This kind of road infrastructure suggests to me a certain degree of naivety regarding the practical realities of cycling in a city. Drivers approaching that intersection when the light is red are, sadly, often keeping their eye out for traffic coming up along 7th so that they can make an illegal right turn onto that avenue. They are not generally aware that bicyclists might be seeking to enter their lane right in front of them at just that moment.

I am grateful for the city’s efforts to foster greater cooperation and understanding among cyclists and drivers. As someone who has never owned a car, I am especially appreciative of the infrastructure Eugene provides to its bicyclists; it has had a significant positive impact on my quality of life during the decade that I’ve lived here.

It’s clear to me now that I ha never really understood how to properly use that bike box on 7th and High. After seeing that diagram, I am convinced that I will never use it in the intended manner.

The best street infrastructure is always the kind that facilitates a mutual understanding between pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. That kind of understanding can most easily be fostered when all three parties have a clear expectations of each other.

The bike box is a unique phenomena. (How many other bike boxes are there in Lane County? In Oregon?) Because they don’t tend to encounter bike boxes, drivers and cyclists do not often know what to expect of each other when they arrive at one, which degrades the two parties’ ability to cooperate with one another, putting both groups in greater danger.

I admit that don’t now how to make it safe for cyclists to get across that intersection without significantly impeding traffic on 7th and High. Until cyclists and drivers are both able to intuitively grasp how to use a bike box without having first attended a public education event I do not believe that it is an effective solution.