Portland has long marketed itself as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the country, with dedicated bike lanes, a culture that takes cycling seriously, and infrastructure meant to back that reputation up. But lately, a different kind of reputation is forming around the city’s streets, and it’s coming with a considerable price tag.
A wave of lawsuits stemming from deteriorating road conditions has put Portland in the uncomfortable position of paying out settlements that would have more than covered the repairs that were never made in the first place.
The latest case to make the rounds involves a cyclist named Dirk Orthmeyer, who was riding east on Southeast Salmon Street in June 2024 when he struck a pothole in front of a coffee shop and went down hard. He walked away from the crash with injuries to his shoulder, hand, pelvis, and hip, and has since filed a complaint in Multnomah County Circuit Court seeking $950,000 from the city…