Friends of Kathryn Rickson, the young woman who was killed while bicycling on SW 3rd and Madison last week, have launched a fundraising effort.

One of Kathryn's friends got in touch with me to share that a page has been created on ChipIn.com to handle the donations. So far, $545 has been raised. Kathryn was a student at Portland State University who was working odd jobs. Her partner, Ryan Gaughan, recently lost his job at New Seasons Market. Ryan also has a seven-year old daughter named Madeline.

The funds will go to Ryan and Kathryn's family to help pay for a memorial service that is being planned for next month. Kathryn's family lives in Rhode Island and will be traveling to Portland to attend the service. Any additional money raised will be donated in Kathryn's name to non-profits she was passionate about.

Meanwhile, the police investigation into the collision that led to Kathryn's death is still ongoing. A Portland Police Bureau spokesperson told me today that they are still "a couple of weeks away from having the investigation completed." Time is being taken to track down possible security camera footage on nearby buildings and the PPB must also wait for lab results to be processed. After that, the investigation will be forwarded to the District Attorney's office for review.

— For more on Kathryn Rickson, browse the archives.

A tricky crossing of the Springwater Corridor path in Clackamas County just got a bit easier. This morning, county engineers turned on a new, bike-only signal where the path crosses the intersection of SE Johnson Creek Blvd and Bell Ave (in Milwaukie, just south of Portland city limits).

The new signal allows bike traffic to cross diagonally from the northeast corner of the intersection to the southwest corner (and vice versa), instead of having to use two separate crosswalks — a situation that was far from ideal, both from a connectivity and safety standpoint.The $70,000 project began one year ago.

Here's an overhead shot of the intersection to give you a better idea of how the Springwater patch crosses Johnson and Bell...

And here's the view with the new signal looking northeast...

Clackamas County traffic engineer Rick Nys told us this morning that they are still putting finishing touches on the project; but the signal is up and running and he says, "It'd be great to get some folks out there trying it out." Right now, Nys says they've noticed some confusion about how to use the new signal. "We have some education to do," he added. He's encouraging those who have used bike signals before to show others out on the path how it works.

The signal is almost identical to the one Portland has near Peace Park above the Eastbank Esplanade at the intersection of NE Oregon and NE Lloyd. In addition to the bike signal, Clackamas County has also installed a "No Right Turn" sign that will be illuminated while the bike signal is green.

Reader Joe Hamilton says he was the first person to ride through the new signal this morning.

"It will alleviate my concern about getting hit by cars turning right off of Johnson Creek onto Bell Rd (south) when I cross Bell (going east)," Hamilton shared via email. He used to avoid this intersection because of the "double crosswalk light change" it took to get across. Instead he'd take the "narrow and gutter lined" Johnson Creek to Linwood and then hop back onto the Springwater. "That was a quicker option than waiting for the lights," he said, "but not now."

Did you ride through this intersection today? We'd love to hear your feedback.

After 16 months and countless meetings, PBOT has revealed how they plan to improve bicycle access and traffic safety on N Williams Avenue. And much to the surprise of Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) members, part of those plans include maintaining two full lanes for auto traffic in the busiest portion of the road.

At the "final" open house for their North Williams Traffic Operations Safety Project, held Saturday at a church on Williams, PBOT rolled out new posterboards explaining the project, a 3-D simulation of the proposed changes, and they had project staff, SAC members, and traffic engineers on hand to answer questions.

Mayoral candidate Jefferson Smith
talks with SAC Chair Debora Hutchins.

The event was well-attended, with a mix of people showing up to learn more and to leave feedback. In a nod to how political and important this project has become (Mayor Adams has been involved as have both former and current Oregon state representatives), mayoral candidate Jefferson Smith showed up. I noticed that he sat down and had conversations with SAC member Michelle DePass and SAC Chair Debora Hutchins.

As many of you know, the 26-member stakeholder advisory committee (SAC) for this project has played a major role in shaping the plans. After some neighborhood residents and activists spoke out with concerns of racial insensitivity, a lack of respect from PBOT for the neighborhood's African American history, and an SAC that was not diverse enough; the City paused the project and added nine new faces to the committee.

