PBOT gives bike bus leaders traffic signal superpowers

The latest illustration of how the City of Portland supports bike buses is a novel innovation that gives school ride leaders superpowers: At several locations across the city where bike bus routes cross busy intersections, the Portland Bureau of Transportation has programmed traffic signals with a custom, bike bus-friendly timing plan that is activated by a longer push of the beg button.

We’ve heard of transit signal priority to move buses through traffic. You could think of this as bike bus signal priority. I first heard about this from PBOT Director Millicent Williams when she spoke at the Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting last Tuesday. I then reached out to PBOT for clarification.

According to PBOT Communications Director Hannah Schaffer, signals engineers have re-programmed several traffic signals with added green “Walk” times that are initiated by a longer push of the pedestrian “beg” button. When activated, the new “Walk” signals give a significantly longer period of green crossing time than usual — in some cases over one minute (when combined with a shorter, flashing “Don’t Walk” signal), compared to just 10-15 seconds for a typical “Walk” signal. The extended walk signals are available for only a short window of time during the morning bike bus commute.

Below are just three examples Schafer was able to share with BikePortland:

• Location: SE Division at SE 80th. Timeframe: 7:00 to 8:15 am. Push and hold the pedestrian button crossing on SE Division to receive an extended walk up to 45 seconds (plus another 18 seconds flashing “Don’t Walk”)
• Location: SE Powell at 71st/72nd. Timeframe: 7:00 to 8:30 am. Push and hold the pedestrian button crossing Powell to receive an extended walk up to 45 seconds (plus 15 seconds flashing “Don’t Walk”). This also activates a pedestrian extension timer at 72nd and Powell crossing Powell, so these two intersections can stay red for Powell and allow for the bike movements heading south to east to south.
• Location: SE Holgate at 72nd. Timeframe: 7:15 to 8:30 am. We’ve installed a specific button on the NW corner that shows a “bike” symbol on it. The pedestrian movement will be served every cycle, as usual, but if you push and hold this button it will extend the walk up to 55 seconds (plus 8 seconds flashing “Don’t Walk”). We’ve also installed a pedestrian head start [also known as a leading pedestrian interval, or LPI] at this location for the crossing of Holgate (delays vehicle green for 4 seconds, in this case, and gives pedestrian movements a “head start”).

Keep in mind, these traffic signals weren’t designed to accommodate this type of use-case. What we have here is a government agency empowering knowledgable staff to use existing technology to support adopted policy goals and provide better service for road users. Longer “Walk” times will allow bike buses to stay together and might reduce the need for “corking” intersections — an often stressful move where a volunteer steps in front of opposing traffic to make sure everyone gets through the intersection.

These novel new signal adjustments are just one way PBOT is supporting the growth of bike buses, which now happen weekly at 20-25 schools across Portland’s five school districts. In April BikePortland reported on $650,000 from various sources that has been earmarked for bike bus-related investments. This includes a new wayfinding and signage program, intersection daylighting adjacent to school campuses (which is currently happening at nine schools, with another nine to be completed by the end of the school year), modal filters, and other traffic calming projects.

Yesterday PBOT launched a new survey seeking input on where and how to spend that money. The email announcing the survey was titled, “Greenways were made for bike buses.” It’s an acknowledgment that, while the latest bike bus revolution is only a few years old, PBOT’s robust network of 122 miles of neighborhood greenways are the foundation that makes it possible.

“As we continue to have conversations about what we do to support the bike bus movement,” PBOT Director Williams said the BAC meeting last week, “some of that will require some changes.” “There is a deep interest in making sure that we do that well and do that right.”