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823-SAFE success story

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Two visitors recently commented that the signal at N. Broadway and Larrabee was too short to make it across the intersection on time. Then, the ever-present Jessica Roberts (from the BTA) urged them to call 823-SAFE to get the signal timing changed.

One of them took her advice and here’s what happened:

“Just wanted to let everyone know that I called the 503-823-SAFE number today in regards to the intersecton at N Broadway and Larrabee and Todd Rosenbaum with the city called back within a couple hours. He apparently rides the same route and was familiar with the problem. He told me that he went ahead and changed the timing of the light from 5 seconds to 10 seconds. Hey look, sometimes the “city that works” actually does work! Props to the city of Portland for being so responsive. “

As a reminder, here’s what you can call 823-SAFE about:

  • Intersection safety (pavement markings, signals, stop signs)
  • Pedestrian & bicycle safety (crosswalks, bike lanes, ramps, sidewalks)
  • School safety (crossing, education, safe routes, school drop-offs)
  • Speeding (enforcement, speed zones, traffic calming)
  • Visibility (lighting, pruning, signage)
  • Parking (limited parking/no parking)

And a few other numbers you should program into your cell phone:

  • 503-823-CYCL for bike lane/path maintenance, bike maps & cycling information, and bike rack installation request
    OR call the maintenance dispatch line (24-hr) to request sweeping directly: 503-823-1700
  • 503-823-BUMP for pavement repair & potholes
  • 503-823-5195 for parking enforcement
  • 503-962-7644 for TriMet info on bikes & buses/MAX

Bike data charts are posted

I’ve just posted some interesting charts from the City of Portland Office of Transportation on my new “Bike Safety” page if you’re into that sort of thing.

Here are the titles of the charts:

  • “Combined Traffic over Four Main Portland Bicycle Bridges Juxtaposed with Bicycle Crashes”
  • “Portland Bicycle Use, Crashes, & Bikeways”
  • “Average Daily Bicycle Traffic: 4 Main Willamette River Bicycle Bridges”
  • “Combined Traffic over Four Main Portland Bicycle Bridges Juxtaposed with Bikeway Miles”

Visit the Bike Safety page to see them all…and don’t forget to vote on the Bike Safety poll while you’re there.

bridges_crash_rate


Toyota helps keep eyes on the road

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

In light of several recent fatal car/bike incidents I thought this little news story was eerily coincidental. Perhaps technology can play a role in making our streets safer.

    Toyota Computer Makes You Watch the Road

    TOKYO (AP) – Japanese automaker Toyota has developed a safety technology that it says will keep the driver’s eyes on the road. An image-processing computer system developed by Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) and a Toyota affiliate uses a camera near the steering wheel to detect when the driver stops looking straight ahead.

    The system flashes a light on the dashboard display and emits a beeping noise when the eyes start to wander. If the driver still doesn’t respond, brakes kick in, Toyota said Tuesday. The feature will be offered in Lexus luxury models set to be sold in Japan in spring next year. Toyota won’t comment on whether it will be offered in models sold abroad, company spokeswoman Keiko Nakajima said.

    Research shows that most accidents happen because the driver isn’t paying attention, according to Toyota.

We’ll take any help we can get at this point…but I wish they’d spend their resources on driver safety education instead.