Last month, the SAC made their final recommendation to PBOT. That recommendation included a left-side, buffered bike lane and one standard vehicle lane between Broadway and Killingsworth — except for one section between Fremont and Skidmore. In that busy commercial area*, the SAC recommended a "shared left‐turn lane/bikeway." (*Note that removal of on-street auto parking to create more space for moving traffic was never really considered during this process.)

On Saturday, some members of the SAC were alarmed to find that PBOT had changed their recommendation and the designs they saw at the open house were not what they had agreed to. I'll share more about that below. For now, let's take a closer look at the proposed designs (thanks to Fat Pencil Studio for the simulations)...

PBOT will begin to merge the bikeway over to the left just north of Weidler. As Williams approaches Broadway, a new, bike-only lane will between two standard lanes. The lane on the right of the bike lane will be for through traffic and the lane to the left will be for traffic entering I-5...

Just near the freeway entrance PBOT will include a passing lane in the bikeway that will merge into a seven-foot wide bike lane buffered from parked cars on the left (by a two-foot buffer) and moving traffic on the right (by a three-foot buffer)...

Please note: That blue thing is just the cursor.

Here's the cross-section showing the left-side buffered bike lane that will run from Broadway to just north of Fargo (except for around N Graham, which I've shared below this image)...

The buffered lane ends briefly at the intersection with Graham where the road splits between a median. At that point, we're left with a standard bike lane (on the left of left-turning cars no less):

With much of the bike traffic on Williams Ave heading east (turning right), some folks have wondered how they will go from the left side of the street, across a lane of auto traffic, to turn right. There's always the simple merge; but for folks that want help, PBOT has a design at intersections to facilitate crossing to the right. Here's how it looks at Tillamook...

Leading up to Fargo, the design begins to transition away from the buffered bike lane configuration and into the shared environment. The markings to communicate this transition would include left-turn arrows and triangular yield strips just ahead of sharrows. Here's an up-close look at it...

Then something interesting happened (and this is where things got a bit testy at the open house).

The SAC recommended that, after a transition area, the design should be a shared left turn lane/bikeway beginning at Fremont. But that's not what PBOT brought to the open house. Instead, they showed a two standard lane configuration next to a standard (non-buffered) bike lane (essentially, exactly what we have now, just with bikes on the left side).

According to PBOT traffic engineer Rob Burchfield, they "refined" their previous traffic analysis (which showed one standard lane for the entirety of the project would be feasible) and came to the conclusion that two full standard lanes would be required between Cook and Fremont. Here's how that block would look (Note: This is the block where the new New Seasons Market will be built):

Suffice it to say, some folks — including SAC members — were not happy to see this design. And they were even less happy to see it revealed at the open house without any prior warning. Note the feedback via post-it notes in the photo below...

Segment between Cook and Fremont.

Here's a closer look at the cross-section in the plans between Cook and Fremont (in addition to a half-block leading up to and after that section):

PBOT's Rob Burchfield said the city feels two standard lanes are needed in this area to avoid auto congestion due of the volume of car traffic coming off the I-5 freeway onto Williams via Cook combined with all the new trips and auto circulation that is expected to come with the New Seasons Market on that block. Without two two lanes, the city feels, there won't be enough green time in the traffic signals to "service the traffic" to the extent they feel comfortable with.

"I think we need to recognize, that with New Seasons coming, you're going to get people circulating in and out of that intersection," said Burchfield.

SAC members Susan Peithman (of the BTA)
and Deborah Hutchins express concerns to
PBOT project manager Rich Newlands.

At the open house, PBOT project staff got an earful from SAC members and others. They wanted to know why PBOT decided to show this two standard lane configuration. "It doesn't match up with our adopted stated outcomes for the project... This is not what we agreed to," one of them pointed out to PBOT.

"Neither congestion nor parking is on the list of outcomes," said another person looking at the plans, "and yet we have two lanes and parking on both sides of the street at the expense of having a safe bike facility throughout."

