The morning after PBOT called it their #1 priority location to receive a bike box, a woman on a bike was hit at NE Couch and Grand. Based on interviews with the victim's friend and the driver of the truck, the crash was a classic right hook. According to her friend who was at the scene, Jill Michaelree sustained a broken foot and/or shin and will undergo surgery.

Michaelree was traveling westbound in the bike lane on NE Couch approaching Grand. A large United Rentals equipment delivery truck (being driven by a professional commercial operator) was traveling in the same direction in the adjacent traffic lane. At Grand, the truck turned right to go north and struck Ms. Michaelree.

The operator of the truck remained at the scene and was very remorseful about what happened. "We both had the green. I didn't even see her," he told me.

Here are a few more photos from the scene:

A bikes-eye view of the intersection where Michaelree was hit.

The truck that struck Michaelree.

A man on a bike who appeared to be a messenger stopped at the scene on his way to work. He was upset to see the crash and frustrated about the street design, saying he has told the BTA for months that the intersection was very dangerous. "This is the worst idea to put a bike lane before a major turn. I'm surprised I haven't seen happen this five more times."

PBOT opened the new East Burnside Couch couplet in August of 2009. Part of the project was a new routing of the bikeway onto Couch and the addition of a new bike lanes (read our in-depth report about how bikes fit into this project).

In April of this year, we started to hear a lot of concerns from people biking in this area. On May 5th, we reported that former BTA staffer Michael O'Leary was voicing major concerns about the biking conditions. O'Leary wanted PBOT to take a hard look at the s-curve bike lane leading onto the Burnside Bridge as well as addressing right hook issues on NE Couch. A few days later, after someone was hit on the s-curve, PBOT Director Sue Keil issued a statement that acknowledged the safety concerns and said her department would re-stripe the bike lane.

After PBOT made bike safety changes to the Couch bike lanes leading onto the Burnside Bridge, the BTA said they still had concerns. In a blog post on May 17th, BTA advocacy manager Gerik Kransky wrote (emphasis mine), "We are also concerned about the high volume of cars and buses entering and leaving the right travel lane on NE Couch, increasing the likelihood of a right hook crash."

Last night, PBOT traffic safety specialist Greg Raisman announced 11 new bike box locations throughout the city. He said NE Couch and Grand was on top of their list. "We've seen a lot of right turn conflict at this location and we want to see a quick fix." Raisman said the bike box is paid for, a work order has been written and he expects it to be installed by the end of October.

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has unveiled a list of locations for a second phase of bike box installations. PBOT traffic safety specialist Greg Raisman presented the list at tonight's Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting. In total, 14 new bike boxes are in the works.

PBOT traffic safety specialist Greg
Raisman (L) at tonight's Bike Advisory
Committee.

Here's the list. Note that these are numbered by their "installation priority". The rationale for that priority follows each one (taken directly from PBOT):

1. NE Couch at Grand - Recent, major modifications resulting in large number of reports of right turn conflict.
2. SE Madison at SE Grand - Large amount of bicycle and bus traffic. Box part of 2 year old mitigation plan.
3. SE 26th at SE Powell (2 boxes planned) - Large number of reported crash activity that could benefit from a bike box.
4. SE 7th Ave at SE Hawthorne (NB) - Facilitate large number of bicycle left turns from eastbound to northbound.
5. SE 7th Ave at SE Madison (SB) - Large right turn demands, as well as through, from motor vehicles and bicycles. Motor vehicles encroach in westbound bike lane on Madison.
6. N Interstate at N. Tillamook (NB) - Large increase in right turning large trucks due to Water Bureau safety change relative to N. Wheeler.
7. SW Terwilliger at SW Capitol Hwy (SB) - Major bicycle connection to Southwest Portland. Right turn demand onto Capitol Hwy.
8. N Interstate at N Alberta (NB) - Significant right turn demand onto Alberta for motor vehicles, large number of straight movement for bicycle traffic.
9. SE Gladstone at SE Cesar Chavez (2 bike boxes planned) - Connection to 40s and SE Center bike boulevards 3 blocks east. Heavy turn demand onto Cesar Chavez.
10. N Willamette at N Portsmouth (WB) - High right turn demand across popular bike lane on Willamette. Lower priority due to higher cost capital needs necessitated by roadway width and a bus stop.
11. SE Lincoln at SE 39th (2 bike boxes planned) - Large numbers of through bicycles and turn demand from motor vehicles due to semi-diverter. May want to consider as a part of round three projects would treat signalized boulevard crossings.

