The pole has narrowed the busy entrance onto the Broadway Bridge.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

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Could the route for the streetcar
become a bicycle highway?
(Image: Metro)

After what the Oregonian called "persistent doubts from suburban taxpayers and a wealthy enclave of homeowners" the Lake Oswego streetcar project is on the rocks.

Concerns about construction and operating costs of the streetcar were the reasons for its demise, but over $2 million has already been spent on planning and impact studies.

Instead of throwing that money out the window, officials have an opportunity to build on the previous momentum for the streetcar and construct a world-class bike connection between Lake Oswego and downtown Portland.

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A new pole for the streetcar (marked
with orange/white stripes) has
narrowed the entry to
the Broadway Bridge path.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

As the story unfolds about how and why Portland Streetcar Inc. installed a utility pole on the Broadway Bridge bike/walk path, it is becoming more clear that they made a bad move.

We'll have more to share on this story in the coming days; but for now, check out what The Oregonian's "Hard Drive" columnist Joseph Rose thinks about it (taken from a news roundup he published today):
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See below for statement from city regarding two open houses to hear public feedback on "the development and analysis of the fare policy and the related benefits and impacts of future service." For background on what Portland Streetcar might have up their sleeve, see our story from April, How bike-sharing could spur revamp of transit fares in Portland...

Portland Streetcar Loop & Fare Study Community Update Open Houses

Wednesday, November 30, 2011
The Cleaners at the Ace Hotel
403 SW 10th Avenue
Portland Streetcar or TriMet Bus #20

Thursday, December 1, 2011
Architectural Heritage Center
701 SE Grand Avenue
TriMet Bus #6

You are invited to attend either Open House. Drop by anytime between 5:00 and 7:30 PM.

The City of Portland is holding two public open houses to update the community on the Streetcar Loop. We would like to hear your thoughts on the development and analysis of the fare policy and the related benefits and impacts of future service. So please join us to discuss how the Streetcar will serve you best and to hear about plans for opening day in 2012.

If you have any questions, please contact Shoshanah Oppenheim at 503-823-7677 or send an email to shoshanah.oppenheim@portlandoregon.gov

Often when I've brought up issues related to sub-par bicycling conditions that I believe pose a safety hazard, I've been met with criticism.

Whether it was bone-jarring bumps on the Esplanade, the lack of shoulders on rural roads, or the dangers posed by streetcar tracks, some people react by saying, "Toughen up! Stop whining! Learn how to ride your bike and get over it!"

However, I remain convinced that high quality, smooth streets and paths are imperative if we expect more people to give bicycling a try (and an OHSU study agrees). (more...)

Existing streetcar track
education effort.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The City of Portland is working with Portland Streetcar and streetcar project contractor Shiels Obletz Johnsen on a new educational video about how to ride a bicycle around streetcar tracks.

City spokesperson Dan Anderson said the idea to do a video was spurred by a "desire to increase education awareness" about how to best ride a bike around the tracks. Anderson adds that the video, expected out in mid-October, will include detailed information on how to navigate around the new tracks and roadway configurations in the Pearl District.

"Safety is our number one priority," wrote Anderson via email, "and we believe this kind of outreach will make all users safer and more predictable when it comes to navigating streetcar tracks." (more...)

PBOT has striped a new bike lane on NE 7th which puts bike traffic in between moving cars, trains and parked cars.
(Photos © J. Maus)

(more...)

On the Cherry Ave Bridge in Chicago, the tracks
are filled with rubber so bicycle riders
can roll over them without worry.
(Photo: Steven Vance)

As we continue to discuss the ongoing problem of streetcar tracks causing people to crash while bicycling in Portland, I thought it might be helpful to share some potential solutions.

Many of the current issues (track-straddling on the Lovejoy ramp, tracks in the curbside shoulder (former bikeway) on the MLK/Grand couplet, the craziness in the Pearl District) have to do with a new streetcar line not that's not even slated to open until fall of next year. However, much of the track is already in the street and has already claimed a lot of bike-riding victims.

The way I see it, PBOT and Portland Streetcar Inc., (the private non-profit that builds and operates the streetcar under City contract) must look to some interim fixes in the short-term and a more permanent solution in the long term. (more...)

Despite presence of precarious
streetcar tracks, many people
still ride on Lovejoy.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The Eastside Streetcar project has radically altered vehicle access to the Pearl District. If you ride a bicycle, the changes have been especially acute (as I shared back in July). NW Lovejoy has been decommissioned as a bike route and the Bureau of Transportation now urges people to use Marshall as the main east-west street.
(more...)

Due to the presence of new streetcar tracks, people on NW Lovejoy routinely drive in the bike lane.
(Photos © J. Maus)

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According to a 2008 report by Alta Planning, bike crashes on streetcar tracks are a "major and underreported problem for Portland-area bicyclists." Even so, the issue struggles to gain official attention because the vast majority of crashes do not get reported.

Portland-based, grassroots transportation advocacy group Active Right of Way (AROW) hopes to change that with their new, online Streetcar Crash Reporting form. (more...)

A traffic advisory has just been released by Portland Streetcar Inc. and the City of Portland warning of traffic detours and a bike lane closure due to Streetcar Loop Project construction on Weidler, MLK, and Grand that is set to begin this Tuesday (1/4) and last for four weeks.