It's true. Of the top 10 outcomes adopted by the SAC for this project, none of them include maintaining a specific amount of capacity for autos (although, before the SAC even began to meet, the question of removing parking in this dense commercial area seemed to be, for some reason, off the table):

While some SAC members were flummoxed after seeing these designs, PBOT was open to their input and they are already planning to meet to iron out changes that need to be made. We'll keep you posted on how/if the design changes.

Beyond Fremont, the idea is to make it clear that the left lane is only for through bike traffic and left-turning auto traffic. To help drive that point home, PBOT will place a small median with a sign attached to it at the start of each block. Here's an example (at Beech) where the shared left lane crosses a street...

And a close-up of the entry to the block...

This shared environment will continue all the way up to N. Alberta, where the left-side buffered bike lane will return...

I hope that makes the plans a bit more clear. Of course, the devil is in the details on this one.

Since much of these plans rely on a buffered bike lane, a design that PBOT has acknowledged is not working as planned on SW Stark Street downtown, some people wonder how PBOT will make sure cars stay out of it here on Williams. Others are concerned about the shared-lane concept, and whether or not it will feel comfortable.

Open house attendee Emily Guise said she already avoids the busy commercial section of Williams because it's "so stressful." Her friend Erik Soltan said he doesn't like the shared lane idea. "I don't like the idea of being in a shared lane," he said. In particular, he's "nervous" about cars accessing the on-street parking on the left side of the shared lane. "They need to eliminate the left-hand parking, because cars will be cutting over the bike lane to get to it."

Then there are the funding issues. PBOT currently has just $250,000 for this entire project. They could get to work on much of the lane reconfiguring with that budget, or they could add just one of the three signals asked for by the SAC. Hanging over that decision is that the request for signals is strongest among the area's older residents and the lane reconfigurations would likely be seen as the thing most wanted by people who bike.

In other words, it could be politically risky if PBOT were to reconfigure the lanes first, and put off — once again — adding the new traffic signals that many in the community have been clamoring for for decades. On the other hand, PBOT and City Hall are feeling pressure from some corners to do something soon to improve traffic safety and better handle the crowded bike lane (after all, this project began 16 months ago).

Given the design details that still need to be worked out, the funding issues, and the politics around the project, unless more money can be identified (and the City now says they'll apply for a federal Transportation Enhancement grant to help pay for it), I could see us waiting quite some time before anything moves forward. I hope I'm wrong.

If you missed the open house, please consider commenting on these designs to PBOT project manager Rich Newlands at rich.newlands@portlandoregon.gov. Stay tuned for updates.

28-year old Jessie Belter suffered a broken leg when she was struck by someone driving a car as she rode in the bike lane on Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway this morning.

According to the Portland Police Bureau, the collision happened at about 7:50 am at the intersection of Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway and SW Bertha Blvd (map). The person driving the car was 33-year-old Nicole Poor. The police say that Poor was driving northbound on SW Bertha and attempted to turn westbound (left) on Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway. Belter was headed eastbound in the bike lane. Poor stopped at the stop sign, but then, "failed to yield to the bicycle rider," police say. Luckily, the car was only traveling about 5 mph.

Poor has been issued a citation for, "Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device." (Asked why that was the citation if the woman stopped at the stop sign, the PPB told me, "She stopped, but should have remained stopped longer... she didn't look and see the rider.")

Prior to hearing about this collision from the PPB, reader and SW Portland resident Barbara Stedman got in touch with us. She said her husband came upon the aftermath of this collision. And it got her thinking...

"I'm sending you this email," Barbara wrote, "because this intersection is the most dangerous on our bike commute between Hillsdale and OHSU/Portland State University."

Barbara lives just a few blocks from this intersection. She says the most dangerous thing about it is that people in cars turn right onto Bertha (from B-H Highway), despite warning signs and green-colored pavement in the bike lane.

Here's more from Barbara about why this intersection is unpleasant and unsafe for people who choose to ride a bike:

"B-H splits here, the left lane goes straight ahead towards Capitol Hwy, the right lane turns right in a wide curve onto Bertha Blvd and ultimately I-5. So in morning rush-hour cars routinely go above the posted speed limit of 30 and because the right turn is a gentle curve they don't have to slow down to turn right. When I go through this intersection I always make sure that cars see me and stop for me, before going through this intersection.

