Well, I'll admit that I just don't like using the phone, but I really think in this case the web form was better than you might think (not least because the county roads people actually seem to like it). What I like about it is that it packages my exact words in a form that is easy for the first line support people to pass on to the people I really want it to get to and doesn't depend on me being on the phone at whatever time the person I need to talk to is actually available.

I submitted the form at 6:15 PM on Friday. At 10:30 AM today (Monday) I got a generic response from the county's Public Information Officer saying she had forwarded my concern to Traffic Engineering. At 11:40 today, I got a response from someone in Traffic Engineering, who also CC'ed their Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator. I love it when technology works.

Unfortunately, this was the response:

"These transitions are definitely not easy for bicycles. We have a handful of them around the county with various striping layouts. The Oregon Department of Transportation recently approved a standard striping layout for these situations, which is what we installed on Baseline Rd east of 185th Ave in conjunction with the recent repaving. Your concern is the 100 ft section that's between the curb-tight bike lane to the bike lane that's to the left of the turn lane. This 100 ft long area is for bikes to transition between the two marked bike lanes, as they feel it's appropriate. I know that during busy times this can be challenging, but this is intended to be the permanent striping layout."

I looked up the new standard and followed up explaining in more detail what I didn't like about it, suggesting what seems to me to be a better alternative and asking about any formal process I should go through to request a review. At this point, I'm still hopeful.