(Photo © J. Maus)
Once again, a national survey of driver behavior has put Portland on top of the the “Most Courteous/Least Road Rage” list. Portland held the title in 2007, but came in 2nd place last year.
The fourth annual survey compared 25 major cities (through 2,518 telephone interviews) and was commissioned by Autovantage, a national auto club.
Here’s a blurb about Portland from a press release on the survey:
“Vaulting it to the top spot this year, Portland drivers ranked No. 1 on several “most courteous” categories: Portland motorists are least likely to honk their horn or curse at other drivers, least likely to observe other drivers running through red lights and, tied with Cleveland and Philadelphia, least likely to observe others cutting over with little or no warning.”
New York was found to have the most road rage, followed by Dallas/Fort Worth. Here’s the top 5 lists:
Any thoughts out there on what might account for Portland’s supposedly courteous drivers? Also, unfortunately the survey focused on people’s behavior toward other motor vehicle operators, as opposed to people on bicycles. Even so, this survey is welcome news at the outset of summer, especially considering the irresponsible conflagration of a “bikes vs. cars” war by The Oregonian last July. Remember these front pages?
July 10th:
July 11th:
July 15th:
I sure hope we don’t see that kind of media frenzy this summer. (Thankfully, I think The Oregonian is improving in this regard. They acknowledged that they “overplayed” the stories and they now have reporter Joseph Rose doing more coverage of bikes and cars. Rose has added a much more sensitive and constructive tone to the paper).
— Learn more about the survey methodology and see the full list of rankings here.
I would hardly call the Oregonian media frenzy. They are a tabloid paper for all intents and purposes now.
I was pleased with how courteous the drivers were around us on the Taco ride last night.
Growing up here, I thought what other people call courteous drivers was the norm. It wasn’t until I lived in/visited other cities that I saw how common “ugly” driving can be.
I like to think that the courtesy has rubbed off on our new residents. And perhaps having a large number of cyclists who also drive helps. I know I’m more a more patient driver than I used to be.
Washington DC 6th most courteous? Obviously they have never driven the Beltway. I call BS on the whole thing if they can mess up that badly.
“Portland motorists are least likely to … observe other drivers running through red lights …”
But they seem most likely to observe bicyclists running stop signs.
I wonder why motorists never seem to notice that ~80% of motor vehicles don’t come to a complete stop at stop signs, but they certainly notice the large percentage of bicyclists that don’t. Do they only notice wrong-doing by other modes? Is it from frustration? Quadriceps envy?
When I’m driving, I certainly notice the other drivers doing the “California Stop” as well as bicyclists doing the same, but for some reason only the cyclists seem to draw the ire of the general public. Makes no sense.
This whole “media frenzy” is nothing more than overblown “reporting” by a lazy media. Most Portlanders have a “live and let live” attitude.
There are a relatively few motorists mad at a relatively few cyclists exhibiting bad behavior. I ride my bike all over this city and it’s a rare day indeed when I’m treated poorly by a motorist.
It’s funny, in California, I always knew the California “stop” as the California “roll”…which is really more accurate and, a pun (pun-ishment ride later!! woot!). I still call it that.
Sacramento courteous? wow. never though I would see that.
One thing people who visit/move here always comment on is is how orgonians drive. How annoying it is to drive in Oregon because everyone is so slow! and uses thier turn signals (generally anyways). OH and you can merge! people let you merge, it’s amazing. I don’t know what the complaint is.
When I moved here I was an aggressive driver. Then I became a part cyclist/driver again (Like I had been growing up in Davis after turning 16) and became a better slower more courteous driver and then…I gave up driving!
And more often than not, drivers are courtious to me on my bike. not always but usualy. Moreso that they would be in Cali (outside of Davis anyways).
Bent Bloke, I’d be surprised if the percentage was as low as 80%. The vast majority of cars only come to a complete stop if there is some cross traffic. A lot of people are in a rush out there and are willing to take calculated risks on conformance to the letter of the law, whether they be they on a bike or in a car. Maybe Oregon’s unemployment has statistically taken an edge off the “in a hurry” factor.
Thanks for the mention, Jonathan.
RonC and Bent Bloke, I wrote about that issue (cars and stop signs) in The Oregonian back in April (I think it was the same week that I wrote a column explaining why the Idaho Stop makes sense). I tried to give Oregonian readers a reality check on the issue. One Portland survey shows motorists stop completely only 22 percent of the time.
http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2009/04/so_you_think_cyclists_are_the.html
riding in nyc was like being invisible. cars (especially cabs) seemed not to even acknowledge your existence. even pedestrians would look right at you and then step out in front of you to cross the street.
im still shocked by how accommodating drivers are here and a friend in town from nyc has only . within portland most people will go out of their way to give space or even stop at cross streets to let you cross. there are exceptions of course and there’s a lot of work to do to make biking safer, but we have it pretty good.
mutual respect on the road will get us there.
Hey Joe, your article is where I got my statistic of 80%. I rounded up a little.
