Safety First

Scott Baumberger doesn't know it, but the 39-year-old Beaumont-Wilshire resident could be a guinea pig in Portland's latest experiment with bicycle traffic.

That's because, when Baumberger gets on his blue Giant Sedona recreational bike, safety is paramount, especially if his 2-year-old son Davis is behind him in a trailer. "I don't like riding in traffic," he says. "I'll go a little out of my way if I need to."

Right now, not wanting to ride his bike in lanes with cars precludes Baumberger from pedaling downtown. But major modifications to Southwest Oak and Stark streets next week—from Southwest 13th Avenue near the Pearl to the waterfront—could change that.

On Monday, Sept. 14, city leaders will unveil a new alternative to bicycle transportation downtown to encourage cyclists of the more timid variety to ride on city streets. That alternative is the so-called buffered bike lane—a 6-foot-wide expanse of road with buffer zones on either side that is off-limits to cars. Known as "shy zones," the painted buffers visually separate bike riders from vehicular traffic on one side and parked cars on the other.

If the buffered bike lane sounds vaguely similar to another recent experiment in biking in Portland, it's because it is. The buffered bike lane is the fraternal twin of Portland's "cycle track," a seven-block stretch of Southwest Broadway that opened Aug. 31. One difference is that bicyclists riding on the cycle track travel between parked cars and the sidewalk.

That the city has two new kinds of bike lanes is purposeful. Mayor Sam Adams wants Portlanders to compare the options.

So, which one is best?

Buffered Bike Lanes

Who else has them?
Well, the Lents neighborhood for one. Late last month, the Portland Bureau of Transportation eliminated two lanes for motorized traffic on Southeast Holgate Boulevard between Southeast 92nd and 122nd avenues to make room for one bike lane traveling east and another heading west. (Holgate had been a five-lane road.) Seattle also recently installed one and plans to create a second next year.

Pros
Advocates say the bike lanes will slow down vehicular traffic and improve the streets' character. Greg Goodman, who owns several surface parking lots near Stark and Oak, is optimistic the bike lanes will enhance the neighborhood. And even though the changes could affect drivers coming and going from his lots, Goodman says the lanes could be great for businesses. "Hopefully it will spur development on Stark and Oak," he says.

Cons
In order to accommodate the buffered bike lanes, engineers will remove two lanes for cars and truck traffic, one on Oak and the second on Stark.

Dan Yates, a representative of the Central Eastside Industrial Council, says freight traffic could be encumbered by the changes. If, for example, trucks have to wait at intersections along Stark and Oak to make turns, no other driver behind the 18-wheelers will be able to move. That's not slowing traffic, that's stopping it.

Cycle Track

Who else has them?
Several cities in Northern European countries, including Amsterdam, have cycle tracks. New York City also has one on Ninth Avenue in Manhattan.

Pros
Unlike with the buffered bike lane, bikers riding on the cycle track are physically separated from moving cars by parked vehicles. There's also a buffer between the parked cars and the bikes, reducing the chances of a bicyclist getting doored.

Cons
The cycle track also eliminated a lane of motorized traffic. Getting used to parking between moving traffic and a busy bike lane could provoke grumbles from motorists.

Also, bikers on cycle tracks have reduced visibility of passing motorists; specifically, cars making right turns. By comparison, buffered bike lanes give cyclists better sight lines.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is accepting feedback on its bike-lane experiment. Got a tip or a gripe? Call Portland's bicycle hotline at 823-2925 or email PBOT at director@pdxtrans.org.

WWeek 2015