(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)
Dan Christensen, a former TV writer and stand-up comedian turned TriMet bus operator, is one of the best windows Portlanders have into the emotional life of our transit system.
On his recently rebooted Roll Easy Blog, Christensen has an interesting set of perspectives about the things he feels the city’s bike users are doing well, and where they (or the streets beneath them) could improve.
It’s a touchy subject, especially since Christensen landed in hot water a few years ago for some attempted black humor when he called in a blog post for Portlanders to “kill this cyclist.” But Christensen (who usually speaks warmly about biking and later expressed regrets about that post) knows the streets much better than most. He sees a wide range of the city because he’s the rare TriMet operator who prefers to work “extra service,” jumping around to whatever route needs him on a given day.
So here’s some of what Christensen had to say in this week’s sequel to his 2012 report card.
Lights A++: This is such a relief to any driver of large vehicles. I don’t need to tell you why lights are good, we are all adults and know the facts but there is more. Gone are those micro-small token lights, you know the little dots that are just there to keep your ass from getting a ticket. I hardly see these at all. Also I find a lot less of those demonic LED Flashing in my eyeballs, now this could be that people point them down and out… just as good as pointing them forward where they actually blind other drivers. So because of the token light loss and the LED light changes I say Power on Cyclist you are lighting the way to the future.
Merging Courtesy A-: Don’t let the minus fool ya most cyclist are far more aware of large vehicles and are far more kind than ever. Sometimes it’s shocking, sometimes it’s even unwarranted and there is a battle of kindness, really! I stopped at a light and the cyclist pulled up, we did a high five and laughed. He was leaving room for me and I was leaving room for him. How cool is that. Still there are a few out there who drive with a righteous chip on their shoulder but they are now shockingly few.
Bus Mall B+: Things have gotten better on the Mall except in Summer. This grade should be a solid A but in the Summer things go crazy on the transit mall. It’s so close to an A but I can’t do it given how crazy it is. This is one area that will need improvement in the summer to change. The hardcore cyclist have a good head on their shoulder and understand the Transit Mall, but come summer they are flooded by those who just want to feel the breeze in their hair and “hey look that double white line looks like a bike lane!”
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Hand Signaling B: Better but still not the best, Still rare but it is growing. As you know I’m a big fan of hand Signaling and I still have my Free pizza dinner for cyclist in Portland when I see enough Hand Signaling. I’m happy with the progress. Please please please practice using hand Signals when you can. I talked with one rider who got in the habit one day at a time. It started with Mondays being Signal days, a month later he added Tuesdays and… you get it, right! Keep it up.
Rational Bike Lanes D-: Ok this is not the fault of Cyclist but it needs to be addressed. Can someone please, please! do a little thinking when adding Bike Lanes in the city. It’s a madhouse of not enough bike lanes where there are cyclist and way way too many bike lanes that are virtually empty year round. Look, I understand there is some sort of push to be the most bike friendliest place in the whole wide world, I don’t have a problem with that, but it’s’ counter productive to simply be slapping bike lanes down like some Russian Communist party program in the 1970’s that’s trying to keep up with the west. “They have 5000 Kilometers of bike lanes in the west, Comrades! We will build 10,000 Kilometers of bike lanes… sure Siberia not so good for bike but Comrades! We cannot afford a bike lane gap!”
Christensen’s other advice includes some thoughts on helmets (he’s in favor) and how to properly mount your bike on a bus rack. Check it all out — it’s always helpful see the world through someone else’s eyes.
— Michael Andersen, (503) 333-7824 – michael@bikeportland.org
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“…but Comrades! We cannot afford a bike lane gap!”
Those year-round empty bike lanes? A big reason for those is having no safe route to or from them. Or a dangerous gap in the middle of an otherwise safe route, as Gap Week so plainly illustrated.
