Sketchy New Bike Boxes Get Times' Attention

The New York Times took notice of the Portland cycling scene again today with a feature story about how the city is acting to protect cyclists.

..."bike boxes" will be laid out on the roadway to provide a clearly designated place for cyclists, in front of and in full view of drivers, to wait for traffic lights to change. The boxes will be marked with signs and wide stripes alerting drivers to stop behind them at red lights.

More publicity for Portland on the heels of last month's Wall Street Journal article about Rep. Earl "Bikeman" Blumenauer.

As the story notes, the bike boxes are intended chiefly to reduce the risk of "right hook" collisions, the kind most frequently reported in Portland, in which a driver makes a right turn without seeing a cyclist who often approaches from behind and moves into the driver’s path as the driver slows or is waiting to turn.

Drivers will not be allowed to pass through the bike box to turn right on a red light, although many right hooks now occur after the light has turned green.

Although the boxes are a nice try, the reality is that as long as the government continues to give cyclists the common-sense-defying message that it is safe to pass on the right a vehicle that is turning right, people are going to continue to get hurt no matter how many lines and boxes Sam Adams paints on the ground or how many colors he uses.

The person best equipped to avoid the “right hook” situation is the bicyclist.

Everything that person needs to know is literally right in front of him or right next to him, and the cyclist has the most unobstructed view. When Portland office of Transportation Bicycle Coordinator Roger Geller tells the Times that the bike boxes will be in place because “we want (drivers) to have that visual cue to take a look over their shoulder,” he’s basically admitting that fact.

Yet the law puts the burden on the driver who has to use his mirror or crane his neck through numerous blind spots. It defies reason, and because of that, if the government keeps sending people into that "right hook" maelstrom under the ruse that it's OK because it's painted lines on the road and told drivers to look out, well, people are going to continue to get smacked.

No matter how careful drivers are, every once in a while someone's going to make a mistake. And because you've taken responsibility out of the hands of the cyclist -- the person in the best position to avoid the crash -- and put it in the hands of the driver, the person in the worst position, accidents are going to happen.

Years ago when I was a Portland bike messenger (some of my cohorts are still "on the job") before there were bike lanes and before cycling was trendy or a political movement , we avoided the "right hook" situation like the plague. I wouldn't even put myself in that position at an intersection with a car that wasn't signaling a turn. Yet it takes place everyday now in Portland, under government orders.

As long as that’s the case, every once in awhile people are going to be hurt in collisions they could have avoided.

Stop telling people it is a good idea to approach and pass a vehicle in an intersection where that vehicle has the opportunity to turn in front of their path!

One more thing, if you expect the government to guarantee your safety in an environment where you are on a 20-pound bike among 3,000-pound vehicles, you ought to hang up your pedals right now, 'cause "uncle Sam" simply cannot deliver that.