Brian Ratliff

Portland, OR-

Cyclists will have streets to call their own

How about them "bike boulevards." Mind you, I don't have personal experience on these streets, being as they are on the other side of the city. I don't get to ride much on the east side of the river.

I've had experience with one in Seattle near the U of W, and man oh man, was that some good cycling. On this road in Seattle, there were signs indicating that cars unconditionally yield to bicyclists, and once every other week, on a Friday in the summer, they'd close the road completely to cars. Beautiful 10 mile stretch of carless heaven. These in Portland sound even better though. The road in Seattle only led to a park by Lake Washington. These bike bouevards run through the east side suburbs and look to be genuinely useful to commuters.

Other things to look for in the article in addition to the featured the bike boulevards:

• "...an extensive network of bike lanes, now totaling 165 miles, that criss-cross much of Portland, mostly on arterial streets."
  
• "Those bike lanes helped double ridership in the past decade..."
  
• "...by some estimates 3 percent of all commuter trips are by bicycle..."

We quibble about philosophical stuff here a lot; probably too much. This is real.

genec

Fits hand in hand with this article:

https://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...urban_design_1

Seems to me that in a densly packed urban area, 1/2 of the streets could be closed to motor vehicles and opened to human power only. The biggest issue would be where to park all the cars.

Even if only 1/3 of the streets were closed to autos that would be a substantial improvement on noise and pollution within a city.

randya

I'll quibble a little with the BTA proposal: While I think the Bike Boulevard proposal is a good one, the undertone is that bicycles don't belong on the arterial streets. In fact, you can't separate the road system entirely into two classes of streets, one set for bicyclists, the other for cars. Bicyclists need to reach destinations on arterial streets, and need to use the arterial streets to make a lot of difficult connections, including crossing the Willamette River.

IMO, the city needs to be integrating bicycles into all of its planning, including on arterial streets. Bike Boulevards are great, but they are only one piece of the puzzle. Portland won't truly be safe to bicycle until all public streets are made safe for cyclists. The neighborhood streets, for the most part, already are safe for cyclists. Most motor vehicle - bicycle crashes are happening on the arterial streets, and IMO, that's where the city should be focusing their safety efforts.

randya

Here's the two stories from today's Oregonian.

https://www.oregonlive.com/news/orego...400.xml&coll=7
https://www.oregonlive.com/editorials...770.xml&coll=7

Brian Ratliff

Undertones are tough to discern sometimes, being as most of the things termed "undertones" are reflections of the reader's preconcieved expectations.

Perhaps this is controversial in this forums atmosphere to say, but arterial streets will always be more dangerous for all vehicles than slower streets. Providing alternatives to arterials (which is a far cry from neglecting arterials altogether) has to be an important part of any citywide cycling plan. My point is that neither one extreme or the other is "correct." Finding the "correct" balance requires looking at the needs and wants of all participants. The answer is not: go crazy with bike boulevards - just as it is not: focus only on arterials.

randya

So we agree.

But you can bet that motorists who read the Oregonian article and editorial will come away with the understanding and expectation that bicyclists belong on neighborhood streets, and not on the arterials. So part of the message the city and the BTA are putting out there should address the issue of the presence and safety of bicyclists on arterial streets; they should not be ignoring this part of the equation.

sbhikes

Bike boulevards sound great, but it's really unfair to motor vehicle operators. They may need to go to someplace on the bike boulevard, but now they won't be able to get to any of those destinations because of the ban. And if you close off streets to people who drive, they'll just have to drive more to try and piece together their routes. That's not right. That's discrimination based on class.

Brian Ratliff

Here are the bike boulevard routes, note how they all funnel into downtown.

Brian Ratliff

Are you going to be at that bike summit thing tomorrow? Perhaps the issue can be raised there.

randya

The bike boulevards are not closed to motor vehicles.

Yet.

Brian Ratliff

There is no ban on cars.

Cars can still use the streets; it's just that the streets are designed to keep car speeds low while not affecting travel on bicycles. They also parallel arterials, where all the car traffic is anyway. This combines to lower car traffic on these routes significantly, it appears. Most of the car traffic then would be to local destinations; very little car commuter traffic.

randya

Yes, I was planning on it.

