Local media outlets continue to be interested in the topic of bike safety.
The latest to chime in is the Willamette Week. In this week’s issue, they devote their cover and nine pages to a story by Corey Pein titled, “Vicious Cycle: Turns out Portland’s not so bike-friendly. Here’s how it could be.”
After an opening salvo that includes PDOT bike coordinator Mia Birk likening the lack of funding for bike programs to affirmative action, “The cars already get the best of everything, sort of like rich white guys,” Pein then details “14 ways that Portland could really live the dream of bike equality.”
Here’s his list:
- Separated bike lanes
- Slow down
- Bike boulevards
- Better signals
- Go blue [as in use more paint in lanes]
- Truck fixes
- Bike boxes
- No right on red [where bike boxes are installed]
- Close some streets to cars
- New trails and routes
- Helmets for grownups
- Bust bad bikers
- Driver’s ed
- Riders’ licenses
The article ends by coming to a not-so-shocking conclusion:
“The best thing Portland could do to increase safety for the growing ranks of cyclists—not to mention everyone else on the roads—would be to have more cyclists around.”
Couldn’t have said that better myself.
Check out the entire article on WWeek.com (there are also some good comments coming in already).
[NOTE: Stay tuned for an in-depth article on Portland’s new bike infrastructure plans from PDOT bike coordinator Roger Geller.]