Yup. Anyone who's lived here any length of time knows that bicyclists are far from the only ones who get no police protection in this city. Calling them, for any reason, is asking for trouble.

Always say you need to go to the hospital. Never say you're not hurt.

A vehicle with government plates pulled out in front of me downtown a couple years ago and I ended up breaking both my wrists in the collision, Even with numerous witnesses and photos of the driver and license plates they never found the guy, supposedly. The second I noticed the government plates I knew I was fucked so I was not surprised.

Look at the shit that happens in NYC on a daily basis. Drivers "mistake" the brake pedal for the gas (seriously, one makes you go and the other stop, it doesn't get any less complicated), jump the curb and kill a bunch of kids waiting for the bus. The driver doesn't even get a ticket as there was (say it with me, kids) "No Criminality Suspected". Yet if you are riding your bike and some jackass steps out into the bike lane without looking and gets hit you are definitely getting a ticket - and in some cases - jail time. Granted it's nowhere near as bad for cyclists in this town as it is in NYC, but when it comes to car vs. cyclist collisions the cyclist is still solidly the second-class citizen here.

Thank you for this article. "A drunken driver or hit-and-run *might* also warrant police attention" (emphasis mine)? Small wonder the number cyclists and pedestrians killed by Portland automobile divers keeps increasing: there is no accountability for drivers here (and they know it). I couldn't get your map to load but surmise that the "density model" favored by City Hall is a factor (driver in the Pearl: "Honest, officer, I didn't deliberately run over that man without a car on purpose; I had just spotted a parking spot and didn't even see him in my rush to beat the other drivers circling for parking spots." Officer: "Completely understandable.").