What is the Future of Williams?

Hey Ayleen,

I agree Williams deserves some special attention. Yesterday I tweeted about an idea I'm kicking around to do an event based on getting people together to talk about all the bike issues on Williams. If we do that event, I hope you bring this to the table. Stay tuned!

I agree! i ride this all the time and I used to just crank up it but now with more people, i am realizing that I need to be more cautious, ride more carefully, and really, I agree, what's the rush? I mean, I WANT to get home after work, but lately I've really been enjoying the commute, also.

Great article - I think this issue is starting to crop up all over the city (Hawthorne Bridge, Waterfront Park, for instance), and it's going to take some realizing for certain people that they act the same way on a bicycle as the "drivers" they rail against (most of whom are just other regular people who want to get from point A to point B).

I think this makes a good argument for separated infrastructure too, as I feel a lot of the impetus for riding quickly is that we feel a need to keep up with auto traffic - even when you're in a bike lane, on a busy street like Hawthorne or SW Broadway, you don't really feel at ease to just kind of toodle along with 30mph traffic rushing by you a foot or two away. Separated paths, like the path on the Hawthorne Bridge or the Cycle Track on Broadway give a whole different feeling, and I think the average rider feels the ability to kind of chill out and take it easy more than they would riding on the road. Obviously, some people just like riding quickly, and that's fine (as long as they do it respectfully), but I think many people ride faster than they would otherwise because they feel the need to keep up with traffic.

I think some good education effort would be welcome too, something good and positive (as opposed to "hey jerks, slow down!") - on both riding and parking (you know those people who park their bike with their helmet locked to it and crooked so it takes up three spots, and then falls over when you try to put yours in the rack?).

We'll get there eventually, it's just growing pains.

I share your concerns about safe riding and etiquette on crowded routes like Williams. I think we're dealing with bike congestion on an otherwise unprecedented level in the United States. Hopefully we'll get some nice infrastructure on this route, but we also need to deal with the culture of riding with lots of other cyclists.

This video was inspired in part by my experiences on Williams during rush hour: http://bozz1.com/link/passnext

I share the concerns as well as the excitement! Sharing the road means sharing it with our fellow cyclists. I am frustrated by the aggro nature of some cyclists - so angry, why? #SlowDown is THIS what Team Super Relax is all about?

Good post! Bikers should follow the "3 second rule" like we learned in driver's ed...not that many drivers practice this.

In the short term I'd like to see Sharrows on the right lane of Williams.

Even though it's just more paint on the ground it would at the very least set the expectation with all road users that cyclists will be using more than just the bike lane.

This is an excellent article and brings up valid points. Williams (and Vancouver) have on street parking and two lanes of traffic, yet all the cyclists are riding in a 3ft lane. Now there's the anti-car thought that parking or traffic should be reduced to create more room for bikes which has been done on the Hawthorne Bridge. (I'm sure there are city employees who have looked into this) Then there's the school of thought which considers other options. I find that the vehicle traffic as close as it is to be unsettling, so I take Rodney going both north and south (or sometimes MLK late at night). Either of these ideas or a combination can be looked at to help address this.

While I understand people have concerns about aggressive riders--I have to admit I haven't had any memorable bad incidents with any cyclists and I have done about everything by bike since I got here almost 9 years ago. I find Portland riders to be overwhelmingly courteous and congenial. And I certainly don't see a problem with passing or being passed, even though it means someone must leave the bike lane for a moment.
What I do have a major problem with on Williams, however, is not other cyclists, but the way we are forced to navigate buses pulling in and out of the bike lane, cars cutting across the lane to park and leave parking and the omnipresent "dooring" issue. I would much rather focus on these issues, then other cyclists, particularly since this is the route my young teenagers take to and from school. Any plans to focus on this now that the federal grant money appears to have fallen through?

Janna,
Thank you for the article. I just finished reading the WW's article on the BTA and I think you have touched upon the one thing that the article did not. Rider responsibility. I am a biker and I drive a small Civic, so I know the frustrations on both sides. I come from California where the bike laws are very clear and you stand an equal chance of getting a traffic ticket as a motorist does and it goes on your driving record. Six years ago when I moved to Portland, I discovered a different attitude about bikes and pedestrians. Portlanders have an attitude of ownership without responsibility as if to say,"It's my road and if I have a right to be out in the middle of traffic without concern for my safety or others, it's everyone else's responsibility." The laws seem to be very vague and the idea of not stopping at a stop sigh if there is no traffic, will mean to many that they don't have to stop at all. I am not a black and white kind of person, but it seems to me that when it comes to public safety, we as a biking community should be educators of safety and advocates of clear and safe laws. Blurring the lines only allows for the line of safety to be pushed back and for more human damage and conflict between drivers and riders. By the way, I think that the green bike boxes are stupid. Relying on infrastructure and not relying on your own awareness of your surrounding is lazy and dangerous. I for one don't use them and feel safe because I make eye contact with drivers whenever I am at a stop. I'll stop my rant now. Thanks for the time and opportunity to be read. Tom