Users of popular Springwater Trail want better security
»Play Video
PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland bicyclists say they're seeing too many threats to their safety along the popular 20-mile Springwater Trail.
The latest harassment report came in Monday night.
Some bikers and walkers say they've seen things that make them uncomfortable just off the trail, including an area they say is used by the homeless to hang out, camp and sometimes drink.
Just off the trail Tuesday, along the most notorious section near Southeast 82nd Avenue, there was a man sleeping, and about 20 feet away there were more belongings that presumably belonged to homeless people.
Some bikers and walkers want the city of Portland parks and Gresham parks to put more lights and emergency call boxes along the trail in the area.
"A lot of them are mental, and they'll mess with each other, and you're like, 'Oh no, they're going to fight,'" said walker Joseph Larson. "I get worried if I see kids walking far behind their parents or in front of their parents, and I hope nothing happens to them because these guys aren't exactly the most stable."
Bike Portland's Jonathan Maus said Tuesday: "Especially when it gets dark, when people are riding and walking down there, some of them are getting yelled at. I heard a woman who got pushed off her bike."
Maus said he got the complaint of the woman getting pushed off her bike Monday night.
He said he wants parks and recreation to ramp up security. He's calling for nighttime lights, emergency call boxes and more patrols.
According to Portland parks, park rangers found just over 100 homeless camps near the trail and wrote 46 camping exclusions and issued 25 alcohol exclusions last year.
Parks officials admitted there are safety issues along the Springwater Trail; in fact, park staff met with Portland police about it just last week. They're adding patrols on foot and ATV, especially near 82nd Avenue where most problems happen.
Police couldn’t provide crime data for the trail by deadline Tuesday.
Portland parks owns the trail but it has agreements with Clackamas County and Gresham to manage and maintain sections of it.
Park rangers said they’re also focusing on two other parts of the corridor: a stretch near the Ross Island Bridge and near the Powell Butte Nature Park.
There's no reason why the local PPB and GPD motor officers couldn't make a couple passes down the trail on their
respective shifts to deter these potential criminal activities. We used to do in spite of some of the critical comments
we would get about riding a police motorcycle down the trail. Most of the folks welcomed our presence. It makes more sense than sitting at an intersection to write speeding tickets.
hey nice popped butterfly collar and long sleeve speedos there mr roller skater.- you are RAD
Jonathan Maus, why don't you and your organization come up with a way to fund and staff your requests. Â All we ever hear from you is want, want want. Â Please give examples of how you've actually contributed to the city and it's projects? Â Use your BTA and it's members to get bicycle licensing and user fees moving forward and maybe, just maybe you'll start to get support of the 'non-riders' in this community.
Â
I realize that this is a multi-use trail but I don't see anyone representing the walkers, runners, etc.
I hear wasp spray is better then most pepper sprays;-)
I would suggest that people using the area take the class and get their CCP. It's up to you to protect yourself when you are out. Try paying attention. Look people in the eye. Here's a thought, say hi every now and then!
This comment has been deleted
 @nwipac  @Owt_Raged If you believe your life is in danger you can use deadly force in Oregon. Believing your life is in danger does not mean they have to have a gun or other weapon. Take a 6' 220lb bum against a 120lb women and it's no contest...
 @FreedomRocks Colt, the great equalizer!
@nwipac I carry a gun on "non-motorized trails" and yes Id shoot a "unstable bum", if he tried to attack me. Its called SELF DEFENSE.
 @nwipac If you choose to use an area that you know is dangerous and them expect me to pay to protect you, you are barking up the wrong tree. That's like expecting me to pay for your life jacket because you choose to go out on the river but refuse to learn how to swim.
 @nwipac  @Owt_Raged I know there's a snarky remark to be made here about the PPD but I just can't do it.
Camera's and unmanned armed drones are the answer.
The simple solution is level the trail and put in a road, a strip mall and a Walmart, maybe even a Home Depot. Or even better put in high density housing, such as a series of condos, town homes, and apartment complex. This area should be made useful and not wasted on a stupid nature/crime trail. Better do something with it before occupy takes it over. Oh, and a gas station would be nice somewhere in there too.
Everyone is responsible for their own safety.  If you can't protect yourself, learn to do it, or stay out of areas where that is a concern.  The police are NOT in the crime prevention business, they are in the crime investigation business.  Get a gun and learn to use it, get a dog and take it with you, carry pepper spray, travel in groups, carry a big effing stick.  This is not rocket science.  You are dealing with human nature  Take steps to protect yourself, or just go get the word "victim" tattooed on your forehead. Â
 @Siwash This isn't the wild west anymore.
 @Spiffy Ah sorry but it kinda still is. Just like back then police are not in the business of stopping crime in action. They are in the business of catching the criminals after it has happened. So if you want to be safe it's up to you to take whatever action you need to insure your safety.
