This diverter and lane reconfiguration at SE 30th and Lincoln/Harrison is part of the project.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

The City of Portland has released the first batch of traffic analysis data for one of their most contentious projects in years and the numbers look good if you’re a fan of safer streets.
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The driver of this car was either unaware of the changes or felt they didn’t apply to him.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Making good on a promise made back in April, the Portland Bureau of Transportation has installed new plastic wands, signage, and striping at the intersection of North Michigan Avenue and Skidmore.
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Volunteers with Inner Southeast Action greet a user of SE Lincoln at the event this morning.
(Photos: Brighton West)

Story and photos by Brighton West.

A new community group in southeast Portland organized a ‘Gathering on the Greenways’ as their inaugural event this morning. Inner Southeast Action was formed to embrace change and to promote livability, inclusivity, sustainability and climate protection.

On June 26th, they set up at the intersection of 30th and Lincoln from 7:00 to 9:00 am to create a Breakfast on the Bridges-style event on the east side. They plan to repeat this event three more times this summer on different inner southeast neighborhood greenways.

One thing that was different from Breakfast on the Bridges (besides the lack of a bridge) was that organizers were also greeting car users. As drivers pulled up, volunteers thanked them for driving safely, gave them a map of the greenway and — in true Breakfast on the Bridges fashion — offered them a homemade muffin.

The feel of the event was very community-oriented and positive. Neighbors on foot, bike commuters, kids, dogs and even drivers embraced the opportunity to stop to socialize on the quiet, neighborhood street. The gathering epitomized what a neighborhood greenway is supposed to be: low-stress and family-friendly.

One of the organizers, Andrea Brown said, “This was a great opportunity for cyclists and drivers and neighbors to interact and get to know each other as people, not just ‘drivers’ or ‘bikers’, and everyone was really happy about the community building.”

The traffic operation changes at SE Lincoln and 30th have had a tremendously positive impact on street safety. According to PBOT Neighborhood Greenways Program Coordinator Scott Cohen, data shows a more than 16% decrease in vehicle speeds and a 35% reduction in cut-through traffic. These are significant safety improvements for such a low-cost project. Definitely something to be celebrated!

Community members are brainstorming ways to make the intersection even more community friendly, so expect to see some new paint, landscaping or other aesthetic improvements soon.

The next Gathering on the Greenway will be July 24th at a soon to be announced location. Learn more at InnerSoutheastAction.org.

— Brighton West

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Looking west at NE Glisan St and 128th Ave at Menlo Park Elementary School.

(Publisher’s Note: This is an official news release from the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation republished here for your convenience. Feedback? Contact Jonathan Maus)

Soon you’ll be able to bike between nine different schools and five parks on the new 130’s Neighborhood Greenway
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There was a mix of chaos and contentment in the neighborhoods around the bluffs of North Willamette Blvd this morning. Residents seemed thrilled that the City of Portland had finally done something significant to end the scourge of cut-through drivers; while many drivers were befuddled and beside themselves at their newfound inability to use small neighborhood streets as shortcuts on their way to work.
[Read more…]

PBOT sketch of diverters proposed for North Michigan at Skidmore.

The rising number of people using cars on our neighborhood streets has many negative impacts. Among them are more crashes caused by people who make dangerous moves out of frustration, selfishness, impatience, or all of the above. One way to combat this is to constrain the driving environment so people have fewer choices and are forced to make safer movements.

And that’s exactly what the Portland Bureau of Transportation wants to do on North Michigan Avenue at Skidmore. [Read more…]

Design for Tillamook and 21st has changed to make the bike route more direct.

The City of Portland plans to get started on $150,000 worth of changes to NE Tillamook Street this spring. If all goes according to plan, this major east-west bike route will be much less inviting for car users and much more inviting for bicycle users between Flint and 28th.
[Read more…]

There are over 20 yard signs like these on 7th Avenue.
(Photos: Kiel Johnson)

BikePortland supporter and contributor Kiel Johnson (owner of the Go By Bike valet) has been working to create more support for a neighborhood greenway on 7th Avenue as part of PBOT’s Lloyd-to-Woodlawn project. This is his latest post in a series.

You don’t need to change the world to make a difference.

That’s what I’ve learned from these past few months of hunkering down on my advocacy for a NE 7th Avenue neighborhood greenway. If built as proposed, the project would transform 7th — from I-84 to Woodlawn — into a street where safety of all users is the priority.[Read more…]

A sight you hope to never see.
(Photo: Josh Ross)

The Going Neighborhood Greenway is one of the busiest and arguably best example of a family-friendly cycling street we have in Portland. That’s why what happened to Josh Ross and his six-year-old son on Saturday matters.
[Read more…]