Comments on: Double-wide bike lanes running on empty

By: Justin Carinci

Justin Carinci — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:27:47 +0000

John:
I think the Holgate lanes are seen more as a way to get people from the immediate neighborhood to the MAX or to 122nd Avenue than as a substitute for the Springwater Corridor. It may be a huge bike lane, but it’s still a bike lane on an existing road, with all the challenges of sharing a roadway with automobiles.
Vance:
The only material used to create the lanes was paint: no bollards, concrete barriers, reflectors, etc. I don’t count labor or time as a material.

By: Vance Longwell

Vance Longwell — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:38:54 +0000

“The only material cost, after all, is paint.”

This statement is false and misleading. There is labor, and time lost for other projects ticking away. The cost of this is substantial, if only relatively so.

What about the MUTCD? Those guys are just a bunch of crackpots right? I mean, what on Earth do we need uniform traffic treatments for? Has ANYTHING you guys have painted ANYWHERE been even remotely legal? Why not just paint useless little lines everywhere, and let the natives work it out on their own, I guess? What is the City’s liability exposure on the Bike-boxes which are down illegally? You guys botched those pretty good, was there anymore grant-hustling to get this Holgate abomination? Huh? These even remotely legal?

Why have cyclists been banned from the highway here? Why do Geller and his Bicycle Do What We Advise Now Committee call cyclist bans of this nature victories for the cyclist? How am I benefiting, as a life-time vehicular cyclist, by being banned from Oregon highways?

Why can’t you keep the so-called cycle tracks in the SW core clear of parked cars, and vendors? Why is the BAC constantly damning the veterans of this lifestyle, while bending over backward to service those opting-in to a fad? Why does the BAC support organizations like the BTA which advocate for personal-liberty stealing, Nanny State ideology, and openly support helmet, and lighting laws?

Lastly, is there anyway cyclists can get some leadership who don’t have an expensive imported car parked in their garage at home?

By: John Dumas

John Dumas — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:43:50 +0000

There are several problems with the Holgate experiment. The main problem is that the stretch of Holgate in question parallels Springwater Corridor which is only a few blocks to the south. I ride from Gresham to 92nd and Harold two or three times a week. I would take Springwater over Holgate anytime, even though it takes me a little further out of my way. I assume most other bicyclists feel the same. Springwater is a true bicycle thoroughfare, extending from Boring to downtown Portland with no motorized vehicles, and it connects up with a true bike path on 205. There is no comparison between that and a painted white line on a short stretch of road. Holgate is not a true test of the potential of expanded bike lanes on city streets.