So yeah, we can’t afford a bike lane gap.
smh. He wasnt referring to a “Bike Lane Gap” as what we call it here on this blog. It is a reference to the Missile Gap during the Cold War between the USSR and USA; as in Russia wants to keep up with the USA by matching the amount of bike lanes as they did with trying to keep up with America’s # of missiles during the Cold War.
I’d just like to put up a quick defense of lack of hand signalling. I feel like there are important times to signal your intent, but there are also many times when doing so is unnecessary. The worst crash of my biking career happened when I had only one hand on the bars – I crashed over the front right quarter, dislocated my shoulder, and had to be taken to the ER in an ambulance. All this directly in front of my house because I was waving to my neighbor as I was leaving. I wasn’t signalling a turn, but anytime I lift one of my two hands off the bars while not stopped, this memory comes flooding back. Therefore, I try to keep it at a minimum and only do so when I really need to communicate intent.
I think there’s an interesting perspective shift for me interacting with other bikers on the road between riding my bike and the occasional driving I do. Maybe it’s a reflection of my own riding style, but I tend to see more egregious and aggressive behavior from other cyclists when I’m on a bike than when I’m behind the windshield. That is, people who think they’re fast need to buzz by me (so that 30 seconds later they can slow down an average 2-3 mph), run traffic control devices, shoal me at lights, and act entitled to be first. I see this same behavior from other drivers when I’m driving, and I just have to wonder, why can’t people just calm down and go with the flow of traffic? When I do drive, I mostly stay off bike routes, but I haven’t had a negative interaction with a cyclist that I can think of, so at least there’s that.
Thanks Mr Christensen for you generous report card!
Another perspective on hand signals: I have limited my hand signaling to any time I intend to cross someone’s path. That pretty much means leftward movements only. The reason I started doing this is that in cases where a street with a bike lane intersects a street without one, my right turn signals were inviting drivers to overtake and turn “with” me, which usually came very, very close to turning into me (note to drivers: turning at an intersection is not a good time to overtake bicyclists).
I will still use right turn signals to be helpful, as when someone is waiting to exit the side street I am turning onto, or any time there are other bicyclists I can see behind me in my mirror.
Now I’m going to sound grumpy, but bicyclists: if I were dictator, the bent-left-arm right turn signal would be deprecated. Just stick your right arm out; it’s unambiguous, won’t injure your rotator cuff, and it’s perfectly legal! If you are a retro-grouch who believes the bent-arm version is forever the only “correct” right turn signal, then at least please sit up straight and tall and make sure your hand is pointed up, e.g., opposite the pull of gravity, not forward, as if preparing to punch something or swim a lap as a one-armed butterfly.
The only reason the bent arm signal is a thing is because it’s a relic from when cars did not have turn signals and you had to stick your arm out the window to signal. Drivers can’t exactly stick their arm out the right window.
On a bike, this is not an issue, obviously, so there’s no need to stick with the car culture version!
Anyone ever seen the “right arm thrown over your head” left turn signal? I had a guy use that today in front of me and get EXTREMELY pissed off when I told him that I thought he was turning right.
I sometimes wave my arm above my head to get the attention of drivers who I believe are not paying attention. No idea if it works or not, though.
I saw a car driver use the left arm over the car roof to signal a right today.
So according to this same guy, the reason I’ve never seen this signal (after 10,000+ miles of riding bikes in Portland or on any sources on the interwebs or in ORS, or anywhere else) is that I haven’t lived in Portland long enough. So is this something that anyone else has ever seen or is this an innovation that just this guy came up with. And if you happen to *be* that guy: I apologize for maybe coming across harshly. I didn’t mean to make you angry – I was just confused.
Actually if the driver is on the left hand side of you or intersection, it easier for them to see the left bent arm than a right hand sticking straight out.
I respectively disagree.
Agreed. In my opinion, you should always signal with your traffic-side arm (i.e., the arm on the side on which a car is most likely to pass you).
If they’re so close that they can’t see my right arm, they’ll be overtaking me soon enough anyway.
