(Photo © J. Maus)
As we reach the end of a month that has seen a huge spike in bicycle/car collisions, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has unveiled a list of six intersections that will receive bike boxes and “crosswalk striping improvements.”
Here are the six intersections:
- N Interstate Avenue at N Alberta Street
- SE 7th Avenue at SE Hawthorne Boulevard
- SE 7th Avenue at SE Madison Street
- SE 26th Avenue at SE Powell Boulevard
- SE Gladstone Street at SE Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard
- SE Lincoln Street at SE Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard
In a statement yesterday, PBOT said that the changes are safety upgrades intended to prevent crashes and make intersections safer. “Bike boxes and crosswalks heighten visibility and awareness of bicycle riders and pedestrians for motorists.”
Also in the statement, Steph Routh, the director of the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition said, “It would be great if every intersection had something like a bike box that allows better visibility for someone trying to cross the street.”
These projects are slated for completion by the end of September. I’ve asked PBOT for more information about how the locations were chosen, how much the projects will cost, and what exactly the crosswalk striping improvements will consist of. I’ll update this post when I hear back.