Portland Finds a Cheap Way to Protect Bike Lanes

It's the little things that count—especially when it comes to building safety infrastructure onto streets so that they better serve all modes of transportation.

1 minute read

May 15, 2016, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Portland Bike Safety Signage

Quinn Dombrowski / Flickr

According to Jonathan Maus, "the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation is using an actual curb to separate bike-only lanes from standard vehicle lanes." The so-called "Tuff Curb" is the solution to the need for quick and easy physical separation between cars and bikes along protected bike lanes.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation has experimented with other forms of separation before:

They’ve tried using plastic wands but those rarely last more than a few days before they’re hit and ripped out by people who can’t control their cars. PBOT’s most recent attempt to help separate the bike lane from encroachment by motor vehicle operators came in the form of “rumble bars.” Those failed too.

The new Tuff Curb has already been installed "to separate a bike lane on SW 13th just before Clay," reports Maus. The post also includes images and more information about the cost of the new complete streets technology.

Thursday, May 12, 2016 in Bike Portland

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

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