In explaining their reasoning for installing more bike boxes, Raisman said, "Our observation is that they've contributed to a safer, more comfortable travel environment. It appears they're a good tool for us and we have more places where we think they can help." The City's case for bike boxes has gotten a boost from recent positive research findings.

The first two locations on the list will be installed by the end of October and the next seven will be installed by next spring. Stay tuned for more details on what's planned at each location.

A year-long evaluation by researchers at Portland State University's Institute for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation has found that Portland's bike boxes improve the safety of roads users on a number of levels. The research — funded through the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium — complements another study from the University of Texas published last month that also found bike boxes to have a positive impact on traffic safety. City of Portland Bureau of Transportation officials say these studies confirm their own observations about the bike boxes and they are in the process of identifying new locations to add more of them.

Back in January, PSU released very preliminary data from their bike box research. The results were mixed and not very conclusive one way or another. When those results went public, several media outlets used them to question the overall efficacy of bike boxes. However, now that the full study is complete, the picture has grown more positive for bike boxes.

According to PSU's co-principal investigator Chris Monsere (who worked on the study with noted transportation researcher Jennifer Dill, Ph.D.) the additional analysis since January has convinced him of the traffic safety benefits of bike boxes. In an email to BikePortland yesterday, he wrote, "Since the preliminary report, I am overall more confident branding the boxes as working."

Monsere, Dill, and their research team used a combination of before and after video data and surveys of people who used intersections where bike boxes had been installed. Here's the breakdown of video analysis:

Of the 918 hours of total video, researchers analyzed 83 hours for "usage and compliance" of 5,315 people on bikes; 139 hours of bike/car conflicts (including 7,454 people on bikes); and 17 hours of yielding behaviors of 1,141 motor vehicle operators (of which 135 of those had interactions with bike operators that necessitated yielding).

In addition, to find out if people understood the markings, researchers surveyed 468 people who bike through the bike boxes and 721 people who drive through the bike boxes were recruited via email to complete a survey.

The PSU researchers sought to answer three key questions: Do road users understand and comply with the pavement markings? Do the bike boxes improve safety (both actual and perceived)? and does the green color make a difference?

Do road users understand how to use the bike box?
Yes. Video analysis showed that 73% of motor vehicle operators stopped in the correct position behind the bike box and 86% of those surveyed said they understood the markings. 73% of people on bikes stopped ahead of the motor vehicle stop line, but interestingly, only 5% of bike riders positioned themselves in the bike box (out of the bike lane) in front of the motor vehicle stop line. That number jumped to 38% when someone on a bike was already in the box, showing how people were less timid to move in front of stopped motor vehicles if someone else had done it first.

Does the green color make a difference?
Researchers acknowledged that study limitations made it difficult to draw clear conclusions to this question. However, nearly 90% of motor vehicle operators said they preferred the color and people on bikes used colored boxes as intended more frequently, both of which the report said, "should increase their visibility and improve safety."

Do the bike boxes improve safety?
This is the most important question. In terms of number of conflicts and yielding behaviors — yes. The research found that the number of conflicts decreased and the yielding behavior increased. According to the research, the number of observed conflicts decreased from 29 to 20 while the number of people on bikes increased 35% and the amount of motor vehicle right-turns increased by 7%. This led researchers to state:

"Controlling for differences in volumes of bicycles and right-turning vehicles, fewer bicycle-motor vehicle conflicts are expected for an intersection with a bike box."

