A City of Portland tanker truck with new side underrun guard.More images(Photos © J. Maus)

A bike safety initiative kicked off back in March within the City of Portland’s Bureau of Maintenance is starting to manifest on the streets.

A closer look.

While pedaling home the other day, I spotted a side underrun guard installed on a large […]

(Photo: Drive Safety)

According to the Centers for Disease Control, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teenagers — accounting for over 6,000 fatalities per year and 36% of all deaths in that age group.
As someone who relies on the care and skill of all drivers I share the road with, those […]

(Image: Autoliv Inc.)

According to an article published on Tuesday by Reuters’ Amsterdam news bureau, the Dutch Cycling Federation is calling on political leaders to urge the automobile industry to begin installing airbags on the hoods of cars.
The story reports that,
“The Dutch Cycling Federation said a study showed that 60 lives could be saved a year […]

This sticker will be placed on the back and side of all trucks in the City of Portland’s Maintenance Operations fleet.(Photo: PDOT)

The City of Portland is making good on a promise to lead the way in an effort to improve bike and truck safety. Today, they announced an event that will give people […]

Bikes navigate streetcar tracks near South Waterfront.(Photos © J. Maus)

With Portland’s streetcar plans heating up, and a recent TriMet bus/bike collision that claimed the life of a Beaverton boy, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) wants to know more about your experiences and comfort level when biking around transit.
The BTA, in partnership with the Lloyd District […]

The City of Portland’s Bureau of Maintenance is pushing forward to improve bike/truck safety.

Raymond Gawthorne of the Bureau of Maintenance spoke about theirefforts to improve bike safety.(Photos © J. Maus)

At PDOT’s monthly Bicycle Brown Bag Discussion Series yesterday, veteran Bureau of Maintenance staffer Raymond Gawthorne outlined several measures his department is spearheading to improve bike/truck […]

At tonight’s meeting of the Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee, PDOT Project Manager Rich Newlands unveiled the marketing materials intended to educate Portlanders about the new bike boxes coming this spring.
Here is the centerpiece design of their “Get Behind It. The Bike Box: Portland’s new green space” campaign:

(Photos © J. Maus)

According to Newlands, this graphic will […]

A flyer for the PDX Bike Militia

A new group known as the PDX Bike Militia has launched a service that will look to improve safety for bike riders in the city by pairing them up with “bike escorts”.
In a message to the Shift email list announcing the new service, they described several examples of when […]

First, vandals hit the I-205 bike path, making off with metal and copper from light fixtures. Now, someone has set off an improvised explosive device (IED).
From Oregon City News:
Authorities are searching for the person or people responsible for setting off an improvised explosive device (IED) on a bicycle path that runs parallel […]

Daniel Johnson hopes his pothole art gets noticed.(Photos: Heather Andrews)

Over the weekend, Portland’s roads got a little safer thanks to a bit of effort and a bag (or two) of chalk.
Daniel Johnson (in photo) and Heather Andrews took to the streets over the weekend to literally draw attention to potholes and other road hazards. […]

Freshly installed bike lanes and bike boxes in New York City.(Photo by Clarence Eckerson)

For years, several U.S. cities have dabbled in an intersection treatment that is ubiquitous in many European cities: the bike box. Unfortunately, most of these boxes, including the one in Southeast Portland, have been more of a forgotten experiment than a […]

(Photo © Jonathan Maus)

A month ago, I shared the Portland Water Bureau’s proactive plan to reduce the risk of collisions between their vehicles and bikes around their Interstate Avenue facility.
The policy was made official on Tuesday when Water Bureau administrator David Shaff sent the following email to all employees:
As a result of several […]

Late Sunday night a man was assaulted while riding his bike along the bike/ped path on the west side of the river, just north of the Morrison Bridge. The rider, who goes by the name of Felix, reports that he was returning to his home in Southeast Portland after a Zoobomb run when he […]

ODOT reports that vandals have “ripped apart” lighting fixtures on the I-205 bike path.
Here are more details from ODOT’s Shelli Romero:
Parts of the I-205 bike and pedestrian trails have no lighting or very limited lighting because vandals have ripped apart the lighting fixtures. ODOT is working with law enforcement authorities and working to […]

Coming to a car near you beginning January 2nd.

Following the passage of Senate Bill 789-A last June, beginning January 2nd, Oregon will join 11 other states where residents can order a Share the Road license plate through the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The plates will cost $10 (or $20 for four years) and the proceeds will […]

The BTA’s Stephanie Noll at E. Burnside and 16th.(Photo © Jonathan Maus)

Students at Buckman Elementary School in Southeast Portland have taken traffic safety into their own hands.
Carrying signs that read “Students are Crossing”, the third and fourth-graders have held several awareness actions to draw attention to the unmarked intersection of East Burnside and 16th Avenue; […]

Last Friday, City Commissioner Sam Adams told the Portland Tribune that he has decided to not refer his Safe Sound and Green Streets transportation funding initiative to voters. Instead of including the proposal in the May primary elections, Adams will seek approval directly from City Council in January.
The funding proposal includes new street maintenance […]