Could Portland be a more bike friendly city...?

[JAllen]

So I was listening to this today on OPB and it really got me thinking. I know I'm not satisfied with the state of Portland's cycling infrastructure (if it were to remain stagnant), but I do know it's improving... slowly. I'd like to get your opinions and thoughts about it. What are the glaring needs? What are the things you do like?

http://www.opb.org/radio/programs/thinkoutloud/segment/could-portland-be-more-bike-friendly/

[Mr.Pave]

Less rain.

[JAllen]

Less rain.
funny, but that's something I don't mind at all.

[Lewis Moon]

Less rain.

That's what rain bikes are for.

[Dead Man]

I think most cyclists just appreciate how bike-friendly our city is.. and then there's a vocal minority that will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever stop complaining, because having complaints and sharing the superiority of their opinions gives them great gratification. Not to say there aren't legitimate improvements that can be made. But I think this debate is much more culturally driven, than logically.

FWIW - I used to commute the entirety of Barber Blvd... I actually really liked that road. Yea, the bridges are lame, and you need to stay alert around Burlingame.. but it's a super efficient way to bike from down town to pretty much anywhere southwest of Portland.

[William]

Most of the issues I had in Portland were with Tri-Met bus drivers, otherwise it was fairly good sailing most of the time. Much more bike friendly then other areas I've lived.






William

[JAllen]

B, I agree about the folks who can never be satisfied, but I will say that a positive side effect to their endless cycle (no pun intended) of complaining is that it can act as a spur in the sides of politicians. The politicians shouldn't be complacent in the slightest. For us who are dedicated riders, we have overcome the hump of "fear". We all know the risks, but have deemed the reward to be far greater. Especially if we're vigilant about our situational awareness. I think a lot of the issues that Portland, or any city in America, is that the newcomers don't feel as safe or understand how to be as safe as possible. The changes to come, I feel, are the greatest benefit to those newcomers. Those of us who are seasoned vets will make do with whatever circumstances we have to. That's just the love of the bike it self. That being said, I'd like for the circumstances to be nicely paved bike highways, sharrows, bike lanes, green boxes, bike specific signals, etc.

whatever, just less cars!

[JAllen]

Most of the issues I had in Portland were with Tri-Met bus drivers, otherwise it was fairly good sailing most of the time. Much more bike friendly then other areas I've lived.






William

It's funny how much the opinions of Tri-Met drivers and their conduct varies. I swear it's either you think they are courteous or a bunch of careless chumps.

I for one have had decent interactions with them while on my bike. When driving... that's a different story...

[bcroslin]

I think most cyclists just appreciate how bike-friendly our city is.. and then there's a vocal minority that will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever stop complaining, because having complaints and sharing the superiority of their opinions gives them great gratification. Not to say there aren't legitimate improvements that can be made. But I think this debate is much more culturally driven, than logically.

FWIW - I used to commute the entirety of Barber Blvd... I actually really liked that road. Yea, the bridges are lame, and you need to stay alert around Burlingame.. but it's a super efficient way to bike from down town to pretty much anywhere southwest of Portland.

BICYCLE RIGHTS! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3nMnr8ZirI)

[Dead Man]

It can go either way with bus drivers... Just like with motorists or cyclists!

Leap-frogging busses on the arteries can get frustrating. They have schedules to keep and we don't want to have to hit the brakes and wait for them in the bike lane every other damn block... Taking the lane and going around so many times is dangerous. You'd think that would be one area that could be improved on.

[kevinvc]

Seems timely to post this article (http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/257055-126740-whose-park-it-is-anyway).

There is a growing sentiment that cycling improvements in Portland have stagnated and that the City is living off of it's reputation and work done years ago. I tend to share this opinion. There are multiple examples over the last couple of years where the City failed to make relatively simple bicycle improvements because of pushback from a vocal minority.

Of all the cities I've lived in, it's still the best to ride. But I would say that it really hasn't improved in the last 10 years and there is a louder "bikes vs. cars" sentiment now than previously. If those in power don't change their perspective, I can see Portland falling behind a number of other cities who are making large scale investments to improve infrastructure and access.

Right now, there's a petition (https://www.change.org/p/league-of-american-bicyclists-downgrade-portland-s-ranking-as-a-bicycle-friendly-community)to the League of American Bicyclists to downgrade Portland's platinum status.

[JAllen]

That petition is at the heart of the OPB segment I posted. I think the situation at hand could be summed up from a quote.

"Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!" - Lewis Carroll "Through the Looking-Glass"

Seems timely to post this article (http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/257055-126740-whose-park-it-is-anyway).

There is a growing sentiment that cycling improvements in Portland have stagnated and that the City is living off of it's reputation and work done years ago. I tend to share this opinion. There are multiple examples over the last couple of years where the City failed to make relatively simple bicycle improvements because of pushback from a vocal minority.

Of all the cities I've lived in, it's still the best to ride. But I would say that it really hasn't improved in the last 10 years and there is a louder "bikes vs. cars" sentiment now than previously. If those in power don't change their perspective, I can see Portland falling behind a number of other cities who are making large scale investments to improve infrastructure and access.

Right now, there's a petition (https://www.change.org/p/league-of-american-bicyclists-downgrade-portland-s-ranking-as-a-bicycle-friendly-community)to the League of American Bicyclists to downgrade Portland's platinum status.


That would be a great thing to improve. I've heard of "floating" bus stops that seem to address this. I hear that Powell Blvd is a prime candidate for a rapid bus system. I wonder if they are going to design a more safe and streamlined cycling integration?

It can go either way with bus drivers... Just like with motorists or cyclists!

Leap-frogging busses on the arteries can get frustrating. They have schedules to keep and we don't want to have to hit the brakes and wait for them in the bike lane every other damn block... Taking the lane and going around so many times is dangerous. You'd think that would be one area that could be improved on.

[Nags&Ducs]

It seems obvious to say, but I wonder how many drivers actually "get it" that if we didn't have all these bike lanes, and bike advocacy, that a large portion of those commuting on bikes would be commuting in cars.

[Dead Man]

It seems obvious to say, but I wonder how many drivers actually "get it" that if we didn't have all these bike lanes, and bike advocacy, that a large portion of those commuting on bikes would be commuting in cars.

Seems most just think we're non-productive nuisances who don't "pay our share," via gas taxes.

Seems.

[unterhausen]

Seems most just think we're non-productive nuisances who don't "pay our share," via gas taxes.

Seems.

My understanding is that Portland is one of the places where this is actually true. Here in Pennsyltucky, gas taxes pay about 14 percent of local road expenditures. In Portland, it's everything. Of course, that doesn't tell the whole story, because if you put 5% more cars on the road at commute time, everything is going to go sour. And I imagine that at least some of the motor vehicle infrastructure construction comes out of the general fund just like everywhere else

[BurritoGuru]

Portland banned bikes (http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/03/mountain_bike_advocates_plan_l.html) and should take the lead by getting rid of the old mentality of bikes causing destruction.

[Stan Lee]

I like Portland but there are a lot of other cities that are just as "bike-friendly" that fly under the radar. Sometimes I think the cities rep works against them.

[JAllen]

I like Portland but there are a lot of other cities that are just as "bike-friendly" that fly under the radar. Sometimes I think the cities rep works against them.
I agree that bring made the poster child can hurt things for sure. Everyone can see the inadequacies under that spot light. What other cities are you referring to?

[JAllen]

http://bikeportland.org/2015/04/21/guest-post-can-improve-bicycling-portland-right-now-139732

I skimmed through (I'll go back a read a bit deeper later) but I felt it was pertinent to this topic. Thoughts?