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Concrete planters for calming traffic removed after frequent collisions (bikeportland.org)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The gist is that Portland drivers couldn't stop hitting crucial safety infrastructure (proving its necessity) so PBOT gave up on it.

As one of the commenters pointed out: Since a pedestrian/bike fatality costs PBOT nothing and replacing a concrete planter a car has demolished costs them more than nothing, to balance the budget they're going to go with more pedestrian deaths.

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[–] ArbitraryValue 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

I'm not sure why the people who put these in didn't expect there to be lots of collisions. There's a reason why obstacles are generally not placed in the middle of the road...

[–] pacmondo 24 points 3 months ago (1 children)

They're usually placed in such a way to prevent people turning far too sharply risking hitting someone in the oncoming lane, usually near the crosswalk. If people are having trouble with this they're having trouble with pedestrians too

[–] ArbitraryValue 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

I think I understand what you're getting at but your terminology is backwards - what you're describing is a wide turn. The obstacle is actually making people turn very sharply. Maybe my sense of scale is off, but the intersection in the picture looks it might even force some larger vehicles to make a three-point-turn.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

From the look of these roads, there shouldn't be any vehicles so large they have to make a three-point-turn. If there are, then that's yet another indication these were needed.