Yesterday at 5:15pm, I needed to get from SE Belmont & 13th to 39th & Powell in short order. Having had many heated arguments in the past with friends about efficiency and light timing (and using it as an extra weapon in my the-’burbs-suck arsenal–sweet limping Moses, those suburban stoplights), I thought Division would be my best bet.*
Every single light I came to between 12th and 39th was red. Every. Single. One. I was like to jump out of my skin. I whittled it down to the following possibilities:
- I am karmically cursed.
- Lights on Division aren’t timed very well.
- Lights on Division aren’t timed very well at rush hour.
- It was a fluke. Normally Division is smooth sailing.
- I don’t drive in rush-hour traffic enough–it’s like this everywhere in PDX.
- Lights in Portland aren’t timed very well in general (disabuse me of my shining love of PDX’s traffic engineering).
Help me figure this out. And while we’re at it: which are the best-timed arterials in town? The worst?
* Before waxing grumpy about how I was driving in a car when there are far superior ways to get around, let it be known that I was driving to the car wash so I could clean my car in preparation of selling it. In other news, know anyone around town looking for a cherry, beautiful 2000 Audi TT? Grin.
{ 3 comments }
I can say with certainty that you can rule out option 4. It’s almost never smooth sailing on Division during evening commute times.
Division is bad during rush hour and Powell is worse. Stark and Burnside are ok.
Biking along Clinton is the fastest way to get up Division during the evening commute. Wave at the cars as they sit still one block over.
Division is not a fast street, which is really a good thing in my book. Powell is designed to take the fast, heavy traffic; Division ain’t.
I’d guess that your best bet that time of day would be 11th to Hawthorne to 20th / 21st (through the 7 corners of hell) to Powell and out — there’s usually not too much backup at 21st & Powell.
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