Is nowhere safe?
Our driving culture has devolved to such a low point in Portland that it often feels like there’s nowhere you can go without worrying about a car user having some sort of negative impact on your day — or your life.
Drivers are slamming into homes, driving on bike paths and in public parks, and even flying over embankments into our rivers.
On Sunday, a park in Northeast Portland that’s usually a place of community and calm for neighbors had its serenity pierced by a reckless driver. Someone plowed into the pocket park at NE 13th on the NE Holman neighborhood greenway. And to make it worse, the driver rammed over bollards that were fashioned to look like LEGO figures and installed shortly after the creation of the park in 2012.
I heard a bit more from a reader yesterday (in response to a post about it on social media). “This was quite a bad scene,” they shared. “It looked like they hit another vehicle and were running from that incident when this happened. After they hit the bollards they sat there and floored the gas trying to drive away for 5 more minutes until neighbors convinced them to shut off the car.”
If not for the two LEGO bollards in the middle of the path that runs through the park (see photos above), this driver would have likely created more havoc in the neighborhood. Thsoe bollards deserve a medal for their heroism!
I first heard about this from a reader who sent me a photo of the damaged bollard, and then sent me a link from the Woodlawn Nextdoor feed. When I read the post from a woman who saw the aftermath of the incident, my heart sank. Her words are troubling on so many levels (be sure to read to the end):
“In the Woodlawn neighborhood where my neighbor’s little kids play frequently and we generally think we are safe from cars. This van took out not only the first one but apparently was out of control and speeding fast enough to land/take out another one from the next pair as well, meaning it went over/toppling the first blockade and into the middle! JFC. Be careful out there. Teach your kids to listen for high speed cars, look toward it and safely distance themselves to stay clear. There have been too many of these lately.”
This is where we are. A mom telling other parents to teach kids to listen for reckless drivers even while playing in a park.
I’ve confirmed with a witness that the driver was arrested and taken into custody by the Portland Police Bureau.
Given that infrastructure and enforcement will only get us so far, we must do more to break the cycle of dysfunctional culture that breeds this type of driving behavior.
