A person riding a bicycle has died following a collision with a driver on Highway 43 south of the Sellwoood Bridge. It happened sometime around 5:30 pm in the 9900 block of S Riverside Drive (Hwy 43), which is in an unincorporated section of Multnomah County between the borders of Portland and Lake Oswego.
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office was able to make contact with the driver. No further details have been released. I will update this post as I learn more.
This stretch of road is a typical four-lane highway with no center median and no bike lane. The shoulder width is relatively narrow and the speed limit is 45 mph. It’s listed as a “difficult connection” on the City of Portland’s official bike map. It’s not heavily used by bike riders, but it’s reasonable someone would use this route to get between Sellwood and Lake Oswego (it’s visible on route heatmaps from Strava and RideWithGPS), or to access the trails at River View Natural Area. Most people would opt for the bike-friendly road through River View Cemetery, but access to that route has been unreliable and I’ve gotten reports recently that the gate is being closed at dusk, which would have been before this crash.
While it’s too early to speculate about the victim’s route or intentions, after I posted about this crash early this morning, several folks shared their thoughts. One person told me they live in Sellwood and attend Lewis & Clark Law School, which is very close to where this crash happened:
“This stretch of road is popular for bikes riding along the waterfront getting back on the bridge (especially for mountain bikers who ride the River View trails), heading east to Sellwood and for folks riding to Lake Oswego or into the Southwest Hills. Southbound has little to no shoulder for the majority of stretch and people very frequently speed far above the speed limit. I am rattled by this as a Sellwood resident and a frequent user of this road on my bike rides.”
Other folks say the crash has unnerved them. “I biked on this road once. Never again. It’s scary. Needs a bike lane at minimum,” one reader shared. “I’ve noticed the cemetery gates up top are getting closed even to bikes and pedestrians around 4:30, so more folks may be looking for work-arounds. This is scary to hear,” said another.
There have been attempts over the years to convert the old trolley line adjacent to this highway into a more modern rail line or a paved bike path, but strong resistance from riverfront homeowners, cost, and legal complications related to historical easements have stymied those efforts.
If you have any information about this crash. Please contact me.
UPDATE, 8:24 pm: Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office has issued a statement:
Based on the preliminary investigation, the bicyclist was traveling south, lost control of his bike after potentially hitting a rock on the shoulder of the roadway, fell, and was then struck by an SUV traveling south.
Initial first responders found a bicycle helmet on scene, which they believe the 68-year-old victim was wearing at the time of the crash.
The driver, a 32-year-old man, remained on scene.
At this time, no arrests have been made and no citations issued. Once the investigation is complete, it will be submitted to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office (MCDA) for review.
MCDA will make a charging decision based on the available evidence and upon conducting a legal analysis.
The bicyclist is identified as Rutilo Moreno Jorge.
Thanks for reading.
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I think you understate how significant a gap this connection is in our cycling network. The only current alternative is going up and around by climbing up switchbacks through private property. And while very scenic, the path through Tryon Creek is twisty and bumpy. I do appreciate that both of these bike friendly routes exist, but a more direct route is desperately needed.
And given the relatively modest traffic counts south of the bridge, it’s insane that they still have this configured as a 4-lane highway.
I live in Lake Oswego and it’s awful to get into Portland / Sellwood on a bike. I believe Hwy 43 is an ODOT highway, meaning the cities can’t really touch it AFAIK.
Converting the trolley trail to a pathway would be amazing. It would be a game changer for micromobility connectivity between LO and South Waterfront.
Couldn’t agree more mperham! I really wish someone would take up this issue again. Or maybe BikePortland should! Especially now with with so many e-bikes in the fleet – this stretch between Sellwood and Lake O is perfect for e-bikes and a ton of people would use it.
Picked up free stuff off Craigs in LO and riding 43 is always a near death experience.. Wh0regone roulette..
I commute daily from Portland to Lake Oswego and rely on the cemetery route as a safe way to navigate this stretch. When it’s closed to bikes before the end of the workday, it creates a difficult situation and the alternate routes, Taylor’s Ferry or Highway 43, are far less safe for cyclists.
It seems the closure happens primarily during the winter months, when it’s already dark by the time many of us are heading home. That’s exactly when having a safe, well-lit route matters most. I’d be grateful if the cemetery could remain accessible to cyclists through the evening commute hours.
@Marie Everyone who feels this way should reach out to Portland City Council, particular D4 but also if you live elsewhere in Portland to your reps as well. The Cemetery is a private entity. It is a nonprofit with a mission that has nothing to do with providing us safe routes for bicycling and walking. The City needs to step up and working with the Cemetery to create short-term solutions and a long-term real alternative to expecting a private entity to provide such a key route.