We nave had several close calls here. I never saw the cars coming from Bertha as the big threat, as they have a stop sign and have to wait for a gap in traffic, but I do notice that they often don't come to a full stop when they see a gap in traffic. Or they come to a stop in the bike lane.

There are plans for the Red Electric Trail that would enable us to avoid that intersection, but until it is in place, it is a very dangerous intersection for bikes."

Sounds like the Red Electric project — which will provide a path from the southwest hills down to the Willamette River along B-H Highway — can't happen soon enough (last we heard, funding and construction of the project are to start this year).

UPDATE: KOIN-TV reports that Ms. Belter is pregnant.

65-year old Camas, Washington resident Steven Dayley was bicycling along the same route as the Reach the Beach ride on Saturday when he was struck from behind by a man driving a pickup. Dayley died from his injuries later that night at Salem Memorial Hospital.

The collision occurred on Highway 18, a few miles east of Grande Ronde, just outside the Fort Hill Restaurant (Google Map link).

While there were hundreds of people on the road in that area due to the Reach the Beach ride, both ride organizers and the Oregon State Police report that Dayley was not an official registrant.

The collision occurred at around 2:30 pm on Saturday. The OSP say that Dayley was riding westbound on the shoulder of the highway, "in a congested area" when the pickup, driven by 24-year-old Fred Moore from Battleground, Washington, "veered right to avoid traffic ahead and struck the bicycle."

Reach the Beach is a large annual fundraising ride with an estimated 3,000 participants. There are four different starting points: Portland, Amity, Newberg, and Grande Ronde.

Commenters on a local news website are speaking out about the riding conditions on Highway 18; which in this location is one standard vehicle lane and one wide shoulder. "Hwy 18 is not a very good place for a cycle event... They need to rethink these things," one person said. Another commenter pointed out that, "In no way was this the cyclist at fault.The car driver went on the the shoulder and hit the cyclist... Remember he is a real person, not just a statistic. And look out for me (and everyone else) because I am out there on my bike."

Dayley had been diagnosed with brain cancer and, according to reports, loved cycling as therapy. A friend of Dayley's WillB left a comment below:

"Steve was a good man and a dear friend. It broke my heart to hear of his passing. I think it would be worthwhile to note here that he did not die of brain cancer like everyone who knew him thought he would. Rather, he was able to prepare for his end of life well in advance and enjoy what precious time he had left out on his bike. Not everyone can be so lucky. He knew his time was limited. His family knew it too. He loved riding. Rest in peace Steve."

Dayley is the 99th person to die on Oregon roads so far this year.

At long last, Portland is set to install an electronic bicycle counter. The new tool, which will be placed on the Hawthorne Bridge, will provide a daily and annual, ongoing count of the number of people who pass by on a bicycle..

The new counter will be an Eco-Totem made by Eco-Counter, a Montreal-based company. Funding for the project was supplied via a $20,000 grant from Cycle Oregon. The City of Portland, Bureau of Transportation applied for the grant last fall and Cycle Oregon ride director Jerry Norquist says it was approved in February.

According to Norquist, the grants committee of the Cycle Oregon board was "intrigued" by the idea. "It's like when McDonalds put out signs saying they sold 1 million hamburgers," Norquist said via phone this morning, "Except this is a much bigger deal, because it will show people they're making a difference in transportation."

We were first intrigued by bicycle counters back in March 2007 when we posted a story about a bike counter over a path in Italy. A few weeks later we reported on the effort by Michael Downes, a local citizen activist who had launched an effort to bring one to Portland. Downes eventually go too busy with work to make the project happen; but it turns out that PBOT bike coordinator Roger Geller never forgot about the idea.

Geller is the one who has spearheaded the project and it was his interest in the counter that led to the Cycle Oregon grant.

