Q: What's the proper way to use the two lanes leading up the hill from westbound U.S. 30 to the St. Johns Bridge? The two lanes merge right before the bridge. But during the evening commute, most drivers stick in the right hand lane, causing congestion on U.S. 30 during rush hour. Shouldn't people use both lanes?

A:

Yes, in the sweet name of St. Udebaker, please use both of those lanes heading up Northeast Bridge Avenue to the west end of Portland's green-giant bridge.

Alas, because human egos are at play, that's not as easy as it should be.

I drove out to that clogged stretch of paved perdition a few times last week. Based on what I saw, the lane straddlers are lousing everything up during rush hour.

Passive-aggressive, territorial, unwilling to give an inch, these motorists apparently think everyone should be like them -- condemned to moving like snails in the right lane. So, to prevent what they see as no good line-cutting by other commuters coming up on the left, they ride the middle, hogging both lanes.

Just take a gander

from Thursday's evening commute.

And

(Notice how she's going the same slow speed as the right lane, even though she has a clear lane in front of her? Apparently, she flashed a certain unfriendly finger at the photographer.)

Oh, the power!

One: It's not their job to play lane sheriff. Two: Besides causing gridlock, they're breaking a law that comes with $142 ticket. Three: I'd like the 15 minutes that it took me to get from U.S. 30 to the bridge back.

The

added the left lane to allow passenger vehicles to pass big trucks lumbering up the steady incline. When the commute gets thick, however, drivers should merge zipper-like before the bridge.

No lane is better than the other.

Of course, a big shift in commuting trends in the past few years hasn't helped traffic flow.

Transportation planners say Vancouver residents who work in Washington County and Portland are increasingly using the St. Johns Bridge as a shortcut to Interstate 5. Apparently, many think cutting through North Portland on surface streets is faster than braving the jammed-up freeways. (That's debatable.)

Hard Drive

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As a result, you're probably seeing more cars -- and a lot more Washington plates -- on Bridge Avenue coming from U.S. 30 and Germantown Road.

Then there's the subliminal mind bend of Bridge Road's yellow "Right Lane Ends" merge sign. ODOT plans to remove it and stick with one that shows a simple merge-right symbol. "Maybe it will take away that sense of ownership that people in the right lane have," said ODOT spokesman Dave Thompson, "and encourage them to share."

I like the idea of another sign at the bottom of the hill that would read, "Use both lanes ahead." ODOT? No so much. Evidently, that message doesn't pass official state sign standards.



Q: Does TriMet have any plans for adding capacity for more bikes on buses? A limit of two seems pretty low, especially in this city.

A:

In a city where the bicycle lobby wields the power of Big Oil – well, without the oil -- you'd think TriMet would install super-deluxe, 20-slot bike racks on the front of every people mover.Right now, two bikes per bus is the max.

In Seattle, meanwhile,

by Sportworks -- the same vendor used by TriMet.

OK. Skip the 20 slots. How about just one more, TriMet?

"We have tested the three-bike rack as we've looked to increase bike capacity on buses," said TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetsch. "After testing it, we found that it was not a safe option for us."

During the TriMet test, drivers complained that third bike interfered with their view of the road and blocked headlight beams. The new racks also caused some anxiety during tight turns, Fetsch said."We remain in contact with the vendor and are monitoring design changes," she said.

So, in other words, what's good enough for Seattle transit isn't necessary good enough here. Someday. Maybe.

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