(Photo by Betsy Reese)
Slowly but surely the Portland Bureau of Transportation is re-claiming Southeast Clinton street as a place where bicycle riding is prioritized.
As promised the agency has just added new signage marking the street as a “neighborhood greenway.” PBOT has also taking an unprecedented step to make sure all road users are aware that people on bicycles do not always have to pull over to the right by adding “Bicycles May Use Full Lane” signs — a first for Portland.
The sign is meant to clarify existing Oregon law (ORS 814.430) that gives people riding bicycles the right to “take the lane” under certain circumstances. Riding in the middle of the lane allows people to avoid the door-zone and prevents them from weaving between the curb and parked cars.
As we’ve been reporting, the amount of people driving on SE Clinton has inched steadily upward in recent years as nearby Division Street has undergone major construction and growth. That added motor vehicle traffic has made Clinton a much more stressful and dangerous place to ride a bike and people have not been shy about letting City Hall know about it.
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PBOT has promised traffic diverters on the street, but those plans have been delayed as the city deals with objections from some residents.
Even so, some progress is nice to see. Kari Schlosshauer, who has organized a grassroots effort to make Clinton safer to ride on, had this to say in Twitter this evening:
https://twitter.com/galavantista/status/662414149259952128
— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org