opportunity when they decided to not color this
bike box green.
(Photo: Shane Rhodes/GEARs)
Not many folks realize that when it comes to bike boxes, Eugene was way ahead of the game. They installed one on High Street at 7th Ave. way back in 1998. That bike box was recently re-painted by the Department of Transportation, but instead of celebrating, some advocates are disappointed.
Shane Rhodes, advocacy director of the non-profit Greater Eugene Area Riders (GEARs) (and winner of the BTA’s Alice Award in 2009), reported yesterday that despite excitement over it getting re-painted, he had hoped for more.
like this (as seen in Portland).
Rhodes says that both GEARs and the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee urged the City of Eugene to mimic Portland’s bold green thermoplastic design. On the GEARs blog he wrote, “…it’s not quite up to snuff with other bike boxes in Portland and New York. It lacks the green paint that other communities have already found effective.”
By not painting the box green, says Rhodes, “the city has shown a lack of forward thinking and a vision of creating a safe and comfortable environment for cyclists.”
Read the full story on the GEARs blog.