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:
- Separate routes (such as cycletracks or paths) and low-speed routes (such as bicycle boulevards) should be prioritized over alternatives, even if it means eliminating bicycle lanes on high-speed or high-capacity streets. PBOT should perform a city-wide audit of traffic corridors and intersections that are difficult and/or unsafe for bicycle riders and pedestrians.
- PBOT should prioritize bicycle routes between neighborhoods over routes to downtown and the central city. Broadly, bicycle infrastructure investments should move from opportunistic to strategic and emphasize connectivity and safety.
- PBOT should revise the Bicycle Advisory Committee selection criteria to reflect a greater diversity of economic and social backgrounds, professions and transportation preferences.
Whatever you think of these recommendations, wouldn’t it be cool if they were remembered as important parts of this landmark report — and maybe discussed today in addition to the also-important tax question?