The Community Guide

c/bike-lane-venting

16

hart.taylor•4d ago

The bike lane on Clayton got wider and I still dont trust it

Rode Clayton Rd through Kirkwood this morning and the city finally added that extra buffer strip after 3 years of parked cars dooring the lane. It's nice but now cars squeeze closer on the left, so I almost got clipped by a mirror at the light. Anyone else find wider lanes just move the danger somewhere else?

11

jana_hill27•7d ago

The painted bike lane on 5th turned into an ice rink this morning

Rode into work around 7:45am and the city's "protected" lane on 5th street was just a sheet of black ice over the paint. My front wheel slid out near the old diner and I went down hard on my hip. Got up, checked my derailleur, and limped the rest of the way. Does your city ever bother to sand or salt the painted sections, or do they just pretend they don't exist too?

7

carter.hugo•11d ago

The new downtown connector is nice, but they buried the old green path

Rode through the new connector they finished last month. Smooth asphalt, good sight lines, proper curbs. But it goes right over where the old green path used to run behind the warehouses. That shortcut had shade, no cars ever thought to cut across it, and it got you from 5th to the river in 8 minutes flat. Now it's a gravel strip with a fence. I get why they built the new one, but I wish they'd kept at least a spur for people who knew the old line. Has anyone else watched a familiar route get paved into something safer but slower?

18

riley_bell•11d ago

Frozen bike lane nearly ate my wheel, two days to sort the mess

Hit a patch of black ice on the Harrison Ave lane last Tuesday, the one under the overpass that never gets sun. My front wheel slid sideways into the curb, bent the rim and snapped a spoke, so I had to walk the bike a mile to the shop. They quoted me two days for the rebuild, but it took four because the spoke size was backordered. Anyone else had a crash in a lane that the city just never salts? I'm thinking of switching to studded tires before next November.

10

loganm52•12d ago

The red light trick that got me through 5th and Main without getting doored

Every morning I take the bike lane on 5th heading downtown and that stretch between Main and Jefferson is a disaster. Cars parked right up to the curb, delivery trucks blocking the lane, and yesterday I nearly got clipped by a guy swinging his door open without looking. I was about to give up and just take the sidewalk when I noticed something. The crosswalk button on the corner of 5th and Main is placed right next to a planter box. If I stop there instead of at the bike lane line, I can lean over and hit the button without getting off my saddle. Then the light turns green for pedestrians first, which gives me a 15 second head start before the cars even get their signal. Plus, I'm positioned on the far side of the planter so any swinging door is blocked by that metal railing. I've done it three mornings in a row now and it shaves about 4 minutes off my commute and feels way safer. Has anyone else found a weird spot like that where you can use the pedestrian timing to your advantage?

2

anna_craig•12d ago

Hot take: parked cars might be better than plastic bollards

Read a city council memo saying they want to remove the flex posts on 12th St because drivers keep running them over, but they also won't add parking because of visibility. If we trade bollards for a permanent parked car barrier, are we just admitting the lane only works when someone's legally parked there, or is that actually the safest option we have?

1

alicem29•13d ago

The Broadway detour beat my usual river route by 12 minutes

I got stuck behind a delivery van blocking the painted lane on River Road again, so I tried the Broadway bike lane detour on a whim. That lane has actual barriers and the lights are timed for bikes, plus I only hit two red lights instead of seven. The river route is prettier but Broadway got me to the shop on 3rd Street in 18 minutes flat. Has anyone else found a longer-looking route that just works better in practice?

21

lisa_ross16•13d ago

The 5th Street bike lane curb cut that almost ended me

I hit that stupid angled curb cut near the taco place on 5th Street last Tuesday and my front wheel just slid out, nearly tossed me into a parked SUV. Has anyone else nearly eaten it on those weird driveway ramps that stick out into the lane?

-1

jesse988•21d ago

Downtown detour forced me into traffic for 3 blocks, honestly the bike lane was the safer option

Last Tuesday on 5th Street they closed the protected lane for utility work and the detour signs led me right into a bus lane, so I doubled back and took the sidewalk even though it's technically illegal, has anyone else just ignored the detour and gone with the riskier route?