How can we expect drivers to see blinking lights on the right-hand side of other cars? When does it matter whether they see them or not? If it doesn’t matter whether they see them or not, do they need to be given?
For me personally, that’s part of my strategy. I don’t care whether someone on my left knows that I’m turning right or not; it can only harm me by inviting them to do dangerous things like attempt a parallel turn. Those folks that I would actually like to communicate with using a right turn signal will be directly behind me or to my right already. Also, the bent-arm signal does not always appear as those giving it think it does; most of the time I see it used, the signaler’s hand is pointed straight ahead, due to the difficulty of raising it up when leaning forward on a bike. Unless one rides in a very upright position, the attempted bent-arm right turn signal is next to meaningless.
Pretty much the only time I use a right turn signal is when I’m taking the lane in preparation for a fast & tight right turn. Otherwise, as you say, it invites trouble.
It’s enough of a relic that I’m not sure many drivers even understand it. I use it because it’s what I learned those many years ago, because I want to keep my hand on my Orp horn remote while in traffic, and from habit. And I probably confuse the hell out of considerate drivers by doing a sort of wave/salute with the left when they’ve been particularly gracious.
Last week one of my delivery drivers saw me riding my bike, and asked why I put my left arm out with my hand up before I turned. I fired him.
A couple of months ago I did the left arm down for a stop. A motorist parked next to me and asked what that meant. He was happy to be informed.
I use the bent-left-arm right signal because I’m strangely extra right-handed, and I pretty much can’t steer with my left hand. So there’s that.
And I signal pretty much all the time, because I’d rather give the folks around me more information than they need, rather than not enough.
I call my left hand “the fin.” Anyone can beat me in HORSE by barraging me with lefthanded shots. I like to have my right hand on the bar, too.
Same here, except I’m left-handed. It has taken me a while to feel comfortable signalling left turns while steering with my right hand. One time (early in my cycling career), I tried signaling a left by bending my right arm, and the cyclist behind me almost ran into me as I turned because she didn’t know what I was signaling. I still feel mortified thinking about it.
-Caitlin
I’m sure all poor lefties agree, Caitlin. It’s a righty world!
At one intersection, I do both the bent left arm *and* the point right at certain intersections. The first one so those driving to my left can see it. The second because they likely don’t know what the first one means.
Ha! I do the same! And sometimes I throw in a leg just to be extra clear!
One weird version of the bent left arm signal that I see fairly often is this: elbow up but close in to the body, and index finger pointing at the rider’s own head. It definitely doesn’t look like a right turn signal.
a very useful signal indeed.
Oh man, this annoys the heck out of me. It’s like they’re trying to hold a sheet of paper under their armpit — sometimes the hand is practially inside the shoulder too. If I’m riding behind you and I can barely tell you’re signaling a turn, what good is it doing for the cars behind us? Who are you trying to impress with your economy of bodily motion?
I am all about the right arm signal for turning right, except for when I am with my kids as the school teaches the left arm swimmy thing. Trying to keep the message simple.
yes, if I’m making a wide sweeping turn without braking then I’ll use a hand signal… otherwise no hand signal as I need to ensure I can control the bike…
You are supposed to signal BEFORE your turn.
according to the *LAW* a person cycling should signal continuously for a minimum of 100 feet before changing lanes or turning.
i am certain that i have never once signaled continuously for 100 feet. oregon’s bicycle statutes are absurd.
There is an exception for maintaining control of the bicycle. If you need to keep both hands on the bars, looking where you plan to go generally works.
For me, it’s trying to signal a left turn *and* hit the brake around a hot corner.
Shoalers and shoaling-like behavior is a problem, but you need not confront it. Let rude people find their own way out of your space, and rest assured they will someday meet an enforcer. Patience, learned through humility.
