To prevent right hooks, Portland closes street to traffic

This unassuming five way intersection is the most dangerous for cyclists in Portland, Oregon.

Wheeler Avenue, Broadway & Flint, Portland OR

Out of 22,000 intersections in the city of Portland, Oregon, 85% of serious bicycle-vs-car collisions are right hooks where Broadway, Wheeler and Flint come together because of complicated geometries, high speeds, non-standard turning movements and other factors.

A right-hook collision happens when a motorist begins to overtake a cyclist, then makes a right turn into the cyclist; or when a person on a bike passes to the right of a slower moving vehicle when the vehicle operator makes a right turn into the bike and cyclist.

Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) officials say they plan to close a portion of Wheeler AVenue to motor vehicle traffic to address the serious safety problem at this complication intersection.

More at Bike Portland –> To prevent right-hooks, PBOT will take bold step and close Wheeler Ave.

As Bike Portland publisher Jonathan Maus writes in his headline, this is indeed a bold step. The only thing that I can think of immediately that comes close is San Francisco’s prohibition of right turns onto Octavia from Market Street. In some other states, legislators and local officials try to address safety concerns by banning bikes from the road.

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