This article was written by East Portland resident Sean Pliska. It has been guest-edited by Adrienne So.
Ed. note: This memo was not written by Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Millicent Williams. Rather, it is a memo that Sean Pliska wishes she would have written.
PORTLAND BUREAU OF TRANSPORTATION
Departmental Memorandum
To: All PBOT Divisions, Program Managers, Project Delivery Staff, and Planning Teams
From: Director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation
Date: August 13, 2026
Subject: Directive on Bicycle Investment Prioritization and Mode Share Growth
Purpose
Effective immediately, PBOT shall prioritize bicycle investments based on their demonstrated ability to increase bicycle mode share.
While the bureau has produced numerous plans, including the 2035 Bike Plan and Central City in Motion, our project selection process has not consistently focused resources on the projects most likely to produce measurable growth in bicycling. As a result, bicycle mode share has not achieved significant growth, despite substantial planning activity and investment. The mayor and I have decided to make a decisive change based on feedback from our constituents and evidence. We will henceforth focus our efforts on projects that will lead to bicycle mode share growth.
The purpose of this directive is to establish a clear framework for prioritizing projects that will increase ridership, close critical network gaps, and accelerate progress toward Portland’s transportation, climate, and safety goals.
Policy Direction
PBOT shall prioritize bicycle investments according to the following hierarchy:
- Operationalize the low-stress bicycle network
- Identify and remove high-demand bottlenecks which limit ridership, generally Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) 2-4
- Deliver separated facilities rapidly using cost-effective materials
- Progress monitor outcomes through quarterly bicycle counts and mode-share data
- Scale successful interventions across the network, generally starting with central bottlenecks and moving outward
Projects that score highly within this framework shall receive priority consideration for discretionary funding, staff resources, and implementation.
Directive 1: Operationalize the Bicycle Network
Within three months, PBOT Planning shall establish objective and measurable criteria defining the bicycle network intended to serve the broadest segment of Portland residents, including those interested in bicycling but unwilling to ride in stressful traffic conditions.
The bureau shall:
- Establish clear criteria for low-stress bicycle facilities (e.g., physical separation at 20 mph, limit ADT on shared streets to 500)
- Identify corridors that meet those standards (generally LTS 1) and those that do not based on measurable data
- Produce a realistic audit and citywide map of the revised operational, low-stress network
- Identify bottlenecks preventing continuous low-stress travel
Network designation shall be based on measurable operating conditions rather than facility labels alone, as has historically been the case. The purpose of this effort is to ensure that network planning reflects actual rider experience along major commuter corridors and provides a consistent benchmark for evaluating progress.
Directive 2: Prioritize High-Demand Bottlenecks
Beginning with the next capital programming cycle, demonstrated and projected ridership demand shall become a primary factor in project prioritization.
PBOT shall prioritize locations that exhibit:
- Longitudinal bike counts suggesting high bicycle demand on corridors where bottlenecks fail to meet the above LTS 1 requirements
- Limited alternative routes and significant geographic or network constraints
- Strategic connections to downtown and regional centers
Bicycle count data, travel demand data, and network analysis shall be used to identify these bottlenecks which include but are not limited to major commuter corridors such as: NE Couch/Burnside, N Broadway/Weidler, SE Madison/Hawthorne, N Williams/Vancouver. The bureau’s objective is straightforward: remove barriers where the greatest number of current and potential riders are affected.
Equity, safety, diversity, geographic distribution, and maintenance considerations remain important factors in decision-making. However, projects that address major network bottlenecks and have a high probability of increasing ridership shall receive elevated priority as of this memo.
Directive 3: Deploy High-Yield Infrastructure
PBOT shall shift from a project delivery model that waits for large capital construction opportunities toward a model emphasizing rapid implementation and use of moderate-cost, moderate-duration materials.
Where feasible, staff shall prioritize:
- Durable modular separation systems
- Rubber curb protection
- Prefab concrete curbs and islands where appropriate
- Planters and hardened barriers
- Quick-build intersection treatments
- Protected bicycle signal installations
The bureau shall seek to complete critical central corridor improvements within two years, rather than decades, within budget constraints. Permanent capital projects remain important. However, lack of full capital funding shall not be considered sufficient justification for delaying improvements at major bottlenecks when lower-cost treatments can provide substantial network benefits in the interim.
Performance Measurement
All major bicycle corridor projects shall include pre- and post-implementation evaluation.
Performance metrics shall include:
- Pre- and post-bicycle counts
- Projected ridership growth
- Growth in diversity of ridership (for example, by age, sex, or socioeconomic status)
- Safety outcomes
- Mode changes where measurable
The success of a project shall be evaluated not only by its completion, but by its ability to increase bicycle use across a diverse aggregate of people.
Initial Implementation Priority: Broadway Main Street Corridor
As an initial application of this policy, PBOT shall evaluate accelerated delivery of a protected bicycle facility connecting the downtown protected network to the Broadway/Weidler and Williams/Vancouver corridors.
Analysis conducted to date indicates:
- The corridor represents a significant gap in the low-stress bicycle network.
- Existing bicycle volumes on connecting facilities are among the highest in Portland.
- The corridor functions as a critical connection between North and Northeast Portland and downtown.
- Existing conditions create a bottleneck that constrains ridership growth.
Staff shall examine opportunities to deliver corridor separation and associated bicycle signal improvements through phased implementation using rapid-deployment materials where appropriate. The objective is not simply construction of a LTS 1 facility, but removal of a major barrier within one of Portland’s highest-demand bicycle corridors.
Bureau Expectations
Effective immediately, all bicycle project proposals seeking discretionary funding shall include:
- An assessment of the project’s impact on network connectivity
- Existing bicycle demand data relevant to the project corridor
- Estimated ridership increase based demand projections
- Identification of bottlenecks addressed
- Explanation of why the project is a higher priority than competing investments
Projects unable to demonstrate meaningful contributions toward ridership growth shall receive lower priority than projects addressing critical network gaps and high-demand corridors.
Conclusion
The mayor and I have listened to our constituents and have heard that Portland does not need another planning framework. It needs a project selection framework that directs scarce resources toward measurable increases in bicycle use. The bureau’s objective is clear: increase bicycle mode share by focusing quality investments where they will have the greatest impact.
From this point forward, PBOT’s bicycle investments shall be guided by a simple principle: Where demand is highest, where network bottlenecks are greatest, and where improvements can be delivered quickly, those projects shall move to the front of the line.
Signed,
Millicent D. Williams, director
