Kenneth C. Martin Blogs: Collision on SE Ankeny at 24th sends bike rider to the hospital

Friday, April 13, 2018

Collision on SE Ankeny at 24th sends bike rider to the hospital

View westbound on Ankeny right before 24th.

At around 8:30 am this morning a man was biking westbound on Ankeny when he was involved in a collision with someone driving an SUV.

The report first came from Facebook from someone who says they saw it happen. Here’s the account I was flagged on:

“Just saw someone in SUV Traveling at around 30 mph roll the stop sign on SE 24th Street and Ankeny (which is a designated bikeway) and hit a guy on a bike. The guy on his bike was headed west on Ankeny and had the right of way ( no stop sign). He was thrown about 15 feet. I called 911 and the ambulance and cops arrived within 5 minutes. The young man on the bike looks like he has a broken leg and wrist. The woman who hit him was sobbing hard as the cop interviewed her. Hitting someone on a bike with your car will mess them up. Please slow down and pay attention in town.”

I’ve confirmed the crash with the Portland Police Bureau. Sgt. Christopher Burley said officers responded and spoke with both parties. Here’s his statement:

“Officers collected the bicyclist and driver’s statements regarding the crash and assisted with an exchange. The bicyclist was transported to an area hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life threatening. No citations have been issued at this time.”

Ankeny is a very popular neighorhood greenway route. It’s one of our “legacy greenways” that was designated as a cycling priority street back in the 1990s. When Portland Bureau of Transportation re-evaluated the greenway network in 2015, they decided it needed “operational improvements” due to major office and housing growth in the area that has led to more driving and higher driving speeds. In the past few years PBOT has added more diverters and has flipped stop signs on Ankeny so bicycle riders don’t have to stop as much.

In this case, the witness above says the driver failed to stop prior to the collision (the bike rider didn’t have to stop). Sgt. Burley says the responding officer only exchanged information — something done when police feel the crash would be better left for the insurance companies to deal with. It’s unclear from his statement if an investigation was done (a prerequisite for a citiation), or if the collision will be counted in official Oregon DMV data. I’ve followed up to find out and will update this post when I hear back.

If you have any information about this crash, please call non-emergency at (503) 823-3333.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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