Willamette's new bike lanes make for an important link in Portland's bike infrastructure, but building unprotected bike lanes on a high-speed street carries risk.
For active transit supporters, new bike lanes should be reason to celebrate, but Bike Portland editor, Jonathan Maus, is conflicted about new lanes being painted on North Willamette Boulevard with no protection. North Willamette Boulevard is a 30-mile-per-hour road with little infrastructure designed to slow drivers.
"One way to shift your perspective on street design is to imagine how a six-year-old would feel using it," Maus writes. National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) even used the street as an example of a place where a physical barrier is necessary—not comforting news for any biker, much less a six-year-old.
FULL STORY: Willamette’s new bike lanes are already outdated
Making Protected Bike Lanes the Design Standard
An institutional mandate isn't enough to make a design vision a reality. Portland is working on bringing its standards and guidelines in line with its ambition for protected bike lanes.
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Less Paint, More Barriers, Make for Better Urban Cycling
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
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Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
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Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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