After years of headlines about the decline of bicycling in Portland, the city wants to establish a new narrative: “Portlanders are returning to biking and they want to bike more.” That was the opening line in a statement today along with the release of the transportation bureau’s 2023 Bicycle Counts Report.
BikePortland covered a preview of this report last month, which found that cycling rates were up 5% over 2022, and now PBOT has released the full analysis based on a combination of volunteer and hose counts at 272 locations citywide. And with a stroke of welcome political acumen, PBOT also included a list of infrastructure projects in the same press release that aim to make bicycling safer and more enticing.
In a statement released with the report today, PBOT Director Millicent Williams said the 2023 count, “Underscores the need for continued collaboration between advocates for sustainable transportation options and PBOT” and that, “PBOT is committed to making biking, walking and public transit accessible to everyone, in all parts of Portland.”
“We will continue to grow our neighborhood greenways and protected bike lanes in East Portland,” Williams added. “We also need to make sure that as we grow our bike infrastructure, we are updating our older facilities and making sure the new infrastructure we install is substantial and long lasting.”
PBOT Bicycle Advisory Committee Chair Alexandra Holmqvist also shared thoughts about the report, saying that it, “Shows what we know in our community, which is that Portlanders are eager to return to biking.”
And to ensure the trend continues into 2024 and beyond, PBOT touted their work on new neighborhood greenways in east Portland and St. Johns, “areas that have historically not had shared neighborhood bike routes.”
In east Portland, PBOT will break ground this spring on a new greenway through the Parkrose Neighborhood that utilizes NE 115th and Skidmore between NE Sandy Blvd and Fremont. Another greenway on NE Sacramento between NE 122nd and 162nd is also in the plans this year. The $500,000 project is still in final design stages.
In north Portland, PBOT is working on new greenways on N Delaware (between Sumner and Terry), N Burr, and the Upper St. Johns greenway that will bring traffic calming and other changes to Charleston, Bank, Swenson and Bristol streets.
In addition to those and over $100 million in other major projects citywide that will begin construction this year, PBOT also announced today they plan to improve and update existing neighborhood greenways to bring them into compliance with city standards for driving speeds, volumes, and crossing safety. Those projects include new speed bumps and other calming measures on NE 37th from Fremont to Killingsworth and SE Salmon from 7th to 35th. Construction is also set to begin on a bike-friendly crossing treatment on NW 24th and Vaughn and SE 52nd and Gladstone/Center.
The full report is much more detailed and comprehensive than the preview they released last month. Take a look at the 38-page Portland Bicycle Counts report here.