 @Spiffy Seriously, we're supposed to be "civilized".
 @SelfPossessed Those are different, you can't lump that in the same boat as this.
 @deejm2112  @Spiffy I guess you're oblivious to reality. Tucson, Aurora, Littleton, Oak Creek, Happy Valley - Any of these ring a bell? There are people who don't have morals or lose them.
At least we now know where all of the bums that were kicked out of the Pearl District went - Forest Park (attempted rape last week) and Springwater Trail (assault on a female bicyclist this week). Â Portland has turned into such a dump.
 @UtterReality That's the root of the problem, force them out and it doesn't go away, it just becomes someone elses problem, in the mean time we continue to cut mental and addiction programs.
Its called a concealed hand gun license. The state will be happy to collect your $$ so you can exercise a constitutional right.Â
 @jpdx00 Hard to conceal a gun in spandex. ;^)
 @Scotty9 is that a 9mm in your pocket....
 @Owt_Raged Nope, it's a banana!Â
 @Owt_Raged Thunderwear or Smart Carry holsters - it's the codpiece of the 21st century! ROFL
"I get worried if I see kids walking far behind their parents or in front of their parents"
Â
Oh, make it safe for the children!!!!!! I bet a company that installs expensive outdoor lighting is behind this push, let's see some crime stats to back it up first.
Isn't it nice living in such a compassionate society?
I see all types of people on the trail. The usual users such as walkers and bikers, as well as drunks, homeless, and groups of teens just hanging out.Â
Â
I'm usually riding my bike on the trail and the people I usually have an issue with is walkers and bikers. But it's a minor issue, such as walkers blocking the entire width of the trail, or bikers with bright lights blinding me, or bikers buzzing by really fast without an audible warning.
Â
Homeless people are never really a problem. I actually think it's pretty cool that they're camping in city wilderness. And as long as they're not leaving a mess I don't care that they're there.
Â
The groups of teens aren't usually a problem, but every now and then one out of a group decides to play chicken with you to try to get you to ride off into the shoulder, or yells something at you as you pass by to try and startle you. They're still learning and experimenting with society.
Â
The drunks and crazy people are usually the aggressive ones that cause problems. They're the only ones that have made me feel afraid that something bad might happen to me. They're unpredictable and bold, especially when there's more than one of them in a group.
Â
I'd rather not have to be on high alert on those sketchy parts of an otherwise nice trail. The trail users are all vulnerable, with no escape other than the same means that took them there. They can't just roll up their windows and ignore the problem.Â
Â
More lights and more people using the trail would help a lot. And some regular patrols would also help.
 @Spiffy I haven't used the trail in many years (and only used it mid-day).  Do you think things have gotten worse over the last several years?
Â
And do you know if PPB bike patrol officers ever ride through there?
Better security for the spring water trail?? How about all over the City of Portland.
I like to use the Springwater trail for walking. There are a couple of areas I won't go on alone because of the creeps. I feel I should not have to be afraid to enjoy what this community has to offer.Â
Carry a gun and provide your own safety. Quit spending my money to protect you.
 @SelfPossessed We all spend money to protect everyone. It's called the police and it's a socialist service the community has been enjoying for a very long time.
 @Spiffy You're hilarious. The police don't protect anyone. They show up afterwards and write reports. You need to protect yourself first, not cling to the notion that someone will do it for you.
Society doesn't work when the misfits reach a critical point. There just aren't enough police to do the job.
 @Spiffy The police can't be everywhere at once. Provide your own safety by A)Learning martial arts or B) Get a ccw and pack heat. People are crazy.
 @randomdude And I'll add, learn a martial arts system based more on the martial part and less on the art part. Realize, unlike training, rules don't apply in street fighting. I recommend a system that teaches you weak points of the human body and how to break someone twice your size down. I don't know of many fair fights or many people that pick fights with someone their size or bigger on the street.
Â
I carry, but also realize most of the time it's better to get in their with your body and do damage, then try to pull out a gun when someone is stabbing or betting you to death. They are tools so please use them wisely;-)
"Especially when it gets dark, when people are riding and walking down there, some of them are getting yelled at. I heard a woman who got pushed off her bike."
Â
Seriously? "My sister's bestfriend's cousin's dog's babysitter once heard about a woman that got pushed off her bike." That's going to be your excuse for wasting tax money? You're going to have to do better than that. I say we vote this down like a school bond.
 @Christopher Synther Wilson Jonathan Maus was contacted directly by the woman's husband.
