> From: "Bruce Rosar" brucewr@...
> Date: Mon May 8, 2006 8:55am(PDT)
> Subject: Re: "Ditch Your Car"
>
> --- In bicyclingadvocacy@yahoogroups.com, Stewart Midwinter wrote:
> > ... by providing bike lanes on the side onf some
> > of the busier streets, ...
>
> Do you know if Shared Lane Markings were provided on some streets?
> http://www.bicycle.sfgov.org/site/dptbike_index.asp?id=22747

hi Bruce, yes, I did see some of the chevron-adorned bike stencils on
a few streets where there could not be a separate bike lane due to
insufficient width. But there were not very many.

Portland appears to use a mix of solutions for bike routes.
Residential streets that are designated as bike routes get the
occasional street sign, but more importantly get a small circular
bike icon on the road surface, accompanied by an arrow, any time
there is an intersection and a change in direction. I really liked
this once I got used to it. As a cyclist, you're looking down often
anyway, scanning the road surface, so having the route signs down
there is where you want them.

The chevrons were seen on some of the busier residential and
collector streets.

Dedicated bike lanes were seen mostly on downtown streets and some
bridges. Narrower busy streets with a lot of bike traffic get a
large sign saying "Narrow lanes - bikes on road".

And of course there are also shared-use bikepaths.

I've got pictures of all of these solutions should anyone want them.

This mix of solutions seems to provide route alternatives for all
skill levels of cyclists, and is demonstrably successful, since at
least half of Portland's cyclists are female, a sure measure of an
activity being considered safe.

Thankfully, the advocates of Defective Cycling don't have much of a
toehold in Portland.

cheers
S




__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com