I agree that it’s rude to jump a line and move directly in front of someone (shoaling) but I rarely see this in Portland. On the other hand, I think it’s courteous to move to the front and form a horizontal line of cyclists (e.g. treat every intersection as a bike box). What I find completely bizarre is seeing 10+ people unnecessarily line up single file in a bike lane at an intersection. This queuing behavior increases the risk of being hit by turning vehicles and slows movement of people cycling through intersections.
He sounds like a good driver. I have traveled the same direction with both good and nasty bus drivers. I have even ridden with both good and bad drivers. I have complimented some of the drivers (good) and surprisingly they did not get the point! They were courtious to cyclist! like giving them room to pass when the bus was stopped, by traffic, short of the stop and allowing the cyclist to pass before going the last car length to the stop before pulling over to the curb.
I try to spread the good word of this idea of letting the cyclist go first. I think habits and traditions like this go a long way towards making all travelers more safe. When speaking with other drivers I tell them it’s less tense to drive once the cyclist is past. Once the lane is clear you feel better pulling over. I would always rather have cyclist in front of me where I have a better chance of knowing what they are doing and reacting.
As an outer-Eastsider, I know what he’s talking about with nearly-barren bike lanes. But I disagree that laying down more is a bad thing, even when they are rarely used. NOT having them provides newer cyclists with another reason not to bike commute; i.e. “it’s just too dangerous!” Perhaps more “friendly” neighborhood routes should be designed and designated, but striping a bike lane is definitely better than nothing (see NE Glisan between 82nd and Gresham city limits for example).
It is no surprise that the 3-4ft bike lanes striped on wide outer east Portland streets, where vehicles often travel in excess of 40mph are less than full. The neighborhood street network is terrible, so cyclists have to pick between circuitous routes or high speed arterials. It shouldn’t be surprising that cycling isn’t common.
Chris,
can you name one such location? did you use a tape measure?
4 foot bike lane: https://www.google.com/maps/@45.4994638,-122.5376627,3a,75y,345.95h,85.34t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1soRbZcsMl1_0ZP_mLnI4KVQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
We have a BRAND NEW bike lane in my neighborhood that might be as wide as 4 feet:
https://goo.gl/maps/bn6nWvebEaz
Are we supposed to sue the County when they build a lane that isn’t as wide as they promised?
But a narrow bike lane is fine at this location; traffic only goes 45 mph through here. 😉
I almost never opt for a run down Bethany any more. THPRD did a better job finishing their trails (on the West side of Bethany) than Washington County did with bike handling (don’t get me started with signal sensors) along Bethany. I tend to sacrifice the extra minute it takes me in the morning (two in the evening) to use these trails rather than travel Bethany. But then I have the problem of attempting to cross Bethany using signals that can’t see me.
The whole Bethany “upgrade” has so far been a case of adding bike infrastructure, but making a lot of bike travel a worse experience. If you’re going all the way from West Union to Cornell on Bethany, the bike lanes are a nice (if narrow) addition, but otherwise…
I told a WashCo traffic rep that I prefer to ride on West Union than Bethany, and he thought I was crazy. “But Bethany has a bike lane!” Yeah, but drivers give me more room on West Union without the bike lane than they do on Bethany, and the driving speeds are the same.
As an “outer eastside rider” myself, I appreciate great bus drivers more than most. They usually give you great space when they are able, and are genuinely courteous when making stops to give you plenty of space before making that stop. The key thing is that they are able to see and track you during the ride as quite often you play leap-frog during some stretches. I’m giving a big Thank You to all the professional drivers on the road with me during my commute. In outer-east Portland we have no other options but to mingle with traffic while riding. Here’s hoping that will change soon with a few low stress bikeways that will attract more folks to hop on a bike.
BTW I use the double lines in the middle as high speed bike lanes in traffic.
I think it is unconscionable to have bus stops delineated every few blocks when they are unused so much of the day.
I mean, if they’re not going to used for more than thirty seconds three times a day for 14 hours per day, why are they there?
