Despite an early morning deluge, thousands of Portlanders turned out to walk and roll around a loop of carfree streets as part of the Sunday Parkways event today.
The open streets event that began in 2008 hasn’t visited downtown Portland since 2019. The route of this year’s event was a loop of SW Broadway and SW Park, and it felt like there was something fun to discover on every block. Businesses opened up for the open streets, giving away food and drink and hosting excellent live music. From the legit jazz band outside the Benson Hotel (who ironically blocked the bike lane with tables and chairs for viewing the music) to Karl Blackwood playing trumpet while the folks at Alder Bistro handed out free hot dogs, the sounds of the streets echoed for blocks.
I bumped into clowns, opera singers, theater actors, a saxophonist, and all types of community groups and nonprofits at the marketplaces along the route. It was also really nice to meet so many BikePortland readers and I appreciate everyone who introduced themselves!
This event has become just as much about community as it is about mobility. It’s a way for Portlanders to come together in the street.
Check out the rest of my photos below and stay tuned for a video Monday morning.
Thanks for reading.
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I heard repeatedly, that was THE best Sunday Parkways!
Imagine downtown car-free like that EVERY Sunday! WOOT! WOOT!
Thank you PBOT!
Thank you Jonathan for sharing our joy with rest of the city who missed it!
This looks like great fun! I’m sad to have missed it. These photos makes me feel a little homesick; my hometown Jakarta holds car-free days in our city center every Sunday morning since 2012. Maybe someday in Portland too 🙂
Cars should be banned from the park blocks permanently!
Okay maybe just every weekend.
Such fun! The rain washed the streets for us and the sun came out to join in the celebration!
I love Sunday Parkways because of all the kids I see on bikes. And the dogs. Thanks for these pictures, Jonathan.
The density of things going on gave it a unique feel compared to the longer neighborhood parkways loops. It was amazing to see how many people were enjoying it on foot, too. It was relatively easy to get between things for those without wheels, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that led to a higher turnout. It was clear a lot of effort had been put into this one, it felt special.
I hope they continue to mix it up next year with at least one smaller loop like this.
I agree with all of your comments. It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces, and I especially appreciated the strong turnout of walkers this time. I’ve been a regular volunteer since the very first event in North Portland in 2008, and I’m glad I was able to help out again yesterday.
As a side note, before my afternoon shift I walked the course and dropped off copies of a No Vacancy Window Gallery Art Walk brochure at several locations. I hope folks will head to Old Town Chinatown before December 1 to see the exhibits. The neighborhood could really use some positive foot traffic…
Exactly. This was something at every turn – the neighborhood ones have their own special thing here – kids with lemonaide stands are awesome – but I bike downtown often and I’ve never explored PSU campus that much and definitely rode on some new sections for an area I thought I knew well on bike. Vendors and stores were all so excited (and relieved after setting up in a downpour no doubt) to see the crowds come out. Please please please do this again Portland! Thank you bike community for coming out in droves!
Sunday Parkways makes triumphant return downtown
Meanwhile….the ignored citizens of outer East Portland get this to enjoy…..
https://katu.com/news/local/northeast-portland-residents-frustrated-as-street-takeovers-persist
Maybe big intersections should have round-abouts installed?
In the Bend area (there are other areas I’ve encountered on my journeys with round-abouts, but they seem to have the most) there a tons of round-abouts, of all sizes, very successfully working. There’s no excuse why they can’t be placed all over Portland.
I agree with y’all that East Portland with its medium-wide stroads (much wider than inner Portland anyway) should be ideal for implementing roundabouts, but as usual the problem isn’t really about design or cost, it’s about local politics. The 4 East Portland school districts that still bus students on the yellow buses seem to object the most to having roundabouts east of I-205 (where PPS effectively ends). PBOT once upon a time (25-30 years ago) put one on SE 122nd at Stephens and the David Douglas School District almost immediately got PBOT to remove it – the school bus drivers, many of whom were volunteers, were hitting the islands with the buses and massively blocking traffic. And each of the 4 public school districts (David Douglas, Centennial, Parkrose, and Reynolds) still wield a lot of clout both in Portland and in cities nearby.
