marco452
04-25-2007, 12:13 PM
Hi. Two big bike safety hazards now with construction in central Portland:
1) There are plates in the road for bikes and cars to cross a bus mall street – probably SW 3rd or so – and they are currently on around Main and Madison and thus affecting lots of Hawthorne Bridge crossers. These plates can be REALLY SLIPPERY, especially when wet or if you brake - I went down on one while braking at about 5 mph the other night, luckily not hurt. Perhaps city/TriMet/whoever could put a BIG warning sign there for CYCLISTS WATCH OUT - PLATE SLIPPERY ESPECIALLY WHEN WET.
2) If you are say coming down SE Hawthorne toward downtown and take a right at the light where it becomes one-way facing you - it's probably SE 12th or something - and then you go to move one or two lanes to the left so you can turn left at Madison and head toward the Hawthorne bridge - well, there is re-paving going on there that has created a 2-3 inch RISE in the pavement that is PARALLEL to your forward motion and therefore risks taking you down if you don't hit it at an angle or hop over it. I saw it as the last second the other NIGHT and hopped with my skinny tires, thus averting a possible fall. Perhaps... I don't know, a few big warning signs? Say “CYCLISTS BEWARE: RISE BETWEEN LANES”?
Suposedly Roger Geller of the city of Portland (bike person) and someone with TriMet have been notified.
1) There are plates in the road for bikes and cars to cross a bus mall street – probably SW 3rd or so – and they are currently on around Main and Madison and thus affecting lots of Hawthorne Bridge crossers. These plates can be REALLY SLIPPERY, especially when wet or if you brake - I went down on one while braking at about 5 mph the other night, luckily not hurt. Perhaps city/TriMet/whoever could put a BIG warning sign there for CYCLISTS WATCH OUT - PLATE SLIPPERY ESPECIALLY WHEN WET.
2) If you are say coming down SE Hawthorne toward downtown and take a right at the light where it becomes one-way facing you - it's probably SE 12th or something - and then you go to move one or two lanes to the left so you can turn left at Madison and head toward the Hawthorne bridge - well, there is re-paving going on there that has created a 2-3 inch RISE in the pavement that is PARALLEL to your forward motion and therefore risks taking you down if you don't hit it at an angle or hop over it. I saw it as the last second the other NIGHT and hopped with my skinny tires, thus averting a possible fall. Perhaps... I don't know, a few big warning signs? Say “CYCLISTS BEWARE: RISE BETWEEN LANES”?
Suposedly Roger Geller of the city of Portland (bike person) and someone with TriMet have been notified.