Compliance with bike boxes is very
high in Portland, likely due to
the City's marketing efforts.

The positive safety results come with a caveat. Monsere says that since conflicts (especially major ones) are rare, "It's hard to be as conclusive as we would prefer." He adds that their results showed no negative safety effects and the fact that there was more yielding and fewer conflicts observed, "Over time," he says, "one would expect fewer crashes". Monsere also shared some reservations about placing bike boxes in suburban areas or in places where people aren't as used to seeing bikes on the road.

In terms of people's perception of safety, the results were positive and conclusive. Both motor vehicle and bicycle operators told researchers that the intersections were safer after the installation of bike boxes. Of particular interest is that 42% of motor vehicle operators who do not ride bicycles felt that driving through the intersections was safer with the bike boxes (compared to 14% who felt it was more dangerous). 77% of people who biked through the intersections felt they were safer with the bike boxes.

Last month, the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Texas also issued positive research findings on bike boxes. In their Executive Summary, they wrote, "Ultimately, bike box markings are recommended for installation at intersections where a majority of motorists do not turn right on red and the volume of bicyclists is high."

This positive research could help build momentum for the official adoption of bike boxes on a national level. The Federal Highway Administration is in the process of considering them for inclusion into the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. PSU's Jennifer Dill says this report will be made available to the FHWA as part of the City of Portland's ongoing "application to experiment" with bike boxes.

Momentum seems to be growing for more innovative federal engineering policy regarding bikeway design. With this positive research and the installation of bike boxes around the country, perhaps we'll see this treatment become as common as the sharrow (which the FHWA finally adopted in 2009).

In Portland, we are certain to see more bike boxes in the months to come. PBOT installed our 12 existing bike boxes back in 2008. PBOT traffic safety staffer Greg Raisman says they're happy to have research that backs up their observations. In a telephone interview today, he said, "Having some academic review of what's happening out there really helps us in our decision making." Raisman will be present at tonight's Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting where he'll roll out a process to identify new locations where PBOT will install bike boxes.

— Download the research referenced in this article: Evaluation of Bike Boxes at Signalized Intersections - PSU/IBPI (PDF); Effects of Bicycle Boxes on Bicyclist and Motorist Behavior at Intersections - City of Austin, (PDF)

Back in January, we reported that Portland had potentially had a record low number of traffic fatalities in 2008.

PBOT has now made it official -- we have never had fewer traffic fatalities in any year since they began keeping track in 1925.

In 2008, 20 people died in traffic crashes. Fifteen were in cars and five were on foot. For the fifth time in the past ten years, there were no bicycle-related fatalities.

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PBOT released the official numbers today and Mayor Adams' office sent out an email this morning announcing the record and giving considerable credit to the city's Safer Routes to School program and its 2007 installation of bike boxes as examples of the city's efforts to make its streets safer.

Adams' office cites transportation budget cuts currently being deliberated as an area of major concern for continuing to improve traffic safety.

You can download the city's 2008 Fatality Summary here.

The most recent example of this are Portland's colored bike boxes. We weren't the first city to do them, but we were the first to launch several of them at once on busy intersections in the urban core.

Before laying them down, PDOT sent an official "Request to Experiment" to the Federal Highway Administration. It's not a required step, but an official nod from the FHWA would help PDOT breathe a little easier, and more importantly, would open the door to make colored bike boxes a standard treatment that could then be adopted more easily in other cities.

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Back in July, we reported that the FHWA responded to PDOT by requiring them to test some of the bike boxes without the color.

PDOT has complied with this request and has installed several bike boxes without the green, thermoplastic paint the initial ones had. One of the non-colored locations is at Broadway and Hoyt in Northwest Portland. Here's how it looks.

Can you see the bike box?

For comparison, here's how a colored bike box works (this one is at Madison and Third):

Aaahh, that's better.

