- Bicycle Transportation Alliance
- Is this the future of NE Broadway?
Sure Portland’s revered nationally as a bike paradise, but a lot of local advocates take a dim view of our progress in recent years. There’s a common notion momentum here has slowed, and that other cities are rapidly advancing on us.
Maybe that’s understandable. It’s easier to improve on very little bike infrastructure than it is to make the leap from a good bike system to one that’s world class. Portland’s tackled most of the easy and intermediate stuff. Now, bicycle advocates say we need to approve, and fund, some landmark projects
So the Bicycle Transportation Alliance today has released a new “Blueprint for World-Class Bicycling” [PDF]—a wish list of 16 projects the organization will use as a guiding document in coming years. It’s a collection of bikeways, separated cycle paths and trails likely to draw cheers from avid cyclists, but that could find a wary audience among motorists and business owners skeptical of Portland’s love of the bicycle.
“We left no stone unturned in our search for the best ideas and the most transformational projects,” the report says. “We envision raising our existing network to the next level to ensure that riders of all abilities, regardless of destination, have access to a safe place to ride.”
The BTA classified its target projects by four larger groupings: better amenities on busy streets, new neighborhood greenways, building trails and fixing problematic stretches of road.
Some of the bigger proposals:
-constructing a new pedestrian/bike bridge over I-84, roughly lined up with NE 7th
-building the long-discussed North Portland Greenway, with a much-coveted route through Swan Island
-adding protected cycle tracks to N/NE Broadway and Weidler, which the BTA says would better connect cyclists with businesses in the corridor
-creating better bicycle amenities downtown, a suggestion which may run into resistance from Mayor Charlie Hales
I talked to the BTA’s Gerik Kransky and Rob Sadowsky about the report last week. With community buy-in, they say most of these projects are achievable within three to five years (though the trails would take longer).
But there’s a big conversation that would have to accompany much of that progress. Some projects—the North Portland Greenway, for instance—already have significant support. Others—I’m thinking about the Broadway/Weidler proposal—will have to build support, some of it from tough audiences. Business owners can be skittish about possibly losing on-street parking spaces to cycle tracks (though there is evidence to suggest they actually help business), and motorists are loath to lose traffic lanes.
There is also the question of funding, though Sadowsky believes many of these projects could be completed with money that already exists.
“We have to do our job winning the hearts and minds of people,” he said.
What do you think of the BTA’s list?
In my book Portland needs to complete the Sulivan’s Gulch bike trail, dropping riders off on the esplanade, that would be great.
The first category of these proposals is the ones that make so much sense that they’re almost too obvious – like closing the 1-mile gap on the I205 path, and adding a proper bike lane where Barbur crosses bridges. I can’t imagine any opposition to those – they’re cheap, easy and worthwhile. I suspect they’re included solely so that they’ll be able to point to how many of them have been completed in a few years’ time.
The second category is the ones where the BTA seem to be deliberately asking for something unrealistic, because they think that the public will then settle for something smaller but still useful. The best example of this is NE Broadway. They’re proposing taking out an entire lane of parking. They know there will be too much opposition, so they’ll “agree to settle” for just a separated bike lane with parking away from the curve, as at PSU. No loss of a traffic lane or parking, but the bike lane gets safer. Which is what they really want. The joys of transparent politics.
The third category is the ambitious wishlist items, like the North Portland Greenway, where the only real obstacle is money.
The fourth category is the strangest – the ones they’ve left out. There is no mention of filling in the gap on the Springwater Corridor in Sellwood. And there is no mention of the Sullivan’s Gulch trail alongside I84 from I205 to downtown. Why not???
Their proposals for cycle tracks on major arterials and downtown streets is unrealistic given the current political climate in Portland, and the state of PBOT’s budget.
Furthermore, separated cycle tracks on streets like NE Broadway and any of the downtown street grid are likely to create even more hazardous conditions for cyclists than exist now, particularly at intersections. The blocks are just too short and the intersections and turning maneuvers too numerous for this to be a safe design.
Close but no cigar. Try again.
Dirk, Dirk, Dirk.
That picture sure does look nice, but i’m not holding my breath.
Barring the extreme shortage of money for this sort of thing and the inevitable protestations from nearby business owners, i think the cycle track on Broadway/Weidler thing would work out quite well, actually. Separate traffic signals for bikes and cars would be able to handle the chaos at intersections — I’ve seen it work quite well in Holland and Belgium.
I would bet any sort of funding proposal to pay for this would be just great too – with the exception of a new bike tax, right?
Ugh, I’m going to sit back and watch bus fares rise again.
You should be required to license your bike if you are going to ride it on the street with licensed automobiles as well as carry insurance. A bike license would provide lots of funding for projects that benefit people who ride bikes. Also, you should be required to pass a test that proves you understand the basic rules of the road. There are cyclists on the streets that have never had a drivers license and are uninformed.
This stuff always comes up in the summer when our ADHD city has conveniently forgotten what the weather was like two weeks ago, and the fact that for 8 months of the year a very low percentage of the population bikes.
Why would we remove a driving lane and parking lane from Broadway to make 5% of Portland residents happy? (More than 5% of Portlanders bike, but how many of those live in NE around Broadway and would use it regularly?) These zealots have taken the city hostage and unfortunately most of the rest of us seem to have Stockholm syndrome.
So glad to see Foster on the list!! While y’all argue about whether Broadway should get prettier bike lanes, could we just get some? Please?
HERE COMES BLABBY WITH HIS BOJACK-STATUS FACTUAL INACCURACY.
How so?
Blabby the bike thread troll. He might be amusing if he actually knew what he was talking about.
to fund these projects the city should issue a mandatory bike to every adult resident with a fee of $500. gps units and odometers will keep track of how many miles you ride it. you will receive $1 back for every mile navigated. surprised no one has proposed this already
Still waiting for a retort to Blabby….