Bicycle Friendly Communities

Portland, OR | Platinum Level

Community Highlights: Portland is Platinum! Bicycle provisions and promotion is integrated into almost every action taken by Portland – beginning in the Mayor's Office, down to actions taken by maintenance crews on the streets. Portland has a seamless and varied bicycle network that connects all parts of the city and has proven success. Portland dramatically increased its bicycle use and has a strong bicycle culture where all types of cyclists can find limitless opportunities to enjoy riding a bicycle.

Annually there are an estimated 2,100 rides, races or other events held to encourage cyclists – an average of six per day – and they draw more than 40,000 participants. Portland’s increased ridership comes with an increased focus on safety though a Share the Road ticket diversion program, newly installed side underrun guards on all city trucks and an ‘Eye to Eye’ campaign. The Bicycle Transportation Alliance offers one of the nation's leading Safe Routes to School programs. The Community Cycling Center also offers an exciting Create a Commuter program that donates low income adults with a fully outfitted commuter bike, requisite commuting gear and bike safety training.

In Portland 60 percent of downtown police officers are on bike. Portland recently constructed a bicycle facility along a segment of roadway through a transit center that provides a direct connection between two popular bikeways in Central City and improved the safety of intersections across town by implementing bicycle boxes. With support of local merchants and to meet a surging demand, Portland has provided six on-street bicycle parking sites — offering parking for 12 bikes for every car parking spot removed. Not content to stop there, Portland has also engaged in a high-level update of its bicycle master plan, expanding the city’s infrastructure and programs like improving off-road riding access. Portland is looking to rework their policies, designs and bikeway networks to set the stage for transforming itself into a true world-class bicycling city. Stay tuned!

Most Signifcant Recent Accomplishment: Portland has three significant achievements from the past year: One, Portland introduced big, green and highly visible bicycle boxes at intersections. Two, the town removed on-street auto parking spaces at the request of adjacent businesses at many highly-visible locations in favor of on-street bicycle parking. Three, Portland opened up a direct bicycle facility in a transit center that is a crucial link between two of Portland's higher volume bikeways.

Most Compelling Community Statistic: By several measures, bicycle ridership increased significantly in Portland this year. Their 2008 annual counts, based on 68 locations, demonstrated a 28 percent growth in citywide ridership compared to 2007. The 2008 City Auditor's Office's annual survey found that eight percent of Portlanders identified the bicycle as their primary commute vehicle and another ten percent identified it as their secondary commute vehicle. Portland’s most compelling statistics are that Portland experienced zero bicycle fatalities in 2008 for the fourth time since 2000 and bicycle crashes dropped eight percent since 2007.