3 crashes, 2 fatalities: Updates and reactions to Portland’s tragic weekend

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A small memorial has been created where 17-year-old Austin Hrynko was hit and killed on Saturday.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

In less than 24 hours between Friday and Saturday three people were hit while using Portland streets without a car. Two of them died and another person is hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. In both fatalities, Police made an arrest for drunk and reckless driving.

This is a wake-up call for Portland, a city that has embraced “Vision Zero” and made a very public commitment to get serious about street safety.

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The Monday Roundup: Italy’s road homicide law, Seattle’s Bike Batman & more

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Biking in Rome, 2013.
(Photo: Ed Yourdon)

Here are the bike-related links from around the world that caught our eyes this week:

“Road homicide”: It’ll be a new offense in Italy, associated with minimum prison sentences of two to eight years and 15-year bans from driving.

“Bike Batman”: A Seattle engineer who confronts bike thieves and returns bikes to owners describes his work as “kind of fun.”

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Arrest made in fatal crash on SE Center near Powell Butte – UPDATED

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
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Approximate crash location. Powell Butte Nature Park
is in the lower right.

A person was killed today after being involved in a traffic collision.

Details are still coming in, but so far we know that the deceased was a 17-year-old man and the other party in the collision was a person driving a Dodge Dakota pickup. The incident happened just before 4:00 pm today on SE Center a few blocks east of 141st Avenue (map).

Center is a low-volume neighborhood street with speed bumps and it’s a popular east-west bicycle route in the area.

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Spring sessions, ‘Shred Academy’ get rolling at The Lumberyard

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Some news from our friends at The Lumberyard:

The Lumberyard Indoor Bike Park is in final prep mode for its upcoming Spring Shred Academy session. The Spring after School Shred Academy starts the week of March 28th and runs 10 weeks through the week of May 30th from 4:30 to 6PM and 6:30- 8PM for select sessions. The After School Shred Academy is focused on meeting the needs of students involved and helping kids learn the skills to build their confidence on bikes and take their riding to the next level. For ages 4-14.

Six categories from beginning to advanced include: Greenhorns, Shredders and Hot Shots. Price for the school is $225 for 10 week after school shred academy. For an additional $35, students can rent elite level Lumberyard issue bike for the 10 weeks. Students enrolled in ASSA have full access to the park after each session is completed as long as their parent or guardian supervises.

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#WorkZoneWTF: Advocates want city ordinance to ensure safe passage through work zones

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This work zone on North Williams Avenue forced bicycle traffic into the adjacent lane.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Oregon Walks and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance have had enough. The two Portland-based nonprofits are calling on the City of Portland to pass a new ordinance that would require all city bureaus, contractors and private parties to maintain work zones that do not interrupt cycling and walking routes. And if they do, an adequate detour must be created.

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The Ride: Gorge backroads delight on the Dalles Mountain Mutiny

Looking back towards The Dalles where we started.
(Photos and words by Gabriel Tiller/Limberlost)

Welcome to The Ride, our ongoing series of inspirational adventure stories sponsored by 21st Avenue Bicycles. See more from this series here.

It’s becoming that time of year again when cyclists start coming out of hibernation and you can usually count on it being sunny (or at least not snowy) in the rolling grass hills of the eastern Columbia River Gorge. One of VeloDirt’s longest running rides — the Dalles Mountain 60 — took place last weekend starting anarchically from the unassuming parking lot of Holsteins Coffee in The Dalles. For a non-event, just a murmur between friends on Instagram or the simple expectation of tradition every second Saturday of March, it’s a rather popular ride.

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From the Archives

More biking = better driving. So why isn’t this said more often?