We sure think so.
Summer is road construction season, and for cyclists that means adding a few extra minutes to the morning bike commute as we navigate detours that were (mostly) designed for cars. Even a short distance of out-of-direction travel can feel terribly inconvenient on a bike, especially if the detour is unfamiliar and less bike-friendly than the road under construction.
TriMet provided a map showing biking and walking detours during construction on the Esplanade.
Fortunately, construction teams are beginning to consider cyclists’ needs when they design detour routes by asking questions like: How bike-friendly is the detour route? Is there a safer, more convenient alternative for cyclists? Are “bike detour” signs placed frequently and visibly so cyclists are reassured that they are still on the right route? Are users armed with advance knowledge, maps, and safety information?
Bike detour done right on N. Vancouver this summer. Photo by Jonathan Maus / BikePortland.org
On the other hand, if road closures and detours are confusing, inconvenient or unexpected cyclists may be inclined to ignore the detour signs. This is not only illegal – a Class D traffic violation under ORS 811.445 – but dangerous and disrespectful to the construction crews. The following examples show what can happen when cyclists don’t know about detours or choose to ignore them anyway.
Example #1: Helvetia Road in Washington County
Anne Madden, an educator in the department of Land Use and Transportation in Washington Country, wrote this week:
“Friends, we have a problem out here in Washington County with bicyclists who are ignoring road closed signs. Somehow they think they will be able to get past where cars cannot, but most of the time when we close a road, it is because we have taken out a bridge or culvert and there is no way to pass safely! They end up trying to carry their bikes across farmers’ fields, and getting very frustrated and taking it out on our crews.”
“We are building these facilities FOR them, but until they are ready, it is not safe to use them.”
Example #2: SE Ankeny St in Portland
In recent weeks, sections of SE Ankeny between SE 18th and SE 12th have been closed intermittently as crews prepare for the East Burnside/Couch construction project. Cars were instructed to travel one block south to SE Pine, but intitially the sidewalks remained open for pedestrians and technically for cyclists too. Crews didn’t expect the hundreds of cyclists traveling on SE Ankeny each day to use the pedestrian space, and with the giant pieces of pipe and vaults and heavy equipment in action they were terrified of running over one of them or smacking them with a swinging backhoe. They eventually blocked the sidewalks with tape and “Bike Detour” signs pointing south to Pine. Even then, they reported cyclists ducking under the tape and using the sidewalks anyway.
Example #3: Boone Bridge in Wilsonville
As we reported earlier this month, the northbound shoulder of the Boone Bridge is closed to bike and ped traffic for six weeks starting July 13. The closest alternative route across the Willamette River is the Canby Ferry, 4 miles to the east. Even with good signage, this kind of detour – adding 8 miles of distance – may simply exceed the threshold of inconvenience most cyclists are willing to accommodate. The Boone Bridge example suggests ODOT should strive to find safe and convenient alternatives for cyclists during the two-year closure of the Oregon City Bridge, which will affect a much larger number of users for a much longer period of time.
While the BTA works to improve bike detour procedures by city, county and state agencies – and as they start to respond with creativity and consideration – this work could be seriously undercut if bicyclists blow them off. Of course, people are people – impatient and opportunistic and running late, all of us – no matter what kind of vehicle they’re steering. But next time you encounter a bike detour, remember that someone on that crew went out of their way to sign it, and try not to make them look bad to their colleagues.
And if you don’t encounter a bike detour where they ought to be one, don’t let it slide, make a phone call and it might just make the difference.
The cost for Canby Ferry is free for bikes and pedestrians. It operates seven days a week from 6:45 AM to 9:15 PM.
http://www.clackamas.us/transportation/transit/ferry.htm
The biggest problem is the fact that most detours do not take bicycles into account as all, especially in locations where I would just be taking the lane and riding safely in the middle of the road. I am a vehicle and expect to be treated as one, and as such I’ll follow a reasonable detour. The problem with this is that many detours are unreasonable on a bike. Just take a look at the Boone Bridge and Oregon City Bridge. On the other hand, with many road closures, if you ask the crews politely about what is closed exactly, they are often very willing to let you through or help you with a detour.
I just completed a bicycle tour of Washington state of just over 1,000 miles and I had quite a few good experiences with such detours. In Ellensburg, I asked an officer directing traffic how far up the road was closed for a parade, and he let me go around the sign to my destination a few blocks away. In Wenatchee, there was work being done that closed the off ramp from the George Sellar Bridge, and one of the workers gladly let me duck under the tape to avoid a busy and confusing detour. Even in Seattle, where they entire sections of Alaskan Way torn up, they provided a nice through pedestrian and bicycle path along the side.
The detour from SE Ankeny actually directed traffic initially into the 5 way horror of Burnside/Sandy/11th/12th, if you were riding north on Sandy just before turning on to Ankeny.
They didn’t put any signs on Sandy, so if you were riding N on Sandy with the intent of turning right onto Ankeny @ 11th, the signs were not visible until being confronted with Northbound 12th Ave traffic. That left no choice but to proceed on Ankeny until after crossing 12th, and at that point the construction began.
I took note of this because I rarely ride that way. It felt as though they did not take into consideration traffic of all types from all approaches.
I am glad to see some of this changing.
BJD – Thanks for ferry info. I forgot to mention that cyclists can take the SMART bus across the Boone Bridge. It’s free if your ride begins and ends in Wilsonville, takes about 8 minutes and can accommodate two bikes. The bus only comes once per hour though, so if the racks are full it might be a problem.
John Russell – Great observations about politely asking construction crews or police for directions. If for whatever reason they’re unable to help, ask if they can provide contact info for project staff so you can follow up with comments or detour alternatives.
Bonnie – Good point, I wasn’t aware of the poor signage for cyclists approaching from Sandy (and I ride east-westbound on Ankeny every day).
The Boone Bridge closure really got me. I was coming home from Cycle Oregon Weekend on a Sunday night. I had all my gear with me (I treated the weekend as a loaded tour), and I had already ridden 50 miles on a hot day with a fair headwind. I got to Boone Bridge about 8:20 PM. There were no construction people around. (And yes, I had two Planet Bike Tail-lights that will blind you and my night rider headlight I can flash at a car if the driver has his brights on.)
My thoughts on the Canby Ferry Option:
1. I’ve never used it and don’t know exactly where the Canby-side dock is. I also didn’t know if it ran that late. I tried the Wheatland Ferry a couple of times, and once I had to ride back because the Ferry was down for maintenance.
2 When I looked it up later, the Ferry may be 4 miles downriver, but it looks like almost 8 miles by road (and 8 miles back). I might have gotten lucky and made the 9:15 cutoff if I didn’t miss any signs.
3. I puckered up and rode through on the shoulder available–two feet or less between the fog line and the concrete construction barrier. Scary ride, let me tell you, but I really felt that I had no choice.
4. What about some out-of-town rider on a long tour? That person may not even know about the Canby Ferry.