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August 24, 2011
PageS
Safety by the Numbers
c o n t i n u e d f r o m page3
bike perspective and sensibility
makes them safer drivers.
More than ever, Portland drivers
are conforming to the safety expec­
tations of bicyclists.
The recent death o f D ustin
Finney, 28-year-old biking victim of
a hit-and-run on Southeast 85th and
Division, was Portland’s first bicycle-
related fatality in nearly two years.
At 1 a.m., Finney was struck from
behind when an intoxicated 18-year-
old drove his SUV into the bike lane.
Though in six of the past 12 years,
there have been zero bike fatalities,
with 2008 having the lowest number
of total fatalities in recorded his­
tory, Finney's tragic death reminds
a bicyclist riding straight conflicts
with a car turning right into an inter­
section or driveway. However, a
rider is six times more likely to be
seriously injured in a T-bone crash,
when a car or cyclist fails to stop at
red light or stop sign.
Bicycles, regulated as a traffic
vehicle under law, are expected to
follow the same rules of the road,
which means stopping at red-lights
and stop signs, signaling turns, and
not riding under the influence.
Though it is not required for cy­
clists over the age of 16 to wear a
helmet, it is strongly encouraged.
City safety experts say that Port­
land has not needed a mandatory
helmet law in order to get people to
wear helmets and instead, have
headway in creating more bike-
friendly streets and safe route alter­
natives.
Portland's bicycle plan for 2030
calls for a network of “low stress
bikeways” on residential streets that
provide connections to schools,
parks, homes, transit, and commer­
cial areas.
In east Portland, the Neighbor­
hood Greenways system has begun
to take shape on many residential
streets, where bicyclists and pedes­
trians are given priority to low traffic
and low speed streets.
For example, streets stamped with
white bicycle arrows, like Northeast
Going and Shaver Streets, and 9th,
17th, and 30th Avenues, act as safe
bike boulevards that run parallel to
busier, commercial corridors like
Alberta Street and Martin Luther
King Jr. Boulevard.
Early Monday around 7:30a.m., a
local resident named Jack watches
the morning rush of cyclists whizz
past his front porch on Going and
Rodney, an established connector
from Vancouver Avenue east to­
wards MLK.
“The throughways are great for
cyclists,” he says, “We hope they
bring more bicyclists and slow down
the car traffic.”
Often, Jack watches drivers
swerve around bicyclists and wishes
photo by C ari
H achmann /T he P ortland O bserver
Northeast Going Street is designated a bike boulevard. Marked
by white bicycle arrows, the road runs parallel to Alberta Street,
offering a safer, alternative route for bicyclists.
for better enforcement. Although ties on busy roads, especially streets
he’s not entirely pro-cyclist, he says where more than 3,(XX) cars pass per
living in Portland, “You have to be.” day, with wider bike lanes, buffered
“If you can’t learn to drive along bike lanes and cycle tracks that pro­
side bikes, you might want to live vide separation between bicyclists
somewhere else,” said Jack.
and motor vehicle traffic and allow
PBOTplans to tailor more facili­ cyclists to travel more safely.
2011
Fall
Service
Update
Service changes effective September 4
We w ill be m aking schedule and/or route
adjustm ents to relieve passenger crowding, to
provide more reliable service, or to m atch service w ith
ridership levels. There w ill be new schedules on 24 bus
lines and MAX Blue Line.
MAX Blue Line
To relieve crowding, there w ill be a trip added to MAX
Blue Line service d uring afternoon rush hours.
PHOTO BY CARI HACHM ANN/THE PORTLAND OBSERVER
A bicycle lane did not protect Dustin Finney, 28, who was recently
killed by a hit and run driver as he traveled in the lane on South­
east Division Street, between 85th and 87th Avenues. The site
proves how little room for error there is on busy arterials like this
one, which sadly, was already slated for safety improvements.
us that cyclists' fate rely on more
cautious drivers, safer roads, and
smarter cycling.
By creating a city that is safest for
the most vulnerable travelers -c y ­
clists and pedestrians- Portland's
Bureau of Transportation hopes to
see crash rates continue to decline.
“One issue is getting people to
follow the rules of the road,” said
Raisman, referring to both autos
and bikes. Educating the public and
funding projects that will improve
the streets are two ways the city
plans to go about decreasing acci­
dents for not only bikes, but all
modes of transportation.
For bikes, the most common acci­
dent is the right hook crash, where
found education and encourage­
ment to be just as effective as a tool
to relay the importance.
In June, the Bureau of Transpor­
tation kicked off the “Street Smart:
Go Safe’ campaign,” in an effort to
improve traffic safety in the city.
Through greater enforcement,
the movement intends to curb dis­
tracted driving like cell phone use
and texting as well as red light run­
ning by upping. For example, police
have located problem intersections
downtown where both cars and
bikes frequently run red-lights and
are issuing more tickets.
Aside from educating drivers and
bikers of how to co-exist on the
road, Portland is making significant
Bus lines with route, schedule and/or
frequency changes
Schedules w ill be adjusted and some routes w ill
change for the fo llo w in g lines: 4, 6, 8 ,9 ,1 2 ,1 4 ,1 9 , 20,
32, 33, 35, 44, 48, 51, 53, 54, 56, 58, 75, 76, 78, 84, 88, 94.
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IM
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—
New schedules are available at trim et.org, TriM et Ticket
Office in Pioneer Courthouse Square, local libraries or
at Fred Meyer, Safeway and m ost Albertsons stores.
Fall increase effective September 1
Some TriM et fares w ill increase sta rtin g September 1.
This fare increase includes: 5-cent fo r A d u lt tickets, $4
for A dult 1-M onth Passes, $2 fo r A dult 14-Day Passes,
$1 fo r Youth 1-M onth Passes and A dult 7-Day Passes,
and a 25-cent increase fo r 1-Day Passes. No increase
fo r ind ivid u al Youth tickets and Honored Citizen tickets
and passes.
For m ore in fo rm a tio n ,
visit trim et.org or call
503-238-RIDE (7433).
New 30-Day Pass starting September 1
In response to requests from riders, w e’re intro du cing
the 30-Day Pass th a t is valid fo r 30 days fro m the date
o f purchase.
TR I
M ET