Portland Bike Lane Symbols

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?
 
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Fogerson

Former Resident Nerd
I agree that road signs, etc., should be all about business and not silly (?)...though I'm not sure there would be any harm from this...they're obvious bike lane markings.

Plus, riding in Portland is about as safe as riding in a city can be already. Every driver there assumes that everything is a bike lane anyway.
 

monkey boy

Self-Imposed Exile
Wow bike lanes, what a consept.
Glancing aft, as a roadie in Boonton Twp wouldn't you like to see any kind of bike lane? Or at least more than one share the road sign.
Your town is a great town to road ride in but it is as dangerous as hell.
 

Fogerson

Former Resident Nerd
Wow bike lanes, what a consept.
Glancing aft, as a roadie in Boonton Twp wouldn't you like to see any kind of bike lane? Or at least more than one share the road sign.
Your town is a great town to road ride in but it is as dangerous as hell.

Isn't most of NJ like that? Prior to NJ, I lived in Oregon and in Minnesota. Always had decent bike lanes/shoulders.

I live in Milton, near Mahlon, and the only road I feel safe on around here is Berkshire Valley Road...and that is sad...

To your point, I'd love to have bike lanes or at least decent shoulders even if they were marked by a smiley face :)
 

Glancing Aft

Active Member
Wow bike lanes, what a consept.
Glancing aft, as a roadie in Boonton Twp wouldn't you like to see any kind of bike lane? Or at least more than one share the road sign.
Your town is a great town to road ride in but it is as dangerous as hell.

I wasn't speaking out against bike lanes in the least, I'd love to see more in New Jersey! Unfortunitly our car dependent culture will never allow it because the masses of suburbanites will never truly look at it as a viable alternative source of transportation, and the NJDOT will never shell out (have the means to) that kind of money for recreational use at the scale that we would like to see them (lanes and especially multi use paths cost a fortune). I just was calling for standardization for the safety of all (there are a lot of morons on the road).
 

monkey boy

Self-Imposed Exile
Sorry I was not implying that you are against the lanes at all.
I really don't know what my point was.
 

Glancing Aft

Active Member
Don't worry, I didn't have a point either :D

PS, there is a bike lane in the Boonton Area in Mountain Lakes, and it is excellent for MILF hunting. ;) :)
 
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