(Photo: Jeff Castro/BikeRacker)
Cycling soccer fans could hold the key to whether or not the upcoming Portland Timbers match at Jeld-Wen Field (formerly PGE Park) ends up in a traffic snarl in downtown Portland
On April 14th, the Timbers, hold their first home match as a Major League Soccer franchise. The newly renovated arena has a capacity of 20,000 fans (up from 16,000) and it’s located in a dense part of downtown Portland. With auto parking at a premium, the City of Portland and the Timbers are doing everything they can to encourage folks to get to the stadium without a car.
Whether or not a traffic snarl results could come down to how many people arrive by bike. To make sure there’s enough room for all of them, 400 bicycle parking spaces will be provided.
In addition to a parking meter rate increase passed by City Council last month and words of encouragement to leave the car at home from Mayor Sam Adams and Commissioner Randy Leonard, TriMet buses and MAX trains (which stop across the street from the stadium) will be running at full capacity.
Whether or not a traffic snarl results could come down to how many people arrive by bike. To make sure there’s enough room for all of them, 400 bicycle parking spaces will be provided.
(Graphic: Fat Pencil Studio for BikePortland)
Sarah Figliozzi, who manages the bike parking program at the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), says the 400 spaces will be divided among two convenient locations: along SW Morrison Street (which will be closed between SW 18th and 20th on gameday) and along SW 18th (between SW Taylor and Yamhill).
The Portland Timbers are providing 300 of the bike parking spaces. 250 of those spaces are reserved for season ticket holders. The bike parking option, which comes with staffed security, was offered by the Timbers as a perk and it quickly sold out.
PBOT is adding 100 more “just to ensure there is an adequate amount,” says Figliozzi.
Figliozzi says bicycle parking will be set up approximately three hours prior to the game start and will be broken down about an hour after it’s over. One final note from Figliozzi: “Remember that the MAX trains will be at capacity on game days and they should not be planning on being able to find room on the trains for their bikes.”