The City of Portland has over 100 miles of bicycle lanes; most were installed within the last decade. As a result of this and other factors, many more residents are riding bicycles for all types of trips. In 1975 about 200 cyclists rode the Hawthorne Bridge daily; today that number is over 2400. Bicycle lanes provide enormous benefits to all transportation users. However, motorists are often unaware that they must yield to cyclists when crossing a bicycle lane. Many European cities use coloured markings at bicycle-motor vehicle crossings to reduce conflicts. To determine whether such coloured markings help improve safety at bicycle-motor vehicle crossings, the City of Portland has been experimenting with blue pavement markings to delineate selected conflict areas. This project investigated the effectiveness of blue coloured pavement markings in reducing bicyclist-motorist conflicts at designated crossing areas. Specifically, the study sought answers to the following questions: 1. Did motorists appear to yield more frequently to cyclists after the pavement was coloured blue? 2. Did motorists appear to look for cyclists before crossing the bike lane more frequently than before? 3. Did motorists modify their behaviour in any significant ways? 4. Did cyclists tend to look more frequently for motorists before proceeding through the painted area? 5. Did cyclists modify their behaviour in any significant ways? 6. Did the number of conflicts, near conflicts, and reported crashes change? (A)
Abstract