As for the Eco-Totem itself, Eco-Counter's North American Sales Manager Jean-Francois Rheault, says (via email) that automatic counters are crucial to helping cities, "understand, decide on, and justify" cycling infrastructure. While the City of Portland's bike counts (which are put together by Geller and his staff) are very well-known and respected around the world, Rheault says using an automated counter is, "taking data collection to the next level."

Rheault says there are two key reasons why cities are installing counters:

First, it clearly shows to cyclists and all other modes that bicycle traffic represents a significant amount of traffic. As cycling takes very little space and is very quiet, it is always under estimated.

Secondly, when a city decide to install a bike counter with a public display, they basically send the following message to cyclists: "You count for us!" This becomes a powerful marketing tool."

Rheault shared more about how the counter works:

"The display is connected to one or more sensors that send the information in real time. Sensors can be both a ZELT Inductive Loop or a Pneumatic Tubes both specifically designed to count bikes. The Hawthorne bridge currently has two Eco-Counter TUBES installed on both side of the bridge. The data are also sent, once a day, to a web-based display so anyone can see them."

According to its specs, the counter uses LEDs which are highly visible at night and date, time and temperature displays are also an option.

Cycle Oregon's Norquist says he hopes after this first counter is installed on the Hawthorne Bridge, other private partners will step up to fund more of them on busy cycle routes across the city.

Last week, the Seattle Times reported that the Cascade Bicycle Club has also received a grant for an Eco-Totem. Copenhagen, the city many consider the most bike-friendly in the world, has had bicycle counters installed since 2009.

I haven't confirmed the exact date for installation of Portland's counter, but sources say it will likely be up and running by August. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: For more info on automated bicycle counting in Portland, see this post by PBOT Signals Division Manager Peter Koonce.

Here's the top news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week...

- Sightline takes a look at why women don't ride bikes to work more often and finds the reasons are more complex - and sometimes simpler - than many people think.

- Already a common sight in Copenhagen, an electronic bicycle counter is coming to Seattle (and Portland too! stay tuned!).

- The relationship between bicycling and traditionally car-centric Los Angeles is changing and has improved enough to catch the attention of The New York Times.

- There's been another instance of road rage between a person driving a car and a person riding a bike on "the Wiggle" in San Francisco.

- Also in San Francisco, a local attorney has been arrested in connection with a fatal collision between someone driving a black Mercedes-Benz and a person on a bike.

- Not only is the bicycle the most efficient form of transportation, it could also become a great platform for new technologies, allowing us to better understand ourselves and our urban landscapes.

- Northeastern University Professor Peter Furth returned from a sabbatical in the Netherlands and recently spoke about his experience at Portland State University. His conclusion: "vehicular cycling" is "just nutty" and on the other hand, separated infrastructure for bicycles is a simple, effective solution.

- Although weather and climate can be barriers to bicycling, it turns out rain isn't as big of a deterrent to riding a bike as you'd probably think.

- One unlucky couple in Pennsylvania lives in a home that's been smashed by someone driving a car three times in the last six months and now they want the local government to install a "heavy duty" boulder to prevent future collisions.

- Health officials in developing countries are finding injuries from motor vehicle collisions are much harder to treat when you don't have access to quality medical medical.

- Portland author and activist Elly Blue thinks we might be able to use the strategy popularized in the movie Moneyball to get more people out on their bicycles.

- Another car manufacturer, Audi, has released their very own electric bicycle and theirs comes with 26-inch mountain bikes tires.

- The Oregonian thinks bikes are to blame for potholes but Eugene's Register Guard is more than aware of the "myriad benefits" of bicycling.

- Green bike boxes are common in both Portland and Seattle, but one poll finds about half the people who drive in Washington and a quarter of people in Portland don't know how to correctly approach the devices.

- Scientists are hoping people on foot and on bikes are in a unique position to help count roadkill to help them understand how to reduce collisions between cars and wildlife.

- Thinking of buying a cargo bike? Check out this thorough review of a Bullitt by Josh Volk of Slow Hand Farms.

- People on bikes are often chastised for breaking the law while at the same time many people treat car traffic as an immovable, flowing force and it might happen simply because bicycling puts a human face on transportation.

