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August 24. 2011
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Week ¡nThe Review
H ealth
Page 3
Fred Meyer
What's on your list today?,
i
Safety by the Numbers
Added bikes
increase driver
awareness
C ari H achmann
T he P ortland O bserver
With sunny skies, dry pavement
and high gas prices, its little sur
prise that more and more bicyclists
are seen riding about the city and
inevitably sharing roads with cars,
trucks, and all other modes of trans
port.
While the summer months bring
out cyclists of all maturity -from
family peddlers and sun-glassed
cruisers to fixed-gear fanatics and
rush hour rid ers- more folks on
bikes is hardly a seasonal trend.
by
Sports
page 19
Religion
page 21
C lassifieds
page 22
A ugust C alendar
page 23
According to the 2010 Bicycle
Count, conducted each year by
Portland's Bureau of Transportation
since the early 1990s, bicycle traffic
has nearly tripled over the last 10
years with a 190 percent increase
since 2001, while city-wide, bicycle
trips are up 8 percent since 2009.
As more bicyclists ride along
side their two-ton metal counter
parts on commercial and residential
roads, many fear a greater probabil
ity for conflict.
However, safety experts expect
the opposite.
"As the number of bicyclists goes
up, the likelihood of a crash on any
given trip goes down," said Greg
Raisman, PBOT’schief traffic safety
expert.
Raisman explains that with more
bicyclists on the road, motor ve
hicles have to be more attentive,
drive cautiously and slower and
thus, lessen the chance for crashes.
Safety in numbers, a common-
sense theory used widely in the
human and natural realm to lessen
the risk of a solo traveler falling
victim to a predator, also applies to
bike traffic.
Jonathon Maus, editor and pub
lisher of BikePortland.org, confirms
that roads are safer with more bikes.
He says that as cars begin to get
used to seeing bikes, they adapt
their driving behavior accordingly
and operate their cars more safely.
“[Cars] begin to expect the pres
ence of bike traffic,” said Maus. He
points out that a majority of bicy
clists also drive and having that
continued
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