To me, it seems clear that the color adds an important visual cue and that it is an imperative measure for increasing the safety and effectiveness of bike boxes. I hope the FHWA agrees.

(Note: PDOT is also working with Portland State University's Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation on a bike box research study funded by the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium. More info on that study here.)

This morning, 15 years after that legal battle (which ended after the BTA backed off two years later, their point being made), PDOT crews (with the blessing of TriMet) began the striping and installation of new bike lanes through the Rose Quarter Transit Center -- making passage through the area for bicycles safer, more efficient, and legal.

Looking south from NE Holladay. N. Interstate Ave is in the background.
(Photos © J. Maus)

The new lane is 12-feet wide to accomodate two-way bike traffic and it runs from NE Multnomah to N. Interstate.

Blueprint for new striping
and bike lanes.

The original plans called for the entire lane to be filled in with green thermoplastic material. However, budget constraints have resulted in a plan (see the blueprint of the work order at right) to only fill in four, 25-foot sections of the lane with green.

PDOT's bike coordinator Roger Geller says that they decided to save money and focus the green areas where pedestrians, bicyclists, and TriMet operators should pay extra attention. Geller added that PDOT will also install new bikeway network signs in the area.

Newly installed advanced stop
bar at Multnomah and Wheeler.

In addition to the new bike lane, a new bike box with the "WAIT HERE" marking has been installed on the SE corner of NE Multnomah and Wheeler (it will be filled in with green later today). This is intended to give more space, prevent right-hooks, and provide added visibility for bike riders who are headed north on Wheeler.

PDOT has also added a fresh coat of paint to crosswalks and TriMet will re-route some buses off of NE Wheeler. In addition, PDOT plans to remove the existing bike lane from NE Multnomah, which will now see more bus traffic and a new bus stop.

There's nothing like the smell
of fresh bike lane paint
in the morning.

On a side note, the Portland Tribune published a story about the new bike facilities this morning. They tried hard to frame it as a controversy with the headline, Busy Rose Quarter Transit Center gets controversial bike lane: There’s still a conflict as TriMet bus drivers oppose bicyclists in transit hub . They dredged up the petition signed by bus and MAX operators that strongly opposed the changes.

What the Tribune didn't mention is that the informal, unofficial petition was acknowledged by TriMet and the operator who wrote it has since attended a field review of the proposed changes and is now working with TriMet to develop training materials to help fellow operators deal with the addition of the new bike facilities.

There's no controversy here.

The new bike lane, bike box, and signs are expected to be completely installed by this evening, at which time, the Rose Quarter Transit Center will be open for bikes. Finally.

____
UPDATE: Michelle Poyourow from the BTA just commented that there's a ribbon-cutting event planned for tomorro (Thursday) afternoon at 1:45 pm with Commissioner Sam Adams, TriMet Director Fred Hansen, and the PDOT, BTA and TriMet staff that made this come together. (**Meet at the Peace Sign Garden above the Eastbank Esplanade. Do not congregate in the Transit Center.)

The old-school bike box at SE 39th and Clinton.

The colored version at SE Hawthorne and 7th.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has officially approved the City of Portland Office of Transportation's (PDOT) "Request to Experiment" with green colored bike boxes on one condition; they must test their effectiveness without the green coloring many people credit with their success.

The uncolored bike box on SE Clinton
(which also has no signage) is
regularly ignored.

PDOT filed their Request to Experiment with the FHWA back in January. Such a request is not mandatory, but it is a required part of the process to get colored bike boxes added to the all-important Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) — a set of guidelines used by traffic engineers across the country.

According to a statement prepared by PDOT's head traffic engineer Rob Burchfield, Portland will comply with the FHWA's decision. This means that three of the remaining locations pegged for bike boxes will be installed with striping and signage only, without the green color used in eight bike box intersections installed since March.

The non-colored treatments will then be evaluated "for a period of time while data is collected." Once that data is collected, the green color will be added and another round of data will be evaluated: "This methodology is intended to help better discern the relative effectiveness of coloring the boxes as part of the overall treatment."

