Tell PBOT where new Biketown stations should go

The City of Portland has released a survey that gives everyone a chance to create a fantasy Biketown system.

As we reported last week, the Portland Bureau of Transportation is eyeing a major expansion of the Biketown service area. Now they want your help to find where holes exist in the current system.

The survey includes a map where you can click a location and request a new station. Because PBOT has typically favored widening the coverage area over adding more bikes and stations to the system, there are still plenty of Biketown deserts in Portland.

One of those areas is the north Overlook neighborhood. Reader Richard R. has been pushing PBOT to add bikes and racks near the Kaiser hospital buildings for months. “Why no Biketown station, or even a single designated bike rack of any size anywhere near Overlook Park?” he asked in a recent email. “It’s a 1.2 mile gap in an expanding network. Why are people forced to pay $1 “out of station fee” (many riders) for parking near the park and the Kaiser Health buildings?”

Now folks like Richard have a chance to make things right. To make your request, simply click a spot on the map at the survey. You can even leave a comment to explain why the area needs bikes.

Biketown first launched in Portland in July 2016. PBOT unleashed a major expansion and switched the fleet to all-electric bikes in September 2020.

In addition to station location requests and general questions about Biketown use, PBOT also asks survey-takers to share general impressions of the agency overall.

Please take this survey. We need Biketown — and PBOT! — to go from good to great if we want to reach our cycling goals.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
— Get our headlines delivered to your inbox.
— Support this independent community media outlet with a one-time contribution or monthly subscription.