Oregon Lane Sharing

Senate Bill 574

Do you have that déjà vu feeling?

Remember the 2019 House Bill 2314?

Now we have Oregon Senate Bill 574 which has passed the Joint Committee on Transportation and been sent to the full senate for consideration. The bill would legalize lane sharing under certain conditions.  Lane Filtering, Lane Sharing, and Lane Splitting (i.e. “white lining”) all basically refer to a motorcycle rider positioning its way through slow-moving or stationary traffic.

Lane Splitting Example

According to the bill, the type of conditions in Oregon include:
• On highways with a posted speed limit of 50 MPH or higher
• Traffic on the road must be stopped, or moving at less than 10 MPH

 

 

The rider:
• May travel no more than 10 miles per hour faster than traffic
• Must not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic
• Must safely merge with traffic, if traffic speed exceeds 10 miles per hour
• Must pass traffic traveling in the same direction

Riders cannot lane-share:
• Between a traffic lane and the curb and bicycle lane (on either side)
• Between a traffic lane and a row of parked vehicles (on either side)
• On the right side of the rightmost lane of traffic, or the left side of the leftmost lane of traffic
• In a school or construction zone

You likely either love it or hate it, as lane splitting is a controversial subject that doesn’t seem to promote any middle ground. If you have some passion around this topic, now is the time to contact your senator and request their support for S.B. 574.

Visit laneshareoregon.com/#getinvolved for more details.

UPDATE: June 1, 2021 — The Senate Bill 574 stats:

• Passed full Senate and House floor votes, with 3-to-1 bipartisan majorities
• Had 17 sponsors, with a nearly even split of Democrats and Republicans, House and Senate, from rural, urban, and suburban districts
• Received written support from over 600 Oregon motorcyclists
• Was endorsed by many Oregon businesses and organizations
• Received a “Do Pass” recommendation from the Joint Committee on Transportation

Clearly, Senate Bill 574 was one of the most widely supported bills in the current legislative session and is an acute illustration of elected officials successfully working together to support Oregonians.

Then – Gov Brown Vetoed the Bill on May 26th, citing public safety concerns, including noncompliance and enforcement.

Images courtesy of Oregon Legislature and 4X4 Blazer 1776.

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Riding On Painted Lines

Blue Mountain Scenic Byway

The Oregon Department of Transportation is responsible for furnishing and maintaining directional, regulatory, warning, and informational signing on the state highway system.

Can you explain the significance behind every color and symbol used in Oregon’s road signs?  How about the inspiration behind the center line that has divided roads for decades?

ODOT Signs

It was interesting to learn, that the first modern centerline was painted in 1917. White was chosen by its designer, Edward Hines, who was inspired after seeing milk spill from a delivery wagon on a newly-paved road.  In 1935, highway officials gave local governments options when it came to painting centerlines. They could be either yellow, white, or black, depending on the color of the underlying pavement. By 1955, 49 states had adopted white stripes to divide their traffic lanes.  The ONLY holdout, Oregon, who preferred yellow, arguing that it was safer.

The federal government balked at such a ridiculous suggestion and threatened to withhold $300 million in highway funds. Oregon begrudgingly complied, but likely felt vindicated in 1971, when the federal government mandated that centerlines now be painted yellow, with white stripes reserved for roads where traffic drove in the same direction. (Lines on the sides of roads didn’t gain traction with officials until the mid-1950s. Before that, edge markings were prohibited. They were finally advocated in 1961, and then mandated in 1978.)

Route Signs

How about when Oregon Department of Transportation spent $680,000.00 to switch out 400 speed limit signs for House Bill 3402 when it passed in 2015 and increased the speed limit to 70 MPH on selected roadways.  At $1,700.00 for each sign…that is some kind of phenomenon speed sign!

If you’re like me, as you ride by a roadway sign, you likely understand the signage on a subconscious level and that’s why the designs were chosen in the first place.

Colored signs were erected along a stretch of roadway in the mid-1950s. The signs led to two cities: Utopia and Metropolis. Drivers were later polled about which sign color they preferred. Green came out on top at 58 percent, followed by blue (27 percent), and black (15 percent).

Many road sign features have interesting origin stories.

IMPORTANT: Riding on painted lines reduces grip when it rains.

REMINDER:  “White lining” is NOT legal in Oregon.  This is the act of lane-splitting or when a motorcycle travels along the white line between two adjacent lanes of traffic.

Photos courtesy of ODOT.

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