14

daniel_martinez92•22d ago

The city planner who told me to take the lane was right

Tbh, I always hugged the curb on Broadway near the bus depot because cars fly by at 40 mph. Last month a planner from the DOT said to take the full lane at that one narrow stretch, so I tried it. It felt scary for two days but drivers actually gave me more room and the truck mirrors stopped clipping my elbow. Has anyone else gotten advice that goes against your gut but works out in the end?

21

lisa_ross16•22d ago

Tried the painted bike lane on 5th, almost ate it at the exact same spot 3 times

So yesterday I decided to give the new green painted lane on 5th Ave a shot since the regular lane was closed for construction. First time, I hit this patch where the paint has worn off and there's this weird lip where the asphalt meets the concrete. My front wheel bounced and I nearly went over the handlebars. Second lap, same spot, same issue. Third time I actually stopped and looked, and there's like a 2 inch drop right where the paint stops. The city painted over a crack that's been there for months. Anyone else have a specific stretch that's just begging for a lawsuit? I'm thinking about emailing DOT with photos but not sure if it'll do anything.

6

charliew99•22d ago

The new flex posts on 12th Ave are more dangerous than the potholes

Last month the city swapped out the old plastic bollards on 12th Ave for those tall flexible posts with the reflective bands. At first I thought it was a win, but now I've nearly clipped two of them because they bend way over in the wind and sit right at the edge of the painted line. I ride that stretch every weekday morning at 7am, and the blind corner near the coffee shop is a tight squeeze even before the posts sag into the lane. My front tire caught one last Tuesday and I went down hard, scraped my elbow pretty good. Has anyone else had trouble with these new posts in their area, or is it just a bad install here in Portland?

17

parker543•23d ago

The new green paint on 5th Street actually made things worse for me

Last Tuesday I rode through the freshly painted bike lane on 5th Street near the courthouse. The city put down that bright green coating to mark the conflict zone where cars turn right, but it's slicker than the old asphalt when wet. My front wheel slipped a bit during a light rain, and I nearly went down next to a bus. I get the visibility argument, but I've ridden that stretch for 3 years and never felt this unstable. Why does nobody test these coatings for traction before rolling them out citywide? Has anyone else noticed the green sections feeling greasy after a storm?

9

caseyfox•23d ago

That cyclist's one comment about my light still bugs me

I was stopped at the 4th and Market intersection last Tuesday, sitting in the bike lane behind a delivery truck that had no business being there. This older guy on a commuter bike pulls up next to me and goes, "You know, you can just go around him, the painted line doesn't have magic powers." I laughed it off but it stuck with me because I've been treating bike lanes like they're sacred zones, even when they're blocked or useless. I mean, he wasn't wrong, I sat there for a full light cycle instead of just moving over to the car lane for 10 seconds. Has anyone else had a moment where another rider called out your own overthinking and you couldn't stop thinking about it?

22

drew805•23d ago

Protected lanes beat painted ones after 3 months of commuting

I rode the painted bike lane on 9th Street in Austin for 6 months and got buzzed by trucks almost weekly, then they added the concrete barriers and a separate turn lane. Since November I've had zero close calls and drivers actually stop for me at the merge point. Has anyone else noticed the difference feels bigger than the city's own traffic stats suggest?

24

coleman.henry•23d ago

Green light timing trick finally got me through the 5th street gauntlet

You know that stretch of 5th street downtown where the bike lane just ends and you're stuck between parked cars and buses? For months I'd time it wrong and end up eating exhaust. Then last week I noticed the crosswalk countdown at the corner of Oak hits zero exactly when the light 200 feet ahead turns green. So now I watch that timer, not the light right in front of me. I roll up just as the signal flips and I sail through all three intersections without stopping. Took me about 15 tries to figure out the rhythm, but now it's like a dance. Anyone else got a weird timing hack for a specific intersection that drives you nuts?