The roundabouts in Bend are deathtraps for cyclists. Trying merging with cars going 25 mph in a circle. They are very anti-cyclist.
East Portland also had a Sunday Parkways event this year, it was on July 27th.
At least you’re consistent.
https://www.portland.gov/sunday-parkways/east-event-2025
Seems like this spot would be a perfect place for the same kind of treatment that Woodward received.
Jonathan reported on this in February
https://bikeportland.org/2025/02/20/concrete-curbs-in-south-tabor-neighborhood-aim-to-tame-drivers-donuts-392906
Umm, the Alameda neighborhood is neither “outer” nor ignored.
Uhh…seems like there was plenty of room for bikes in the street right?….yesterday we didn’t need the bike lane for bikes. Good on the Benson for brining on the music (and a place to enjoy it!)
Yes it was awesome! I didn’t say I didn’t approve of the blockage. In fact, I joked about it with the hotel’s GM. It’s ironic because they have a history of being against that bike lane.
Your tortured explanation betrays your weak formulation. I too read your original comment as disapproval. The word “ironically” might not be doing the work you may think it’s doing. If I were your writing teacher, I’d say “Rewrite that sentence.”
Wow tough crowd. I think the word ironic is very accurate here given the context. Once again, some folks read my work with a bias that I cannot defend against because it’s such a powerful lens.
It’s ironic to block a bike lane at a bike (or at least car free) event.
Not surprising for jazz musicians, though. They jam everywhere they go.
Heyooo!
I see what you did there….
excellent !
it was a beautiful jam; I danced by myself and also with friends
At least most of the riders appear to be wearing helmets.
LoL, imagine all zero of the people who crashed and landed squarely onto the top of their head, what if they hadn’t been wearing plastic hats.
Who was that fellow with the big Shift is unlawful sign?
His name is Matt Landon. He’s got major beef w Shift and has made serious allegations about them. Shift doesn’t agree with Landon’s claims and the issue is still being hashed out.
Indeed he does. I was prepared to tell him that he might be being a jerk with that sign, but I backed down when he described his issue with Shift. It’s well above my pay grade to take a stance without a better understanding of the allegations and the law.
Any chance you could share what those allegations are, and whether they have any weight? This is the first I’ve heard of anything, and there’s absolutely nothing that I can find online.
Ummm, I will try. This is complicated because Landon’s allegations are difficult to relay. Convoluted and hard to follow. I’ve asked Shift for a statement in hopes that will add some clarity.
Convoluted is an understatement. It’s one dude and his personal grudge that was demanding a disproportionate amount of attention from everyone. I felt bad for the shift folks
We need more GO signs for bikes and STOP signs for cars. It’s really just that simple.
Blocking the 4th Ave (too narrow and on the wrong side of the street) bikeway from being used until the little red bike signals are lit, while cars continue to have two thru lanes, kinda says everything you need to know about “active transportation investments” in this city.
PBOT: so afraid of people on bikes going over 10 mph that they build special infrastructure to slow them down but so saguine with the death toll from speeding drivers that they de-prioritize and slow-walk speed cameras
It was a great event! Maybe a bit nitpicky, but I would have loved to have seen more intersections fully closed off rather than have crossing guards. The stop and go killed a bit of the riding momentum for me.
Agree 100%. Going through my photos, several of them really lost their magic because of a passing car clearly shown in the background.
Particularly on a Sunday.
It was a good loop. Some questionable booth placement that created bottlenecks, but there was probably a good reason. I’m glad the rain played nice.
I don’t want to play into the hand of attention seeking provocateurs…but what was the deal with the dude and his “shift2bikes is unlawful” sign?
I see my question has been answered above. I’m surprised I can’t find any online presence for the grievances or campaign.