Glancing Aft
Active Member
So time for a little afternoon ramble. I just got a message from a friend sending me a flickr link to some photos of new bike lane symbols in Portland.
http://flickr.com/photos/bikeportland/sets/1022207/
At first glance they seem fun and harmless, but after a moment they started to really piss me off.
I haven't done any research into the project, according to the link on the site it was sponsored by the city of Portland and there in lies the problem. As a Civil Engineer I know that the federal government has long established standard roadway markings and signs. http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/2003r1/pdf-index.htm
The reasons for these symbols are simple, so people can travel around the country and know what the signs they are looking at stand for. While these markings in Portland are simple modifications they do deviate from the standard which can easily leads to problems, ranging from distraction to confusion. Say a motorist hits a biker in one of these lanes, I can almost guarantee that with a good enough lawyer the motorist would be able to get all charges dropped because the road was not properly marked with DOT standards.
As a road biker I am very concerned about my own safety and those of other bikers in the community. It does seem like there is an ever growing movement to increase cyclist safety especially in urban areas and yes Portland is leading this more than just about any other city. Still I'm concerned over this project.
Anyone else have any thoughts?
http://flickr.com/photos/bikeportland/sets/1022207/
At first glance they seem fun and harmless, but after a moment they started to really piss me off.
I haven't done any research into the project, according to the link on the site it was sponsored by the city of Portland and there in lies the problem. As a Civil Engineer I know that the federal government has long established standard roadway markings and signs. http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/2003r1/pdf-index.htm
The reasons for these symbols are simple, so people can travel around the country and know what the signs they are looking at stand for. While these markings in Portland are simple modifications they do deviate from the standard which can easily leads to problems, ranging from distraction to confusion. Say a motorist hits a biker in one of these lanes, I can almost guarantee that with a good enough lawyer the motorist would be able to get all charges dropped because the road was not properly marked with DOT standards.
As a road biker I am very concerned about my own safety and those of other bikers in the community. It does seem like there is an ever growing movement to increase cyclist safety especially in urban areas and yes Portland is leading this more than just about any other city. Still I'm concerned over this project.
Anyone else have any thoughts?
Last edited: