Comments on: Portland’s Bike Boulevards Become Neighborhood Greenways

By: Buck Reilly

Buck Reilly — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:51:00 +0000

Thanks for making this video, it is a great tool for showing neighbors and elected officials what we can do!

By: Bonnietarbat

Bonnietarbat — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:25:00 +0000

Just great for Portland. How does this translate for a town in a now area like Collingwood? We can only ride for a small portion of the year.

By: Joe Sauer

Joe Sauer — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 06:29:35 +0000

This film is great! I'm so happy to see Portland get this publicity. I live in SE Portland and bike commute with MAX (our light rail system) 12 miles to/from work every day in Beaverton on the west side. I live 1/2 block from Lincoln St., one of the main east/west greenway routes. I could be a poster child for Portland's bike culture. I am so fortunate to live here and have this incredible situation for bicycling as a normal and natural mode of transportation. (I have a car but it sits at home all week.) BTW, I've made two new friends because of cycling -- people I ran into all the time while riding.

By: Todd Edelman

Todd Edelman — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 05:33:17 +0000

@Brian - Regarding a new speed limit, while many will ignore a new sign, what is impossible to ignore are the further hard modifications that make it not just annoying but impossible for motor vehicles to go above that speed without being damaged. It would be a little cheaper to do it without signs... i.e. where those modifications act as the signs.

The tough sell might be emergency services but they have other streets to go fast on (and I am still unclear on how safe people feel on nearby shopping or commercial streets with I assume 35 to 45mph limits).

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 04:16:22 +0000

Making the speed limit 20 mph is just going to mean that its ignored more, it won't do anything for safety or change driver speeds at all. Most sensible drivers slow down when bikes are around.

By: Paul Dorn

Paul Dorn — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 23:57:26 +0000

Great video. I work in Davis, which has been renowned as a bicycle-friendly city for many years. However, clearly Portland has the momentum and initiative these days. A great model for all of us.

By: Ron

Ron — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:57:16 +0000

I'm a Portland bicycle commuter and I can say without a doubt that the sharrows and 'greenstreet' initiatives have made cycling more comfortable. Of course we're now well into fall and everything is rainy and gloomy until April or May! Portland has a booming bike tourism industry going so come and visit... Oh and I have a furnished apartment in a close in neighborhood for you to stay in! Bike parking provided.

By: ScottB

ScottB — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 19:14:43 +0000

Jass, can you cite a portion of the MUTCD that prohibits the use of sharrow markings for wayfinding (hint, page 810). You can't because there isn't. There are no shall statements in Section 9C.06, just may and should. The adoption of the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices as a bible instead of a guide will ruin us all.

sharrow flower inventor.

By: Jimmy

Jimmy — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:09:17 +0000

Visited Portland for a month, stayed in the NW Kings Hill area. Loved Portland in so many ways. You have a fine city with a bunch of great residents and city officials. Ok, I won't move there but we will visit again soon. Chow ( the food carts),
Jimmy.

By: Todd Edelman

Todd Edelman — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 06:16:12 +0000

@Great Neighborhooods Matter More Than Fashion: It's not about fashion, but about mandatory helmet policy from governments and promotion from various parties that - I think - encourages this policy. In other words, the groups I mention in my comment above think that they can have their cake and eat it, too.

By: Great Neighborhooods Matter More Than Fashion

Great Neighborhooods Matter More Than Fashion — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 23:12:08 +0000

Great job Portland! Making riding and walking normal. Making neighborhoods safe for kids. This movie is about so much more important things than fashion. I hope my street is a neighborhood greenway some day. If it happens, I will wear my helmet, use my lights AND ride my bike more. (Even if some fashion critics think that I shouldn't.)

By: Todd Edelman

Todd Edelman — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 05:45:47 +0000

@Aaron - Indeed, there seems to be a lot of helmet promotion. A few examples, both patronizing: Helmets - "It’s really basic: wear one. Do we really need to say more? OK, How about: you only need a helmet if you’ve got a head on your shoulders." And manipulative: "Get Lit is a bike safety promotion program. We like to think of it as a random act of safety because we install Planet Bike front and rear lights for free on unsuspecting (and unlit) cyclists. We also use this time to advocate for the use of helmets." On the websites of well-respected Portland-based consultancies, and on the front of a new book by its CEO (look closely). Given its proximity to Vancouver and the all-ages - but intensely disrespected - bike helmet law in British Columbia, we can expect a lot of this to migrate north during Velo-city Global in 2012. If you are on Facebook, you can join us now to start promoting an alternative.

By: Aaron Bialick

Aaron Bialick — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 04:39:47 +0000

It is odd that nearly everybody in these videos in Portland appears to be wearing a helmet. It seems to me that as cycling rates increase and people feel safer, they wear helmets less, and it's a sign of safe conditions. There must be a lot of helmet promotion going on in that town.

By: DeAnn Shields-Marley

DeAnn Shields-Marley — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 21:26:50 +0000

This is great. I hope we are successful at getting this done in Little Rock, AR, where I live. We do have the longest Pedestrian / Bicycling bridge in the world...The Big Dam Bridge which is 2 miles long and crosses the Arkansas River. Riders come from everywhere to ride over it.

By: Dan Kaufman

Dan Kaufman — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 07:41:33 +0000

Great stuff, as usual! Geez! did you do a voice over on Raisman's ride along? It's clear as a bell with no wind noise. The riding shots are great, especially the low ones.

Oh yeah and good subject/content... guess that's important, too

By: Peter Smith

Peter Smith — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:42:28 +0000

Fantastic film!

By: PJ

PJ — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:00:35 +0000

Did you see those bike riders blowing that stop sign? Nice I like it!

One of those big guys lives around my neighborhood, this summer he shook down some old lady who cut him off. We had to call 911 for her. Don't know if she ever made it.

By: kidsroutes

kidsroutes — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:46:47 +0000

I am continually amazed at the innovation at the Portland DOT - and in particular the combination of vision and follow through by Greg Raisman. Let's get him to New York so that our kids will be able to ride their way into adulthood.

By: jass

jass — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:16:42 +0000

Clarence, by middle of the street, I do mean where the center yellow line would be. So if two cyclists ride over them in opposing directions, they will crash.

I simply dont understand why they cant be in the middle of the lane, like everywhere else.

The flower sharrow is the worst, it just sits there smack in the middle of an intersection.

We have the manual on UNIFORM traffic devices for a reason - people cross straight lines and we want traffic signs to mean the same everywhere.

By: Clarence Eckerson, Jr.

Clarence Eckerson, Jr. — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 04:18:24 +0000

Jass,

Although I am not the Portland expert, I'd say they do exactly both things you point out. If you ride over them, no way you are getting doored. The presence of them along with the signage and traffic calming certainly says there are bikes in abundance and watch out for them.

Plus, not sure if you have ridden the boulevards/greenways but when you see on average a car every minute or two, it sure doesn't hurt letting people ride right down the middle of the street if they wish. In fact, the streets are so pleasant, from time to time I got caught daydreaming with a car behind me - but no honking. Nothing. What a great place to ride.

Now if your argument is that the placement doesn't work for all cities, that certainly could be. But in Portland doesn't seem to be much of a negative.