New striping and more on
N. Vancouver Ave.
(Photos: Joan Petit)

The Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has made changes to the street around the intersection of N. Vancouver Avenue and Morris. This stretch of Vancouver is a busy bikeway and it sees a fair amount of people walking due to the adjacent park (Dawson Park) and several Legacy Emanuel Hospital buildings.

Reader Joan Petit recently spotted some changes to Vancouver that she feels have made a big safety improvement. I've shared her thoughts and photos below: (more...)

A City Club committee found that separated cycle tracks connecting neighborhoods,
like this one on NE Cully Boulevard, should be the city's priority for bike
infrastructure even if it means eliminating painted bike lanes on other streets.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

At its regular Friday Forum today at noon, the Portland City Club will hear from a panel of bike experts and vote on the big report about biking in Portland released Wednesday.

If you've only heard one thing about the report, it's probably that it was the latest venue for a group of bike supporters to endorse a dedicated tax on retail bike sales.

But that was far from the only idea in the 83-page report. For example, here are three more interesting conclusions about how to improve biking in Portland from the report, which was a year in the making:

(more...)

PBOT has already marked areas in need of
repair on N Michigan Ave and many other neighborhood
greenways throughout the city.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

BikePortland News Editor Michael Andersen contributed reporting for this story.

Have you noticed the white paint that outlines the many cracks and potholes on your favorite neighborhood greenway? They started appearing weeks ago and I assumed something was up at the Bureau of Transportation (PBOT). Before I left for Europe I confirmed my hunch. It turns out that PBOT, city maintenance crews, and Mayor Hales' office have reached an agreement that will soon bring relief to the horrible condition of our local streets — many of which have recently been turned into neighborhood greenways.

"This is good news for people who are walking and are using bikes, and especially kids who are getting to school," PBOT spokeswoman Diane Dulken shared with us today. (more...)

St. Johns resident Walker Leiser (and his daughter) have
seen their neighborhood transform in part because
of the tree-lined, traffic-calmed street that runs through it.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

What the Bureau of Transportation has done in the past few years to develop a low-stress residential street network has revolutionized Portland neighborhoods. The changes aren't always noticed, but their impact is beginning to emerge. For relative pennies, PBOT has created a (mostly) connected, family-friendly network of streets that are comfortable to bike on and easy to navigate. It's still not perfect (never will be), but the maturity of this network is worth noticing. And at the 'Sharrows to Sparrows' ride held on April 27th, it was hard to miss. (more...)

When it comes to making neighborhood streets nicer for bicycling, sometimes little things can make a huge difference. N. Michigan Avenue is a good example. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) began to make Michigan an official part of their neighborhood greenway network just over one year ago. The improvements have come slowly and in phases; but recent changes have made a significant difference.

I ride Michigan twice a day from Rosa Parks Way to Fremont so I know it well. With just speed bumps and sharrows, I didn't notice a huge difference in the bicycling environment. But with new crossing improvements and a host of stop sign changes, it's starting to really shine and become the efficient and safe bikeway it needs to be.
(more...)

What you see driving north on MLK Jr. Blvd at NE Going Street.

Noted local lawyer, bike law expert, and veteran advocate Ray Thomas has penned a new article about what he feels is a safety issue at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd (MLK) and N Going Street. Thomas is known for his writing and has published a number of articles on legal topics. He usually doesn't write about intersection design, but he has made an exception this time. (more...)

Is your favorite greenway on the
map? See larger version below.

At their meeting tomorrow, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) will ask City Council to adopt a map of streets where they plan to install hundreds of new 20 mph signs.

Back in July, I shared details on how PBOT plans to roll out the new signs. The signs are the final piece of PBOT's effort to lower speed limits on low-traffic neighborhood residential streets that are part of the existing neighborhood greenway network. (PBOT helped pass a state law in 2011 that gave them the authority to reduce speeds by 5 mph in certain circumstances.)

According to the ordinance filed by the City, they're planning to install up to 300 new signs on 70 miles of streets. Most of the installations will be on already well-known neighborhood greenways streets in north, northeast, and southeast Portland. A few streets in southwest will also get the treatment, including portions of SW Illinois, Vermont, Maplewood, 52nd, SW Cheltenham, and others. Only a few of the signs will be installed downtown, with SW Harbor Way near Riverplace the only location in the plans. PBOT plans to eventually install some in the Pearl District/Northwest Portland area, but they are still analyzing data. (more...)

Reader Nick Welch sent in this photo of the new
shared-use path PBOT has built between Westanna and Newell
streets in north Portland.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation has just completed a new shared-use path as part of their North Portland Connector neighborhood greenway project. The new pathway connects N Westanna Ave to Newell Ave and to the Peninsula Crossing Trail just north of Lombard.

The pathway is a crucial section of PBOT's east-west bike boulevard that allows people to ride safely across the north Portland peninsula west of Interstate Avenue via a combination of streets including N. Houghton, Dana, and Terry.

Kenton resident Nick Welch works in St. Johns and says this greenway is exactly what he needed. "Now you can finally get across the North Portland peninsula without touching the abomination that is Lombard Street."
(more...)

Everywhere you look, PBOT is making neighborhood
streets safer. In this photo, people use the new
crossing treatment at N. Concord and Rosa Parks.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

It's hard to overstate the importance of the Portland Bureau of Transportation's neighborhood greenway program. The combination of considerable expertise in, and dedication to, neighborhood traffic safety from veteran staffers and engineers, and the $1 million (or so) annual budget thanks to Mayor Sam Adams, has resulted in a burgeoning and connected network of neighborhood greenways (a.k.a. their previous name of bike boulevards) that just keep getting better and better.

As I ride around, I've noticed the progress in almost every quadrant of the city; from new crossing treatments in outer southeast to speed bumps right outside my front door in north Portland. According to PBOT, they've got nine projects that are either currently under construction or just recently completed.

Below are just a few signs of progress I've come across recently...
(more...)

Well hello! Nice to see you too!
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

(more...)