(Graphic: BikePortland)
Use of multi-use paths throughout the Portland region continues to grow, at least according to annual counts performed by a large coalition of cities, organizations and volunteers that was released by Metro this week.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
The counts were done in conjunction with the National Bicycle & Pedestrian Documentation Project and are organized by Metro in partnership with 13 other cities and counties in Oregon and Southwest Washington. They recruited volunteers who set up counting stations at 107 different locations throughout the region and had trail users fill out forms with basic information.
According to this year’s counts, the daily volume of trail use in 2011 was 25,229 users. That’s up from 19,277 in 2010 (there was a decrease from 2009 to 2010 due to what officials say was a lot of rain during the week counts were done).
57% of the users tallied were men, the majority of which (7,987) were riding bicycles. Interestingly, of the 43% of trail users who were women, almost twice as many were on foot (7,274) than on a bike (3,423).
Extrapolated annually, the top five trails saw a total of 9 million trips in 2011. Below is a breakdown of the top five trails in the region and their totals:
- Tom McCall Waterfront Park Trail – 3.5 million trips
- Eastbank Esplanade – 2.1 million trips
- South Waterfront Trail – 1.3 million trips
- Springwater on the Willamette – 1.2 million trips
- Columbia Renaissance Trail – 700,000 trips
(Photo: Metro)
These regional counts have taken place each year since 2008 are part of a nationwide effort (sponsored by Alta Planning and Design and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Pedestrian and Bicycle Council). The data is used to secure grant funding, measure the return on investment from new path construction, determine where to build new paths, garner feedback from users, make the political case for off-highway paths, and so on.
Learn more about the regional trail counts on Metro’s website. If you’d like to learn more about our regional network of paths and trails, check out The Intertwine and put the three events below on your calendar:
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Quarterly Trails Forum
February 3rd from 2:00 to 4:30 pm
City of Portland Portland Building, 2nd Floor Auditorium (SW 5th and Madison)
Interwine Alliance Summit
February 3rd (same day) from 4:30 to 6:00 pm
Portland City Hall (1221 SW 4th Ave)
2nd Annual Trails Fair
April 25th from 1:00 to 3:15
Metro Regional Center (600 NE Grand)