On the morning of July 30th, 2016, 25-year-old Lydia Johnson was biking eastbound on Southeast Flavel Street. As she came to the intersection with 82nd Avenue, Joel Silva was driving a large box truck in the same direction. When he got to 82nd, Silva turned his truck right, collided with Johnson, and she was killed.
I visited the site a few days later and observed how the narrow, unprotected bike lane got pinched by driver after right-turning driver. It made me sick to think that another right-hook claimed another life.
Seven years later, the Portland Bureau of Transportation will install a bike box at this intersection. It’s a treatment first used locally in 2008 after a spate of right-hook tragedies. Bike boxes don’t add physical protection, but they give bike riders a safe space to wait in front of drivers during red signal phases and the green coloring and buffer sends a signal to drivers that they should use caution while turning.
The bike box coming to SE Flavel and 82nd is just one of several striping and signage updates PBOT is doing as part of their $80 million “critical fixes” project. This particular chunk of work is funded with a $750,000 federal grant and is scheduled to be completed by the end of this summer. In addition to Flavel, as part of this project, PBOT will install bike boxes at SE Woodstock and SE Duke streets. They’ll also update street signage and provide spot fixes to existing median islands to improve visibility.
This week, PBOT also began installation of high-visibility crosswalks (above) at 21 signalized intersections along 82nd Ave between SE Foster and NE Lombard. “High-visibility crosswalks (sometimes called “continental-style” crosswalks) have thick lines parallel to traffic flow that allow drivers to see the crosswalk from further away,” PBOT said in a project email today.
Once the most urgent repairs are made, PBOT will move into the next phase of the project. As per their 82nd Avenue Civic Corridor Investment Strategy, PBOT will invest $105 million into more safety and maintenance projects, efforts to mitigate displacement impacts, and future transit planning.
These updates come after PBOT took over ownership of 82nd from the Oregon Department of Transportation in April 2022.
Another safety improvement that often accompanies the green bike boxes is no right turn on red, I hope we will see here.
It would be nice to see some enforcement of no turn on red rules, as well. I’ve seen compliance dwindle to absurdly low levels in parts of Portland that are far less auto centric than 82nd. I would guess that compliance would be nonexistent in this area without constant police presence.
As someone who commutes east of 82nd and sees close to zero compliance with “No Turn on Red” from drivers, I agree. Even just stationing a police officer there for a couple days to pull people over and issue warnings and explain why no turn on red exists for the particular intersection. If they do it again they get a ticket.
seems like something that should be fairly easy to automate, that should be automated.
We should rescind “right on red” everywhere. It is a prime example of putting motor vehicle expedience over public safety. When right on red is NEVER allowed, it is safer for pedestrians and bicyclists AND other motorists (we’ve all seen motor vehicles swing into a lane when there really isn’t a safe time to do so given oncoming traffic, just to seize their “right” to turn right on red, so that the traffic that had the right-of-way has to hit the brakes to avoid the right-hand-turner). If right on red is prohibited at ALL intersections, there is likely to be better compliance, or at least easier enforcement, than the current situation in which right on red is allowed at most intersections, so that NOT being allowed to turn right on red is a rare exception.
I always figured that instead of saying “ban right on red” we should frame it as “protected right turns”.
I agree, Lois. I was driving a rented car in Germany recently and at a red light I asked my German passenger if I could turn right on red. He just laughed: there’s no “right on red” in Germany – and probably most other advanced nations. But in the US we allow car and truck drivers to slaughter cyclists and pedestrians, just to save a minute or 30 seconds. That’s the truth of the situation.
And timing the walk signal before traffic signal (don’t know the official name). I and pretty much every other cyclist has realized that starting to pedal when the pedestrian signal triggers is another way to safely get in front of the car as they still have a red.
“Leading pedestrian interval” is the term. And I think cyclists should be allowed to use the pedestrian signal as you say. If that’s not the in the code it should be changed to permit that.
As a cyclist I’ve been using the extra seconds since I first noticed it was a thing. I don’t feel the need to wait until its in the code, or allowed. Seems like a no-brainer.
Oh definitely. I would just prefer to have something I could point to if got ticketed.
Swing over and ride in the crosswalk. That should be legal — you’ve magically transformed into a pedestrian.
Leading Pedestrian Interval, I think.
“Leading pedestrian interval” or “LPI” is the term of art for traffic engineers.
It’s called a leading pedestrian interval, and yes, it seems like it should be the standard for all traffic signals.
Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI).
These should be rapidly installed at every arterial signaled intersection but PBOT is dragging their feet on implementing this inexpensive and life-saving improvement.
PBOT should also seek to change state law so that people cycling are allowed to use pedestrian signals to cross. Currently, it’s illegal for someone cycling in the roadway to cross on a LPI signal.
There’s a five-way intersection at SW 45th / SW Multnomah / SW Maplewood that has the most interesting new signal timing:
When traffic heading north on 45th gets a green light, the light stays green for about ten seconds and then turns to red again whenever the right-hand crosswalk signal on Multnomah is activated. About five seconds later the same light turns green again, allowing traffic to cross the intersection on 45th, when a person is already in the crosswalk, I guess.
The only bad thing about this signalization is that drivers panic and gun it through the intersection when they realize the light is turning red after ten seconds – not realizing it will turn green again after a short pause. After all, thou shalt remember ODOT’s / PBOT’s first commandment:
“Thou driver shalt never, ever, ever be slowed down for any reason. Throughput shalt rule over all other needs.”
leading pedestrian interval I think
it *always* accompanies it, so we’ll see it here.
Does anyone know if the “Wait Here” stop lines for bike boxes are legally binding? As in, could someone driving theoretically get cited for waiting in the bike box? I really do like bike boxes as a cost-effective and quick solution for improving intersection safety but I see probably 15-20% of drivers completely ignore them. It would only take a few people getting tickets for word to spread that you have to wait behind the line.
They should be counted as stop lines which are defined in ORS 811.260 section 7 and mentioned in the DMV test prep guide.
From 811.360 section 5
From Schedule of Fines on Violations 2021
You should probably include 811.360 (3), which describes what constitutes “improperly proceeding”. It’s not at all clear that stopping (which is not proceeding) at an improper location is covered. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t.
https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_811.360
Entrenching the truism that PBOT acts after someone dies (or at least loses a limb).
7 years later!!! What a joke.
If the utter failure of the N. Williams Ave. remodel doesn’t say it all, this is just more evidence that PBOT is not serious about road safety.