Portland Bike Lanes and the Danger of Half-Measures

For active transit supporters, new bike lanes should be reason to celebrate, but Bike Portland editor, Jonathan Maus, is conflicted about new lanes being painted on North Willamette Boulevard with no protection. North Willamette Boulevard is a 30-mile-per-hour road with little infrastructure designed to slow drivers.

"One way to shift your perspective on street design is to imagine how a six-year-old would feel using it," Maus writes. National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) even used the street as an example of a place where a physical barrier is necessary—not comforting news for any biker, much less a six-year-old.