After all the media attention and anger that accompanied the buffered bike lanes installed by the City on SE Holgate Blvd back in August 2009, it looks like someone wanted to show them some love.
Reader and nearby resident Gretchin Lair just sent in the photo below of red hearts that have been placed on the bike lane symbols. “I love stuff like this,” she wrote in, “Outer SE doesn’t have a lot of stealth art projects, and I especially love ones that are playful and kindhearted.”
I haven’t confirmed who’s responsible for this, but my hunch is that the activist group We Heart Holgate is behind them. Check out the photo after the jump…
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Love it.
I saw those this morning on my way to Powell Butte. They really should extend the lanes to Powell Butte. I was nearly hit by a a guy pulling out past 122nd.
It’s in the works.
Looks like it actually helps the bike symbol visually pop out from the lane some more too (from the photo anyway).
Awwww…. it’s been a long, hot day and I’m tired, so getting a little good news is very welcome.
loved seeing them in the ride in this morning, took a picture myself of them, were hard to see in the early morning until almost right on top. We have bike lane stenciled in contact paper in the halls of our office for the bike commute challenge, I added a heart to one in the style of the Holgate bike lane for fun.
After 2 years, the contention around the Holgate bike lanes feels likes it’s settled to a dull resentment, possibly even tolerance. But the hearts feel like they really -welcome- bicycles on Holgate. What a nice change!
This is a good lesson that these projects work out in the end. How many safety/bike lane addition projects have been removed in Portland after going in? At one point the Oregonian wrote scathing editorials denouncing the esplande. They would never consider writing something like that now…
Sometimes you just got to build the project and take some heat and move on.
Now there are even plans to expand the Holgate buffered bike lanes!
Kiel,
got some links? That would make for an interesting read today.
Thanks.
bicycling good for your heart… <3
“Sometimes you just got to build the project and take some heat and move on. ”
Exactly, just like the CRC folks should. The Mt Hood freeway folks should have just taken the heat and moved on too, those silly members of the public with their concerns.
How would they expand the holgate bike lanes to powell butte? I ride them practically every morning and have a hard time seeing how it would be done.