Just noticed this over at News4Neighbors:
-
“The City of Portland was awarded a federal grant to develop a comprehensive signing system for Portland’s bikeways. For the past year we have been designing a signing system that will use two types of signs: destination signs and route confirmation signs and markings. We identified more than 70 destinations to which we would like to direct cyclists (Central City map and City-wide Map) (destinations shown in red). Destination signs will be placed at the intersections of all established bikeways and anywhere else a cyclist faces a decision point…We will finish up final sign design by the end of November and will then seek approval from the Oregon Department of Transportation to use these new signs. Assuming all goes well, we hope to install the signs by next winter.”
Read more about the signs and the status of the project on the City of Portland Office of Transportation website. They’ve also got links to sneak peaks of more of the signs (PDF) and informational kiosks that are in the works. Man, those guys are always up to something.
Thanks for reading.
BikePortland has served this community with independent community journalism since 2005. We rely on subscriptions from readers like you to survive. Your financial support is vital in keeping this valuable resource alive and well.
Please subscribe today to strengthen and expand our work.
This is an exciting development, for sure. However, a year to develop signage? Hmmm…..
in addition to the time figure, suggest adding “free parking” and “a $1.80 value” and “n calories burned”, for each distance, with the AAA average per-mile automotive cost of $0.56 used for calcs. :^)
You should ask Roger to show you their pavement markings for bicycle boulevards as well. These will be on-road stencils placed at regular intervals on bicycle boulevards (that is, designated low-traffic bike routes without bike lanes, such as SE Ankeny, SE Salmon, SE Lincoln/Harrison, SE Clinton, etc), both to reinforce that you’re still on the route and to tell you where the route turns.
That’s the aspect I’m most excited about–there are all kinds of really cool pavement markings used in Europe, and I’m excited to see Portland start to use them. It is a much more direct and sensible way to help cyclists get around, and “advertise” cycling to the not-yet-converted, than signs, that tend to get lost in the visual clutter.
Yes, we love signage on the Bike Boulevards.
But let’s not forget the North East’s very own – the Tillamook Bike Boulevard. A lovely bike stroll from 92nd all the way to Flint, just before the Broadway Bridge.
I love the idea of the stencils on the bike boulevard routes–it’s something in addition to the tiny green signs that do indeed get lost in the trees. I hope the on-street stencils will be large, so they will also serve to remind motorists that bikes will be/are present.
This looks and sounds a lot like what’s been implemented in Berkeley–the bicycle boulevard idea with large road stencils and signs that give mileage to certain destinations. In the week I’ve been riding around Berkeley, I’ve found the stencils and highly visible signs (they’re purple here) to be quite useful, especially for newcomers such as myself or to folks new or infrequent to cycling.
In other words, way to go, Portland!
Those of us on the westside would be thrilled to see “little green signs” in our area.
If we ever saw “destination signs and route confirmation signs and markings” on the westside (outside the downtown area), I’m not sure we could handle the excitement. 🙂
[…] [Peter is referring to the bikeway network signage.] […]
[…] Wanted to point out today’s Oregonian article on the new bikeway network signs. For most of you, these signs are old news. […]