Portland is dwelling to many various kinds of bikeways. Too many in the event you ask me. Innovation is nice, however we might use a bit extra standardization so that everybody is aware of what’s happening. However I digress…
One of many conditions the place the Portland Bureau of Transportation is at its most artistic is when a key bikeway crosses a serious avenue at an offset. These offset intersections — the place the 2 streets don’t line up completely (see beneath) — are very tough as a result of the usual crossing therapies aren’t relevant. In addition they require bicycle customers to depart the relative security of their designated bike route for a short lived tour into rather more unfriendly waters.
Some offsets are delicate, just like the one at NE ninth and Webster. Others are extra excessive, like the one on the Going Greenway at NE thirty third. You may see different examples on SE Division and SE Powell at 129th.
However there’s nothing like what PBOT has performed on the offset intersection of SE Stark and forty first.
forty first is a key north-south greenway that connects southeast neighborhoods to Hollywood because of the forty second Avenue overpass of I-84. At this location, PBOT determined to construct the bike lanes in the midst of the road. They’ve added sturdy buffer striping and a few plastic wands for added security. I’ve been sharing the video above on social media for just a few days and the response from riders has been combined. Total, it looks like a majority of individuals assume it really works effectively.
Listed here are just a few of the feedback:
wlmhsu: I’m an enormous fan of this design. As a bicycle owner you solely have to fret about site visitors from one course at a time. You get to the center bike lane and then you definitely solely concern your self with the oncoming site visitors. Higher than having to fret about site visitors each methods.
jacobmbuckmaster: I’m not a fan. I dwell proper on this neighborhood. We all the time use forty second as an alternative. Feels a lot safer to attend for a gap in site visitors to show left then to sit down in the midst of the street with quick automobiles on both aspect of you.
benji_benji_benji_ok: I trip by fairly often and I like it. I really feel protected and I don’t have any insecurity points crossing the road. I used to dwell proper there after I first moved to Portland a looong time in the past. My favourite neighborhood.
rollinsjenni: I dig it.
lestergalula: It’s fairly simple to make use of but additionally each time I bike there it’s clearly the case {that a} automotive has not too long ago run over the wands so I don’t understand how a lot it truly improves bicycle owner security vs simply giving the looks of bettering security. I might additionally say one in every of my pet peeves with the greenway system is that there are various locations the place they cross collector streets like that, and if it’s a time of day when it’s busy, you find yourself having to attend till somebody stops to allow you to cross. Whereas folks in Portland are fairly good about doing that… It will be good to see cease indicators or these earlier than button activated stoplights on extra of these intersections.
Have you ever ridden this? How does it work (or not) for you?
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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