[The crux of the problem.] The current Oregon statutes governing the operation of a motor vehicle in a bike lane are confusing and unclear. The Portland Police Bureau found this out the hard way and they want to find a solution and have the laws fixed for good at the upcoming legislative session in Salem.
My Perceptions of enforcement post last week spurred some interesting discussion. Curious about how the perception of my readers differed from the reality of statistics, I asked for people to guess how many tickets were written to bicyclists last month. Of the 74 comments the average guess was around 60. As promised, here are the … Read more
The issue of enforcement against bicycles is contributing to an increasingly acrimonious relationship between the Police Bureau and some members of the bike community. In addition to the well-publicized and unresolved fixed-gear bicycle issue, allegations of selective enforcement are still being made, especially by downtown messengers who feel they’re being unfairly targeted for both fixed-gears … Read more
[It was great while it lasted.] The law requires that all cyclists have a front light and a rear reflector. A little over one year ago, the Traffic Division of the Portland Police Bureau began giving out free lights to bicyclists who were stopped for violating this law. The program was spearheaded by then Commander … Read more
[City of Portland’s Chief of Bicycles, Roger Geller] One of the more interesting and dramatic cases in yesterday’s “Bike Day at Court” was the case involving Jeff Smith. Smith is a PDOT employee who, ironically, has worked in the city’s bike program for many years. Smith was issued a citation for failure to use a … Read more
The following notes on yesterday’s court proceedings are from local transportation activist and regular Shift volunteer, Carl Larson (photo). “These trials really drove the larger point of all of this home to me. These officers hide behind the shield of “safety,” but in many cases, their real goal is to protect the interests of motor … Read more
From the Oregonian News Blog: Milwaukie police are searching for a vehicle that hit a bicyclist about 7:40 p.m. Tuesday on Southeast McLoughlin Boulevard just north of River Road (Google map) and kept going. The 18-year-old male bicyclist from Oregon City suffered minor injuries.
[Mark Ginsberg inhis other suit.] Mark Ginsberg is a Portland-based lawyer who specializes in bicycle-related cases. He’s also the guy who represented messenger Ayla Holland in the infamous fixed gear brake trial. Since that case, the Portland Police have continued to scrutinize bicyclists. They’re citing not only brakeless fixed-gear bicycle riders without handbrakes, but several … Read more
[Officer Brett Barnum taking the oath at the Ayla Holland trial.] Officer Brett Barnum of the Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division has been at the center of the fixed gear enforcement issue. He was the officer who convinced a traffic court judge to uphold his citation of Ayla Holland back on July 28th (the case … Read more
[Traffic Division officer Ron Hoesly] Last week I joined Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division officer Ron Hoesly for a ride-along. Why go on a ride-along? First and foremost is my ongoing desire to build good, working relationships with the cops (especially the Traffic Division). Whether you like them or not, I think our experience as … Read more
[Update: The Police Bureau has just debuted their new web page for bike safety and theft info.] [Recovery number 15!] This week has been good and bad for bike theft. First the bad news. In the last 7 days there have been 39 new stolen bike listings (I haven’t published them all yet). That’s a … Read more
Several cyclists out on the streets in the last few days have relayed their concerns to me about what they perceive as increased police enforcement of fixed-gear riders. Given the recent court decision and heightened awareness of this issue, I asked Traffic Division Lieutenant Mark Kruger for an official stance on how the Portland Police … Read more