If you build it – ehh

Caveat: This may be a little parochial for those readers (if there are any) not from Portland Oregon but I am sure while the specifics may be different they can apply to any municipality and their associated governments.

 

If you build it does not mean the will come

 

I live in Southeast Portland Oregon.  There are two main East/West streets in my area – Division Street and Powell Boulevard – and one North/South Street – 122^nd Avenue.  I have lived here for over a quarter of a century.  In all of that time, these streets have been blessed with bicycle lanes in both directions.

This is despite the fact that there has never been any discernable amount of bicycle traffic anywhere on any of the three streets as far as I can see; and I travel on them almost daily.  When you do see bicycle traffic on those streets, the bicycles are generally on the sidewalk.  On the rare occasions that bicycles are actually using the bicycle lanes they are facing traffic, which is a violation of statute.  Not that I blame anyone a whole hell of a lot as all three streets are very busy and are dangerous enough to warrant caution over legality.

 

How did the City respond?

 

After this abject failure, the city of Portland must have realized that they had made a big mistake, or not.  My, my, my!  There next step, you ask.  There was going to be a new Light Rail station next to the Lents Park on Holgate.  What does Holgate need?  Yes!   Of course!  Bicycle lanes!  But not just any bicycle lanes – no, no, no.  That is for pikers.  You see that area of Holgate was a four-lane street (two lanes in each direction) with a turn lane in the middle.  So the planners came up with a revolutionary idea.  Take away a lane in each direction, creating both a bicycle lane and an equally sized buffer lane for between the nasty old cars and the bicyclists.  This reduced the auto lanes in half in order to create bicycle lanes.

Honestly, Holgate has never been a super busy street so cutting the automobile lanes in not really a major hardship.  However, here is the rub.  If I paid you a quarter for every bicycle the used the stretch of the road, you would be entitle to food stamps.   I would hazard to guess that I could bump my offer up to a buck but I do not spend hour after hour on the street so I am hedging my bet a little.  Suffice to say, travelling that stretch of road and seeing more than two bicyclists is rare; seeing none is the norm.

 

Lesson Learned?

 

You would think that these planners would get with the program and actually work out a need before implementing a plan.  Do not despair.  They are still at it.  There is another street, Foster Road, which carries a significant amount of traffic.  It joins Powell Boulevard in the East/West traffic flow.  It is rather narrow four-lane road and is bumper-to-bumper at rush hour.  This is due in large part because it and Powell Boulevard act as a surface street alternative to go between downtown Portland and Southeast Portland.

I bet you can guess what the plan is.  You are right.  They want to take away a lane in each direction for bicycles.

Why?  Is there sufficient bicycle traffic to warrant it?  Has any sort of study been done?  What will happen to the automotive traffic?

I, nor anyone else knows the answer to this.  The only thing I know is that the business along the affected area are definitely worried, and generally against, the idea.

Will their concerns do any good?  I doubt it.  You see, Portland has long been so intensely connected to being a bicycle-friendly haven that, frankly, they have lost perspective with reality.

 

Could it be lack of Planning?

 

I may be unfair as to the motive and it may be just another example of poor planning by the City.

if you want the see how intelligent the planners are, all you have to do is look at lower 122^nd Avenue.  Recently they put in some pedestrian islands in the center turn lanes at a couple of intersections.  That was a good thing.  They had been needed for a long time.

But here is the thing.  They put in square islands on both sides of the intersection, thus blocking automobiles from using the turn lane, instead of setting up “L” shaped islands as are normally seen.  You think that is bad?  You have to see the rest.  They did this at two successive intersections.  This isn’t rocket science people.