Comments on: Friday Film Fun: Portland cycle tracks and buffered bike lanes

By: elliott

elliott — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:24:31 +0000

Jeff,
I too use that stretch of Congress very regularly. I’ve found no such increase in right hooks. In fact, I’ve found drivers to be more aware of me and yielding to me as I approach the light.

I don’t think our individual experiences are a good indicator of the viability of the improvement. It’s too subjective. I venture you don’t care for bike infrastructure so now you are very aware of conflicts while I think these are improvements so I’m probably likely to downplay conflicts in my mind. We need to look at actual accident rates & whether helps increase bike usage to determine that.

By: jeff

jeff — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 05:36:40 +0000

Interesting on several levels.
(1) the “bike lane” example has the rider in the bike lane in the door zone. Clearly that rider’s position can be improved–and the bike lane didn’t improve it.
(2) the buffered lane–betwen the sidewalk and the parked cars–is designed in a way that puts the cyclist well out of the visual field of the right-turning driver. How do they “solve” this problem? “Hey, driver! Watch out for cyclists like you already watch out for pedestrians in the cross walk!” There’s a reason why pedestrians are at a much greater risk from car traffic than cyclists already. So now, we cyclists are to be placed in the same risky category and thank the planners for that? Oh, one more “accommodation”–a green box to make turning left more difficult than it normally is riding one’s bike like an intelligent operator in traffic. Thanks again, planners.
(3) the “bike lane 2.0″ which is done sort of like what has been painted on Congress between Oltorff and Ben White–since that extra funny striping has been put down, I’ve had several near right-hooks and seveal drivers pull out across my path from my left. That sort of incident was far less frequent with teh former striping–I’ve been riding that route almost daily for years.

By: alonso

alonso — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:59:02 +0000

but, I am sure very likely the track, the buffer zone and the sidewalk will be taken as loading area and/or changing clothes area as it is done today with the bike lanes on Veterans Dr or the bike lane & buffer zone on the drag.
Just a cautionary tale.

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:10:22 +0000

Sounds like a great idea to me. We’ll never create a true cycling community until every person regardless of age, gender or skill level feels safe riding a bike instead of driving. I tell my non-riding friends new cycling infrastructure isn’t really for the people who are already riding. Even though they benefit from it as well.

The problem is around here minimal impact on car traffic apparently means zero impact.