A man riding a bicycle was killed by a driver near the intersection of Northeast Glisan and 128th this morning. The Portland Police Bureau say it happened around 2:37 am. By the time officers arrived they found the bicycle rider dead and the driver had fled the scene.
This is the third fatal collision involving a bicycle rider so far this year.
While we don’t know many details about what happened yet, this location is notable for a few reasons. This section of NE Glisan east of I-205 was significantly reconfigured by the Portland Bureau of Transportation in 2019. Once referred to as a “raceway” in a PBOT slide presentation, the street was converted from a classic east Portland stroad into a more humane design with protected bike lanes, enhanced crossings, and other safety-related features.
Glisan at 128th is also where the 130s neighborhood greenway crossing from north to south. It’s an off-set intersection, so PBOT built a two-way protected bike lane and median island crossing in order to help get bicycle riders safely across the intersection. Another reason PBOT paid special attention to this crossing is because it’s right outside Menlo Park Elementary School.
PPB is still investigating the crash and said in a statement his morning the incident could impact the morning drop-off.
According to our Fatality Tracker, this is the 47th fatal traffic collision on Portland streets so far this year, down from 55 at this point last year.
If you have more information about what happened, please let the police know so they can track down whoever did this. If you saw or heard anything, please email crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov attention Traffic Investigations Unit and reference case number 24-269766.
UPDATE, 10:08 am: Another bicycle rider has been killed in a traffic crash this morning. PPB says it happened around 9:00 am at NE 10th and Mark.
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A funky crossing, but from an engineering standpoint very functional.
Early in the morning cyclist maybe cutting west going south to 128th. Sad.
All crossings of Stroads in east Portland are key to active transportation usage, hence the reason for the crossing design. These crossings are critical.
PBOT, please activate the signal at 113th and Glisan. It’s been completed for months! Who’s running PBOT?
Mayor Wheeler has been leading all city bureaus since July 1, as part of his transition plan to the new city government starting January.
On the engineering side, while I don’t know what’s specifically going on with PBOT or this crossing in particular, I can generally say that testing and commissioning after installation can take a lot of time, especially if your commissioning agents are third party contractors (as they almost always are). Frustrating, I know, but I wouldn’t assume that the city’s engineers are asleep at the wheel on this one, just that the wheels of project management often grind slowly.
I am so frustrated by that signal at 113th and Glisan. That how I bike to Gateway and drivers never stop. I was waiting to cross last week – along with a literal grandma, who I had a lovely chat with while waiting lol – and we didn’t get to cross until a delivery driver used his truck to block the two Eastbound lanes, rolled down his window and told us he’d wait until the other side stopped and we got across safe. Turn on the signal, PBOT!!
We need aggressive enforcement on these multi-lane roads. Compliance with RFBs has been horrendous since Covid.
There are crossing lights in several locations around the City that have been sitting there for many months waiting to be activated. 16th/Burnside and Salmon/Grand off the top of my head.
…
Isn’t this a big issue though? Sure, the crossing is functional from the perspective of an engineer, but if people who use the infrastructure cut the corner then it’s not very functional
100%. Unless it is the heaviest of rush hour, I would never detour at this location. It is a poor design and the detour to the east makes no sense.
Must “functional” infrastructure accommodate everyone using it the way that’s most expedient?
Terrible news, hope the family and friends of the victim can find justice.
But man, that intersection treatment is wacky. Doubling back to a crossing seems less than ideal, would it really be so bad to have have two different crossings within a block right outside of an elementary school?
The solution PBOT came up with here is just baffling. 128th is nearly aligned with the school driveway, so a full signal with marked pedestrian crossings on both sides would make the most sense. No out of direction travel for cyclists, and students/parents get a full signal for safe crossing of Glisan. It would also help school busses get out safely onto Glisan.
Cutting corners can be deadly.
Agreed. And there’s an overpass just feet away so it’s not like there aren’t options. It’s just weird.
I don’t know this intersection at all, but I know what my own ears tell me, which is that drivers are out of control. I can stand outside my house in SW Portland at almost any hour of the evening or night and hear what sounds like the night at the races: cars and motorcycles are zooming loudly up and down the streets, treating our public spaces like their own private playgrounds. Woe be unto anyone who gets in their way.
I can only assume it’s the same in other parts of Portland.
Better infrastructure, yes, but we also need police to enforce the laws and get the dangerous drivers off the streets.