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Friday, August 28, 2009

Unreal

Posted by on Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 10:16 AM

New on East Union Street:

-6.jpg
But why paint this part of the bicycle lane grass-green? Very confusing. Bicycles are good machines on the street, and bad machines on the grass. Why, then, associate the moment they are great machines with the moment they are not so great machines? All very confusing.

 

Comments (34) RSS

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1
That's a bike lane? I thought it was for urban golfing.
Posted by blehch on August 28, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Baconcat 2
So drivers can see it, Charles, and so cyclists know where they are safe to go, and for traffic control and for common sense.

Seems it failed a little bit on that last part.
Posted by Baconcat on August 28, 2009 at 10:26 AM
3
So that when the red of blood splatters on it from an insane driver crushing a cyclist, it can be clearly seen because red is the opposite of green. When the blood dries, it darkens and becomes part of the fabric and hence our memory, our distant memory.
Posted by CommonKnowledge on August 28, 2009 at 10:28 AM
laterite 4
This city's attempts to integrate auto, pedestrian, and bicycle usage are so awkward sometimes.
Posted by laterite on August 28, 2009 at 10:31 AM
5
Why are the traffic lights three different colors? They are not a rainbow. Very confusing traffic lights, making Charles think there is a pot of gold buried underneath each one.

Charles is tired of digging up intersections looking for gold, so you'd best be mindful, traffic lights.
Posted by matt on August 28, 2009 at 10:32 AM
Allyn 6
It got your attention, didn't it?
Posted by Allyn on August 28, 2009 at 10:38 AM
7
Green is pretty standard. Idiot.
Posted by lamerphag on August 28, 2009 at 10:42 AM
bibliogrrl 8
They've done that here in Chicago - any bike lane where there is a high chance of collision was painted green. There were a lot of studies. I'd cite them, but I'm sure you know how to Google, too.
Posted by bibliogrrl on August 28, 2009 at 10:42 AM
Timrrr 9
Cuz bikes are GREEN, Charles! G-rrrrrreeeeeeeeen!!!
(It's the new Black!)
Posted by Timrrr on August 28, 2009 at 10:47 AM
10
You've just now noticed this?

The city has been painting areas green where bike lanes cross traffic lanes all over the city, for at least a year now.

There's also a slight texture to the paint, enough so that car drivers can hear the difference when their tires pass over one of these sections. It turns out that textured roadways that make different sounds than the surrounding pavement are very effective in making drivers notice things.
Posted by Lack Thereof on August 28, 2009 at 10:48 AM
monkey 11
You're so easily confused.
Posted by monkey on August 28, 2009 at 10:54 AM
King Rat 12
It's only confusing to people who have straw for brains.
Posted by King Rat http://www.kingrat.us/ on August 28, 2009 at 10:55 AM
13
portland is doing this as well, mainly at places where right hand turn lanes intersect with bike lanes going straight (at lights, too).

the city does an unbelievably bad job at outreach on stuff like this.
Posted by dacoach on August 28, 2009 at 10:55 AM
Fifty-Two-Eighty 14
What color would you use, Charles? Please tell us, I haven't had a good laugh in a while now.
Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty http://www.nra.org on August 28, 2009 at 10:56 AM
15
I like the green-bike-lane-as-grass idea; it's somehow soothing.
Posted by shabadoo on August 28, 2009 at 10:56 AM
16
Green means Go.
It is a signal to motorist to gun it.
Posted by Bicyclists Beware... on August 28, 2009 at 10:57 AM
Posted by Andy_Squirrel on August 28, 2009 at 10:58 AM
seandr 18
@5 FTW.
Posted by seandr on August 28, 2009 at 11:08 AM
19
A bike lane needs to stand out against the dark asphalt. White, red and yellow are already taken. The other logical choices would be blue and purple. You could make another stupid argument that blue would be like biking on water. Or that purple implies that all bikers are fags.

Another great post by Mudede.
Posted by jinushaun on August 28, 2009 at 11:26 AM
Will in Seattle 20
It's all from a poem:

"Green is the color of my true love's hair"
Posted by Will in Seattle http://www.facebook.com/WillSeattle on August 28, 2009 at 11:28 AM
Andy_Squirrel 21
ps. if life was a reality television show I would be inclined to vote you off liberal island. I'd have some mercy as a result of your effort but ultimately logic would prevail.
Posted by Andy_Squirrel on August 28, 2009 at 11:35 AM
stinkbug 22
Too bad there wasn't someone at the Stranger who posted about this on the slog a year ago this month.

Oh, wait...

http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/gree…
Posted by stinkbug on August 28, 2009 at 12:03 PM
23
Joe Mallahan thinks it's a fiendish plot to poison us.
Posted by Don't you think he looks tired? on August 28, 2009 at 12:09 PM
kim in portland 24
I've seen blue in the PDX metro area, too.
Posted by kim in portland http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/11/fast-paced_video_provides_a_fu.html on August 28, 2009 at 12:17 PM
Michael of the Green 25
It looks like a median -- so confused drivers will stay off. Bikers (being not so dim) will get it.
Posted by Michael of the Green on August 28, 2009 at 1:01 PM
Dougsf 26
I like the blue lanes you see in Denmark. I also like the people riding bikes you see in Denmark.
Posted by Dougsf on August 28, 2009 at 1:04 PM
27
Because green paint is the slickest paint for the nine months the streets are wet in Seattle.
Posted by CG on August 28, 2009 at 1:15 PM
Charles Mudede 28
@26, i would prefer blue over grass-green.
Posted by Charles Mudede on August 28, 2009 at 1:22 PM
Michael of the Green 29
@28 Blue would not succeed in fooling drivers.
Posted by Michael of the Green on August 28, 2009 at 1:36 PM
30
I'm just laughing at how literal some of the commenters are. I'm always amazed how so many Sloggers just don't get cynicism. The angry ones are the funniest..."ME NO GET IT!!! ME ANGRY!!! CHARLES BAD!!"
Posted by non_nw_er on August 28, 2009 at 2:40 PM
fauxxxe 31
OH charles. I really do love you. but sometimes, sometimes... you just need to shut up.
Posted by fauxxxe on August 28, 2009 at 9:32 PM
32
But my question is did they remove the sand from snowpocalypse last December?
Posted by Weekilter on August 28, 2009 at 10:10 PM
NumberOne 33
@ 25 looks more like an obvious pathway for idiot cyclists. Must be so that they can learn to fall into place next to traffic without taking lessons from the school of hard knocks.
Posted by NumberOne on August 29, 2009 at 8:05 AM
34
I love how the commenters all bounce off yet another Charles question like a bunch of dense nutbars. The question is mostly rhetorical and not exactly meant to be taken literally, because we all know why the fucking bike lane is green as it crosses intersections. Charles is giving you people food for thought, and you keep throwing your thinkers peas across the table and asking for intellectual otter pops.
Posted by Gomez http://misterstevengomez.com on August 30, 2009 at 9:17 AM

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