Mar 18 '08 - 354 W - Vote Good + 4 :: Bad - 7 'Bike boxes' begin to take shape at 15 busy Portland intersections
Published March 18, 2008 by KATU.com
By Brian Barker and KATU Web Staff
PORTLAND, Ore. - The first of 15 "bike boxes" appeared at the corner of Southeast 7th Avenue and Southeast Hawthorne Street in Portland on Monday.
City crews blocked off a lane of traffic at the intersection and installed green panels and broad white stripes on the street. Lettering tells motorists to "wait here" behind the green section that is reserved for cyclists.
Transportation officials are hoping the bike boxes will help end right-turn collisions like those that took the lives of two cyclists in Portland last year. In all, six cyclists were killed in collisions with cars in Portland in 2007.
It is illegal for motorists to turn right on a red light at intersections with the bike boxes. Police say there will be a two-week caution period where they will give warnings to drivers that violate the box areas.
After that, they will begin issuing citations.
Cyclists can turn right on red from the boxes and can wait for the light to change while in the green area.
Cars must wait behind the green section even if cyclists are not present since bike riders can approach the box area using bike lanes while car traffic is stopped for a red light.
Each bike box costs about $2,000 for the city to install.
"You want to make your design as understandable as possible," Roger Geller of the Portland Department of Transportation said as he watched the first bike box take shape. Geller was on a bicycle at the time.
In 2007, a teenage art student and an employee of a local bicycle shop were both killed when trucks turned right at intersections, crushing the cyclists.
In both incidents, the truck drivers said they could not see the cyclists.
Portland transportation officials said they hoped the bike boxes would help eliminate that type of accident.
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It’s great to see that Portland is continuing to make efforts to support safe cycling. But, I’m a little confused by those bike boxes. I understand how a green bike lane, especially as it approaches the intersection, could stand out nicely, but why would the cyclist want to move over to the left to stop at the intersection, only to move right back again into the bike lane when they continue? The box itself seems a little unnecessary… Still, I’m intrigued. I’d like to see it in (hot bike) action.
rob - March 18 '08 - 12:16
The cyclist may want to move to left in the bike box to be more visible and perhaps to allow other cyclists to turn right. Even when you don’t have a bike box, you can move over to the left at red lights to be more visible and avoid the right-turn wallop. Ofcourse without the bike box you might need to move to the left behind other cars. For more information on how to now get hit by cars, check out http://bicyclesafe.com/Eric (URL) - March 18 '08 - 12:57
Actually although you could move left in the box simply to become more visible, I think the real benefit of these is that they allow you to pull in front of cars at stop lights to make executing a vehicular left turn much easier from a bike lane (assuming you get to the intersection at a red light). Check out this informative, if somewhat obnoxious video demonstration http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/how-.. (he is executing a right turn from a one-way street, but the same logic applies).Obviously a bike box isnt going to save anyone from getting a right turn wallop while approaching an intersection in a bike lane though, which I think is the more common and dangerous scenario. I always assume that a car in the right lane is going to make a right and proceed with caution. If it is safe to do so, I’ll pass them on the left and get in front of the car at the stop. A bike box would be great in that scenario too!
James O. (Email) - March 18 '08 - 14:23