Good timing: this is exactly how Allison Swanson died. I guess that answers your question…

I, too, was skeptical about bike boxes being all that helpful for reasons mentioned above, but now that I’ve had a chance to use them over the last few months I say pass the green kool-aide.

My experience: they make a positive difference in motorist behavior at intersections even while rolling. Right hooks are one of the top dangers to cyclists so any improvement is a good thing.

I am glad the city of Portland is trying make improvements that increase the safety for all users of the public right of way.

These jokers are glad, too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PmGBX7TjVY

streetbloggers, whats the fuss? all blogs are dipping into the same information pool contained in the extended interwebs. and it is possible to be both a reader of one blog and a reader of another blog with a different philosophy. lewis is right, since you guys are pro-bike and since thats a method of transportation it leaves you open to criticism from those with a viewpoint other than your own. and you gotta hand it to judd and lewis for attacking you head on. at the very least it makes for solid entertainment.

I don’t really care about bike boxes, or Streetsblog’s endorsement of them. As a bicyclist, I would never use one because as Paul C and gDubs point out, there are plenty of idiot motorists who would probably run you down in their rush to make it through the yellow light.

If you’re concerned that we cover Streetsblog occasionally, perhaps you shouldn’t bill yourself as some center for the bicycle movement and any corresponding news. We cover all kinds of things, and luckily for us, when it comes to bicycle news, you guys have lots of articles.

Unfortunately, you don’t often offer balanced coverage, so we present the other side of the argument, just like we do with the other 96% of the posts we write.

But keep up the fight for “Livable Streets,” whatever those are. Soon, you’ll drive up the costs of everything in the city through regressive fines, tolls and taxes on automobiles. Then you’ll cripple the transportation system in New York and drive business and tourism dollars away. Eventually you’ll cause your own demise. Pretty smart philosophy.

If Judd and Lewis have devoted just 4.1% of their posts (see comment #7) to critiquing Streetsblog, how is that “the animating spirit behind this blog”?

I should also add that, in case you didn’t know, the lame Streetsblog editor deletes comments he disagrees with, including comments by Judd, Lewis, myself, and many others. From what I can tell, the authors of this blog were outraged by this behavior, and decided to ridicule and deride the stupidity of Streetsblog in this uncensored forum where their opinions will remain up for all to see.

Finally, the posts on Commuter Outrage, while often written in a mocking and sarcastic tone, are much more informative and instructive and than anything on Streetsblog. The average Streetsblog post for a long time was 1 short paragraph long, and usually linked to some other story without providing any interesting analysis. Recently, the posts have been longer - 3 or 4 paragraphs long.

Still, that’s really sad for a website with 12 people listed under its masthead. Mark Gorton should fire his current editor, and put someone in charge who will produce more in-depth content.

Keep up the good work fellas. By the time you get to Part 20 of your Streetsblog series I’m sure the they’ll be widening I-95, rolling out the nuclear-powered cars and the TSA will have stopped stealing over-sized shaving cream cans out of carry-on bags and we will all be able to say that Commuter Outrage changed the world for the better.

And man… you really broke the story wide open on this Bike Box scandal. I will ignore the findings from Copenhagen, the most advanced urban cycling city in the world, suggesting that ASL’s are helping to make cyclists and pedestrians safer and more visible at intersections. Instead, I will rely on Judd Wiley for this sort of information from now on because, you know, he’d never even heard of a Bike Box until three days ago so his Google “research” on the issue is absolutely invaluable.

Thank you, Commuter Outrage! I can’t imagine how you find time to provide this invaluable service while simultaneously working as hack junior attorneys at your D.C. corporate firms.

You and I are in complete agreement here.

Speeding from stop light to stop light in residential or pedestrian areas, failing to stop behind the white line, making a U-turn when the sign says No U-Turn, gunning the engine at a yellow light - all of that is dangerous and unacceptable.

It’s f’n hot as hell here (Penticton, BC) and I gotta sunburn while taking the doggy for a hike .

Ohh and I can’t stand our current dumbass of a POTUS.
So I ASSumed.

———————————————————-

Hey Judd.

I won’t argue that many parts of the interstate highway system are designed with upwards of 70mph being reasonable from a safety standpoint.

But that’s not what I’m raling about.

A large percentage of motorists, on surface streets, speed from one stop light to another… all the f’n time. And as far as stopping behind the line… they NEVER DO!

I see it every day, multiple times a day.

I actually follow the rules of the road… bending a few - such as treating certain stoplights like stop signs, because my aluminum bicycle won’t trip the signal. And sometimes I take a right on red while doing a trackstand, instead of actually putting my foot to the ground - but none of those things put others in danger like an idiot motorist piloting his 4000lb bullet 10 or 15 mph over the speed limit on surface streets.

Full disclosure: I was issued a warning yesterday for blowing through a stop sign at the Metro station. I didn’t see the sign, but that’s no excuse. Drivers can all afford to be a little more careful, as can bicyclists. My wife was hit by a reckless bicyclist in Los Angeles a few years ago who was riding on the sidewalk.

I also agree with you about people who talk on their cell phones while driving. It’s not very smart, both with the phone to your ear and hands free. Whether or not it should be illegal is something I’m still wrestling with, as my knee jerk reaction is always less government regulation.

That said, I think you’re wrong about driving 10 mph over the speed limit. I think the speed limit, in many places, is absurdly low. 55 mph on the highway? That would be too dangerous, since the natural flow of traffic is usually around 65 mph.

I once got a $300+ ticket for going 40 mph in a 15 mph zone. I was entering the Grand Canyon late at night and was the only car on the road. The Arizona park ranger scolded me that I was lucky he wasn’t charging me with a felony because I had more than doubled the speed limit. Give me a break.

i walk and take the subway to get everywhere i need to in the city. so i see things like this - and everything that you mention about cars naturally - on a daily basis.

the greater menace is not one means of transportation, but the person behind the wheel or on the bike who has trouble multitasking and can’t follow the rules of the road. its a case by case basis. so long as the city’s streets are going to be shared everyone needs to be a lot more vigilant and in the moment.

the pseudonym has nothing to do with the president.
its named after a local bridge that i’m fond of.

And I’VE noticed that motorists, nearly everywhere, NEVER stop at the whiteline at stopsigns, are constantly going 10 or more miles/hr over the speed limit, often don’t signal, with many gabbing away on their cellphones instead of paying attention to the road.

So who’s the greater menace, eh, GDubs?

BTW, if your pseud is tribute to our current POTUS, I can understand why you might not be able to think clearly.

What color did that paint the bike lane on Prince St going west from Broadway?