London Lorries & Portland Trucks
Portland seems to get getting their cues from London. In London, bike lanes go right up to the intersections and they also have something they call an “Advanced Stop Line” , which is a bike box which you can read about here. Portland is in the process of installing green boxes.
Portland is talking about requiring “cow catchers” on the sides of trucks, something that has been required on many, but not all, trucks in London since 1984.
And just like London, Portland has a rather high incidence of turning trucks maiming and killing cyclists even when they are in bike lanes. Right Turning in Portland, left turning in London, the cause is the same, bicycles close to the curb and in the blind spot.
To see what riding in a London bike lane is like, check out this terrifying video.
The Dangers of Upper Thames Street 23.09.08
which was shot on the same street a few days after one person was killed.
There are all sorts of discusions in London about “left turning lorries. One newspaper even asked a cyclist and a driver to swap places. What is never mentioned is letting bicycles out of the gutter.
Rather, here is what they suggest be done:
What is needed:
1. A ban on very large lorries (HGVs) from the
current Congestion Charge zone during
Congestion Charge hours.
2. Compulsory installation of the latest ‘blind
spot’ mirrors and more training for drivers on
how to use them.
3. Removal of dangerous cycle lanes.
4. Tougher punishments for drivers and lorry
companies convicted of negligent driving.
#3 is a good start. Add educating cyclists and you can solve the problem.
#s 1,2 & 4 shift the problem onto someone else… it’s not the fault of truck drivers that cyclists insist on sneaking up from behind passing in their blind spots.
If a person is defying the established rules of movement on the road, the onus is on that person to be cautious and understand the possible conflicts and hazards of doing it.
The problem with the cycle lanes is that they encourage such hazardous behavior and create an false expectation of safety for the person engaging in it. It’s unprincipled to place a burden on law-abiding users to accommodate behavior of other users which defies the established rules of the road.
A similar problem happens to pedestrians when trucks off-track at tight intersections. A woman in a wheelchair was killed at Webster and US 17/92 that way. If the corner radius is too tight and the truck is too big…
The difference of course is that pedestrians are supposed to wait at that location. With bike lanes the designer is inviting the cyclist into the conflict when it’s not necessary.