More Portland Cyclists Mean Safer Portland Streets

2812912288_4b8533bc48.jpgPortland, Oregon. Photo: Lynette_1_2_3/Flickr

Today on the Streetsblog Network, people are talking about safety, among other things. Bike Portland has a post on how the number of bike commuters is up in that bike-friendly city and the number of traffic injuries to bicyclists is down, while Bike PGH wants to see some local response to the world’s number-one killer of children: traffic crashes.

Plus, Car Less Ohio links to a great petition from the Rails-to-Trail Conservancy, and Transportation for America calls for accountability on the "green" recovery package from Obama and the Congress.

These stories and more right now on Streetsblog.net.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Portland Tries Out "Advisory Bike Lanes"

By Angie Schmitt |
Portland is importing a new kind of bike lane design from the Netherlands. “Advisory bike lanes” allow drivers to use the bike lane space if they have to — and if it’s safe. Jonathan Maus at Bike Portland reports that advisory bike lanes are intended for streets with high bike traffic but not a high volume of […]

In Portland, Construction Can’t Kill a Bike Lane

By Sarah Goodyear |
This temporary bike lane is actually wider than the permanent one that’s being blocked by construciton. (Photo: Portlandize) Here’s an indicator of how important bike lanes are in the city of Portland. From Streetsblog Network member Portlandize comes a report on a case in which a bike lane was recently closed because of streetcar construction. […]

Portland to Rewrite Car-Centric Street Engineering Standard

By Angie Schmitt |
“Level of Service,” or LOS, for short, is the rather arcane engineering standard that has turned streets all over America into funnels for car traffic. LOS is essentially a measure of traffic delay. Road projects are given a grade from “A” to “F” based on how smoothly traffic flows. The problem with this, as Jonathan Maus […]

Portland’s Safer Streets: How Do They Do It?

By Sarah Goodyear |
Last Sunday in New York, the Street Memorial Project organized a ride in memory of the 14 bicyclists and more than 100 pedestrians killed by cars in the city in 2008. You can see the StreetFilm about the ride here. PBOT traffic safety expert Greg Raisman. Photo © J. Maus. In Portland, OR, they marked […]

Portland Shows How to Get More Bang for Your Traffic Safety Buck

By Angie Schmitt |
State DOTs like to justify hugely expensive highway-widening projects, like Milwaukee’s $1.7 billion Zoo Interchange, partly on the grounds of safety. But if we really want to get a big bang for our transportation safety buck, fixing city streets makes a lot more sense. Michael Andersen at Bike Portland reports that three local road diets completed […]