Northwest Portland is on a roll when it comes to becoming more bike-friendly. The district has projects under construction, a major new plan for more of them headed to city council next week, and now there’s a new funding source for bike parking.
Late last month the Portland Bureau of Transportation launched the Northwest Bike Parking Fund. This new initiative uses money raised from the Northwest/Zone M Parking District (established in 2016) to subsidize the cost of new bike parking facilities. The program is for residential, commercial, or mixed-use building owners who want to create or improve long-term parking such as secure bike rooms.
Once building owners fill out an interest form and meet on-site with PBOT staff, PBOT makes a recommendation and will provide up to $5,000 to purchase the parking equipment. PBOT buys the equipment, then building owners install it and retain ownership once it’s in the ground.
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Bike theft from long-term parking areas has skyrocketed over the past year. Hopefully PBOT requires ample security measures for any plans they endorse.
The program comes as Portland City Council is set to adopt the Northwest In Motion plan next Thursday (October 8th). That plan establishes a list of high-priority projects that aim to double cycling rates in the district.
Another major project PBOT is working on in Northwest is the Flanders Crossing Bridge over I-405 which broke ground back in July.
For more information about the new NW Bike Parking Fund, check out PBOT’s website.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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