On Monday, a Multnomah County jury awarded $1.05 million to a Tigard resident who was hit by a bus operator while riding his bicycle on Highway 99. It’s a victory, but a reminder that bicycle riders and their advocates still face an uphill battle when it comes to establishing a legal right to the road. … Read more
Who exactly has jurisdiction over a specific piece of bike path on the Willamette River? Downtown Portland resident Amy C. is learning the hard way that no one seems to know who’s in charge of this popular piece of public right-of-way. On July 18th, Amy was riding her bike northbound on the Willamette River Greenway … Read more
“The City has failed and continues to fail to maintain its sidewalks clear of debris and tent encampments, which is necessary to make its sidewalks readily accessible to people with mobility disabilities.” – Tozer (et al) v City of Portland The City of Portland must clear its sidewalks of tents and campers so that people … Read more
Welcome to Get Legal, a column that goes deep into traffic law with the help of experts in the field. Today’s expert is Ray Thomas, a Portland-based lawyer at Thomas, Coon, Newton & Frost with decades of experience in bicycle law and advocacy. Read past Get Legal columns here. “You can have a bike funeral, … Read more
Tweens and Teens are embracing electric bikes for transportation, but it’s technically against the law. By Hood River resident and cycling advocate Megan Ramey (@bikabout) We are currently living through the next great transportation revolution. It may be difficult to see it while you’re in the midst of it, but the rapid development of the … Read more
Lawyers for the family of a Salem woman who was hit and killed while bicycling in October 2020 will file a lawsuit on Monday against the manufacturers of inhalants they say turn drivers into “zombies”. Joleen “Jo” Braasch-Berry was 26-years-old and recently married when she left her job as an elementary school librarian. Braasch-Berry was … Read more
When I first heard I was being sued by the subject of one of my stories, I didn’t think it would amount to much. I certainly didn’t think I’d ever find myself squirming in a courtroom bench as my accuser and a judge read through one of my stories word-for-word. But that’s exactly where I … Read more
The idea of no-parking zones at intersections started with a state law. Then it became a point of contention for transportation activists, then a City of Portland policy, then a campaign from a walking advocacy group. Now it has become the basis of a lawsuit. Yesterday, Portland attorney Scott Kocher of Forum Law Group filed … Read more
There are now 587 more electric scooters on Portland streets than this time last year. In the first 10 weeks of the current pilot program, the City of Portland says 16 of those scooters were involved in a collision. We can confirm that at least two of those collisions involved a bicycle rider. There was … Read more
Comment of the Week: We need more public restrooms downtown