But but but... the Blumenauer Bridge!
Portlanders have come to realize that the safest place on the streets is in a car. And so funny thing, the number of people risking their necks on bicycles is down. Way down.
Maybe this means the City Council will come to its senses, lay off some of the bike children in the "transportation" bureau, put all the expensive two-wheeler toy projects and meaningless green paint away for a while, and hire some cops, shelter staff, and mental health workers.
Maybe. But I doubt it.
The Pro bicycle advocacy is really a cover for the anti automobile religious crusade and common sense becomes a conspiracy.
ReplyDeleteI once loved biking. There was the 'bike way' and the 'car way'. One example is that no one would try to ride a bike using 39th. (oh excuse me Caesar Chavez Ave.) BECAUSE there were plenty of tree lined quiet streets that ran parallel to 39th. Same with East to West. Salmon Street instead of Hawthorne for example. But nooooooooo ooo we need designated streets for bikes but no cars and all car routes (and sidewalks) are open to bikes. It's not the cars that made Portland more dangerous to bike, it's this radical Bike Coalition that turned biking into a political act rather than a pleasant way to get around. Screw em.
ReplyDeleteSaw Earl Bridgeman Blumenaur at the Schonely event on Monday...proudly sporting 2 of his dumb little, home made stupid ugly bike pins. Hope his pants cuff gets caught in the sprocket.
DeleteI too have long been skeptical of the millions (billions?) that have been dumped into Portland's cycling infrastructure over the past 20 or so years. I'm still bitter about all the cash that went into creating a totally ridiculous and rarely used bike lane down SW Barbur toward downtown. That said, how much of this decline can be blamed on the Covid crisis and people working from home? If that isn't the case, you can bet this is what the "bike children" will blame it on.
ReplyDeleteThis could just be solved if we put bike lanes on Powell.
ReplyDelete> how much of this decline can be blamed on the Covid crisis
ReplyDeleteThat's the first thing I wondered, but the decline from 2013 to 2019 was even GREATER. 42%