Re: “the gate is being closed at dusk” – yes, it has been since at least this summer, if not longer. The path thru the cemetery is also a much steeper and longer hill. The route up thru Riverview Cemetery and along Tryon Creek Park to Lake Oswego from the west end of the Sellwood bridge is 4.7 miles and 400 feet of elevation gain, with over a 6% grade, which Google estimates to take 33 minutes.
While Hwy 43 is only 3.2 miles and 170 feet of elevation gain and only takes 17 minutes: about half the time and less than half the elevation.
As a bike commuter who lives in Southeast Portland and works in Ssouthwest Portland, I can attest that historically no agencies — City, County, Metro, TriMet, or State — have prioritized safety for bicyclists and pedestrians in much of Southwest beyond downtown Portland. For decades, PBOT has expected a private nonprofit cemetery to provide 1.6 miles of routes for pedestrians and bicyclists, without the City developing any viable alternatives. (Nor has the PBOT developed safe connectors to/from the Cemetery, as this case underscores). It seems to take only a few affluent residents to persuade public agencies NOT to provide safe alternatives for the many people who need or wish to travel to, from, and through Southwest using active transit (bicycles, walking) or public transit. Yet the financial, environmental, and health burdens of expecting everyone to own and operate a private motor vehicle are evident.
Whether this bicyclist was commuting, running an errand, on a recreational ride, or bicycling for whatever reason, they should not have been put in this dangerous position, None of us should be. And yet, every day, through indifference, members of our community continue to be endangered, and too often injured or killed.
Sellwood resident here. The amount of speeding I can hear on 43 where this crash happened is insane. Daily and nightly. Driving south on 43 past the bridge, the highway opens up and so folks feel ok gassing it. A speed camera or even an occasional actual cop would pay off here big time.
I’m super bummed to hear the cemetery is closing gates at dusk, will have to go check that out.
Jonno,
You must be new here….talk of enforcement is sure to bring you lots of opposition from many bike portland commenters—especially suggesting something like “evil racist cop” enforcement of our traffic laws. And we wonder why we have so many traffic deaths in Portland…..
This is sad to read, and too close to home. I occasionally ride on this stretch of Hwy 43, but avoid it whenever possible
I asked ODOT to address the bike safety concerns on Hwy 43 from the Sellwood Bridge through Lake Oswego and West Linn over 10 years ago, with detailed descriptions of areas of concern and photos. They responded that they looked at the areas and didn’t see the need to correct any problems. That stance still stings, and leaves me with little confidence in ODOT.
We shouldn’t have to rely on the grace of a private entity (Riverview Cemetery, which is closed at night, and occasionally at other times) to ride between Lake Oswego and Sellwood. Long term, our neighborhood association (Sellwood-Moreland) plans to lobby for a safe public facility to connect the west end of the Sellwood Bridge to southwest Portland and Lake Oswego. Hopefully we’ll get that in Portland’s new Transportation System Plan. But that could take decades to fund and build. In the meantime, our state transportation agency owns right of way they could reallocate to provide a safe bike/ped facility if they want.
Time to re-new efforts to lobby ODOT? Any constructive suggestions?
My employer, Lewis & Clark, has both many employees and many students who bicycle or walk to campus, or who wish they could if the routes were better. Scott, if the neighborhood association would like to collaborate, please reach out to me directly.
I feel like I saw somewhere that the Willamette Shore Trolley was revived and is running again? And that would seemingly remove the idea of a separated path. I could be misremembering though.
But this section of road really needs a road diet either way. The section of road immediately to the south of where the crash occurred already only has one northbound lane, so the additional lane at least to me seems pretty clearly not needed. And at least to me that suggests we could and probably should get rid of the second southbound lane as well, making this a standard 2-lane road with a center turn lane. The extra space should be converted into a wide two-way multi-use path on the east side of the road that connects on the north side with the existing path that exists north of the Sellwood Brifge, and on the south side to at least Palatine Hill Road (after which low-stress alternatives exist).
My condolences to the family of the rider who lost their life.
I love this idea- ODOT should install some jersey barriers tomorrow as a trial until next summer. IF traffic delays are acceptable, then it remains permanent and can be upgraded during the next road rebuild. The only thing stopping ODOT form doing this is will- maybe we need to pressure the governor?
Yes, the trolley is running again, and has shifted to solar/electric power for there very limited runs. Any trail would need to parallel the railroad, similar to the Springwater, but the ROW does not have width in many areas.
The Willamette Shores Trolley runs a cursory amount of service yearly as a heritage railway, at least in part to prevent the railway from being formally abandoned. If memory serves, they need to run at least one service per year.
I see no big downside to a path on the alignment even from an optimistic long-term passenger rail viewpoint. Any service from Wilsonville or Lake O to Portland probably is better of crossing the bridge and traveling on the east side of the river via Milwaukie than going via this line. The only downside would be not serving the west side waterfront – a Portland Streecar extension to the Sellwood Bridge via the trolley route would be an interesting idea at least.
