The latest front in the City of Portland’s ongoing war against traffic injuries and deaths is the windshields of taxis and other for-hire vehicles.
The Bureau of Transportation just unveiled a new window decal they’ve begun to issue through their Private For-Hire Program. That program regulates all permitted taxi and other transportation network company (TNC) operators like Uber and Lyft.
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The decals, which operators are not legally mandated to display, say “Look Before You Open” and they include a symbol of a bike rider and a car with a clever exclamation point on the car’s door. The decal’s orange color fits with PBOT’s Vision Zero branding effort which this new initiative is part of. Here’s more from the city’s Private-For-Hire program manager: “Portland’s Vision Zero initiative should be everyone’s initiative and the private for hire industry is no exception. At the regulatory division we are doing our part by providing free decals and education regarding Vision Zero. We will encourage our industry partners to join us, and together we will work to achieve our established goals, one vehicle at a time.”
Back in November we reported that the city is also requiring taxi and TNC operators to take special vision zero training.
For more on PBOT’s vision zero efforts, browse our past coverage.
— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org
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This is a great idea! What next steps to we need to take to get this legally mandated?
Find a legislator to sponsor a bill. Adam, you’re always the first one to respond here – you gotta know some people in Salem, right?
Why bother?
Based on the decision by the Linn County DA, motorists need not look at anything outside when operating a motor vehicle.
Where can I pick a couple of these up for my work vehicle?
Cool, they read my tweet from September! https://twitter.com/andykutansky/status/649438722753105920
How about we stop putting bike lanes in the door zone and maybe teach people how to ride (not in the door zone).
Yea! Stickers and green paint together. These two will be bonded forever as they spread their blanket of security around everyone. I will commute in a safe world from this moment forward.
I wish that China would learn a thing or two about bike lanes and sidewalks… which as is, might as well be know as “FREE PARKING” 🙁
Is ‘dooring’ happening a lot in Lyft/Uber? I see a lot of drivers holding the gps in their hand versus having it mounted on the window. That seems like a bigger issue than dooring.
It’s not stated in the article but I think the issue may be more with passengers than the operators. I would *HOPE* a professional wouldn’t just be flinging their doors like monkeys flinging poo.
These should be in rental cars, too – along with a reminder to watch for bikes when driving.
I haven’t been doored (or near-doored) by an Uber, but a couple weeks ago I had one pull out and almost hit me as I was riding by, after picking up a fare. It was pretty clear the driver never checked his mirror. This was on a quiet suburban side street in Hopkins, MN.
I suspect this is a more common – or at least serious – scenario involving Ubers than dooring is. The “LOOK!” message would be the same for either type of incident.