I ride a bicycle in Portland often, primarily in close-in Southeast, so I have an appreciation for the challenges faced by bicyclists. I take many precautions & know it's extremely important to 'ride defensively' and assume that car drivers can't see the bicyclist well or at all. I use flashing lights--front and rear--a reflective, flourescent vest & white helmet. On some busy streets (like Powell) I often ride on the sidewalk. I'd rather risk a ticket for that than be struck by a car who may not see me.

Now, as a car driver, I feel extreme frustration as I drive around town encountering bicyclists. The majority are NOT riding safely, and they not only endanger themselves but create real distress for the drivers who have to jam on their brakes to avoid the careless ones who dart out in front of them without warning, or suddenly appear on a dark street with no lights & dark clothing--often without helmets. I want to scream out the window at these idiots, but there's never enough time to do so before they ride blithely on down the road, unaware of the anxiety they cause to many car drivers. Then there are the ones who ride around with the attitude that THEY have all the rights of the motorized vehicles on the road, i.e. they are safe enough to ride down the middle of the street slowing down long lines of car traffic; or think they are as visible as a car and recklessly weave in and out between the parked cars, expecting the moving cars to stop on a dime to avoid hitting them. It raises my blood pressure just recalling all the times I've been scared by careless bicyclists.

For years I've been watching this situation developing, knowing we're headed to a crisis point, and wondering why the City of Portland is doing so much to promote more bike riding, but so little to enforce the biking laws (proper lights, rule compliance, etc.).

I've seen very little effort being made to truly EDUCATE bicyclists about the laws and the etiquette of riding around in traffic...where their lives are at risk, not to mention the peace of mind of the auto drivers.

No one wants to accidentally hit a bicyclist. But I bet you couldn't find one driver in this city who hasn't had an unpleasant encounter with a careless bicyclist that has caused them sudden distress and anxiety.

If bicyclists were being stopped by the police and ticketed for improper equipment, or for weaving carelessly in and out of traffic, there wouldn't be so many non-compliant riders out there.
And if the city were doing real outreach to educate the public on what's expected of bicyclists while they're out on the road (instead of just spending money on making more bike lanes or these "bike boxes" you're proposing) THAT is what would make a real difference in lowering bicycle accidents. Also, if the bike shops in town would participate in a big effort to promote education and safety and to even encourage riders to remind other non-compliant riders to 'get legal' and to ride safely, that could have a major impact on this problem.

This is not China, where millions of people were raised riding bikes in throngs (with few cars to endanger them), nor is it the wild, wild west where the lack of governance means it's a free-for-all. Did you see the report on the bicycle project in Paris, France? It's very popular and highly used, but the Police and taxi drivers are all complaining about the increase in accidents being caused by all this new bike traffic...especially due to the carelessness of the bicyclists.

Start making bicyclists take more responsibility for their presence on the road. Yes, car drivers are sometimes careless and at fault in these accidents, and every time I hear of a bicyclist being hit, it breaks my heart. But, we have to remember how many different pieces of information drivers are trying to process & how difficult it is to also watch for bicycles who are truly not very visible and seem, at times, to come out of nowhere (however, no excuses for drivers on cell phones!).

To prevent injuries and save lives:
--Defensive riding must be encouraged.
--Proper lighting and visibility, and biking laws, must be enforced.
--And a major effort for proper education must be implemented by all interested public and private organizations.