Adams to present bike safety proposal at City Hall soon

Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams and the Portland Department of Transportation are developing a multifaceted proposal to increase bike safety throughout Portland, after recent fatalities have raised concern in local biking communities.

The four-category proposal, which Adams and the Department of Transportation hope to present to the City Council sometime in mid-December, focuses on educating the public on bike safety, increasing city bike safety measures and safety equipment for large trucks, and better regulation of bicycle-related crimes.

Roland Chlapowski, Adam’s senior policy director of transportation, said the four elements proposed are crucial to increasing bike safety.

The chief element of the proposal is the installation of brightly colored bike boxes in 14 of the most dangerous intersections for cyclists in Portland.

Both the city commissioners office and the Department of Transportation said the intersection at Broadway Street and Williams Avenue in Northeast Portland is extremely unsafe for bicyclists.

“There are two right lanes and a freeway on-ramp at that intersection, and it has always been difficult for cyclists to maneuver around that area,” said Roger Geller, the Transportation Department’s bike coordinator.

The bike boxes would include colored bike lanes with signals alerting motorists to the presence of bicyclists, and a detector in the bike lane within the asphalt to regulate traffic flow in the intersections, said Greg Raisman, traffic safety program specialist for the Department of Transportation.

The proposal is also recommending adding an addendum to DMV driver’s license exams regarding cyclist safety. The idea is to increase awareness among motorists and cyclists alike on what the traffic and safety laws for bicycles are in Portland, as well as reinforcing the separation between bike and motor lanes, Chlapowski said.

“We are looking at the key elements of maintaining high levels of comfort and safety for cyclists by getting comments from those who ride in the metro area,” Geller said.

For enforcement, Chlapowski said working with the city police department and having a community-driven task force on cyclist issues would be the best solution to solving disputed bicycle crimes.

For increased safety, the proposal is also recommending guardrails on the side of trucks that would prevent cyclists from getting caught under them. City of Portland trucks will be targeted first for installing the rails, said Raisman. The amount being asked for along with the proposal is $200,000. The money will pay for the installation of bike boxes, Chlapowski said.

For more information about the proposal, visit www.commissionersam.com.