;o)
Perfect. Another post where cyclists complain about drivers and how courteous they are not. Sheesh. It seems like no one that posts on this site has ever lived and biked in any city other than Portland. Of course things could be better, but Portland has the best, most courteous drivers that I have even encountered in all my years living here in the US.
Interesting to see Minneapolis so high on the worst cities list.
When I’ve gone back home (MN) the last few times I’ve marveled at the following of the “letter of the law” by motorists (i.e. complete stops at stop signs, no more than 2.5 mph over the speed limit, etc.) compared to what I’ve seen since moving out west.
I know there are thousands of factors at work here, but is it possible that a looser interpretation of traffic laws (22% stop sign adherence…ahem) help make Portland road users happier and more courteous?
I think even over the last 6 years drivers have become more courteous of bicyclists because our numbers have grown and there is now a greater acceptance of bicyling. This courtesy has spilled over, I think, for drivers to each other. We are making a positive difference by our numbers! (Don’t forget Sunday Parkways this Sunday – be there!)
The first photo is awesome.
While Portland may have ranked high on this list for American cities, it’s still important to think of how “our” driving stacks up against cities in other countries. People still drive hecka fast here and I’m constantly threatened while crossing the street by overzealous motorists.
Better than some cities? Maybe. Ideal? Not even close.
@sabes
I’m going to be one of those folks who cries, “Not good enough.” Assuming this is the most courteous city, why stop at our current level? Idealistic? I’ll admit to that.
I want to be able to ride on a street declared a bicycle boulevard with my kids and not fear for their lives. That is a measure of success in my book.
@neversummer No, I would never suggest to stop striving for improvement. What does get me down are the Negative Nancies/Normans who all they do is complain about the horrible drivers and how they hate cyclists and how Portland doesn’t do enough for cyclists. Constructive criticism, please. I would love to see people posting here try and improve things (for everyone, not just cyclists) with good ideas and good actions, not just complaints and the-world-is-against-us attitudes.
I want to register a complaint about all this complaining about complainers. It simply must stop! 😉
Seriously though, I am very happy we got a good thing going here.
I just assume all drivers are out to kill me.
It’s worked the last 40 years just fine.
the surveyors probably didn’t drive on NB 205 during the PM commute…or perhaps didn’t count the ragers with Washington plates.
NYC and the surrounding metro area not only have the worst raging drivers but they also have the most ignorant with regards to the rules of the road. NY and NJ drivers ranked dead last in a GMAC Survey of local (state) road rules.
It almost makes me surprised I’m still alive riding a bike in these parts!
I must say I’m surprised, but I always am. Portland driving conditions, specifically people’s attitudes, have degraded so far, so fast. I notice Denver Colorado, and Seattle didn’t make the top 5 of either list. I’ve pulled tags in Manhattan, Seattle, Denver, San Francisco, and Portland. Denver has by far and away the worst traffic I’ve personally witnessed in my adult life. My year there as a messenger had me riding on magnesium chloride, which is about like 10-40w motor-oil, and roads covered in goat’s-heads put down by the city to dissuade cyclists from using certain arterioles.
Drunk driving is the status-quo. Mountain biking in the rural areas have engendered an anti-cyclist sentiment that has no domestic rival. Between a city that was pro-actively anti-bike (getting better), and motorists lacking any compunction whatsoever about killing me, and no less than personally witnessing two intense hand-gun fire-fights spurred on by road-rage, I’m very surprised to see Denver omitted. Never-mind the 3-digit temps in the summers, and two months of sub-zero ambient temps in the winter.
Compared to Denver and Seattle, my year in Manhattan was a cake walk. Enraged motorists? Try a liquored up and beer drunk cowboy in a nearly 4000lb Dodge 4×4 looking to teach a, “bike-fag”, a lesson in physics. Then multiply by 9,000,000.
Love the Portland.
I was stoked to see Portland at number one untill I saw Baltimore at number three most courteous. What a joke, as a Baltimore native who moved to Portland I must say its about 1,000 times more courteous than Bmore. Try to sit at a red light for more than 1/2 a second and listen for the chorus of horns that will follow. If that is worth number three then Portland should have a ranking better than 1, not sure how that is possible though.
I have to say since 10:30 pm last night I have been yelled at by a bunch of hooligan kids in their daddy’s BMW, ran almost into, causing me to swerve my bicycle into the oncoming lane, by yet another hooligan in a Crown Victoria who failed to stop at a stop sign and thirdly, while waiting at a traffic light (you know the one at Raleigh Hills)a car waiting behind me decides to gun pass me on the right (which is a turn lane) instead goning around me on the left, but he goes straight putting me in jeopardy–he must have been late for the Fathers Day tee off at the golf couse. All this happened during two short rides to and from my wife’s workplace on Scholls Ferry Road at 10:30 pm and 7:15 am. I usually ride without incident. I find Portland friendly to cyclists overall, being that I’m from the Atlanta area-a city that made the worst list. Their are bullies everywhere.