Portland has apparently been “named a ‘platinum’ bicycle-friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists—its highest rating,” according to the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s fact sheet about bicycles in Portland. Moreover, “385 miles of bikeways are on the ground in Portland,” but does this make it safe enough to get on that mechanical device with two wheels, a handlebar and a frame, and peddle out into the great unknown of downtown Portland?
Dylan Rivera, Public Information Officer and Spokesperson for the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBoT) described Portland as a safe and friendly city to bike in. “Portland is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the United States,” he said. “It’s, generally, [in] the last 20 years…the highest rates of bike commuting of any city in North America. And, over a number of generations, we’ve built among the largest bikeway networks in North America.”
Kinkade Bell, Portland State student and employee of BikeHub, said that “distracted drivers” are his highest safety concern when bike riding.
PSU student Emma Hedayati had similar concerns. “I’ve heard a lot about students getting hit by cars,” she said. “When, like during the crosswalks and stuff. So that would be one of my main safety concerns when it comes to bike [riding] is like with the crosswalk.”
Caitlin Jacobson, PSU student of the College of Civil Engineering and president-elect of the American Society of Civil Engineers student group, commutes by bike or motorcycle and described herself as an “on-again-off-again bike commuter” due to a sprained foot. She typically bikes 50 or more miles per week. Jacobson said her biggest bike safety concern is “driver awareness.”
Rivera says that, yes, “car traffic” is the highest concern for bike riders when it comes to bike safety. He also mentioned additional risks. “People need to be mindful of various objects in the roadway, like the maintenance covers that are metal circles in the street and can be bumpy or slick when they’re wet,” he said. “Leaves sometimes can make a street a little slick, but for the most part, biking is a very comfortable, safe, fun [and] easy activity for people to enjoy.”
Rivera described the support programs and infrastructure that create a safe bike-riding city. “We’ve got infrastructure that supports biking and makes it safer than most American cities,” he said. “We have education programs like Safe Routes to School, and [we are] continuing workshops and Sunday parkways events that educate people of all ages about the joys of biking and how to bike safely. We’ve got enforcement, with the Portland police bureau, and we have cameras that are enforcing speed limits on some [of the] high crash streets. That’s all intended to help create a culture of safety in our city where people understand that they need to slow down.”
You may have noticed that many streets in the city of Portland have a 20 miles per hour speed limit, which is much safer for bikers. “We’ve taken a lot of steps to make our streets safer,” Rivera said. “Including changing state law to enable us, as a city, to reduce the speed limit on more than 70% of city streets to 20 miles per hour. So that greatly improves safety and comfort for everyone, especially people who are biking [in] mixed traffic in and among vehicle traffic.”
Some of the traffic safety measures used in Portland include a diverter. Rivera explained that a diverter “allows people biking to go through the intersection, but forces motor vehicle traffic to turn and not go straight through the intersection…we find them to be very effective.”
Another notable bike rider safety improvement found on Portland roadways are the parking-protected bike lanes. “If you think of Broadway—the configuration is you have a sidewalk, and then you have a bike lane, and then you have on-street parking for cars, and then you have the travel lane…those parked cars are separating, they’re protecting people who are biking from the moving automobile traffic,” Rivera described.
Some of these parking-protected bike lanes are near PSU. “We have 29 miles of protected bike lanes,” Rivera said. “A good example of that is Better Naito [Forever] downtown, which is not far from PSU, and also the protected bike lane on Southwest Broadway by PSU…in the last year, we have extended that all the way from the Broadway Bridge to PSU.”
PSU student Jacobson appreciates Portland’s bike-friendly infrastructure. “I really like Portland,” Jacobson said. “I really appreciate the greenways and a lot of the infrastructure that has been put into and invested into Portland… and keeping bikes protected behind a parking lane is really important.”
On the other hand, community member Uriah Johnson commented that his most considerable concern regarding bike infrastructure is “a general lack of allocated lanes and avenues for bicyclists.”
Moreover, PBoT is not responsible for one of the most concerning things for bike riders, which according to PSU student Holden Kersey, is “debris and…leaves, sticks, and rocks and things. Just trash and…hitting those things.”
PBoT is responsible for the paving of roadways, and this was another concern of Kersey’s. “So the actual paving of the roads is sometimes too hazardous for a bike,” he said.
Kersey did not have the option to drive a car since he does not have a license or a car, so despite his fear of riding, this was his mode of transportation to and from work each day.
Student and IT employee Mohammed Al Rawahi described his accident due to a bump in the bike lane. “[Be]cause one time, I’m riding not a bike, [but] a scooter [across] one of the bridges and I fell because I was speeding and there was something like a bump,” he said. “And I, like, hurt myself.” Mohammed no longer bikes much in Portland.
Hedayati commented on the issues around the PSU campus and the lack of safe bike zones and safe locations for bike riders. “PSU campus, not as much since it’s so many areas where there are so many streets [for car traffic] rather than just bike locations,” she said. “The only thing I would suggest, like bike safety-wise, would be around this general area where the park is. [Because] you can’t take the cars in the park areas.”
PBoT is doing a lot to create a safe bike riding experience for Portlanders. “Over time, as we are making our streets safer through adding protected bike lanes, upgrading our neighborhood greenways to reduce the motor vehicle traffic on them, reducing speed limits for automobile traffic, and making our intersections safer through road design improvements, and educating the public about the need to drive more slowly,” Rivera said. “Over time, we think we’ll see some change in those numbers, and the traffic deaths should reduce.”
Bell, a BikeHub employee, explained that the most important thing a rider can do to keep safe is to be mindful of traffic. “[The car] driver either doesn’t see you or doesn’t care about you!” he said.
“Make sure you have a bike that is comfortable for you, that meets your needs,” Rivera said. Rivera recommended finding neighborhood greenways, practicing riding your bike, getting comfortable with it, interacting with minimal traffic and familiarizing yourself with biking on a city street.
Rivera described the benefits of taking a slower pace to life and riding a bike rather than a car. “When people incorporate biking into their daily needs, they see health benefits,” he said. “There’s a measure of happiness and neighborhood connectivity because you’re moving slower. You’re experiencing the neighborhood and our city streets in a more tangible way—at a slower pace where you can experience, see, feel and hear your neighborhood in a much more enjoyable way than if you’re locked up inside a car.”
Jacobson said that one should “be a defensive rider. I try and keep my head on a swivel. That being said, I also wear all the safety gear. I wear a bright helmet. I have a DayGlo orange backpack cover if it’s raining. I have my lights on.”
Johnson also shared some bike safety tips: “wear [a] helmet, be alert and don’t put in headphones.” These are all things to keep in mind while enjoying that safe bike ride in and around Portland. So get outside and have a safe ride.