Portland gets its bike-friendly swagger back with spike in cycling growth and new infrastructure

A year ago, a great fear spread through the urban cycling community when Portland, yes Portland, saw its bicycle trip numbers drop at an alarming rate last year. But, one of the iconic bicycle-friendly American cities is on the comeback trail according to the new bike count released by the city this week.

Biking in Portland saw a notable 5% increase in 2023, compared to the previous year, as revealed by a report released by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) today.

The report, titled the 2023 Portland Bicycle Counts Report, highlights the city’s commitment to fostering safer and more comfortable biking conditions. Millicent Williams, Transportation Director, emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts between PBOT and advocates for sustainable transportation.

“PBOT is committed to making biking, walking and public transit accessible to everyone, in all parts of Portland,” Williams said. “We will continue to grow our neighborhood greenways and protected bike lanes in East Portland. We also need to make sure that as we grow our bike infrastructure, we are updating our older facilities and making sure the new infrastructure we install is substantial and long lasting.”

Alexandra Holmqvist, Chair of the City of Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee, echoed the sentiment, stressing the need for improved biking infrastructure to accommodate the increasing demand.

“This report shows what we know in our community, which is that Portlanders are eager to return to biking,” Holmqvist said. “We’re encouraged that PBOT leadership agrees with us on the need for more and better infrastructure to make everyone feel comfortable biking to make this possible. Our committee will continue to advocate for safer spaces for people to ride bikes, and the kinds of encouragement and inspiration programs that show families how to make biking a part of their everyday lives.”

The report’s findings are based on data collected by 114 volunteers for PBOT, who conducted peak-time counts of people biking at 272 locations citywide, primarily at the intersections of established bikeways. Key findings include:

• Biking increased overall by 5%, with every part of Portland witnessing a rise. Notably, NW Portland experienced a 15% increase.
• E-bike use accounted for approximately 17% of all bike trips in Portland, reflecting national trends in the adoption of e-bike technology.
• 4.5% of individuals counted were riding e-scooters, with East Portland recording the highest share at about 10%.

Exterior of The Hilt bar in Northeast Portland (photo: Justin Katigbak, Travel Portland)

Nick Flowers, of BikeLoud PDX, said he was happy to see the record number of riders recorded using the BIKETOWN bike share system.

“This is great news because these tend to be newer riders who are overcoming the financial barrier of bike ownership, and making short trips outside of cars,” Flowers says. “These are the riders that the city should be encouraging to reach our 25% of trips by bike mode-share goal by 2030. Higher ridership on the bike share system also strengthens the case for subsidizing the program to truly unleash its potential.”

Looking ahead, PBOT announced plans to enhance Portland cycling infrastructure with the completion of neighborhood greenways in East Portland and St. Johns in 2024. These initiatives aim to expand biking routes into areas that historically lacked shared neighborhood bike routes.

“BikeLoud welcomes and fully supports the news of upcoming improvement to bicycle facilities in East Portland,” Flowers adds. “The historical lack of safe on-street infrastructure on streets in East Portland needs to see sustained attention to increase bike trips in this area. The Parkrose/NE Sacramento-Knott Neighborhood Greenway projects will be great additions to the city-wide network.”

In East Portland, improvements will include street crossings enhancements, speed bumps, sharrows, wayfinding signage, and increased visibility at intersections. Similar upgrades will be implemented in St. Johns, with the establishment of low-stress neighborhood streets and the installation of speed bumps and bike boxes at busy intersections.

Additionally, PBOT will modernize existing greenways to align with established guidelines, ensuring safer routes for cyclists. These updates encompass traffic calming measures and new crossing improvements at selected intersections.