Â
Why do you think people are making up these stories?Â
Some people need to just stay indoors because other cannot; they are pushed from the libraries, coffee shops, streets, to the very margins of society where the elite like to ride their bikes, and push their strollers. These same people have more compassion for the encroachment of civilization on the natural habitat of wild critters than for the social refugees of their own species. Nearly all of these neglected forgotten people have mental illness or addiction issues and a very high percentage are military veterans.
Â
So sad that it is disturbing for the middle class to be forced to gaze upon those unwashed homeless people who live outdoors and be reminded of the poverty and neglect that permeates the fringes of the American mainstream.
Â
Not to worry though there is a bright side. Summer is nearly over and all those happy middle class people ensconced in their middle-class sub-urban dream will retreat back into their cozy shelters and transport their precious little babes to day-care and school shunning the cold outdoors in preference to their mainstream life while the homeless will remain undisturbed outdoors in the weather at the fringes of society and all the ruckus about those filthy people cluttering up the scenic vista will be as forgotten as mayflies in February.
@Icarus Well said man, great writing and point of view...
@Icarus This has nothing to do with looking at the homeless, or with the middle/upper class being to uppity to walk amongst the 'rest of us'. Yes you're correct most of the homeless do have a mental illness, have addictions and/or  are military veterans, that does NOT give them the right to harass others whom are minding their own business walking their strollers and little dogs, or what ever the hell else you want to stereo type rich people do. That right there is a reason for more patrol to happen, because they are unstable, and though it possibly isn't a concious decision what they do or what they say, that doesn't give them the right to be looked past by law enforcement. There is help out there I know for a FACT, free help. Go get it. Since your so busy trying to stick up for them on the big bad internet, go out and volunteer to help those wounded and needing help from their demons.
Â
 @littlestoff  @Icarus Actually, there isn't much of any free help anymore, that's part of the problem. Reagan wanted all the mental hospitals to close, sending all those mentally ill patients out on the street. Do some research before you go off spouting about all the "free" services there are. Who do you remind me of? Oh, yeah....
Â
"I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there." âMitt Romney
 @QuandoQuandoQuando Actually, prior to that, certain groups of people removed the authorization of Drs to hospitalize people whom they felt might be a danger to society or themselves because of mental illness. So for decades, mental hospitals were underutilized because it was deemed that no matter how dangerous, one could not be held against their will unless they had been convicted of a crime.
Sounds silly huh? Someone who can't care for themselves, or deal with reality day to day, is probably NOT a better judge about whether they need mental health care or not, are they?
 @Icarus Nobody is complaining that they're there. I could care less if 100 homeless are camping on the trail. What we care about are the constant assaults from these people.
"Some bikers and walkers want the city of Portland parks and Gresham parks to put more lights and emergency call boxes along the trail in the area."
Â
Lights and call boxes? That would be pretty expensive and the transients would just trash 'em.
Â
I have never been hassled on the trail but I am prepared as I do pack a gun. There are some dangerous folks out there and it would take cops a long time to get there.
 @RalphCramden A small 9mm is easier to carry than a cop. Well unless you are going for some extreme workout!
 @Owt_Raged And there are some pretty compact 9's out there these days that will do some serious damage.
Â
Carrying a cop and all the added gear and a dozen donuts is not all that practical. I would just sit down and eat the donuts.
 @RalphCramden Hard to trash a light 20' in the air. I suppose you could try to break it with rocks, but it would just get replaced the next week. And the call boxes alert the authorities as soon as you open them.
 @Spiffy I guess you weren't paying attention when the copper thefts were going full tilt. I was walking through a heavily forested and hilly city park in SE Portland, and found several complete light poles laying on the ground, alongside a pile of stripped wire sheathing. They took the copper and left everything else. A light 20' up is nothing if not a target, and they aren't typically mounted that high on ped/bike paths anyway. If the city can't even keep up with burnt out or vandalized street lights, don't expect much from lights on a path. Within a few months, much of the wiring would be missing, the poles would be knocked down or covered in gang graffiti, and those left standing would be inoperable from thrown rocks or bb guns...
 @mine9 I responded to a crash of a van into a light pole. It was non injury and the vehicle was drivable. I pulled the aluminum light pole off the freeway to open the lanes and moved it onto the grassy shoulder area.
Â
About an hour later I got a call from ODOT asking what I did with the light pole. I told them and they said it wasn't there. About 30 minutes earlier a guy in a small pickup showed up at Schnitzer with a light pole and Schnitzer called police.
Â
That's how fast they get taken and how bold they are.
 @Spiffy I doubt it would get replaced that often. They can't keep up with the infrastructure they have now.
Â
After a couple hundred malicious calls on the call boxes they would come out and to to the scrap heap.
Â
What happened to cell phones? Don't they work on that trail? I have Verizon and they work just fine out there.
@Spiffy it's never that easy, spiff.