And ticket machines at MAX stops. How many seconds per day are they even used? They just sit there taking up space for hours.
The ticket machines are there for peds to hide behind and wait until a cyclist is going by, to step out, and try to be hit.
You may be right, It may be that bus stops are not rational if they are never used or only used once or twice a year. I only know of a hundred or so that fit this description. Please join me in having them removed.
I ride SE/NE 122nd a lot. When getting stuck in leapfrog situations with a TRIMET bus, staying visible is a high priority.
When coming up behind a bus that is at a drop/pickup spot , I stop behind the bus and won’t pass it. Will maneuver so that I’m in the drivers rear view mirror and just wait for it to go.
There are big advantages to NOT be in a big hurry. :))
“I stop behind the bus and won’t pass it”
And you are rewarded for your courtesy with a great plume of smoke to breath when the bus pulls away…
I always try to let the cyclist go. Since I’m the vehicle that can impart the most damage I take it upon myself to do all I can to let others get away from my bus. It only takes a second or two. I know this can lead to some confusion but I can laugh that off. My goal is to be safe.
Point well taken and agreed with: more dedicated bike real estate in high cycle traffic areas.
I expect the many users trying to use the Eastside Esplanade and the approach to the Steel bridge lower decks to boil over with conflict this summer. Some sunny days brought out quite a few minor problems this week…. now just wait for the tourists to show up and add to the growing numbers of daily and fair-weather users on this ill-designed and way over capacity MUP.
Has he written to his fellow drivers about stopping to the left of the bike lane on Jefferson and letting passengers out yet?
I do talk to my fellow bus drivers all the time about cyclist and busses and bike lanes. I try to be a peace maker and a person that pushes for understanding and above all to be safe. Peace.
good guess, but NOT correct. The bus’s have their exhaust routed out to exit above the roofline at the rear.
Yes, it exits there. My experience tells me I inhale a great deal anyway.
This truly doesn’t happen to you too?
I stick LEFT arm straight out for …LEFT turn , and RIGHT arm straight out for RIGHT turn. works well.
I do as well. I’m just wondering if what I this guy did was an actual thing or just something that he came up with on his own. I’ll add that he did suggest that my ignorance in this matter was due to the fact that I haven’t lived in Portland long enough…
I was really confused when I first saw this post since I thought this website was about bike advocacy. Giving this guy free advertising is shameful. I was considering subscribing but am now having serious doubts.
BTW, there is no room for empathy in the first picture. The bus is breaking the law. Period.
I’m still confused by the “shaking a drop of piddle off the winkie” signal some folks use. Are you slowing down, pointing to a frog, shaking your finger, telling me to pass on the inside or what?
That’s likely somebody pointing out a road hazard so anybody following doesn’t hit it. It’s a courtesy.
In my experience, that’s not the case. Which buttresses my point.
Dan Christensen and Michael Anderson!
2 of the people I have the utmost respect for !
Gawd us transit bus folks miss Michael and Portland A-Foot
No, it’s a bike lane. I use it. Trust me, it works.
hahahaha I know that’s the problem.
Scoring bus drivers, I give a B+ for pulling into stops along bike lanes.
They are very good about indicating the stop, but this is one-way communication. The driver never seems to understand that when a rider waves and moves out of view, she wants the driver to pull over.
I do realize that puts you in a blind spot. You can’t get in the left-side mirror because drivers skew the bus to further indicate the turn. Still, I’ll trade visibility at the driver’s mercy for invisibility with full control.
Thank you for the B+
Thanks for this perspective, it is indeed good to listen to all sides, that is what makes for civilized society.
By the way, Dan, there are many benefits of bike lanes OTHER than helping cyclists stay alive, including benefits that would help a bus driver:
> Better sight lines for motorists when approaching pedestrian crossings and intersections.
> Greater ease and more opportunities to exit from driveways (thanks to improved sight distance).
> Greater effective turning radius at corners and driveways, allowing large vehicles to turn into side streets without off-tracking onto curb.
