Advocacy & Safety - Portland's New Bike Box Promo Video

http://media.ci.portland.or.us/onthemovesmooth/onthemovesmooth.html

http://bikeportland.org/2008/03/26/meet-mr-smooth-pdots-new-bike-box-spokesman/

I know this has been asked before, but I don't remember getting a good answer. What do you do if you want to turn left, and the traffic light turns green as you are still approaching the box? The only good thing I can think to do is stop in the bike lane portion of the box, and wait for traffic to clear behind you as well as in front of you. Is that the recommended procedure? Is that dangerous to cyclists behind you, who might not be expecting you to stop?

Sorry if this is answered in the videos, which I haven't watched yet because I'm at work and just following threads while waiting for other things to happen.

never mind

Well, I think it's only a problem if you want to turn left, as long as the bike lane approaching it is properly routed to the left of any right turning traffic. If you are going straight, just keep going straight. (If turning right, carefully leave the bike lane as it approaches the intersection, to merge into the right-most general travel lane.)

If the bike lane is NOT to the left of all right-turning traffic, then yes, that's a problem too, and would be so even without the box. As I say, I haven't watched the videos, so I can't comment on the one under discussion.

All that said, are bike boxes then only recommended where there is no right-turning traffic to the left of the bike lane at the intersection? Otherwise, going straight would be just as much a problem as turning left in the "turns green while approaching" situation.

IMO, the actual functionality of the boxes should be seriously questioned. The biggest benefit is probably raising the awareness of motorists re. the presence of cyclists, the city has rolled out not only this video but more PR in the way of billboards and press conferences.

Just raising the awareness of motorists to the presence of cyclists is a good thing... Not sure about the bike box...

But I do salute the billboards, videos and press conferences.

If the light turns green while grandma is approaching the bike box then grandma's brains will still be laying on the streets of portland.

This encourages more right hooks from large trucks.

I smell a lawsuit......Hopefully.

Jvideos

Just who is spending 4:30 watching this video? I only could sit thru the first 1min and did not see a single cyclist, just some guys in a car - I lost interest. Why would anyone who is not way into cycling spend more time than I did watching this?

Al

... If the bike lane is NOT to the left of all right-turning traffic, then yes, that's a problem too, and would be so even without the box. As I say, I haven't watched the videos, so I can't comment on the one under discussion.

All that said, are bike boxes then only recommended where there is no right-turning traffic to the left of the bike lane at the intersection? Otherwise, going straight would be just as much a problem as turning left in the "turns green while approaching" situation.

That is part of the problem -- one example I saw put bikes correctly to the left of a right-only lane, but dangerously and idiotically to the right of a straight-or-right lane.