OK, OK - I get it
Portland is absolutely, positively, without a doubt a mecca for bicycle transportation. I wholly and completely support this.
I also believe that bikes and cars can co-exist - it’s why I signed my young daughter up for bicycle safety camp at the Community Cycling Center later this month.
But (and I say this taking my life in my hands, as any one of my bicycle commuting co-workers may throttle me tomorrow for daring to utter the following heresy) - must bikes really ride everywhere? Really? Or are there just streets (or sidewalks) that bikers ought to leave well enough alone?
You see, I regularly commute using NE/SE 21st. The roads are fairly narrow, and lined with parked cars. Some cyclists do well on this stretch of road. Some cars can manage to squeeze over to let those cyclists co-exist.
However, I’d assert that most cyclists (not to mention most cars) don’t do well on 21st. It doesn’t stop them from trying, though. And it makes me very very nervous to see them - bareheaded, flip-flop wearing wobblers, speed demons willing to skate thisclose to my car to zoom by when traffic’s backed up, or otherwise safe cyclists who assume that I should cross the center line to give them enough space on the right (or else hang out behind them while they earnestly pedal along.)
Cars don’t get a free pass either - I’ve watched them not even bother to move aside when there’s room to do so. Watched cars cut off cyclists without even signaling a right turn first. And then there’s those big behemoth cars that can’t move over, even if they wanted to. Yep, there’s clearly blame on both sides.
But wouldn’t it just be easier if we found alternate north/south routes for cyclists? (I already know that SE Salmon is a much-preferred east/west route, for example.) Or routed bikes on 21st long enough to cross the Banfield (side note - yep, Lyza, I use it too)? Or something - anything - other than forcing us all to co-exist on a road that’s clearly not meant for both?
I do know this - my own kid won’t be allowed to ride on 21st once she’s able to bike safely in the street. And I’m quite sure we’ll be establishing bike-safe routes wherever possible.
In the meantime, though - what can we reasonably and sanely do to make sure we’re all safe out there? (Other than give me Valium for my twice-daily commute, that is…)
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I understand that there are a lot more people like myself bicycle commuting these days. That said, this is a really tired debate. Bottom line:
There are bad cyclists, and there are bad drivers with the legal right to use the same road.
Just try not to be one of those by looking out for cyclists and cars.
Share the road.
I don’t like riding my bike on 21st either—but I use it to come in from NE and cross 84, then stay on 21st (the Merc’s offices are just a few blocks south of 84) as the main car route becomes 20th. Why do I do this? Because 22nd through Alameda, where it becomes 21st is one of the few direct shots from my NE neighborhood, and the most direct to my office.
I used to live in SE, and 21st would no doubt be my reluctant route into work if I still lived there (that, or 28th, which isn’t much better from an auto traffic perspective—I rode it this morning). The problem is, there aren’t a lot of alternatatives. Look at google maps, and you tell me the better bike route—very few streets in the 20s go all the way through. And the city hasn’t done a bike route in the 20s that would clearly direct cyclists on a nearly-through route.
Generally speaking, cyclists find the safer/easier route. In the case of 21st, there aren’t nearby sensible options.
On 21st southbound, after the Banfield, make a right on Irving, left on 16th. 16th is mellow for bikes for a long way south of there. Northbound, hang a right on Multnomah and take 22nd or 23rd. In any case, in either direction, once you’re over I-84, get off 20th/21st as soon as you can, and take a side street north or south. NE 22nd north of I-84 is a good bike street. NE 17th is also quite fine once you get north of, say, Hancock.
Go a few blocks out of your way, deal with the stop signs, and live longer. Make your political statements on the internet.
28th between Broadway and the freeway overpass is no fun, and south of the freeway 28th is also nasty all the way down to Stark. Southbound, once you get across Sandy, you’re much safer taking a side street. Northbound, once you get past Broadway, 28th is a piece of cake.