> A buffer for parked cars, making it easier for motorists to park, enter and exit vehicles safely and efficiently. This requires a wide enough bike lane so bicyclists aren’t “doored.”
> Less wear and tear of the pavement, if bike lanes are restriped by moving travel lanes (heavier motor vehicles no longer travel in the same well-worn ruts).
> A traffic calming effect when bike lanes are striped by narrowing travel lanes.
> Better definition of travel lanes where road is wide (lessens the “sea of asphalt” look).
> Keeps bicyclists out of the motor vehicle lane, unless where there is a bike lane obstruction.
> Transit: A place to pull over next to the curb out of the traffic stream.
> Delivery vehicles (including postal service): a place to stop out of the traffic stream.
> Emergency vehicles: Room to maneuver around stopped traffic, decreasing response time.
> Greater separation from traffic, especially in the absence of on-street parking or a planter strip, increasing comfort and safety. This is important to young children walking, playing or riding their bikes on curbside sidewalks.
> Reduced splash from vehicles passing through puddles (a total elimination of splash where puddles are completely contained within the bike lane).
> An area for people in wheelchairs to walk where there are no sidewalks, or where sidewalks are in poor repair or do not meet ADA standards.
> A space for wheelchair users to turn on and off curb cut ramps away from moving traffic.
> The opportunity to use tighter corner radii, which reduces intersection crossing distance and tends to slow turning vehicles.
> In dry climates, a reduction in dust raised by passing vehicles, as they drive further from unpaved surfaces.
> An increase in use, by increasing comfort to both pedestrians and bicyclists (this could leave more space for motorists driving and parking).
> An improved buffer to trees, allowing greater plantings of green canopies, which also has a traffic calming effect.
Noted.
When will the Report Card for drivers be issued?
F F F F F
Adam’s sprung a leak!
I’ve had good luck (again on 122nd) with bus’es that need to pull into stops. when they see me behind them, they’ll stay in their lane and slow to almost a creep and let me pass before turning in. NO complaints here.
And for the poster that noted that I’d be breathing fumes when waiting behind a bus , look at the pic in the beginning of this thread (posted by Dan) , top – left hand side of the bus rear shows the black exhaust snorkel.
I gabe up using signals on a motorcycle or a bike. People don’t care. They really just use the act or the lack of an act, to judge me. A cop might give me a ticket. Otherwise…I just make the move.
Maybe next time MR. Christenson could include a grade for the city’s planners and designers who continue building bike/bus/parking conflict into every inch of ‘bike lane’ they put down. The header image on this post is a prime example of the ‘designed to fail’ standard that we inexplicably keep following.
To be fair, the City put forward some smart design for Williams with a wide right-side bike lane and a median for bus passengers to deboard onto, and TriMet killed it by asking for the bus medians to be absurdly gigantic. So the City is probably gunshy now. Yes, they should be more bold in pushing/requiring TriMet to accept best practices, but in this case TriMet is the one stopping progress; the City is just acquiescing without a drag-out fight.
It used to, before they relocated the exhaust snorkels. I’m rather sensitive to smoke , but the fumes seem “lighter than air” and don’t drift back down.
Also helps that the bus is idling , but I do observe them belching when accelerating. I keep a good 20 feet behind them when stopped.
Did have an issue a couple of years back with a bus on 119th & Powell cutting across my path ..closely. I pulled up to the driver to get a visual and then emailed TRIMET. Just got a standard form reply.
Just curious – why are the double solid lines in the picture white and not yellow? MUTCD defines a line width for white lines that denote bicycle lanes… maybe that technically is a (really narrow) bike lane per MUTCD’s interpretation?
White lines merely indicate there is same-direction traffic on the other side, as opposed to yellow, which indicates opposite-direction traffic on the other side. Double solid lines still mean “do not cross”, i.e., “no lane changes”.
Ah yes, of course – thanks El B!