A judge in Multnomah County tossed out a citation issued to a driver after her vehicle struck a bicyclist. The driver had made a right turn, clipping a cyclist, and Portland cops issued a citation for "failure to yield to a rider on a bicycle lane."
Problem: there are no bicycle lanes at intersections. The lanes begin at the far side of an intersection, and continue to the near side of the next. At intersections, the lanes disappear completely.
Adding to the beauty of it all, the cyclist in question was Carmen Piekarski, an employee in the City's Office of Planning and Sustainability. Of course she was riding her bike, because it's so green and sustainable and all. Unfortunately, the "planning" part doesn't seem to have worked out so well. Fortunately, while she took a spill, she wasn't injured, by all appearances. Certainly, her mouth continues to work well.
She understands why there's now "bike lane confusion."
Well, Ms. Sustainability, try this: when the lane ends, you stop - unless you can proceed safely and there are no traffic control devices in place. I know that stop-signs, yield signs, and traffic signals are for "the other people", but you'll still do better to obey them - and to use common sense when riding. That's a lot to ask, sure.
If you want to ride a bicycle, good for you. Just try not to assume that it means that the whole world revolves around your good little self.
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