Oregon Study Finds 94 Percent of Cyclists Stop at Red Lights
Contrary to lawless cyclist mythos, a study finds that nearly all cyclists in four Oregon cities stop for red lights.
Meanwhile, according to Michael Andersen at Bike Portland, unrelated research suggests that “speeding in a car on local streets is at least six times more common than running a red light on a bike.”
Portland State University civil engineering professor Chris Monsere conducted the bike study. Writes Andersen:
Nearly 94 percent of people riding bikes in Portland, Beaverton, Corvallis and Eugene stopped for red lights, a forthcoming Portland State University-based study of 2,026 intersection crossing videos has found. Of those, almost all (89 percent of the total) followed the rules perfectly, while another 4 percent entered the intersection just before the light changed to green. Only 6 percent of riders were observed heading directly through the red light.
That compares to, for example, an estimated 36 percent to 77 percent of people who tend to break the speed limit when driving a car on local streets, according to previous, otherwise unrelated research. (See p. 2 of the PDF.)
Based on the PSU study, there is no way to know if Oregon cyclists are more law-abiding than average. But some evidence has shown that cyclists are more apt to follow traffic rules when streets are safer for biking. According to Andersen, Monsere's study found no difference in compliance on roads with bike infrastructure versus those without.
Elsewhere on the Network today: Biking Toronto says the city finally has a decent protected bike lane, but there's a catch. Delaware Bikes looks back at the drastically different city scenes that were possible before cars. And BikeWalkLee reports that Florida has adopted much stricter penalties for drivers who flee the scene after serious collisions.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
‘We Don’t Need These Highways’: Author Megan Kimble on Texas’ Ongoing Freeway Fights
...and what they have to teach other communities across America.
Should Wednesday’s Headlines 86 SUVs?
American tax law encourages people to buy the gas-guzzling and deadly vehicles, but some in Canada are pushing to ban them.
Brightline West Breaks Ground on Vegas to SoCal High-Speed Rail
Brightline West will be a 218-mile 186-mile-per-hour rail line from Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga — about 40 miles east of downtown L.A. — expected to open in 2028.
Tuesday’s Headlines Fix It First
How voters incentivize politicians to ignore infrastructure upkeep. Plus, are hydrogen trains the future of rail or a shiny distraction?
Why We Can’t End Violence on Transit With More Police
Are more cops the answer to violence against transit workers, or is it only driving societal tensions that make attacks more frequent?
