Some entrepreneur has painted their own crosswalk on E Burnside at 8th. It happened on or around Christmas, according to the reader who tipped us to this.
The straight-line-challenged person responsible has not stepped forward to take credit yet.
City Traffic Engineer Rob Burchfield is quoted on Bike Portland about what will happen to this improvement in the future…
Personally I did not feel any safer crossing the street there. Four lanes of fast-moving traffic is still four lanes of fast-moving traffic.
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13 responses to “Not PBOT Issue”
This does bring up a very valid point: the last I heard, every intersection, unless it’s signed otherwise, is a crosswalk. Motorists are required to yield for pedestrians as long as there is reasonable time to stop for them.
They rarely do this. Instead, they just continue to blow through neighborhood streets and arterials at 50 MPH like it was their own personal freeway.
I experience this all the time at marked crosswalks on Foster, Holgate, and Powell, where I’ll be standing at a crosswalk in full view of everyone, while sometimes upwards of 20 or so cars whiz by like nothing’s there at all.
I also deal with people that honk to flip the bird because I’m messing up their oh-so-in-a-hurry trip to some Big-Box Retail Store to save five cents on some item (when it probably costs them more in gas, oil, maintenance, and wear-and-tear on their vehicle than the item “savings”).
Another case in point: at the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition demonstration near 82nd and Foster a few weeks back, most motorists just continued through like nothing was going on.
Makes me want to get a camera and take pictures of people who don’t stop at crosswalks, and post the pictures online.
You’re correct, every intersection is a crosswalk.
The real question here is “when does painting a crosswalk make drivers behave differently.”
For years, the City’s position was that “painted crosswalks give pedestrians a false sense of security.”
The more recent research suggests that in areas of heavy pedestrian density, they DO cause drivers to yield more often. This was demonstrated when zebra crosswalks were added successfully to neighborhood business districts like NW 23rd and SE Belmont a few years ago. I can speak from personal experience that drivers are more likely to yield.
But in this instance on E Burnside, I don’t think that context applies and I saw no difference in driver behavior. Something more, like flashing lights for example, would probably be required.
Fortunately, this stretch of Burnside should be considerably more pedestrian friendly after the couple goes in.
Way to go Secret Stripe Person!
Peds are always getting nearly
run over by cellphone yapping
maniacs daily in PDX. I say
start putting in speed bumps
every where.
Fortunately, this stretch of Burnside should be considerably more pedestrian friendly after the couple goes in.
Even if they don’t do the west side part of the couplet, at least it should help pedestrian safety a bit on the east side. I don’t exactly why, but I feel a lot safer (with the current config) crossing on W Burnside than E Burnside for some reason.
I don’t exactly why, but I feel a lot safer (with the current config) crossing on W Burnside than E Burnside for some reason.
It may be that (lower) W. Burnside has a few more signals in the same length of road, and a higher frequency of pedestrian activity, and also that it’s a more level stretch of street. That said, I’ve had some nasty near-misses as a pedestrian crossing W. Burnside, so I’m not particularly pleased with the current setup, east or west.
I gotta admire the phantom crosswalk painter’s direct action approach.
“I’ve had some nasty near-misses as a pedestrian crossing W. Burnside, so I’m not particularly pleased with the current setup, east or west.”
>>>> Bob, as I live not far from W Burnside, and cross it all the time, I’d be interested where you had your “near misses.” Thanks.
B R A V O !!, ANARCHIST CROSSWALK PAINTER !!!
YOU ARE THE AWESOMEST !!!
Like Robert DeNiro in Brazil.
Have you completed a Form 27B-6?
I gotta admire the phantom crosswalk painter’s direct action approach.
I appreciate what they’re aiming for, but I hope they don’t give a false sense of security to anyone.
Should be arriving through the tube onto your desk any day now.
Jason Barbour: Makes me want to get a camera and take pictures of people who don’t stop at crosswalks, and post the pictures online.
I’d rather be able to take those photos and submit them to the police for ticketing. We have a blinking yellow light that is pedestrian-activated next to our crosswalk at work (after at least 25 years of complaints) and people still blow through it.