TriMet sign at SE Clinton and 23rd.
(Photo: Betsy Reese)

As of Sunday May 15th, TriMet’s Line 10 has been moved off Clinton Street between SE 21st and SE 26th — much to the pleasure of advocates who have wanted to clear bus traffic from the popular neighborhood greenway route for many years.

The Clinton Street Neighborhood Greenway is the only greenway between Division and Powell Blvd. Without it, people biking would have to go out of their way and cross busy corridors in order to move east-west through the Hosford-Abernethy and Richmond neighborhoods.

This greenway is one of Portland’s most beloved, and many people have pushed for more car traffic diverters to keep driving volumes low so that it can live up to the city’s “low-stress, family friendly” promise.

It’s nearly impossible to meet that expectation when people are sharing the street with large, loud, and toxic vehicles.

Line 10 will now go eastbound from SE Ladd and Division to SE 26th Ave (and vice-versa westbound) and avoid Clinton St entirely.

Looking east on SE Clinton at 25th.
(Photo: Taylor Griggs/BikePortland)

Nearby resident and veteran bike advocacy volunteer Betsy Reese notified us of the change. She said she’s been “working to get the number 10 off our greenway for many, many years.” “Thanks to Covid,” she continued, “it has finally happened.”

At the beginning of the pandemic, the 10 bus was rerouted from Clinton St as part of the Portland Bureau of Transportation shutting off car traffic on Clinton between 25th and 26th Avenues as part of their Safe Streets Initiative. As you can see in the photo above taken Monday, the busy intersection has become a carfree plaza with several restaurants teaming up on a Healthy Business permits that has allowed them to make the block carfree.

The plaza is very popular with business owners and many nearby residents. Moving the bus off Clinton not only improves the cycling environment, it makes it much more likely the block at 26th remains carfree forever.