Is Portland a safe cycling town?

There has been a lot of talk this summer about the amount of cyclists killed on Portland’s roadways. In my opinion no amount of infrastructure, bike lanes, signs, or clever engineering can truly make cyclists safe on the streets. Let’s be honest, we’re 100% vulnerable to cars whenever we’re out there.

That being said, I think the most important thing we can do is spend more effort and money on education to change behaviors on both sides of the equation (no, not all cyclists are innocent). If both cyclists and drivers had a good grasp of the laws, a heightened awareness of each other, and more mutual respect and consideration, we would all be safer.

For some authoritative opinions on the subject, check out the recent post on the new Portland Transport Blog.

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

2 Comments
oldest
newest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
vj
18 years ago

Jonathan — the PDX transport blog URL brings up a 404. It’s http://portlandtransport.com/archives/2005/07/be_safe_out_the.html

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)
Jonathan Maus
18 years ago

Thanks VJ! It’s corrected now.