Cycletrack in Copenhagen

I was reflecting on the NE Multnomah project and the cycletracks that were designed as a part of that process. I was trying to recall how the Danish dealt with buses on their cycletracks and this particular intersection came to mind because it was the traffic signal closest to our starting point. From right to left, the corss section is approximately 12 feet for the sidewalk, a 7 ' cycletrack, a 4' buffer to the "curb" lane (which was heavily travelled by buses, and a through vehicle travel lane. The curbs were hardly noticeable and the distinction of the various facilities was met with the changes in texture to some degree. The 4' buffer was cobble stones and bumpy if you were in a wheelchair or on a bicycle. I can't speak to the feel if you were driving, but I imagine it was similar in nature to what you would experience on the Light Rail in dowtown Portland or on NW Marshall in Portland's Pearl District.

The people on bicycles outnumbered the person capacity of the vehicle travel lane as you can see from the massive platoon of cyclists that are using the facility shortly after the a.m. peak hour had died down. There was no weaving between the bus and the people on bicycles, which left the boarding and alighting passengers for the bus in somewhat of a precarious situation, but something that the 4' buffer could address and the bus driver could assist with by alerting alighting passengers of the risk by using the rear view mirrors and warning of approaching conflicts.

Our challenge in Portland with implementation is focused on the accessibility requirements associated with the Americans with Disabilities Act. We haven't solved the issue, but it is something that we need to address so we can move towards separation for people on bicycles which may offer more comfortable conditions.