You’ve spent the week at the computer, reading about Portland’s new wave of bike infrastructure — now get out there and enjoy it! (Photo © J. Maus)
It’s the weekend, and it’s beautiful out. We heartily recommend that you leave your computers for the duration and go out there and enjoy the end of summer for all it’s worth.
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There is a whole host of great stuff happening this weekend — check out our weekend event guide for some of the highlights. No matter what your idea of a good time, if it involves a bicycle and some kind of organized event there’s something here for you this weekend.
Jonathan’s embarking tomorrow on Cycle Oregon. I’m hoping to catch up on sleep and check out some of the events this weekend — the Eastside Baked Goods ride is particularly tempting…
Whatever you end up doing, let us know how it goes in the comments.
Thanks for reading.
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I’m getting a tutorial on overhauling my rear hub from Gracie’s Wrench tomorrow, then doing the Tour de Lab on Sunday.
BEER!!!
I’m salivating over the width of that bike lane. Here in Boston we are just starting to try to create a bike-friendly culture. We have such a long way to go.
Rhea #2 – Here are some pics of this Cycle Track in its natural habitat.
anyone catch the new stark & oak street lanes today? just saw them this evening on the new MAX line, could have sworn they werent there this morning.
saw the new oak st lane being striped at about 945 am today – nice. gonna be interesting to see how things work out near that ugly modern hotel at 6th/oak…
anyone else riding to psu farmers market this morning notice the cars parked smack in the cycletrack for the full block between (i think) mill and montgomery? nice work, people. hope you all got tickets for your efforts at obliviousness.
cycle track…
i really think some old railroad ties driven into the pavement with spikes (old school transcontinental railroad style) would create a cheap temporary curb that keeps cars out, gives them a curb to park against, makes it feel less like parking in the middle of the street and gives an added sense of protection to cyclists in the cycle track.
obviously if they make this permanent they should put in a real concrete curb that is the width of the striped buffer zone with bulbouts from this curb for pedestrians (in line with the parking lane).
the problems with this cycle track are entirely due to the cheap temporary nature of it, it is not the concept of a cycle track.
Theres a brand new cycle track in downtown Vancouver BC on Carrall Street. they solved the problem of the cycle track being hidden at intersections with right turning motorists… essentially the cycle track is just in the middle of the block and then transitions to a standard right side bike lane near the intersection for better visibility.
joel #5 – I linked to pics I took of the very debacle (PSU Farmer’s Market parking.) you are commenting on in comment #3.
jon #6- Aren’t you concerned about being segregated from motorist traffic with treatments like this? I am, and was placated with assurances that this particular piece of infrastructure is, and will remain, “opt-in”.
Placing Bike Zebras, I believe the option most in favor right now, or a curb, keep cyclists in the track the same as it keeps care-less parkers out.
I’ve been encouraged to work towards repealing 814.420 in lieu of opposing bike-lanes and other segregating infrastructure. Fine, but if the impetus then turns to creating physical barriers to prevent this, I feel conned.
My compromise is that of supporting this kind of thing as long as I don’t have to get stuck in it. That’s a huge sacrifice for me, because I suspect we are simply providing Transportation Stake-holders the rope they are going to hang us with. Which is being forced off the public-right-of-way, and obediently onto the sidewalks. Like on the Hawthorne bridge, left-turns off of SW Broadway, and the like.
So, I guess I’m saying I sure hope they don’t build a big sidewalk right up the middle of the street and then tell me that’s where I have to ride my HPV.
I went up and looked at the cycle track the other day and noticed the biggest FAIL of all: at the start of the cycle track PDOT has decided in their wisdom to install a right turn only lane to the left of the bike lane. You can paint all the green bike boxes you want, but this is NOT SAFE FOR CYCLISTS.
Burr, that intersection was the same way before the cycletrack — there was always a right turn auto lane to the left of the bike lane. The construction of the cycle track had nothing to do with it.
The vitriol about this cycle track boggles my mind.
It’s an ‘experiement’ that will most likely get modified at some point, and ultimately will teach the city much about how to properly implement these and other similar types of new traffic designs in the future.
A balanced perspective is your friend.
I agree f5 – the green boxes don’t work no matter where they are. People are used to them now and have made the conscious decision to treat them as a convenience now.
I had my first opportunity to use the Oak/Stark buffered lanes this morning, at least for a few blocks. Nice! The Oak street lane is across the street from the Hotel at 6th, so no problems there.