First time I've ever been on a deck on the top of a building, happens to be the 6th floor of a condo building on NE Broadway. Its roof is the white U in the Google Map below. If you zoom in, you'll see the very deck, there on the right, shorter side of the U, along its top and down its right side--there are lots of potted trees and plants in evidence.
View NE Broadway & NE 17th St in a larger map
Back to the photo. First, the building with the parking lot--that's the Helen Bernhard Bakery. I will return there at some point and get a baked good that will no doubt be delicious. I mean, click on the link and take a look, for goodness sakes.
Now notice the lone bicyclist at the bottom edge, center. The bicycle has just cleared the bicycle lane, the two parallel white lines, and heads through the intersection. Look at the Google map and you can see that the parallel lines take up again just at the next corner.
The little clear structure with the blue posts and the rounded roof is a TriMet bus shelter, stop ID 632, served by the 9 and the 77. Notice that the bus shelter opens away from the curb which is immensely helpful on streets where water collects and drivers get very close to the curb at high speeds. One stop where I often wait opens to the street--there's not enough space for it to face the other way--so I have to be careful there if much rain has been falling.
Now look just to the right of the yellow cluster of periodical dispensing machines (OK, so I don't know the actual term). Those two light-colored vehicles are parked at the curb. That's right. Parked. What do you think about that, parking at the curb with a delineated bicycle lane as part of the traffic flow? The black vehicle appears to have its right turn signal on and has entered the bicycle lane on the way to the corner. Hopefully the motorist looked in the side-view mirror before drifting to the right.
5 comments:
I wish bicyclists could get more respect. It's such a dangerous way to get around and I really admire them!
The black vehicle is actually breaking the law. The bicycle lane is not supposed to be used as a travel lane for motor vehicles.
He should be making his right turn at the intersection (where there aren't bike lane lines) from the motor vehicle lane.
Don't understand the question about parking. Why shouldn't there be parking on street with bike lane?
Well, Anonymous, I don't really know how to make certain you see my answer since I can't click on anything and respond to you directly. The only reason I asked the question was to see if anyone would voice an opinion. I don't see a thing wrong with a marked bicycle lane right where it is in this photo. However, where I grew up there were no marked bicycle lanes anywhere, so seeing them marked like this is unique and interesting. Thanks for the information about where to actually make the turn.
Saw your response, Thanks.
The bike lanes and bike boxes are confusing to many. Thanks for the chance to add some light as to how motorists should behave around them.
Anonymous, glad you have returned to check things out.
I agree that the bike lanes and bike boxes are confusing to many. Here's why I think that is true--too many of us do not apply ourselves thoroughly to issues which we feel do not directly and/or emphatically impact us.
If it were a requirement to get a driver's license that everyone had to get on a bicycle and ride, say a dozen blocks, alongside heavy traffic, have to come to a stop in a bike box and lead off when the light changed, and had to make a right turn with a bus right beside us on our left, I wonder if the percentage of folks who understand would skyrocket.
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