The work zone will be on NE Weidler from N. Ross to NE 1st Ave (see detour map below)s. For four weeks, NE Weidler will be narrowed to two vehicle lanes and, according to Portland Streetcar, "Due to the narrow roadway conditions, the bike lane on NE Weidler must be removed."
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To avoid driving on streetcar tracks, most people opt to straddle them, which causes them to drive on and/or in the bike lane.
(Photos © J. Maus)

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The Eastside Streetcar Loop project has radically transformed Portland streets and citizen activists think more should be done to improve bike safety.
(Photos © J. Maus)

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Mixing with streetcar tracks
in Northwest Portland.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports today that six people who crashed while biking across streetcar tracks are now suing the city for negligence because more was not done to make the tracks safe:

"Six cyclists who crashed while crossing the South Lake Union Streetcar tracks are suing the city of Seattle, claiming officials ignored hazards to pedal-power commuters.

All six were hurt when their tires got stuck in the flange way gap between the rail and street. They claim city officials were negligent in designing the tracks and knew of the risks but failed to post warning signs until after several people had been hurt, according to the lawsuit, filed last week in King County Superior Court."

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Portland Streetcar crews are in the middle of major construction all along Broadway right now. Work zones are always of special concern for people on bikes, but this stretch of Broadway -- between NE Grand and and the Broadway Bridge -- is not a nice place for bike traffic even without construction.

Add in one of the most glaring safety gaps in Portland's entire bike network (the intersection of Broadway and Williams, which the City listed as dangerous over 2 1/2 years ago yet has done nothing to make safer) -- and you're bound to have some problems.

Portlander Aaron Reyna is the latest victim of that intersection. He got in touch with us after being hit at that intersection yesterday morning. Here are snips from his email where he describes how the confusing construction zone resulted in him taking a trip to urgent care (emphasis mine): (more...)

New bike lanes on NW Marshall. See what
it will look like when completed below.
(Photo: Paul Peterson)

New bike lanes are being constructed on NW Marshall between 12th and 14th Avenues in the Pearl District -- but these aren't just any bike lanes. What's notable about this project is that the new lanes are being cut right through historic cobblestones (a move that has irked some local residents who say the cobbles are key to the area's charm) and they're part of a larger streetcar project that will make NW Marshall into a bicycle boulevard. (more...)

Screen grab from new Streetfilm
showing Seattle's track treatment.

Streetfilms' latest video comes from our neighbors to the north in Seattle. The film takes a closer look at how the Seattle DOT is helping people who ride bicycles avoid a common problem -- falling on streetcar and rail tracks.

The film features John Mauro from Seattle's non-profit bike group Cascade (he narrates the short video below). Here's a quote from the film that stood out to me (watch the vid below the jump):

"The Seattle DOT has taken a pedal-by-pedal approach to getting people across the cross by taking sharrows and marking every couple feet of the cyclist's path."

(more...)

Construction zone bike lane on Broadway
west of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The City of Portland has sent out a "Bicycle Advisory" notice for several bikeway detours and closures in the coming weeks due to streetcar track construction (and related sewer work) on Broadway and Weidler.

Here are the latest details (emphasis mine):

Detail from map of latest
streetcar construction hot spots.

Broadway/Weidler – NE Benton to Williams (Sewer work)

Starting the week of February 8, 2010 and lasting until approximately Mar 5, 2010 -- Westbound bike lane will be closed at times both during the day and night. Westbound bikes will be detoured at Wheeler, one block north to Dixon and back to Broadway at Benton. Eastbound bike traffic on N Broadway/Weidler, from Benton to Williams, will be re-routed onto the sidewalk from 7AM to 4 PM. Bikes must yield to pedestrians on the sidewalk.

Broadway/Victoria – N Williams (Water work)

For two days, likely Wed (2/17) and Thurs (2/18) -- The bike lane and two travel lanes will be closed at night on Broadway between Victoria and Williams. Lanes will be closed starting at 8PM and continue into the morning commute. All lanes will be open by 8AM. Bikes must ride in the vehicle travel lane.

NE 7th - Weidler – NE Oregon (Sewer work)

Starting the week of February 24, 2010 and lasting until June 25, 2010 - Sewer work will alternate from the east and west sides of the street. A flagger may be present or the work may require closing parts of the street. More details related to bike impacts will be provided as they are known.

If you've ridden on Broadway recently, you've no doubt come face-to-face with these construction zones. One of our forum members, bobcycle, noted last month that the bikeway re-routes are sometimes a bit sketchy. If you have concerns about these construction zones, call 823-SAFE (7233) and let the City know about it.

To stay abreast of Eastside Streetcar Loop project construction, check out PortlandStreetcar.org.

UPDATE - 2/20, 8:50 am: KPTV/FOX picked up this story and did a piece about it on their newscast last night. Check out the video here.

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation has announced that the upcoming public open houses for the Bicycle Master Plan Update project will be combined with open houses for the Portland Streetcar System Plan.

Ellen Vanderslice, Bike Master Plan Update project manager, says she believes this new scheme has several benefits. When I asked her why PBOT decided to combine these important events, she gave several reasons.

PBOT has been asked to shave millions of dollars from their budget and, according to Vanderslice, putting these two open houses together is an "opportunity to save the taxpayers money." It's also, she says, a result of, "a motivation for staff to look for efficiencies." (more...)