captawol
04-20-2007, 08:41 AM
I am posting this email that a coworker sent to me. It is the email that he sent to TriMet.
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Hello Trimet,
I am a fairly new bicyclist, riding for the last 3 weeks and commuting to work each day. I have read bicycle safety guides, but I am still learning the laws pertaining to bicycle lanes and related right of way.
During my commute, I use the bicycle lane along Baseline between Brookwood in Hillsboro and Murray in Beaverton. A problem that I encounter routinely is vehicles that do not obey the bicycle lane laws, often not yielding the right of way. I have come accustomed to this behavior from the regular drivers, and have learned to ride defensively. Even then, I find the ride more dangerous than it should be mainly because drivers overall are not aware of cyclists.
When Trimet bus drivers, who supposedly are professionally trained, exhibit the same careless behavior relative to cyclists and bicycle lanes, it becomes even more dangerous for cyclists.
This morning at approximately 6:50AM I was in the eastbound bike lane on W Baseline approaching NE 53rd ave. The road terrain was an incline, so I was up out of the saddle peddling hard as I approached the intersection. The light was green for me. I was nearly at the intersection when a trimet bus slowed along my left side, then the front of the bus swung directly into my pathway, completely blocking the bike lane. The rear of the bus never left the main lane of W Baseline. Only the front of the bus was swung in towards the curb.
The bus completely cut off the bike lane and I was forced to make a emergency stop. I swerved onto the grass along the right side of the bike lane. I then realized the bus was stopping to pick up a waiting passenger. I understand that bus drivers must cross bike lanes to pull over for bus stops, but they should still check for approaching cyclist traffic in the bike lane before doing so and yield the right of way when appropriate.
The bus stop I described was careless, reckless, and put me in danger un-necessarily. My bike is equipped with multiple red and white strobe lights on the front and rear, has many highly visible reflectors, and I was wearing a bright yellow cycling jacket. Plus the way the driver slowed, came along side me, and swung in front of me appeared to be a deliberate maneuver to swing wide around me. So it is difficult for me to believe that the driver didn't know I was there. It was my impression that the driver simply wanted to assert his right to be there over mine. Even if the driver did not know I was there, at a minimum he/she should have looked and verified the bike lane was clear before blocking it in that manner.
The number on the bus was 1807.
This was a frightening experience and I do not want it ignored or left unexplained.
Is there a formal process for reporting these types of issues?
Kindly respond at your earliest opportunity.
Thank you.
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Hello Trimet,
I am a fairly new bicyclist, riding for the last 3 weeks and commuting to work each day. I have read bicycle safety guides, but I am still learning the laws pertaining to bicycle lanes and related right of way.
During my commute, I use the bicycle lane along Baseline between Brookwood in Hillsboro and Murray in Beaverton. A problem that I encounter routinely is vehicles that do not obey the bicycle lane laws, often not yielding the right of way. I have come accustomed to this behavior from the regular drivers, and have learned to ride defensively. Even then, I find the ride more dangerous than it should be mainly because drivers overall are not aware of cyclists.
When Trimet bus drivers, who supposedly are professionally trained, exhibit the same careless behavior relative to cyclists and bicycle lanes, it becomes even more dangerous for cyclists.
This morning at approximately 6:50AM I was in the eastbound bike lane on W Baseline approaching NE 53rd ave. The road terrain was an incline, so I was up out of the saddle peddling hard as I approached the intersection. The light was green for me. I was nearly at the intersection when a trimet bus slowed along my left side, then the front of the bus swung directly into my pathway, completely blocking the bike lane. The rear of the bus never left the main lane of W Baseline. Only the front of the bus was swung in towards the curb.
The bus completely cut off the bike lane and I was forced to make a emergency stop. I swerved onto the grass along the right side of the bike lane. I then realized the bus was stopping to pick up a waiting passenger. I understand that bus drivers must cross bike lanes to pull over for bus stops, but they should still check for approaching cyclist traffic in the bike lane before doing so and yield the right of way when appropriate.
The bus stop I described was careless, reckless, and put me in danger un-necessarily. My bike is equipped with multiple red and white strobe lights on the front and rear, has many highly visible reflectors, and I was wearing a bright yellow cycling jacket. Plus the way the driver slowed, came along side me, and swung in front of me appeared to be a deliberate maneuver to swing wide around me. So it is difficult for me to believe that the driver didn't know I was there. It was my impression that the driver simply wanted to assert his right to be there over mine. Even if the driver did not know I was there, at a minimum he/she should have looked and verified the bike lane was clear before blocking it in that manner.
The number on the bus was 1807.
This was a frightening experience and I do not want it ignored or left unexplained.
Is there a formal process for reporting these types of issues?
Kindly respond at your earliest opportunity.
Thank you.