16

jamiekim•25d ago

Rode 3 miles the wrong way before someone honked

Been using the same downtown route for two months. Saw a painted green stripe and figured it was lane guidance. Turns out it was a bus lane buffer, not a bike lane. A cab driver laid on the horn and yelled "wrong side, genius" at 8th and Main. I checked the signs after that. The actual bike lane was one block over the whole time. Has anyone else trusted a painted stripe without checking the markings first?

17

the_sam•25d ago

Question about choosing the fast road vs the scenic bike path on 20th St

Every day I either take the direct route down 20th Street, which has a painted bike lane that cars keep drifting into, or I detour two miles extra to the protected path by the river. Last Tuesday I took the fast lane and got side-swiped by a delivery van near the Coffee Bean at 7th, so now I'm stuck on the slow path even though it adds 15 minutes. Has anyone else given up speed for safety, or am I just being paranoid about painted lanes?

29

emmajackson•26d ago

Rant: The new downtown bike lane saved me 15 minutes this morning

I ride from the east side to my warehouse job every day, and that main stretch on 4th street used to be a nightmare. Last month they finally painted in a protected lane between Pine and Oak. This morning when the car traffic backed up past the old railroad crossing, I just cruised right through without stopping once. Three years ago I would have been sitting in that same mess cursing at everyone. I get to work less stressed now and my commute is down to 22 minutes instead of 37. Has anyone else seen a big difference with the new lanes downtown?

20

harper_singh18•27d ago

Last Tuesday my "protected" bike lane turned into a trash obstacle course

I was rolling down Market Street in Portland around 7am when I had to dodge three ripped trash bags, a broken office chair, and someone's old mattress all in the span of 10 blocks. The city spent $2 million on this lane but can't be bothered to send a sweeper through once a week. Has anyone else seen their bike lane become a dumping ground?

12

stone.troy•28d ago

That convo with the city planner at the coffee shop changed my whole take on bike lanes

I was grabbing a latte near Riverside Park last Tuesday and this woman starts talking to me about my helmet hair. Turns out she works for the city's transportation department and she said something like, 'We design bike lanes for the confident riders, not the scared ones.' That hit me because I've been complaining about the paint-only lane on Main Street for months. She explained that adding physical barriers costs $40,000 per block and the city just doesn't have the budget for it right now. Has anyone else had a run-in with someone who actually plans this stuff?

9

harper_singh18•28d ago

Tried taking the new bike lane on 5th Street downtown this morning and nearly got hit by a delivery van

So I decided to give this new bike lane a shot since they just painted it last week. It's one of those separated lanes with a little curb. Looked good from the street view. Got about two blocks in and a UPS van was parked right in the middle of it. Had to swing out into traffic and almost ate a bumper from a Ford F-150. What's the point of spending all this money if nobody enforces it? Has anyone else run into delivery drivers just ignoring these lanes?

15

the_kai•28d ago

Just found out my city spent $400k on bike lanes that don't connect anywhere

I was reading the city budget report online last night and saw a line item for $400,000 in bike lane construction last year. Problem is, I checked the map and these new lanes end abruptly at a busy intersection with no connection to any other bike path. How is this supposed to help anyone when you gotta merge with traffic right there?

13

hugo_moore•29d ago

That one driver's comment changed how I ride the downtown lane

Some guy yelled at me that I was gonna get myself killed riding right in the door zone of parked cars on 4th street. At first I was mad but later I realized he was kinda right. I moved over about 2 feet closer to the traffic lane and yeah, cars honk more but I can actually see doors opening now. I used to hug the parked cars thinking I was being polite or whatever. Last week I saw a guy get doored on that exact block and it confirmed everything. Anyone else had a total stranger's criticism actually make you safer?

24

perez.mia•29d ago

Used to hate the new separated bike lanes downtown... now I get it

Honestly, I was one of those people complaining when they put in those curbed lanes on Main Street last year. I ride an old road bike and kept thinking they'd trap me behind slow cruisers. Then I got hit by a car door on 3rd Ave in April and spent 6 weeks on a bus. Now I take the separated lane every time, even if it adds 5 minutes. Anyone else get converted after a close call?