Anyone else in PDX, here's the info:

Bike Summit Agenda
PDOT has just released the agenda

for the Bike Summit coming up on Saturday, June 17th.
This is a great time to remind everyone to register (it's FREE)!

https://www.portlandonline.com/transp...114211&c=40307

Here are the details:

PSU Smith Center, June 17, 2006

Plenary I 8:30 am to 9:45 am
A Celebration of our 15 Years of Bicycling Success
Telling the Portland Bike Story

Welcome – Sue Keil, Director, Portland Office of Transportation
Introductions – Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams; Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder; Mia Birk, Alta Planning and Design and former Bicycle Program Manager; Congressman Earl Blumenauer

Workshop Session I 10 am – 11:00 am

Missing Bikeway Elements in Your Neighborhood I - including downtown
Business Symposium I - Portland's Bicycle-Related Business Activity
Getting Kids Back on Bikes - What you can do with your schools and in your neighborhood
Mountain Cyclists - What is on the horizon for the Portland muddy pedaler
Organizing For Bikes In Your Neighborhood
Lobbying for Bicycling Local, State and Federal
Getting Media for Your Bike Event
The Bicycling Online Community

Workshop Session II 11:15 – 12:15 pm

Innovations on Bikeways and Bike Parking Here and Abroad
Missing Bikeway Elements in Your Neighborhood II - including downtown
Sharing the Road - Campaigns and strategies
Business Symposium II - What makes bicycling good for your bottom line
New Laws for Bikes - What are the latest approaches and ideas
Who Put the Fun in BikeFun? - Plug in and meet your bikey brethren and sisters
Why Do People Not Ride – Really - or How to Get My Next Door Neighbor on a Bike

Plenary II – 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
The Next 20 Years for Bicycling – Going Platinum

Evan Manvel – Executive Director Bicycle Transportation Alliance
Ayleen Crotty – KBOO Bike Show, Filmed By Bike, and ORBikes.com
City of Cycling Copenhagen Video
Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams

1:30 pm Sprockettes Performance on Montgomery St

Brian Ratliff

Alright, I'm in.

I need to read the newspaper more. I didn't hear about this until today, really.

genec

Uh gee, park and walk a block. BFD.

What if there is no parking on the boulevard they might want to go to (even without bike boulevards)... Solution: Park somewhere else and walk a block or two.

Are people in such bad shape that walking a block or two is going to kill them?

Perhaps that is the point... Get out and walk.

I think the same thing also applies if there are car only-no bike boulevards between those bike boulevards and cyclists need to get to shop on an auto only boulevard... walk.

I just saw a post in the car free forum about how pictures of large malls have been overlaid on downtown streets in some cities... and sure enough, folks walk plenty of distances in malls... but won't do it on city blocks. Go figure.

Get out and walk America... sheesh.

Dogbait

Here are a couple of local web logs that have carried this story today.

BikePortland.org

Bicycle Transportation Alliance


I used to live a block away from the SE Clinton St. bike blvd. shown on the map in Brian Ratliff's post. It was a residential street with minimal commercial property, mostly concentrated around the intersection with 28th Av. The speed limit was 30 mph. It was a wide street with no bus traffic but trucks were allowed. It became a refuge for through traffic from the crowded main arterial, Division St., one block to the north.... it resembled a freeway/racetrack. As a result of pressure from the neighborhood assn. and others, the City implemented some traffic calming measures. The speed limit was dropped to 25 mph. Trucks were banned, except for one block for local deliveries. Some traffic circles and curb extensions were installed. Autos were not allowed to cross 39th Av. The street was designated as a Bike Route. The results were impressive. Clinton St. was transformed back into a nice, quiet residential street... safer for bikes, safer for kids and pedestrians, a more peaceful and pleasant neighborhood to live in. Bike boulevards have benefits that reach far beyond the cycling community. It is interesting to note that this makeover process was started about 10 years before the BTA came to be. It was initiated by neighborhood activists who just wanted a little peace and quiet. That it fit in so well with the Bike Route is just a bonus.

Dogbait

donnamb 

I live 3 blocks from one of the east-west streets you see on the map. It's a major part of my work commute, not to mention my trips to the library, grocery store, LBS, friends' houses...you get the picture. They're really great to bike on, and the city has been making real efforts to make these streets run parallel to major roads. It's often only 2-5 blocks between the bicycle boulevards of SE and a big road. Portland has really short blocks. They're about half the length of a Manhattan block, if that gives you an idea.

One thing you should know about these streets is that most of them are going right through viable, thriving neighborhoods. Many of the residents really appreciate the slower speeds of the motor vehicles. I used to live right on that same east-west street about 7 years ago before they put in the traffic calming devices. People used to drive their cars much faster than they do now, drag race even. It was downright scary, and there was no need for it, as there are 2 major roads that parallel it to either direction. With the exception of 3 intersections, this street has no businesses on it, just people's houses, a couple of apartment buildings, a small private school, a masonic lodge, and a community garden. People are more willing to let their kids ride their bikes on the street and everyone walks around a lot more. Residents' pets have a longer life expectancy.

