at Williams and Fremont.
(File photo)
The Portland Development Commission (PDC) and the Portland Department of Transportation (PDOT) are throwing a public party in north Portland tomorrow night to celebrate the completion of the first phase of their Vancouver-Williams Transportation Safety Project.
Completed in June, the first phase restriped ten new crosswalks and provided increased separation of cyclists in bike lanes and motorists at key intersections by restriping and re-aligning travel lanes.
Williams and Alberta.
(File photo)
The project was completed after an extensive community outreach effort. Funding came via tax increment proceeds as part of the PDC’s Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area.
In the next few years, expect to see six new curb extensions in the corridor.
If you have thoughts or questions about the project (or just want some free ice cream and cheap new helmet) come to Dawson Park (N. Stanton and Vancouver Ave.) tomorrow night from 5:30-7:30.
Yes, it\’s true!
Our Share the Road event is happening tomorrow, during the Summer Concerts in the Park series. Look out for us in the NW corner of the park.
We\’ll have enough ice-cream for 400 folks stopping by to say thanks for sharing the road.
Legacy Emanuel\’s Trauma Nurses Talk Tough will be joining us also with their five dollar bike helmet booth. Helmets will be available for both children and adults, and all helmets will be individually fitted by trained helmet staff and volunteers.
We\’re also looking to get feedback from users of the corridor on speed. How does the current speed limit on Vancouver & Williams feel to you as a bicyclist, walker, or driver? We\’ll have copies of our speed survey available for you to fill in, as well as the BTA\’s N/NE Bike Boulevard survey. You can also take our speed survey online by going to –
http://www.pdc.us/vancouver-williams
– and clicking on the survey link near the top.
Thanks for reading, & see some of you there on your bike commutes home!
Kirsty Hall
Community and Schools Traffic Safety Partnership
City of Portland Office of Transportation
503-823-6981
kirsty.hall@trans.ci.portland.or.us
Alright! First free pizza and now free ice cream! I love biking in NoPo!
Yes…I have been enjoying this change for a month or two on my late night rides back to the Couv.
My 2 cents…I would tweak the design a bit:
– add a bike box for the frequent left turning bikes (perhaps this was studied?)
– add reflectors or more striping to the remaining free space (the triangle) so it stands out/ deflects traffic better
– add reflectorized RPMs to the solid bike lane line and at curve to keep cars from shifting over it (if there is advanced wear after 1 year)
I ride Williams every day. I like the Alberta change… the Fremont change, not so much.
The Fremont lane shift is a little abrupt for auto traffic. I think it should be a little more gradual and smoother with more warning for autos.
I\’ve driven that intersection, and even when I know it\’s there, the lane shift seems too dramatic.
Watch for the left side bike lane stripe to wear quickly as cars drive over it.
add a bike box for the frequent left turning bikes (perhaps this was studied?)
Does Portland have *any* bike boxes? If we do (or would), how do (would) the lane usage law affect those of us who prefer signaling and merging left for a turn across traffic as is the norm most places around town? The few times I\’ve dealt with bike boxes elsewhere, the legal aspect confused and worried me considerably (luckily I didn\’t get ticketed).
Speed is the key issue on this or any couplet for increasing pedestrian safety; this project has so far failed to do much to reduce them, except monitor any change over the next year.
Adding striped crosswalks when speeds remain at 30 mph plus, makes me a bit nervous for the young and old especially.
I also had a beef with PDOT over the Fremont re-alignment, where the pedestrian crossing distance was actually increased (in what started as a pedestrian safety project) in order to facilitate auto traffic turning onto Fremont. The original proposal also removed most of the parking along Fremont where new mix-use development is going in. The later shortening of the right turn lane retained some of this parking. Curbside parking is another important pedestrian amenity.
N.I.K.,
Check out Jonathan\’s photo for the \”Best of Portland\” article above… That\’s the bike box on Clinton @ 39th.
(Nobody\’s using it in that picture because traffic going in that direction has just been run down by a fleet of tallbikes, minibikes, and drunken rice throwers celebrating Pinga da Clown and Not Adriane\’s wedding…but that\’s another story.)