Thursday, April 22, 2010

Portland Cycle Tracks and Buffered Bike Lanes

The streets in most cities currently work fine for people who are comfortable riding bicycles in mixed traffic. However, my designs are intended to make bicycling more comfortable for the majority of cyclists who are not comfortable riding under such conditions. Analysis indicates that most cyclists/potential cyclists would use a bicycle much more often than they currently do if they didn’t have to mix so much with automobiles. A cycle track provides that opportunity and is one of the reasons that bicycling is so well-used in cities that have features such as these facilities.


On the Right Track from Mayor Sam Adams on Vimeo.

2 comments:

  1. It's nice to see a city give so much attention to cyclists needs. I think I would be more receptive to bike lanes if in addition to the bike lanes, sharrows were put on all the other lanes.

    These lanes would be nice if someone was running an errand or just wanted a nice ride through town (which I imagine would be most riders), but if you are trying to get somewhere quickly, having to stop at a bicycle box for a left turn would be a pain rather than just flowing with traffic in regular lanes.

    I think these would be really great for arterials in the suburbs.

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  2. Spot on. These facilities are used just like an arterial road. They move cyclists quickly, in a direct route, to a location that they can then get on smaller roads to finish their trip. They have been used for a long time in Europe and I guess we will see how people use and accept them here.

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Transportation for America Coalition