Bicycle boulevards alone can't make a city a good place to cycle in, but I think they could be one of the ways American cities could plan for bikes without spending tons of money for separate paths that may or may not get used. When you put one on a street where the neighborhood has been trying to get cars to slow down for ages, you get support from the residents when they see how things change for the better.

genec

So if autos are not banned, what makes the bike boulevards so special?

OK I may be answering my own question here, but it reads as though special traffic calming measures were used to slow motor traffic down... to the point of installing "obstacles" to make these roads less accomodating to motorists, and thereby encouraging non motor traffic to use these roads as "cycling arterials." Is that about right?

sbhikes

Why are they singling out cars? That's discrimination. Why should cyclists have an easier time of rolling up to their destination while people who drive cars--some of whom might be disabled and unable to ride a bicycle--have to park far away and walk? It's like saying all you disabled people get to the back of the bus.

But it sounds like at least they aren't banned. That would constitute segregation, which would be very bad.

But still cars are being targeted and unsafe conditions are created by traffic calming measures, especially traffic circles, which slow down emergency response vehicles and create pinch points where drivers might run over cyclists.

Eatadonut

I can't ride my bicycle on some highways, and it's the easiest, most direct way in many cases. So it seems I'm already being discriminated against.

Try again.

patc

What got my attention was:

To me this indicates that Portland has realized cyclists are not a monolithic group, but a diverse one. Each group of cyclists needs to be considered for accommodations, not just one.

Ready to Ruck

What about roads with no biking signs? Isn't that banning? Most of these roads, yes, would be unsafe to bike on. But that's not the cyclist's fault; It's the fault of urban planners who discriminate against cyclists.

Hawkear

You're trying really hard to be a troll, sbhikes. It's beyond the point of being mildly funny, and downgraded to being really annoying.

Roody

I think it's great to limit (as in drastically reduce, not necessariliy eliminate) cars on many streets, and slow them down on all streets. Personally, I ride on residential streets pretty often as an alternative to high speed streets. But I do wonder if these bike blvds. are decreasing cager tolerance for bikes on arterials. I also find, like sbhikes, that some traffic calming efforts make streets more difficult and less safe for cyclists. (Especially the "pinch points" or whatever they're called.)

Do you think Mr. Ambien gave his real name to the reporter? If he did, he should be getting a cut from the sleeping pills!

ZachS

yes.

things like speed bumps, and intersection islands like the one crappy drawing below:



Bikes can easily pass at full speed through the gaps in the concrete island, cars must turn. Additionally, cars on the arterial can't turn left onto the boulevard.

It works. These streets really are the best routes. They also have far fewer stop signs than other quiet neighborhood streets, allowing high speeds.

donnamb 

It does not slow emergency vehicles. First of all, none of the bike boulevards are more than 5 very short Portland blocks from a main arterial that runs parallel to it. Secondly, even on the intersections where the cars cannot go straight, a vehicle could get through on the wrong side of the street. If sirens are flashing and horns blaring, people still get out of the way here in Portland.

I'm sure not all motorists are happy about it, but many are. This is because they are also residents of the neighborhood where the bike boulevards run. These are not streets that you take to pass through neighborhoods - you're on the street because you have a destination in the neighborhood. The motorists who are also residents really like their kids and cats un-smooshed. Kids can wobble along on their bikes and scooters without risking their lives if they mess up and end up in the street. The motorists who don't like the bike boulevards are the motorists who like to go 45 when the speed limit is 25, and that is no exaggeration. I don't really give a whoop if they are upset about not being able to go really fast in a residential area. These Portland neighborhoods are full of houses with huge front porches. People like to sit on them, drink their alcohol, coffee, or tea, perhaps smoke, talk to their neighbors, and generally hang out and enjoy the scene. The scene is far more interesting when bikes are going by and people are walking their dogs and pushing their strollers on the sidewalks. There has even been the development of small businesses that are not dependent on people driving to them. Since the bike boulevard was developed in my neighborhood, little cafes have popped up where people ride their bikes to and drink their beer and socialize.

I went to the Portland Bicycle Summit today, and it was fantastic. In one of the workshops, we had an opportunity to make suggestions to the people who actually do the bicycle planning in the Portland Department of Transportation, and they were highly interested in hearing them. They had a ride touring some of the bicycle boulevards and problem areas afterwards, and I went on that. Part of the ride went through a side of town I don't live on and so am less familiar with that doesn't have as many bike boulevards. I have to say, it was more challenging to ride there than where I live. Even the streets that would never become bike boulevards seemed wilder than their equivalents on my side of town. I think the bike boulevards have an overall calming effect on motor traffic in the whole neighborhood area. It was acknowledged that we can't rely on only one method of velotransit for the city - there is a place for MUPs, bike lanes, bike boulevards, and VC technique for the downtown area where the accomodations aren't feasible.