Brian
6 years ago

Seems like a nice guy.

Buzz
Buzz
6 years ago

Based on their load, they look like campers to me.

Cora Potter
Cora Potter
6 years ago
Reply to  Buzz

Yep – or at the very least, sketchy “friend” (fence/supplier) moving their “friend” (gleaner/dealer) down the path because that area was posted and swept recently.

My (informed based on what I’ve obeserved from living right down the street from this spot for years) deduction is they’re both homeless – and the plates on that truck probably never belonged to that truck. He’s probably got three or four different license plates stashed in the glove box. It’s something that comes in handy when the truck gets tagged – they just switch plates.

rachel b
rachel b
6 years ago
Reply to  Cora Potter

Our city’s become a scammer’s paradise.

Lester Burnham
Lester Burnham
6 years ago
Reply to  rachel b

Charlie Hales should be personally sued for helping create this mess by putting out a welcome mat, and then ordering the police to not uphold the law.

Adam
6 years ago

White dude in a pickup yelling at a cyclist? Color me shocked.

Adam
6 years ago
Reply to  Adam

Shit, I didn’t even notice that.

CaptainKarma
CaptainKarma
6 years ago
Reply to  Adam

I was thinking he looked like he might be “affiliated” with a group.

SE Rider
SE Rider
6 years ago
Reply to  Adam

So what about if he’s homeless?

bikeninja
bikeninja
6 years ago

When the Roman Empire went in to decline it was attacked on all sides by Tribes of Barbarians. Not sure if the U.S. empire is in decline yet but these guys sure seem ready to play the part of the Barbarians.

Gary B
Gary B
6 years ago

Very nice. Sorry the poster had to endure this. Well, even if the police can’t (won’t) act on the threats, it should be a simple matter to cite him for the missing front license plate.

wsbob
wsbob
6 years ago
Reply to  Gary B

Maybe lack of a back license plate too? Is the vehicle even licensed at all? And how about the person driving? Do they have a driver’s license? What’s he doing driving on a MUP on which use of a motor vehicle is illegal? Distinctive paint job on the pickup though. Unless the owner goes to the store and buys a bunch more rattle can paint, the paint job could help identify the vehicle. Sounds like nobody was physically hurt in this incident…a good thing.

Totally unrelated incident last Saturday morning on the north Hwy 26 MUP just west of the Sylvan overpass:

Riding with three other people, we were passed by a guy riding a gas motor powered bike of some sort. He came up behind me and went by so fast, I couldn’t scope out much more about the vehicle, whether it was a commercially produced vehicle, or some hacked together job…but probably was the latter, because the exhaust was rather heavy with blue oil smoke. Smelled bad. Guy (at least I think it was a guy.) was big at the waist, and was wearing a bright orange hi-vis safety vest. The fast rider in our group pursued and tried to catch the motor rider, but couldn’t quite.

Both of these incidents are low level violations, so what kind of response prioritization can be reasonably expected of the police? The police need something tangible to proceed on. In the I-205 incident, really good pics are available, so if the guy can be tracked down, he might be cited for various things…lack of required vehicle equipment, license, harassment.

For the Sylvan incident myself and fellow riders experienced, we got nothing at present, unless someone else has seen and can help identify the gas motor rider.

TonyT
6 years ago
Reply to  wsbob

Back plate is there.

Dan A
Dan A
6 years ago
Reply to  wsbob

Washington plate B41329N

Shouldn’t be hard to find the driver.

Middle of the Road Guy
Middle of the Road Guy
6 years ago
Reply to  Dan A

Often times, plates are slapped on stolen vehicles to avoid detection. In this case, the number matches up with the truck make/model.

Dan A
Dan A
6 years ago
Reply to  Dan A

BOLO!

Racer X
Racer X
6 years ago
Reply to  Dan A

Sounds like y’all have been watching too much “Justified” on TV…better get Constable Bob Sweeney on it…

wsbob
wsbob
6 years ago
Reply to  Dan A

Good chance of that limb being fairly sturdy. Imagine the cops that get the fun job of having to approach the two guys that were in the truck, wondering what they’re going to find, and what they’ll be having to do to deal with the situation.

What responsible, civil person goes out of their way to attract the kind of attention these two guys did? What do you think the chances are, these two guys didn’t know that driving on the MUP was illegal? Try ‘0’. If that’s not bad enough, then they’ve got to harass someone trying to legally use the path…talk offensively to them, physically disrespect them. What do you think the chances are the two guys don’t have criminal records or bad driving records?

I wonder if it’ll turn out that they do have some legitimate means of income. Think positive, I guess. Just two guys trying to earn an honest buck, scrappin’ or something, only to be hassled by some self righteous bicyclist? Hope these are good guys trying to do good, that just got a little frustrated, thinking someone was harassing them rather than vice-versa. If they’re bad guys, there really isn’t jail space in which to lock them for any meaningful length of time, even if that were an effective means to getting them on a better behavior track.

Todd Boulanger
Todd Boulanger
6 years ago
Reply to  wsbob

…the phone as camera may have also gotten their anger up depending on what their current status with the PPB is…

Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy
6 years ago
Reply to  wsbob

The police would not cite him if they did catch him because he probably does not have a driver’s license or insurance.

Chris I
Chris I
6 years ago
Reply to  Gary B

And hopefully it will get towed after it is found with 4 flat tires.

