As anyone who rides in North or Northeast Portland knows already, this area is severely lacking in designated bicycle streets. These Bicycle Boulevards create a quiet, safe space for cyclists of all stripes to get from point A to point B to point C and so on without having to deal with gobs of traffic. In order to better provide for the rapidly growing cycling population, we are working with the City of Portland’s Transportation Department to identify and develop several North and Northeast streets into Bike Boulevards.
Currently the plan is to designate and then improve via signage and infrastructure two streets going north/south and two streets going east/west. Thanks to a Portland State University planning project, the following fourteen streets have been identified as potential Bike Boulevards:
Delaware
Rodney
9th/11th
27th/30th
Skidmore/Mason
Holman/Ainsworth
Dekum/Bryant
Jarrett
Failing
Michigan
Commercial
Going
Klickitat
Sumner
Not all of these will become Bike Boulevards in the near future (hopefully one day ALL streets will be as such!!) and we want YOUR input on what streets to get to work on. CALL ‘EM OUT!!
The infrastructure is another thing we need some help coming to a decision on. Creative? Do you have some awesome ideas for how to calm neighborhood streets? Have you had success with some sort of traffic calmer? LET US KNOW!!
b Why Bicycle Boulevards, you ask?
Because I said so, that’s why!!
Just kidding. Bike Boulevards are a fantastic way for the city to ensure that cyclists have a safe and efficient route to and from home, work, play, school, where ever the bike is taking them.
BBs do the neat trick of mostly separating vehicular traffic from bicycular traffic. Since most are located on neighborhood streets, the vehicles that are present should be traveling at very low speeds, thus limiting the chance of an unexpected speed-related collision.
Designating neighborhood streets as BBs creates a family-friendly bicycling atmosphere where an 8-year-old child can safely ride with or without her parents. They provide opportunities for neighbors to meet face-to-face rather than bumper-to-bumper. They open up the world of bicycling to more riders who are at present too wary of riding on shared roadways because of the vehicular traffic and high speeds.
BBs also increase the livability of a neighborhood by providing safe passage to parks, shops, restaurants, where ever someone may go on a bike.
To see for yourself where a BB may go in N/NE and how excellent they are, join us on our monthly rides
Tour de Potential N/NE Bicycle Boulevards
4th Wednesday of the month.
¸ Meet at Alberta Park – corner of NE Killlingsworth and NE 22nd – EAST of the Firestation
¸ Meet at 6pm
¸ August 29, 2007
¸ September 26, 2007
¸ 10+ miles of low traffic, neighborhood streets
¸ Easy pace
¸ Kids welcome!
¸ No homies left behind!
We are also making a movie! You may have heard about it, you may have been in it…
¸ Featuring! City Council Member Sam Adams
¸ Featuring! Bruce Buffington – Washington County Bike Safety Public Service Announcement Program
¸ Featuring! Timo Forsberg of Transportation Options
¸ YOU! (maybe)
¸ Filmed around NE Portland!
¸ Check the BTA blog for updates!
Klickitat might be alright, but I could see an issue with hit when it crosses NE 11-14. It is basically a catwalk on this part and in my opinion these design reduces visibility for cross town traffic. It also dead ends into Irving Park.
I think it would make more sense to make Syskiou the bike boulvard from NE 7 through NE 14.
30th is a good choice as it is wide, wider than 27th, it makes easy connections to Skidmore as well as Regents if one desires to descend the ridge and head south. 30th also has commercial activity at Killingsworth and Ainsworth and the direct access just makes sense.
I live on NE 9th, between Thompson and Brazee, and can testify that it is already very heavily used by cyclists (including myself). That’s because 9th is on the western margin of Lloyd Center, and one of the best, safest streets for traveling north to inner NE and N Portland after crossing the Steel Bridge or crossing the I-5 gulch on 12th. It also gets its fair share of car traffic, from drivers who don’t bother to go over to 7th or 15th. The Portland Teachers credit union at 9th and Broadway, and the liquor store 1/2 block south, are big traffic magnets, too.
As a cyclist, I’d welcome a BB on 9th; as a resident, I’d welcome anything that slowed or discouraged car traffic.