New from Streetfilms: Bike Rush Hour on the Hawthorne Bridge
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor-in-Chief) on April 29th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Filmmaker Clarence Eckerson on the
Hawthorne Bridge last week.
-Watch video below-
Hawthorne Bridge last week.
-Watch video below-
Streetfilms‘ Clarence Eckerson was in Portland recently for Filmed by Bike. While he was here, he teamed up with Dan Kaufman from Crank My Chain CycleTV to put together a new, 3-plus minute film that takes a look at “Bike Rush Hour” on Portland’s Hawthorne Bridge.
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It features some great, time-lapse shots of a solid string of bikers pedaling home on the evening commute. Watching the footage made me wonder how all the bike and ped traffic will fit on the bridge this summer. Like our own Elly Blue says in the video, “We need more room!”.
Check it out:
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April 29th, 2009 13:19
Looks like a cool article... can't wait to be able to hear it (don't get sound from this computer). ;)
April 29th, 2009 13:32
I like the shot @ 1:48 of the eastbound car yielding to cross the bike lane with their signal going in the opposite direction. Assume you're invisible if you want to survive!
April 29th, 2009 13:33
Cyclists need to be given a full lane in the street on the bridge itself.
April 29th, 2009 14:29
The hawthorne bridge gets all the hype. broadway's got plenty of traffic too. it would have been cool if they'd have gotten lucky and showed all the bikers who get piled up when the bridge is up.
April 29th, 2009 14:37
Greg knows much, much more than just stat. He knows all...
April 29th, 2009 14:38
I can't see that there's much more room to give on the Hawthorne bridge. @#3, I don't think people riding on the metal grating would work well either. All we can hope for is that the new bike lanes on the Morrison bridge and the forthcoming MAX/bike/pedestrian bridge joining the south waterfronts will alleviate the bike congestion on the Hawthorne.
Sad to see so many cyclists in the clip without proper protection (helmets). Those are bad odds to play.
April 29th, 2009 14:50
who says it would only have metal grating? I'm sure the technology exists to make something more bike-friendly. Opening that outer lane to bikes is a matter of when, not if.
April 29th, 2009 14:52
@twistyaction: Really, all of that and one of the main things you took from it is a few people not wearing helmets? Seriously. Can we maybe just have some discussion in comments about cycling that *doesn't* involve helmets someday?
Like how great it is to see normal people in normal clothes riding bicycles safely for everyday transportation and getting more cars off the road, increasing traffic safety overall, and making Portland a more livable city?
April 29th, 2009 14:53
What would also be great is if they made a full-car-lane sized bike lane coming off the bridge up till Ladd's Addition :)
April 29th, 2009 15:09
That was a pretty cool vid. I liked the cars yielding to bikes all over the place, and just the sheer mass of people on bikes on the street and the bridge.
Very neat.
April 29th, 2009 15:12
TriMet's new transit bridge will more than double bike capacity across that part of the river.
Check out the extremely cool model by consultant Miguel Rosales outside City Hall's Council chamber.
April 29th, 2009 15:18
I would not look forward to sharing the outer lanes with buses. I understand buses can't use the middle lanes because they can't pass each other at the same time.
I have ridden on the grate – surprisingly, it wasn't that slippery – but it was dry.
This was after the fireworks show during a Rose Festival. The pedestrians take up the whole sidewalk – and also block motor traffic - making riding the grate possible.
April 29th, 2009 15:20
@#7&9: I guess if the outer lane was given over to bike traffic only it could be covered with the same surface as the existing bike lanes. I think a full lane all the way across would be awesome and is needed. Sorting bikes from cars and buses in the road isn't getting any simpler on the bridge though.
@#8: Helmet, helmet, helmet. Eventually, every rider's gonna need one whether they know it or not. I don't think it should be mandatory by law, but it's foolish to think you are in complete control of when the need for one will arise. Not wearing one is your own risk to take, have at it. I do think however, that adequate lights from dusk 'til dawn should be enforced.
I loved seeing all the riders in the video, that was my biggest take-away from it. I think that if we (cyclists) want more respect from other road users, we have to demonstrate a little more responsibility when sharing that road.
Two questions for anyone: 1) How's progress on the Morrison bridge and has anyone used the new lanes if they're done? 2) When's the new bridge between the Ross Island and Hawthorne bridges supposed to be complete and will it have to raise for boat passage?
April 29th, 2009 15:20
I wasn't feeling talkative that day but I managed to sneak in the background for about five seconds around 1:16-1:21. With my new Nutcase helmet on... last year I'd have been on my Electra cruiser with my hair blowing free.
April 29th, 2009 15:20
Cool vid. Another great place to witness bike traffic is the Ankeny St. bike boulevard from MLK to Laurelhurst.
April 29th, 2009 15:24
A couple of notes. First the bike/ped facility on the Morrison Bridge is currently under construction and will be able to handle a considerable amount of bike/ped traffic soon. Second, once a new Sellwood Bridge is built, it too will handle bike/ped traffic that currently comes from Sellwood/SE Portland that could cross further south and use the Willamette Greenway. But more importantly, as was carried by BikePortland not long ago, sharing the road also means being curteous to other bicyclists and pedestrians, so be patient while you wind your way across the bridge.
April 29th, 2009 15:48
No. 13 – question 2
The new Milwaukie light rail line is slated to begin operation in 2015. It would be a fixed bridge high enough for boats to clear – no lift spans required.
April 29th, 2009 17:50
do it in the street films!
April 29th, 2009 18:40
While I love all the bike traffic Portland gets during the warmer months, it sometimes makes me miss riding during the winter, all alone out there.
April 29th, 2009 20:59
You think you all alone in Winter? Well, I guess you must have missed the bike with all of the colored lights!
Yes, I was out these even during the snow storm. It was fun, especially with the studded tires!
Mark
April 30th, 2009 09:53
yay cranked my chain and streetfilms! looking forward to many more...
up next, Sunday Parkways?
April 30th, 2009 14:52
I was right... that was a cool vid.
Love the work! Dan, Clarence
Keep it Up!