Portland
According to the 2006 ACS, 4.4 percent of commute trips (representing over 14,000 residents) are made on bicycle in Portland, up from 3.7 percent in 2005 and up over 144 percent since the 2000 Census. The SEA survey shows a strikingly similar trend over that same period and reports that in 2007 6 percent of Portland residents city-wide identified the bicycle as their primary commute vehicle. This is double the reported number from 2000.

The most long-standing gauge for measuring bicycle use in Portland is the number of bicycle trips across the four bicycle-friendly bridges (soon to be 5 bicycle-friendly bridges) over the Willamette River (Hawthorne, Burnside, Steel, and Broadway bridges). The number of cyclists crossing these four bridges has soared, displaying a one-year increase of 21 percent since 2006 and more than 115 percent since 2001. Today, cyclists account for more than 14,500 daily trips across the Willamette River to travel between Portland’s east and west sides. Bicycles represent 18 percent of all vehicles on the Hawthorne Bridge and 11 percent of vehicles on all four bridges.

Portland is also consistently named the number-one city for bicyclists. Many roads have a designated bike lane and sometimes a blocked-off box for bikes to pull in front of cars at stop lights. Portland drivers are very deferential to bikes and will huddle behind you even as you wave at them to pass.

In 1990 Portland enacted a master plan to combat car-caused urban transportation problems like pollution and congestion through the promotion of cycling. As a result buses and light rail trains are bike-friendly. Buses have a rack that fits two bikes on the grill, and light rail trains have multiple hooks for bikes on each train. In April, Portland became the first major American city to be named a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. The cycling culture has been an inspiration for more than 150 local businesses.

League Names Portland a Platinum Community
First Large City in U.S. to Receive Designation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bill Nesper
League of American Bicyclists
202-822-1333
bill@bikeleague.org

Washington, D.C.—April 29, 2008—The League of American Bicyclists congratulates Portland, Ore. on achieving platinum Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) status – Portland is the first large city in the United States to gain the designation and joins Davis, Calif as the only other platinum BFC in the country.

More than 200 communities have applied for BFC recognition since 2003, and 84 currently have a bronze or higher designation. An announcement of additional designations from the most recent round of applications is scheduled for release Thursday, May 1, to mark the first day of National Bike Month.

Portland’s BFC award is recognition of the incredible progress the community has made to encourage more people to bicycle and to ride safely. “When Portland received the gold award in 2003”, said Andy Clarke, President of the League, “We challenged the community to increase ridership to get to platinum. Bold leadership, community-wide involvement, and a lot of hard work has resulted in a 144% increase in bicycle use since the 2000 Census – impressive results by any standard.”

“We are honored that the League has recognized Portland’s work to become a better, safer place for people to bicycle”, said Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams, who has spearheaded the initiative to achieve platinum status. “This is integral to our broader vision of Portland as a world-class, sustainable, and economically vibrant city that attracts families and businesses because of the quality of life on offer to all. Bicycling helps us achieve all that and more. We are not content to rest on our laurels. Platinum status is just the beginning and we realize that the eyes of the nation are now upon us to keep pedaling forward!”

BFC reviewers noted that Portland has coupled modest but smart investments in infrastructure, with outstanding education, promotion and encouragement activities to make bicycling a practical and safe option for many more Portlanders than ever before. Education and enforcement programs are now helping drivers and pedestrians interact more safely and predictably with the increasing numbers of cyclists on the road.

Other highlights from the 27-page application included:

• Portland’s bikeway network includes 270 miles of on-street bike lanes, bike boulevards, and paved trails; another 6 miles of singletrack and 40 miles of mountain bike accessible trail offer mountain biking opportunities in city parks.
• A city ordinance requires bike parking in new development and redevelopment projects; another provides a huge incentive for developers to provide showers and locker rooms
• Six bike corrals have been installed, each replacing one on-street car parking space with 12 bicycle spaces
• 400 bikeway destination signs have been installed (with 400 to come) on the bikeway network
• More than 1,000 traffic offenders (including cyclists) have been through a two-hour “Share the Road” Safety Class
• More than 400 bicycle light sets are distributed annually to low-income bicyclists by the city, Tri-Met (the transit agency) and the Community Cycling Center.
• 2,250 elementary students annually receive a 10-hour bicycle safety course as part of a larger Safer Routes to School initiative. The course is delivered by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and has helped increase bicycling to school by 5% in just one school year.
• The city distributes 35,000 citywide bicycle maps and another 35,000 local area maps. The citywide map is also reproduced in the Portland phone book.
• More than 9,100 people participated in the 2007 Bicycle Commuter Challenge, including 1,700 first-time bike commuters
• A Tri-Met survey found that three-fifths of area employment sites provide bike parking and ten percent offer incentives to employees who bicycle.
• 20,000 participants in the Providence Bridge Pedal make Portland home to the second largest community bike ride in the United States (after Bike New York)
• 2,000 hardy riders fill the annual Worst Day of the Year ride in early February
• The Bicycle Transportation Alliance boasts 3,000 members in the city and is just one of many advocacy and riding groups that organize thousands of rides, events and bicycling activities year-round
• Creation of the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovations at Portland State University will help ensure technology transfer and much-needed research into innovative ways to encourage bicycling
• The city boasts 40 bike shops and more than 150 bicycle-related businesses that provide thousands of green-collar jobs and with an economic benefit of more than $65 million (2005)