Washington County Sheriffs seek reckless driver who hit and injured bicycle rider

The suspect, Bill Offinga, appears to own a fire sprinkler business.

A hypothetical motive is being chronically annoyed with cyclists on rural roads (who CAN be annoying if they ride IN the road) and potentially being drunk. Bad moves.

Dan A
Why is it annoying for cyclists to ride IN the road? Where are they supposed to ride?Recommended 0

I’m referring to taking up the whole lane and not letting (faster) cars get by. I see it in downtown Portland and it seems unsafe and obnoxious. I only venture far enough into the lane to avoid unexpected car doors opening.

Dan A
In downtown there are usually multiple lanes going in the same direction, cyclists are mostly moving as fast as the timed lights allow, and the door zone extends about 5 or 6 feet away from parked cars. Maybe you have a better example?Recommended 1

A good example is Fairview Blvd going downhill toward Washington Park. It’s notorious for cyclists and skateboarders blocking cars, often at night without lights on thrill-rides. Any time a cyclist is in the middle of a road and forces a car to go below the speed limit, trouble is brewing. Some weirdo on a skateboard literally wiped out 3 times in front of me on Fairview approaching Kingston, and seemed oblivious to the risk as he slalomed back and forth (this was daytime).

As a cyclist who also drives downtown, I’ve had minor road rage when these people thwart green light timing and could simply move over with enough room for cars to pass. There are painted green lanes I respect, but the rest of the street should give cars the right of way. It obviously depends on street-width and context, but it’s done too often in an arrogant way. Common sense says when you’re smaller and/or slower, don’t block something bigger and faster! The driver behind you might get tailgated or have weak brakes, so if they bowl you over it’s your own naivety.

Dan A
It sounds to me like you are a bit newer to cycling. You may find this video helpful.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPA-ZcYGT94Recommended 0

That’s a good video and I get it. I mainly just stay away from cars as much as possible, feeling far more fragile than them on a bike. The Springwater trail is my idea of what riding should be, minus the sketchy homeless camps and trail-blockers.

Again, I just think it’s unsafe in the realm of Murphy’s Law to FORCE cars to slow down, even if it’s technically legal. Just being within their reach is risky and the news story that prompted this discussion adds evidence.

Dan A
The Springwater doesn’t go where I need to go, and is plenty dangerous when filled with walkers and dogs on leashes (not to mention the random attacks that have been occurring lately). If you’re going to ride for transportation, you’ll want to learn more about why experienced cyclists ride the way they do.I strongly suggest reading “the Art of Cycling” by Robert Hurst. It has saved my bacon many times. I’d give you my copy, but I already gave it to another cyclist I care about.And this is a really good article on taking the lane:https://cyclingsavvy.org/road-cycling/Personally, here are the main reasons where and why I take the lane:* Descending at high speed, where I need room to maneuver around potential obstacles and I am going at or near the speed limit* At 4-way stops, to lessen confusion among drivers at the other stop signs* When preparing for a left or right turn* When stopping at a signaled intersection where I need to be there to trigger the light* When riding on a neighborhood greenway, through the center of the sharrows* When avoiding door zones on residential streets* When riding at the speed of traffic, e.g. downtown*When approaching an intersection where the visibility is poor, and I want to be seen by drivers who have approached from the sideRecommended 1

Very true, but as stated several times, if you’re going FAST enough I don’t disagree, especially if you have a commute that makes city streets mandatory. My point is that I see cars as a stampede without mercy, full of distracted, impatient drivers. Insisting that they behave otherwise can be fatal, so I defer to their weight and momentum. Human nature is more expedient than virtuous.

Bikes aren’t allowed to use sidewalks in a large section of downtown, but you probably know it’s legal in many places if you’re reasonable about it. I use sidewalks if there are few pedestrians in sight and I’d rather not be next to cars with no barrier. I prefer them when I’m crawling up a hill and my steering is wobblier, e.g. riding from downtown to Washington Park. But riding downhill on a sidewalk isn’t fair to pedestrians because you’re too reliant on brakes.

“You can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd…” (Roger Miller)

Dan A
How do you get from downtown to Washington Park via sidewalk? I just ride up the middle of Johnson to NW 24th, or up Jefferson through Goose Hollow.FYI, a study in the 90s found that riders were 2x as likely to be involved in an intersection crash riding on the sidewalk than in the road. There’s a reason why it should only be done selectively.Recommended 0

I mean Goose Hollow via Salmon and Park. Surely you don’t ride in the middle of streets uphill? This shows how easy it is to get hit by a car or crunched between them: https://goo.gl/maps/aB9a2eV4JGL9niBs6 Burnside to the north end of Washington Park is no better, with higher speeds: https://goo.gl/maps/7YaNo6pGZ7yKGiJ87

You can’t outrace cars and I don’t want to force them to a crawl and make manual drivers shift from neutral to 1st repeatedly. No smart pedestrian would be in the street either (same speed-differential issue). Watching for blind driveways, I’m far more relaxed on the sidewalk at slower speeds. But when I hit residential streets w/25 MPH limits I’m rarely on the sidewalk. It’s all context.

https://youtu.be/55Wb8exPj3o (stupid and rude, solo or in groups)

Dan A
Those are both very poor routes uphill, IMO. I take Park/Salmon down from the zoo, but going back up it’s far more practical to take Jefferson’s bike lane up to the Murray St/Park Pl bike path, or go up Johnson to 24th, and cross Burnside on the bike path in the NE corner of the park.It’s curious that you’ve picked out a video of a pack of 20+ riders using the lane in an illegal manner (not 2 abreast, and riding well away from the side of the road for no reason) and compared it to cyclists’ legal right to be in the road, even on rural roads, as necessary. The fog line designates the edge of the road, not ‘where bikes should be’, and I’d wager that when there’s very little shoulder it’s safer to ride on the left of that line than on the right of it, because you have more wiggle room for obstacles and are more likely to get passed at a safe distance than 3 inches from your elbows.Recommended 0

It depends where you start from on a given day. I live in Raleigh Hills and usually do this when coming back from the east side through the middle of downtown. I’ve done the Jefferson-Murray route a few times but it’s usually too much of a detour. I also like Salmon-Park for the exercise factor and it’s a nice area. It works fine, I just don’t want to be in the road uphill next to cars.

Yes, that country lane mob is extreme but the arrogance displayed isn’t worlds apart from a lone rider or small group slowing traffic downtown and expecting people to have endless patience/awareness. Slower, lighter vehicles should rarely block heavier, faster ones for the safety and liability of everyone. Same deal when trail walkers block cyclists, who become analogous to cars.

This has been over-debated but thanks for the tips. I did pick up some good info.