- Looking to the Netherlands as an example, providing comprehensive safety education could help defuse aggression between people in cars and people on bikes.

- If the return of rain to Portland has you down, just remember: riding a bike can help you keep smiling.

- In a moment of nearly instant-Karma, a bike thief crashed as he tried to ride away from a shop on a stolen bike.

- If you don't think we can successfully launch a comprehensive road safety program in the United States, check out this "experiment" by National Physical Education Teacher of the Year, Cindy Ferek of Turner Ashby High School:

- And finally, if you're not familiar with "track cycling" and its impact on bicycling culture, have a look at this documentary by LA based Director, Chicktop.

— Did you find something interesting that should be in next week's Monday Roundup? Drop us a line. For more great links from around the web, follow us on Twitter @BikePortland.

Bicycling Magazine has just released their 2012 Bike-Friendly Cities rankings and Portland sits atop the heap once again.

Portland was ranked #2 in 2010, which was the last time the rankings came out. Prior to that Portland had earned the top spot every year since 1995. Our defeat to Minneapolis at the hands of Bicycling Magazine's editors stung a bit; but it was clear that the decision was made more because of how our lead had begun to shrink, not that we were actually #2 (and I'm sure the attention and PR generated by making us #2 figured into the decision as well).

Minneapolis drops to the second spot this time around, with Boulder, Washington D.C., and Chicago rounding out the top five. Here's the full top ten list (with 2010 rankings in parentheses):

1. Portland (2)
2. Minneapolis (1)
3. Boulder (3)
4. Washington D.C.
5. Chicago (10)
6. Madison, WI (7)
7. New York City (8)
8. San Francisco (6)
9. Eugene (5)
10. Seattle (4)

Like them or not, of all the bike-friendly city rankings published each year, Bicycling's list carries the most weight. It might be because they've been doing them since 1995, or perhaps because it's the most widely-read bike magazine on the planet.

To determine their top 50 rankings for 2012, Bicycling says they evaluated cities with populations of 95,000 or more, used data provided by the Alliance for Biking and Walking and the League of American Bicyclists, and they used input from local advocates and city bike staff. "To make the list, a city must possess both a robust cycling infrastructure and a vibrant bike culture."

It's worth noting that Bicycling seems to have put a lot more rigor into their analysis this year. In a press release about the rankings, Bicycling said, "Portland cyclists are 'the vanguard of American cycling.'"

Bill Donahue, a Bicycling contributor who lives in Northeast Portland, wrote an entertaining paean about his hometown which explains why we deserve the #1 spot (emphases mine):

...Those of us who ride daily in Portland, we know. We know we are the vanguard of American cycling. No other city in the United States has more cyclists per capita, and no other town has a coffee shop like Fresh Pot, which boasts 25 chairs and parking for 26 bicycles. We have trains of elementary-school bike commuters, and we have Move By Bike, a relocation-company that trundles couches across town on overstacked bike trailers. Even our city’s noncycling Lotharios know it is a deal-killer to ask, at the end of a sprightly first date, “Can I throw your bike in my car and give you a lift home?”

Minneapolis? Please. Let’s ride—along the Willamette now, on the paved Springwater Corridor, where, off to the east, great blue herons and snowy egrets pick about in the reeds and the mud of Oaks Bottom. Three miles on, amid the grain silos and rail yards of north Portland, you can feel the industrial heft of the city, built a hundred-odd years ago on shipping and logging. In Forest Park—which, at 5,000 acres, is the nation’s largest urban preserve—there is a growing network of singletrack on the slopes of Portland’s west hills. But me, I like to take my road bike higher in those same hills, past gracious manses built by long-ago timber barons, until I am up on Skyline Boulevard with its horse pastures and country-road dips and turns. It is cooler up there—sometimes in winter snow whitens the bows of the evergreens.

