The bicyclist who died after getting pinned under a garbage truck Monday in North Portland was an experienced rider who worked at a popular Portland bike shop.

Brett Jarolimek, 31, worked at the Portland Bike Gallery. The store's Web site dedicated a special page to him Tuesday that remembered him as a "co-worker, friend, son, brother, artist, craftsman, cyclist, loving human being" who will be greatly missed.

Police said Jarolimek and the garbage truck driver were both heading down the hill toward the intersection, and the garbage truck was going between 5-10 mph, turning onto Greeley when the light turned green.

That's when the bike and truck collided.

KGW Photo

Brett Jarolimek

Officers did not think the truck driver was speeding or impaired at the time and no tickets were issued.

Sgt. Brian Schmautz said the cyclist may have been riding at a high rate of speed before hitting the truck.

The death intensified emotions raised by the death of 19-year-old cyclist Tracey Sparling, killed earlier in October as she was riding straight from a traffic light and a cement truck turned right.

Blog: Police explain failure to yield laws

"I'm really absolutely fed up with the idea that we have to abdicate our rights in order to have safety on the streets," said Robert Reid, a Portland attorney who stopped his bike at the scene of Jarolimek's accident Monday. The police, he said, need to cite drivers who don't yield the right of way to cyclists in a bike lane.

But Portland Police Lt. Mark Kruger said solving the problem requires more than just faulting drivers.

"Cyclists need to ride defensively and be aware if they are moving too fast or are in a place where motorists can't see them," he said, adding that he couldn't comment on the specifics of Monday's collision.

"You can be right, and you can be dead right."

Sgt. Brian Schmautz said the case would be turned over to the District Attorney, but no citations were issued.

Monday's accident was the sixth bike fatality in Portland in 2007; at least four of them involved motor vehicles.

 Also: Memorial for cyclist killed by cement truck

Scott Bricker, executive director of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, said Portland generally sees up to five bicycle fatalities a year. But as the number of cyclists increases, the actual rate of deaths has gone down, he said.