Reason # 2,479 why I love Portland so

St. Patrick's Day was yesterday and Portland celebrated by putting on the green. The first of a number of "Bike Boxes" was installed at SE Hawthorne Blvd. at 7th.

A Bike Box is simply a safe place for cyclists to wait at a red light, ahead of the vehicles, rather than beside them. Why this is so important it because it allows cyclists to avoid being victims of a "right hook," the slang expression for being hit by a vehicle turning right at an intersection. This is statistically the most prevalent type of bike/car crash in Puddletown.

Recently, two Portland cyclists fell victim to right hook accidents, Tracey Sparling and Brett Jarolimek. Both were legally in bike lanes when they were hit and killed by trucks turning right.

The outrage and sadness felt by cyclists and non-cyclists alike spurred the City of Portland to take quick action in an attempt to end the carnage. I snapped a few shots of the bike box in action yesterday on my way home from work. In the few moments I was there, it appeared that drivers and cyclists alike had figured out what to do. If you're a driver, it's pretty hard to miss the huge "STOP HERE" and thick white line placed before the box. The green coloring is not paint, but is rather a series of super-space-age thermoplastic tiles that are heat sealed to the asphalt. The tiles are impregnated with a crystalline substance to improve traction.

This is but the first of 14 bike boxes planned for targeted intersections around Portland. Bike boxes are one of a number of engineering measures being taken to improve safety and visibility for cyclists; there's more to come that you can read about HERE.

The city's research shows that about 60 percent of residents are "interested but concerned" when it comes to cycling. Grisly news coverage of dead cyclists doesn't do anything to alleviate those fears. In reality, cycling in Portland is getting safer by the year (see above link) . But perception is reality for many people, so they continue to not ride.

Something so visible as a screamin' green bike box makes a real statement to people that cycling is here to stay, it's going to continue to grow in popularity and the city is serious about making it safer. I applaud Portland for taking quick action after two very unfortunate incidents.

















A couple of cyclists demonstrating how bikes go to the head of the line.






















Cars stay put on red lights; bicycles are free to turn. Just as God ordained it!




An overview of the bike box in relation to the intersection.