The folks over on the SHIFT list are working on an education event for Friday at a new safety hot spot: The bottom of the Broadway Bridge at NW 9th St. Fast-moving bikes coming down the ramp, coupled with cars that might or might not signal right turns are the ingredients for a lot of crashes and near misses. Come out and join in the educational effort:

Here’s another hopefully productive outlet for your “radio rage,” or your concern in general about your safety on the roads.

When: Friday, August 4th, 7:00am
Where: NW 9th and Lovejoy, northeast corner

This Friday, August 4th from 7-9A, there will be a “traffic safety education action” to call attention to the particular dangers of the NW 9th & Lovejoy intersection, and encourage motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians to navigate the area safely and with awareness.

Some recent collisions have highlighted the need for attention at this intersection, including one in which a cyclist collided with an elderly man who lives nearby. Rather than have the police appear and enforce safety, we’ll take a community approach and use signs, call-outs, literature, and other creative means to promote safety at this location.

This intersection has many issues: the steep descent from the Broadway Bridge, poor visibility in places, a convergence of less-than-ideal crosswalks, shared cycle-ped paths, and traffic that moves like the streets are a freeway.

If you are interested in promoting safety at this particular intersection, you can help by appearing sometime between 7-9A at NW 9th & Lovejoy to help us hold signs, pass out literature including “Share the Road” stickers, and discuss safety with passing cyclists / motorists. Concepts we’ll be stressing: all modes having responsibility for safety, slowing down before the intersection, being aware of cross traffic, and yielding appropriately to traffic that has the right of way.