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I have been teaching bicycling for the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) since 1985. I have bicycled in Portland, many other large cities and most US states as well as on Europe's special bicycling facilities. Having consistent roadway rules, courteous and legal behaviors among all motor vehicle and bicycle drivers (and pedestrians), and appropriate education and enforcement of traffic laws makes for safer streets... fewer surprises. I do not speak for the LAB, but I can safely state that Julie Sabatier is wrong when she states that LAB would disagree that "bicycles should be more integrated into automobile traffic" or that LAB endorses "keeping bike traffic to the right of cars, where cyclists often end up in drivers' blind spots." It just ain't so!

I expect the LAB award to Portland was decided because of Portland's substantial overall achievements at encouraging bicycling as a desirable transportation choice and did not, in my opinion, mean endorsement of each and every facility there. Decisions about what roadway design to use should be very much subject to the circumstances at each specific location and to the likely behaviors of the users expected there; "the devil is in the details." Portland, under Roger Geller, is experimenting with facility designs to encourage more and safer bicycling on public roadways and with some separated from motor vehicle routes. Some failures and learnings may result; we all hope no more deaths or injuries occur while we in the US learn how to share the roads.

Although it seems that many people in the US think otherwise, it is my opinion supported by traffic laws in all states that roads are for people not just for people in cars. The sooner we all learn to integrate uses and are able to choose among available transportation mode choices with relative safety, the better off each of us and the US will be - economically, environmentally - locally and globally, and health-wise - personally and community wide!

posted 5 years ago
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