Bike-Friendly Portland Could Be Friendlier

"Year after year, Bicycling Magazine ranks Portland the best cycling city in the country. The League of American Bicyclists gives us a gold rating, and we may soon become the first big city to join Davis, Calif., in the coveted platinum category."

"Virgin Vacations recently put Portland among the world's 'bike-friendly paradises.' Last year, the Austin American-Statesman noted, with some jealousy, that Portland 'lives the dream of car-bicycle equality.'"

"Really? Tell that to Brett Jarolimek, the 31-year-old expert cyclist who died after colliding with a garbage truck on North Interstate Avenue on Oct. 22, or to Tracey Sparling, the 19-year-old student who was crushed by a cement truck at West Burnside Street less than two weeks earlier."

"It's been a bad year for Portland cyclists. Six have died in 2007. And while this is not necessarily a trend (over the past 15 years, bike fatalities have remained flat while ridership has increased), each new death offers a macabre reminder that despite our street cred as America's most bike-friendly city, Portland is not even close to what it could be."

"Being more bike-friendly than Albuquerque is one thing. Being on par with Amsterdam is another."