Some good news from Portland DOT

Portland’s latest bike counts are showing some fascinating trends and the trends are pointing up. It’s bullish out there as they say and anyone betting against the bicycle would do well to evaluate these trends.

For starters, bike trips on the four main bike bridges (Burnside, Broadway, Steel and Hawthorne) in Portland jumped 18 percent this summer over last year. That follows a 15 percent jump last year over the previous year counts. In terms of numbers, we counted about 3500 bicyclists per day crossing the four bridges in 1992 compared to over 12,000 bicyclists per day crossing the same four bridges...

...While we can’t point to any single element for these increases it’s interesting to note that the City of Portland Office of Transportation increased the city bikeway network from approximately 80 miles in 1992 to the more than 260 miles it is today. And Transportation Women on Bikes might have a lot to do with the rising numbers of women bicyclists. Increased attention and outreach to potential female bicyclists in the last few years has encouraged a number of women in the SE and NE Hubs in the last two years.

Thirteen Percent Reduction in Drive Alone Trips!

Transportation Options 2006 NE Hub target area program reached a whopping 13 percent relative reduction in drive alone trips. The largest decrease yet in the four years of Transportation Options targeted programs shifted from drive alone trips primarily to walk, carpool, transit, and bike trips.

Options designed our programs specifically to help residents rediscover their own neighborhoods while shifting to more active and healthy lifestyles....

...The kits and information weren’t the only tools employed by Options. We also offered Ten Toe Express guided walks and Senior Strolls, Summer Cycle and Women on Bikes bike rides, clinics as well as many Smart Living Classes. All our clinics and activities give an added level of hands-on assistance to residents interested in choosing alternative transportation.

The combination of information, maps, events and activities produces results. At a cost of $10 per person – including staff, printing and expenses – NE Hub residents are experiencing fewer cars on their streets and rediscovering their neighborhoods by foot, bike and transit, while local businesses gain new customers who walk and bike to their store...