I’m sure the biggest issue with making a path is dealing with the old trestles. It would definitely be an expensive undertaking to rehab or replace them. But it would be an awesome ride, and pancake flat relative to every other option to Lake O
5:30 pm would have been near sundown, when light is most dim for everyone involved, usually the most dangerous time to interact with car drivers even when riders are well-lit.
I would not suggest adding a painted bike lane on any 4-lane that allows 45 mph. Speed limits need to be vastly reduced – a 3-lane road diet might be possible with buffered bike lanes and 35 mph, or maybe barrier-protected bike lanes and 40 mph.
According to ODOT, in 2023 the road (Highway 43 aka S. Riverside Dr at Riverwood Rd) had an AADT of 15,076 of which 6,741 were northbound and 8,335 southbound, with peak traffic on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. https://ordot.public.ms2soft.com/tcds/tsearch.asp?loc=Ordot&mod=TCDS
5:30 isn’t near sundown. It’s dark this this time of year
That’s well after sunset, twilight ends at 5:15 and there’s a hill on the west side.
One reason people speed is, they want to be first in line before the two lane section drops to one and everyone drops down to approximately the speed limit. Pointless. On the uphill that extra space would be really useful for anyone out there on a bike.
I’m sorry for this person and their family. I rode out 43 once scouting the commute with a friend who was interviewing for a job in LO. They didn’t take the job.
I don’t know that changing the speed limit would help — I doubt drivers pay attention to it, and if they even know what it is, I expect they’d just ignore it if it were dropped
I don’t ride this area often but know it well enough — definitely not great. I have no idea how the crash happened, but lighting would not be a concern for me personally in this area because no one has the sun in their eyes (in my mind, the most dangerous lighting condition there is).
Rather, getting clipped by someone drifting across the line is always my biggest concern — in the wet/dark with headlights shining in your eyes and from behind can make it challenging to tell what’s going on in the mirror.
It’s areas like this that need more attention, places with “reasonable” facilities don’t need to be reworked in the meantime. I have Lombard on the brain right now since there was a recent article about the bike lane there being deficient — all I have to say is try riding past Denver where everything moves much faster and there’s a nice high curb with no bike lane or shoulder and see if improving already-improved areas need priority.
David, at this time of year it is quite dark at 5:30 pm in Portland. The sun sets at 4:45 pm and civil twilight ends at 5:15p. So 5:15 to 5:50 is nautical twilight, where you need lights to see where you are going already.
I agree about the speeding on 43. Several years ago there was a large public meeting at 5 PM in LO about the proposed LO-to-Portland streetcar, which I and most other people there opposed.
The proponents said the streetcar was needed to alleviate the rush hour traffic jams on 43. I drove the whole way to the meeting on 43 at rush hour, and traffic the whole way was was at least 10 mph over the limit. I don’t know of another commuter route in Portland where you can speed that easily at rush hour. So a road diet seems logical.
The design of the approaches from north and south to the Sellwood Bridge don’t help. It’s designed like a freeway interchange, giving people the impression they should drive on 43 at freeway speeds (and the ability to do so). So they do.
The “highway” is already one lane in each direction as it tops out over the hill. There is absolutely no justification for 2 lanes in each direction, other than “I want to go 15mph over the speed limit”.
Why was the streetcar a bad idea?
At least south of Willamette Park, the line catchment area is very low density (half of it is water), and the local governments have no interest in adding Transit Oriented Development. It also would not have served very many middle or low income citizens.
It would be a great location for a bike path. Mass transit, not so much.
I feel a bike/walking path would have way more daily users than the trolley. If I had to bike on 43 I simply wouldn’t …I’d have the bus cart me and my bike through that speeding corridor. My assumption is that the residents are opposed to creating a walkable/bikeable trail to replace trolley due to risk of misuse. It would be a tricky stretch of land to police and there would be overnight campers within a week.
Ok vehicular cyclists, where you at? Tell us why building a path would be “infantilizing”. Tell us why “taking the lane” on a 60mph highway is actually somehow 1 billion percent safer than a separated path. Tell us about how the cyclist was actually incompetent and we all suffer from “cyclist inferiority phobia”.
These tragedies are completely avoidable, yet many – including those in positions of power – refuse to acknowledge material reality.
Who are you yelling at? Who are the vehicular cyclists advocates on this site or in any position to influence anything? Yell or Email or lobby ODOT.
I was involved. The man had a cardiac event and fell into the car’s back right tire, even though the driver gave him space. A tragic accident. There needs to be a bike lane here.
OR43 is proven, to be deadly. Meanwhile the trolley line sits as an unused right-of-way running from the south waterfront right into Lake O. I know the monied elite in Dunthorp have long fought converting it into a rail to trail. And their concern about campers degrading their neighborhood is demonstrated to be valid if the Springwater Trail can be used for comparison. Still, the carnage must be stopped and Dunthorp can hire private security.