PORTLAND JOINS FIVE OTHER CITIES IN NATIONAL PROJECT FOR PROTECTED BIKEWAYS
Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez, Portland Bureau of Transportation Director and Bikes Belong Foundation Announce Plans for Safer, Stress-Free Bicycling in America
PORTLAND, OREGON (May 31, 2012) – The national bicycling nonprofit Bikes Belong Foundation (www.bikesbelong.org) launched its Green Lane Project today, bringing protected bikeways to Portland and five other U.S. cities over the next two years. The initiative (www.greenlaneproject.org) will work with Austin, Chicago, Memphis, Portland, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., to support the cities’ development of world-class bicycling facility networks. City of Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Tom Miller, along with Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez and top transportation officials from each city, announced initial plans at a kickoff event in Chicago.
Green lanes are dedicated, inviting spaces for people on bikes in the roadway, protected by curbs, planters, posts or parked cars. The goal of the Green Lane Project is to support the selected cities in their efforts to develop and install these kinds of facilities.
“Portland is leading the nation in development of neighborhood greenways and other innovative street designs,” said Martha Roskowski, Green Lane Project director for Bikes Belong. “Its attention to detail to bicycle operations at intersections and other transition points is unmatched.”
Green lanes already have a history of success in Portland. In a recent local survey, 70 percent of respondents said bicycling is easier and safer with these dedicated lanes, while motorists said the facilities did not make driving any slower or less convenient.
”Bicycling can be an incredibly cost effective travel choice when conditions are safe and well executed. America often looks to Portland to lead the way to safer bicycling, yet we know Portland has a lot to learn to meet its own city council-adopted expectations where bikes account for 25 percent of all trips by the year 2030. Collaborating with peer cities from around the country through the Green Lane Project will help bring Portland to the next level,” said Tom Miller, PBOT director.
Initial plans for additional green lane projects in Portland include the new Sellwood and Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail bridges across the Willamette River, buffered lane proposal on N Williams Avenue, and proposal for protected lanes on NE Multnomah Street.
“Green lanes benefit everyone who uses city streets, not just people on bicycles,” said Roskowski. “With these facilities, people in cars and on foot know where to expect bicycles. More people on bikes eases congestion. When people ride bikes, they are healthier, and they save money.”
Advisors to the Green Lane Project include the New York City Department of Transportation, the League of American Bicyclists and the National Association of City Transportation Officials. Funding partners include the SRAM Cycling Fund, Volkswagen of America, Inc, Interbike, Taiwan Bicycle Exporters Association and the Bikes Belong Coalition.
