BikePortland

The state of SW Barbur Boulevard (Part Two)

16369069528_55c1ab8d08_b — A rider rolls over the Newbury Bridge through the “Woods” segment of Barbur Blvd.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Who could do something like this? And why?

Those are the questions many people asked themselves following the mass weaponized driving incident that left one person dead and many others injured on Monday, January 25th.

Three days later, a picture of the man who perpetrated this violence is beginning to emerge.

64-year-old Paul Rivas made his first appearance in court on Wednesday where he pleaded not guilty to all 14 felony counts against him. (Note: It is standard practice for a defendant to plead not guilty at arraignments.)

Two current GoFundMe campaigns organized by Portlanders seek donations to help victims and their families navigate the emotional, physical and financial consequences caused by automobile drivers.

Wednesday evening is the first meeting of the community advisory group (CAG) for the I-5 Bridge Replacement program — the new effort from Washington and Oregon departments of transportation to improve the crossing of the Columbia River between Portland and Vancouver. It’s one of three advisory groups that will help the DOTs avoid the fate of the failed Columbia River Crossing project.

Getting to the bridge and crossing the river is currently terrible for bicycle users and this project could attract billions of federal dollars to make it better. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make it easy to bike between these two growing cities — both on the bridge itself and on street connections on both ends.

However, despite the importance of bicycling in this project and the project’s own contention that the CAG will, “develop recommendations to help ensure the program outcomes reflect community needs, issues and concerns,” the 32-member body does not include anyone who represents a cycling advocacy group.

Screen Shot 2021-01-27 at 10.24.42 AM — Current concept for the Portland Opportunity Dwelling ™.
(Graphic: POD the People, based on input from James Fritz)

What if there was a form of shelter that was much less expensive than housing and more private, comfortable and mobile than living on the street?

(Photos from last night’s vigil by Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Friends, family, and many people who never knew Jean Gerich gathered to remember her Tuesday night. The 77-year-old Gerich was killed Monday in the intentional vehicular assault in southeast Portland that left at least nine other people injured.