Jun 08 '06 - 387 W, 1 I - Vote Good + 9 :: Bad - 13 Portland 'zoo bombing' ritual gets more risky
Published June 6th, 2006 by KGW Zoo bombing is when cyclists barrel down
a hill as fast as they can, like the hill below the Oregon Zoo, or --
even more risky -- the highway that runs from the zoo to the edge of
downtown Portland. Late Sunday
night, a woman was doing just that when she lost control of her bicycle
and crashed along Highway 26. The woman, whose name was not released,
suffered head injuries when she crashed near the tunnel and was
transported to an area hospital for treatment. Authorities said the group was not only endangering lives, but breaking the law, too.
Posted signs clearly state that non-motorized vehicles are not allowed
on Hwy. 26 and even the city’s Bicycle Transportation Alliance says
that stretch of highway is no place for cyclists.
“Until those prohibitions are lifted, we don't support bicycling in
those areas. They are off-limits for a reason,” said BTA leader Evan
Manvel. But risk-takers are doing
it anyway. They even have a special name for their favorite zoo bombing
highway – they call it “hell-way.”
Portland police officers said they haven’t cracked down on the zoo
bombers because there have been very few complaints about them.
The cyclists usually gather on Sunday nights, often on child-sized
bikes, and zoom down the hill together at speeds up to 50 miles an
hour. “It's just a really organic experience. It’s really fun,” one cyclist told KGW at a past zoo bomber outing.
Most zoom through neighborhoods, but a handful of others add the extra
edge of excitement by routing onto the highway. “It's dangerous if you push it to extremes… there are a lot of accidents,” said zoo bomber David Terry.
Some of the cyclists claim that the stretch of Hwy. 26 below the zoo
used to be a bike route. And they said they aren’t out to cause
problems, they just want to be able to bike fast and have fun.
By Teresa Bell
A daring Portland ritual sent one woman to
the hospital earlier this week and brought attention to a fad often
referred to as “zoo bombing.”
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hi … first off… the non-positive energy is only holding yourself back from having an open mind and some fun… i think all the ALTRUISTS that are condeming the zoo bomb should move to the country (red states) and form a commune…. you could call it “the confederacy”... TO CLARIFY a few things… i am a long border i don’t wear a helmet or have a light but… the bomb is HIGHLY DANGEROUS… so what heart pumping adventure isn’t a bit dangerous… if you haven’t done it, and you have WORKING LIMBS you should try it, and as for the PBR drinking smelly hipsters… i only drink the FINEST BEER IN PORTLAND (and wow it is fine) and once there, AT THE TOP, looking down, a mighty great tasting of hops, malt, and barely entered my gracious about to be swirled around belly… it was offered to me by the NICEST NAKED HIPSTERS i’ve ever met, infact it was not a hipster it was a zoo bomber… THE MAX has about 20 suburbian idiots to drunk to drive home and 15 WONDERFUL COMMUTERS that for a change didn’t drive… and for them, i’m sure its the most FUN they’ve seen all day… but the moral is they DIDN’T DRIVE and i pay bus fair all day for a trimet system that is half assed, probly cuz the CATS that have no life dying STAGNATED on the hill only take a streetcar that takes you 20 minutes to get to the PEARL from downtown cuz your to lazy to get on wheels and maybe roll down a pretty hill on a SERENE NIGHT… the beauty of the hill will always be enjoyed by the free and only the free… besides its the most UNIFIED thing ive seen come out of the city other than when everyone bitches about the war that would stop if we were all BOMBING HILLS not driving and consuming and buying and eating and killing and not just riding… next thing you’ll tell me is not to fly cuz its your sky…
scott (Email) - July 06 '06 - 01:50
I am trying to locate info on a Pastel picture I own. The Artist is Teresa Bell. Is this the same Teresa Bell that wrote the kgb articles? If not have you any info on Artist Teresa Bell from the Portland Area?Va Toebbe - June 04 '09 - 10:00