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Bike lanes *per se* are not necessarily a safety problem and often can improve bicycling conditions. However, a serious and avoidable hazard arises from the City of Portland's defiance of nationally accepted bike lane design guidance to either discontinue the bike lane or dash its left bike lane stripe well in advance of intersections where right turns are permitted. This puts straight-through bicyclists in the blind spot of right-turning motorists, resulting in right-hook car-bike collisions, such as the two bicycling fatalities last October. A secondary safety problem is Oregon's statewide law that requires bicyclists to use bike lanes (with exceptions that still leave the burden of proof on an injured or ticketed bicyclist).

By giving its highest level (Platinum) award to Portland--without even admonishing the City for its defective and mandatory bike lane designs--the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) has violated it's own board-adopted policy positions on bicycle facilities, has disregarded the safety and travel rights of Portland bicyclists, and has devalued the sound vehicular-cycling principles that underlie LAB's own national bicyclist education program. In short, LAB has disgraced its Bicycle Friendly Community Program and has seriously harmed all bicyclists with an award that encourages other cities to copy Portland's dangerous bike lane designs.

Thank you, John Schubert, for speaking the inconvenient truth.

posted 4 years ago
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