But it is the locals’ bike zeal that is most dear. Once, when I called the city’s Transportation Options office to ask about airport bike parking, a guy there responded 45 minutes later via e-mail, with a 500-word personal treatise. (“There is a specific bike parking area,” he began, before discussing option B, the bike lockers, and riffing on the bike-guarding aplomb of Homeland Security.) Another time, when I found myself stooped by the roadside, muttering cuss words over a broken chain, a random savior materialized to offer assistance gratis. “I’m a professional bike mechanic,” he proclaimed, superhero-like. “What can I do?”

A mass ride in Portland is a Dionysian rite. Witness the Naked Bike Ride, through downtown, or the Cross Crusade Series, an autumn-long mud bath that last fall drew more than 1,500 competitors, including one whip-lean, bearded maestro who wore pigtails and a pink jersey reading “Keep Cyclocross Weird.” The Worst Day of the Year Ride, meanwhile, is a 17-miler which brings some 4,000 hardcores out into the gray gloom each February, to celebrate misery and self-flagellation. The route ends, of course, at a brewpub.

The party is on every single day. I know this because I happen to live on a designated bicycle street, and on summer evenings sometimes I sit out on my porch and listen as the bikes roll by, singly and in groups. There is a certain delight in the air then—the warm, dry days of summer are a sweet reprieve in Portland—and the riders’ voices seem silky somehow: soft and murmurous. I’m able to catch only a word or two at a time. I hear, “so anyway,” “and then he…” But always the larger story sings out in the dusk and the dark: We dreamed ourselves a strange and lovely city out here on the green edge of the continent, and we shook free."

May has been a roller-coaster of emotions here in Portland. We've celebrated unseasonable warmth and sunshine and we pulled out all the stops for Bike to Work Month. Then tragedy struck last week and we had a vigil for Bike to Work Day in instead of a party. And now this.

Let's hope the good news continues. And who knows, maybe returning to #1 will help Portland get its cycling swagger back.

— Read more about all the cities in the list here.

Less than 48 hours after Kathryn Rickson lost her life while bicycling on SW Madison Avenue in downtown Portland, well over 200 people came together to grieve and to raise awareness for safer streets.

There were no speakers or agenda tonight. Most people just sat quietly and thought about what happened Wednesday. Others held signs; most of which were printed up by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. The messages included: "This was preventable"; "Look right, save a life"; "Crashes are not accidents"; and "No more ghost bikes." A long line of people stood on the curb of SW Madison, holding the signs so that passing traffic could not miss them.

Signs aside, this was mostly a time for people to just be present and to let this tragedy sink in. I have unfortunately been to more of these events than I care to remember; but there is something very powerful about visiting the scene where tragedy has struck. It's a feeling — a deeply sad one that's mixed, at least for me, with frustration — that I think is important to feel. It reminds us about the seriousness of working for safer streets and it brings the community together in a way that nothing else can.

Among the crowd tonight was mayoral candidate Charlie Hales, City of Portland Bike Coordinator Roger Geller, PBOT traffic safety expert Greg Raisman, and City Commissioner Amanda Fritz. Fritz brought flowers and placed them in a vase on the corner. (Mayor Sam Adams had planned to come, but shared via Twitter that a sore throat kept him away.)

Charlie Hales was the leading vote-getter
in the recent mayoral primary election.

City Commissioner Amanda Fritz places flowers at a
memorial just steps from where Kathryn was struck.

On that same pole was a letter encased in plastic...

Here's what it said:

"Kathryn,

We never knew each other, yet this morning, for the first time in my life I cried while riding my bike to work.

I was thinking of YOU as I passed through this intersection in the same direction you did.

From my family our thoughts go out to you and your family during this tough time. We will forever remember you.

Love,

Your cycling community"

This underscores another reason these gatherings are important. They provide Kathryn's family and friends with great comfort, knowing that there's a large community of people who care enough to show up — and stand up for — someone they had never met.

Among people who bike in Portland, there's a shared experience; a small bond that forms simply from riding through the same intersections, facing the same fears, and, all too often, narrowly avoiding a similar fate to Kathryn's.

For Kathryn and her partner of over four years, Ryan Gaughan, bicycling was something they experienced every day. Kathryn's friend Valerie Liptak (who owned and ran the Madison House community home where Kathryn used to live), told me tonight that they didn't own a car. Ryan was there tonight, surrounded by friends and his seven year-old daughter Madeline. He spoke to the media and he seemed, understandably, shell-shocked by what has happened.

