Fatal crash site visit: NE 105th and NE Marx

I spent some time on Northeast 105th on Sunday. I wanted to get a better understanding of what might have led to the fatal collision involving a bicycle rider on October 21st. And, like I shared about my time on NE Glisan for the same reason, visiting these locations is important for someone who wants gain deeper perspective and/or write and talk about these tragedies.

This section of NE 105th at the intersection with NE Marx is where a 32-year-old named Damon (police haven’t released his full name yet) was hit and killed by a driver while he bicycled to work that morning around 9:00 am. According to people who knew him (and have reached out to BikePortland), Damon was a well-loved co-worker worked at a nearby warehouse.

As I’ve reported, police say Damon was riding northbound on 105th and a driver was going south. As Damon crossed NE Marx, for some reason a driver turned left (to go east) and they collided with each other.

The area adjacent to the road is zoned industrial (although there are some houses along it) and is just north of Sandy Blvd and east of the I-205 bike path. NE 105th has a speed limit of 35 mph. There are no dedicated bike lanes or sidewalks. There are two, 12-foot lanes (one in each direction) and a shoulder that varies in width from two to four feet. Sight lines should have been good, but police say the driver was behind other car users so that might have impacted their vision to some degree, depending on how close behind they were. Damon’s vision might also have been impacted by a driver in front of him. I’m not sure about the details yet, so won’t speculate further.

Another notable factor is that the bicycle rider would have been going downhill. There’s about a 2% grade from a railroad crossing near Sandy Blvd toward Marx. On the city’s official bike map, this section of 105th is marked as a “difficult connection.”

I still hope to hear more from the police about how this happened. If anyone has information, please reach out. For another perspective on this location, read this BikePortland comment from Ted Buehler.

If you want to attend a vigil for Damon, Bike Loud and Families for Safe Streets will meet at NE 105th and Marx at 11:30 for a silent vigil.