The Oregon Transportation Commission is where the rubber meets the road and path when it comes to setting transportation policy in Oregon. This powerful group plays a key role in framing the discussion about transportation priorities in our state and they also hold the purse strings when it comes to project funding.
Back in August, Portlander Owen Spencer was right-hooked while traveling westbound on NE Couch at the intersection of NE Grand. Unfortunately, Spencer’s experience was far too common. That intersection is well-known by riders and by the Portland Bureau of Transportation as a hot-spot for bike/car collisions.
PBOT had already installed green pavement markings and a bike box at the intersection, but after Spencer’s collision — and the community outcry that followed — they realized more needed to be done.
In Portland and other cities across the U.S., the cost of transit is going up. A combination of factors is making it hard for transit agencies to make financial ends meet and the result is often not just service cutbacks but fare increases as well.
This morning TriMet announced a grave warning about a $17 million budget shortfall next year and it seems very likely that yet another fare increase is on the horizon. That announcement got me thinking: Will the higher cost of bus and rail fare hasten a switch to bicycling for some riders? Has it already?
U.S. Census statistics make one thing clear: In parts of Portland where bike use is already high, the rate of bike ridership rivals transit ridership.
Year: 2010
Brand: Salsa
Model: Con Crosso
Color:2 tone green
Size:49
Serial:# H7JH17696
Stolen in Portland, OR 97217
Stolen:2011-10-26
Stolen From: 2 cyclocross bikes were stolen from the bike rack on my car, locked with a u lock & cable to the rack. Taken from the Kaiser Dental parking lot at N Interstate/Buffalo behind the Interstate/lombard Fred Meyer.
Owner: Mielle Blomberg
OwnerEmail: mmblomberg@yahoo.com
Description: Serial # H7JH17696
Color: Two-tone green
49cm Salsa Chili Con Crosso 2010 frame
Kona carbon cross fork
Shimano flat bar shifters and brake levers
Shimano XT rear derailleur
FSA crank set
TPR cantilever brakes
Green Chris King headset
Black Chris King bottom bracket
Mavic ksyrium wheel set
Thompson seat post and stem
WTB Silverado saddle
Easton 50 flat bars
Police record with: portland
Police reference#: 11-156013
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
Year: 2011
Brand: Kona
Model: Major Jake carbon
Color:orang/black
Size:53cm
Serial: H0EEG00121
Stolen in Portland, OR 97217
Stolen:2011-10-26
Stolen From: 7201 N Interstate & Buffalo in the kaiser permanente parking lot. Behind the Interstate/lombard fred meyer. both bikes were locked to the bike rack.
Owner: Mielle Blomberg
OwnerEmail: mmblomberg@yahoo.com
Description: 53cm Kona Major Jake 2011
Color: Black and orange
Full carbon frameset
Ultegra shifters
Ultegra front derailleur
Ultegra rear derailleur
FSA crank set
Mini V brakes
Mavic ksyrium wheel set
Black Chris King headset
FSA seat post, stem, and handlebars
Bontrager WSD saddle
brand new bright orange lizard skin bar tape
Police record with: portland
Police reference#: T11007735
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
Year: ca.
Brand: unknown
Model: MTB
Color:Found! Black/yellow
Size:small
Stolen in Portland, OR 97204
Stolen:2011-10-25
Stolen From: saturday market neighborhood
Neighborhood: old town
Owner: Jen Featheringill
OwnerEmail: bike-central@bike-central.com
Description: FOUND! low end mountain bike in the process of being stolen
Howard Hagge, the man who drove his Dodge Caliber into Yulia Shtutman while she rode her bike on SW Canyon Road last week, has been issued a citation for making a dangerous left turn.
According to the Beaverton Police Department, their Crash Analysis Reconstruction Team determined that Hagge made his left turn on a blinking arrow and Shtutman had a green light. Bail for Hagge was set at $472 — $90 more than the standard $382 for that violation because it resulted in a collision and is therefore considered “aggravated”.
The crash caused serious injuries to Shtutman and she spent six days in a hospital. She was released yesterday and is now home with family. I have been in touch with her father Michael Shtutman via email. He shared more information about her injuries:
“Yulia is recovering from Post concussive syndrome and multiple nasal and face bones fractures. It may take 4-8 weeks to recover from PCS and some follow up procedures may required for other damages. According to the doctors, helmet made a real difference and safe Yulia from significantly more serious brain traumas.”
It’s worth noting that the Beaverton PD’s initial statement about the crash stated that Ms. Shtutman was traveling westbound and then, “impacted the passenger side of the car, as it turned.” That language led to local media coverage like this from KGW (emphasis mine):
“Witnesses told police the driver had been turning left onto SW 110th Avenue from SW Canyon Road when the cyclist ran into the passenger side of the car.”
And that type of coverage led to comments like, “This is what happens when a bike rider runs a stop sign.”
With a week since the collision occurred, and the fact that Shtutman is out of the hospital, I don’t expect any follow-ups to this story in the local media.
I hope Beaverton PD takes this as an example to be more sensitive in statements about collisions to not insinuate that one person “impacted” or “collided with” the other. Whether they intend to or not, those type of statements make a subtle judgment about who is at fault. I’d recommend to simply state that two vehicle operators were involved in a collision. That way, nothing about who collided into who is released until a thorough investigation has been concluded.
UPDATE:
Michael Shtutman, Yulia’s father, has shared more about her injuries with me via email:
“Yulia is recovering from Post concussive syndrome and multiple nasal and face bones fractures. It may take 4-8 weeks to recover from PCS and some follow up procedures may required for other damages. According to the doctors, helmet made a real difference and safe Yulia from significantly more serious brain traumas.”
He also shared these thoughts about biking conditions in Beaverton:
“Based on my experience of biking in Europe I think that painting of two lines with bike in between on the roads is not enough to create real bike roads and make city safe for the bikers.”
Portland Community College’s Cascade campus is considering the construction of a four-story parking garage on the northeast corner of N Michigan and Killingsworth. The project is part of district-wide expansion plans funded by a $374 million bond measure passed by voters in 2008.
While some neighborhood residents are alarmed at the potential impacts of a parking garage — especially its alignment along the bicycle boulevard planned for Michigan Ave — PCC officials say that the structure is not a done deal and they still might not have build it.
With this picture perfect weather we’ve been having I decided to take the long way home yesterday in order to see some fall colors. At the recommendations of some friends, I found my way to SE Ankeny where the bright yellow leaves of golden ash trees (thanks for the identification help Esther!) lined the street.
Riding in fall when the leaves have turned is one of the secret pleasures of going by bike. Sure, you can see leaves from a car; but on a bike, you feel literally surrounded by them. I shot most of the photos in this post with a wide angle while pedaling to give you an idea of what I mean…
Year: new
Brand: schwinn
Model: mesa
Color:white and maroon
Size:mountain bike
Serial: pobm28580
Photo: no photo just got it
Stolen in Se portland, OR 97215
Stolen:2011-10-25
Stolen From: rose tabor apt
Owner: danny england
OwnerEmail: dannyjengland@hotmail.com
Description: 24 speed tires have yellow side walls
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
A laminated map and stencil markings have mysteriously appeared on the shared-use paths leading up to the I-5 bridge. We haven’t figured out who’s behind them, but several people say the signs are a big help.
To ride a bike over the I-5 bridge from Portland to Vancouver is an exercise in frustration. Before even getting on the deck of the bridge (which is narrow and a bit frightening to many riders), people on bikes are forced through a series of awkward crossings and sidewalk riding. And that’s only if you can figure out where you’re supposed to ride to begin with.