Thankfully, every time I looked up, he was hugging someone.

Liptak said Kathryn's family is still in Rhode Island and they're planning a memorial in June. She wanted me to take some nice photos of the flowers to send back to them.

On Wednesday night, Kathryn was coming home from classes at Portland State University. She had gone back to school to pursue a Master's degree. She was a playwright; and while she worked odd jobs and took classes, her dream was to write plays for the theater. "She was so bright, so smart...," Liptak shared as her voice trailed off into sobs.

In the brief moment we shared together, I tried to assure Ryan that something positive would come from his loss. That maybe, if enough people come together, we can make changes that will make it less likely this tragedy befalls anyone else. We owe it to Kathryn, we owe to seven-year-old Madeline, and we owe to everyone that rides in this city. After all...

See more photos from the event in the slideshow below:

With the death of Kathryn Rickson still fresh on the minds of many (the community will gather at the intersection tonight at 5:30 pm), there is already a strong chorus calling for safety measures to make it less likely this will ever happen again. Citizen activists and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance are calling on the City of Portland to take action.

It's important to remember that these reactions are coming swiftly, not just because of what happened to Kathryn Rickson. Right-hook collisions are in the headlines here on BikePortland far too often it seems. And while most of the ones we report on do not result in fatalities, many of us remember ones that did. Tracey Sparling died from a right turning large truck. So did Brett Jarolimek. Those two fatal collisions happened less than two weeks apart back in October 2007 and their impact is still felt today.

One of Brett's friends co-workers, Kris Schamp, wrote about that in an email to me today. Schamp shared his feelings and his concerns about the road design at SW 3rd and Madison:

"This tragedy brings back a lot of sad memories of Brett Jarolimek, as the situation was very similar, i.e. a downhill bike lane, where cyclists tend to ride at the same speed (or faster) than cars/trucks and where (even experienced) cyclist don't get a fair chance to make an emergency stop if a vehicle ahead or next of them unexpectedly makes a right turn. I remember that shortly after Brett's death, there was another serious injury right-turn crash at the exact same location and how this prompted PBOT the swift and right call to close that right turn on Greeley indefinitely.

It seems that both SW Madison and SW Stark - as major eastbound bike commute corridors - would tremendously benefit from the same treatment that the city has been willing to apply to the Transit Mall. If we are able to set new rules to prevent cars from crossing dedicated bus/train transit lanes in our downtown area, it shouldn't be that hard to grant the same protection to cyclists on one or two downhill routes in the downtown area."

Northeast Portland resident and longtime local activist Ethan Jewett, is one of many people who are thinking about trucks and freight policies in light of this (and other) right-hook collisions. Jewett feels that perhaps it's time for the City of Portland to consider limiting access for large trucks downtown. The truck that collided with Kathryn Rickson had a large cab that was towing a 43-foot trailer. He put together this graphic which he plans to bring on a poster to tonight's gathering (which, by the way, I hear there will be freight advocates and stakeholders in attendance):

(@ Ethan Jewett)

The BTA is also calling for changes. They posted a list of immediate and long-term improvements and policy changes including:

• an illuminated yield sign like the one PBOT installed to prevent right-hooks on NE Couch and Grand;
• a "safety warning" in the bike lane;
• better lighting at the intersection;
• a bike-only signal similar to the one at NE Broadway and Williams;
• the creation of a working group to "analyze citywide safety concerns at similar intersections and propose proactive solutions";
• a repeal of Oregon's mandatory sidepath law (which states if a bike lane is present, it must be used (with exceptions));
• making side under-run guards mandatory on all commercial trucks operating in Oregon;
• and more robust education and training about vulnerable road users for commercial license holders.

There have been many calls for repealing the mandatory sidepath law (ORS 814.420) even before Rickson's death. Now I'd be surprised if it wasn't the BTA's top priority in the 2013 legislative session.

Stay tuned for more developments.