Eric H
Eric H
6 years ago

If only the required autos to have tags so they could track down this horrible person. Oh wait…

bikeninja
bikeninja
6 years ago

maybe these were just upstanding citizens who took it upon themselves to clean up the multiuse path and load all the camping refuse in to their truck as they went. And they were just expressing disappointment with the cyclist when he did not volunteer to help them in their quest.

Jason H
Jason H
6 years ago

Almost certainly vehicle campers from the motley collection of junk piled in/on the truck and classy spray paint accents. Check the shadowed passenger in the middle finger shot. Wow, almost more scary than tattoo man. If I saw this guy there I would just quickly deploy cyclocross mode and do a grass start-line style sprint wide around him.

Brian H.
Brian H.
6 years ago
Reply to  Jason H

I can’t see the passenger in the truck very well. Maybe the passenger is the driver’s girlfriend.

Buzz
Buzz
6 years ago
Reply to  Brian H.

Yeah, but only if his girlfriend is a bearded lady.

Joe
Joe
6 years ago

paint job worries me just think of that beast at night..

Eric Leifsdad
Eric Leifsdad
6 years ago

Gas tax will be increased by the state $0.10 over 8 years was it? Let’s add at least a few dollars to that in city/metro. At least keep it as high as Washington’s.

Kittens
Kittens
6 years ago

Another reason for gun control. Imagine that hot head with a pistol.

Dan A
Dan A
6 years ago
Reply to  Kittens

I’m guessing he left the gun at home, with his pants.

Middle of the Road Guy
Middle of the Road Guy
6 years ago
Reply to  Kittens

I’m guessing he’s not the law abiding type. I mean, he’s already driving on a bike path.

Todd Hudson
Todd Hudson
6 years ago
Reply to  Kittens

The poorly-done tattoos are most likely prison tats (especially the SS one). Prison means felony conviction. Felony conviction means no guns for him.

Chris
Chris
6 years ago
Reply to  Todd Hudson

For clarity: Felony conviction means “no guns” for him.

Spiffy
6 years ago
Reply to  Chris

I doubt that would stop him…

Skid
Skid
5 years ago
Reply to  Kittens

Another reason for license to carry concealed if you’re a cyclist

Dave
Dave
6 years ago

Note–I am an older white man who lives in a suburb as I say this. The scariest driver behavior I ever see is from white men older than 30 in full-size US made pickup trucks; the most aggressive and inconsiderate. The very worst ones always have a chrome fish on the truck’s tailgate or bumper too, no lie! Comparing notes with a Florida cyclist on a tour my wife and I were on, the Fl rider claimed that pickup trucks with “Choose Life” plates were the worst.

emerson
6 years ago
Reply to  Dave

That is because it’s difficult to find a more entitled group of individuals.

DIMcyclist
DIMcyclist
6 years ago
Reply to  emerson

…SELF entitled.

Adam
6 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Yep. Last month, I was run off the road by an angry white man in a giant pickup truck, who boxed me in then got out of his truck to threaten me. Something about lifted pickups and white male aggression go hand in hand.

Chris I
Chris I
6 years ago
Reply to  Adam

It’s almost like they are compensating for something in both their behavior and vehicle choices.

emerson
6 years ago
Reply to  Chris I

I wonder what it could be

Tim
Tim
6 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Interestingly, in truly rural areas I find pickup trucks friendly and courteous. Maybe it have more to do with the appropriateness of the vehicle choice than the vehicle itself. In the city, an over-sized or overpriced vehicle is compensation for personal weakness and insecurity. On a ranch, a pickup is a tool to haul feed and fence posts.

Adam
6 years ago
Reply to  Tim

Yeah, I never get any problems from the people where it’s obvious that they are using their pickup truck for actual work, rather than for show.

Concordia Cyclist
Concordia Cyclist
6 years ago
Reply to  Tim

Yup. Suburban cowboys.

Dave
Dave
6 years ago

Why do Californians bother you?

ME2
ME2
6 years ago

Does anyone know where SE Steele is (north or south) in relation to Marshall High School? My daughter goes to Grant HS, which will be at Marshall, while Grant is under construction the next 2 years. She is planning to bike there some days and I’m sure she’s not the only one. Perhaps, the uptick in traffic from Grant high schoolers commuting to school could sway ODOT to take better measures to prevent autos from getting on the path?

TAJ
TAJ
6 years ago
Reply to  ME2

Cars are the least of my concerns when I ride 205, but maybe I’ve been lucky. I’d rate homeless camps first and broken glass and flats second (barely). You might check out that section of the path personally. Just know the 205 camps move and what and who is there today may be gone tomorrow and vice versa.

SE Rider
SE Rider
6 years ago
Reply to  ME2

Marshall has been used for years as other high schools (most recently Franklin) undergo renovations/rebuilds. But being on the wealthier high schools in Portland maybe Grant will make a difference.

pixie
pixie
6 years ago
Reply to  ME2

SE Steele is south of Marshall High School

JP
JP
6 years ago

Hmmmm, more than a just little disturbing. Interesting how some folks who know they are doing the wrong thing, get nasty defensive.
Really don’t know how pro active the PPD are to complaints of this nature? Would really like to hear about any PDD follow up.

I’m guessing it is a low priority.

With recent tragic events in the nation & PDX, I would caution awareness & avoidance measures, especially when solo.
Stay safe out there

Honeybee1200
Honeybee1200
6 years ago

I just spotted this truck at 6221 SE 87th, the corner of 87 & Tolman.