This is NE 122nd and Fremont, looking north on 122nd:
And this is the same intersection, looking south toward the railroad overpass and I-205:
Early this morning, 52-year-old James Neal Wagner died here. Police responded around 2:15 a.m. to a report of a hit and run accident involving a motor vehicle and a cyclist. Wagner (the cyclist) was dead, and the vehicle involved had apparently left the scene. Police haven't released any information (if they have any) about the driver or vehicle.
I have a number of questions about this accident. We may never get the answers. Was Wagner riding with proper lights? Could he have lived if the driver had stopped and called for help? Was the driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs? Why was Wagner riding at 2:00 a.m. anyway (yes, there are legitimate reasons. I'm just wondering)?
We do know that Wagner was riding northbound on NE 122nd when he was struck. I walked and drove around the area today, and saw no signs that anyone had recently died here. Perhaps flowers or a ghost bike will appear at some point. For now, I don't know which part of the road he was on -- but here's a look at the bike lane in that area.
This is the northbound bike lane south of Fremont. This is what the lane looks like from the I-205 on-ramp all the way to NE Fremont:
It's about the width of a normal bike lane, but it's right up against the sidewalk, and there are no markings in this portion of the bike lane, so it would be easy to think this is just a shoulder. I felt nervous just standing on the sidewalk.
On the north side of Fremont, the bike lane is more obvious, and there's a shoulder between the bike lane and the curb.
We don't know (at this point) where exactly Wagner was killed. But this is a good reminder to drivers that cyclists are on the road here, and to cyclists to be cautious and use lights at night.
Anyone with information about this incident should call Portland Police Officer Barry Busse at 503-823-2216.
BikePortland points out that this is the 3rd bicycle/car fatality in Portland this year, and that all of those have been in NE Portland.
