Portland is arguably the most bike-friendly big city in America, which makes it a crucial laboratory for laws that encourage cycling over driving. As such, the city has recently begun addressing a fatal problem that results from bike lanes laid adjacent to car lanes: the gruesome "right hook," in which a car turns right, crossing over a bike lane, the driver often unaware of cyclists riding up in a blind spot.
Portland saw two deaths last October as a result of right hooks into bike lanes. It saw six fatalities through the year. And so last week, the city council voted to spend about $150,000 on bike boxes, which are clearly designated areas at traffic-light intersections for cyclists to stop in front of, and in full view of, cars. It also plans to spend roughly $50,000 to retrofit municipal trucks with mirrors that eliminate blind spots and bars that prevent cyclists from falling under a truck's wheel well.
The pilot program will install bike boxes at 14 intersections. Key to making bike boxes--or even bike lanes--work has been using large visual cues for drivers. In cities that are relatively friendly to cyclists, drivers tend to adapt quickly. In car-centric cities where drivers roar right through crosswalks with little regard for the lively flesh traipsing across it, bike boxes may need flashing lights or traffic cameras. If Portland's experiment works, a national standard would help just about every city.
Sources: New York Times. Plantizen