A colored bike box on 14th at W. Burnside.

From anecdotal evidence, my own observations, and from reports by the Police Bureau, it seems Portland's bike boxes are enjoying a high rate of compliance by road users. Some folks think a major reason for that compliance is the highly visible green color. But that's not necessarily an accurate assumption according to Richard Moeur, Chair of the MUTCD's Bicycle Technical Committee -- a volunteer group that advises the FHWA.

Moeur says he's concerned that PDOT is testing too many new things at once (a new color, new signage, new symbols, etc...). "What you end up with," he told me today is, "that it's impossible to determine which device is having an effect on the traveling public."

The problem, Moeur says, is that PDOT has "made the assumption that you need this entire package to have an effective bike box."

Moeur feels that it's important to determine how effective each individual component is before moving forward with an official adoption. He's also concerned that colored lanes and boxes are expensive and that not enough research has been done on how/if it significantly impacts behavior.

"Color is expensive... and there are a lot of assumptions that it will change user behavior. When it doesn't, but you think it does, that is the big concern... I think we need more information."

This "phased implementation approach" will begin on October 1st at the intersections of SW Terwilliger and Taylors Ferry, NW Broadway and Hoyt, and at SE 39th and Clinton (where an old bike box already exists).

Next week (8/06), PDOT will be back in front of City Council for an update on their bike box program (known officially as the Bicycle Safety: Bike Boxes and Alternatives Report to Council).

Since launching their bike box campaign in October of 2007 (in the wake of two fatal crashes that involved right-turning motor vehicles), PDOT has painted eight intersections with bike boxes. Of the 14 original intersections identified, one is delayed and three have been removed from consideration for the treatment for various reasons*.

See all of BikePortland.org's bike box coverage here.

*At the request of a commenter below, here are the three intersections that are no longer being considered for the bike box treatment (as per PDOT):

• N Interstate at Greeley (after further analysis and public involvement closure of the right turn is recommended)
• NE Broadway at Williams (after further analysis the geometry of this intersection precludes effective use of the bike box at this location)
• NW Lovejoy at 9th Ave (delayed due pending design and construction of the streetcar extension project)

On Monday, the city of Portland installed a bike box in the SE corner of W. Burnside and 14th streets in downtown Portland -- the same intersection where Tracey Sparling was killed nine months ago.

This is the eighth bike box the City has installed in the past four months since the first one went in at SE Hawthorne and 7th.

There are a total of 14 locations on the initial list, but only eight of them have been authorized and installed (the other six are pending due to various issues).

Bikes now get plenty of
breathing room at red lights.

When I heard this one had been installed, I called Tracey Sparling's aunt, Susie Kubota. She had already ridden through the intersection and noticed it a day earlier.

She said it made her feel, "ecstatically bittersweet."

At first she was "elated and pleased" to see the bike box, but then she had "a mind-numbing flash" that, had it been installed last summer, her life would be much different:

"...it makes me physically ill to consider that such a simple fix would have definitely prevented the right hook that killed my niece."

After I visited the site yesterday, I had similar feelings. I've shared more of my thoughts in the short film below:

Clarence Eckerson Jr., that intrepid auteur with New York City-based Streetfilms, just posted another one of the films he made during his recent visit to Portland.

Eckerson is the man behind the Sunday Parkways video I posted Tuesday (that film has already been viewed nearly 4,000 times).

This time, Eckerson turns his lens to our new bike boxes. The video is a sequel (of sorts) to his first video on New York City's bike boxes, in which he popularized the "Bike box!" catchphrase and went toe-to-toe with them -- literally boxing the boxes.

Check out the video below (warning: you may have "bike box!" in your head the rest of the day):

See more of Eckerson's videos here.

[Note: Stay tuned for the much-anticipated web debut of Dan Kaufman's bike box video that premiered at the Bike Porn film festival.]