Portland's new Bicycle Master Plan is being promoted as the most ambitious and innovative in North America. So, why then, is it being criticized for not going far enough?
One prominent local urban desiger says if Portland really wants to be the Copenhagen of America, it has to think "bigger." That includes doing more to keep cyclists and drivers separate on local streets.
Portland's Bicycle Master Plan is an update to the 1996 plan, which helped transform us into a cycling mecca where 6.4 percent of people commute by bike. That puts us first in the United States. The new master plan aims to get one in four commuters on bikes by 2030. it will do so by tripling the city's 300-mile bike network and focusing on routes with less auto traffic.
But Portland urban planner George Crandall, who redevelops and revitalizes cities around the country, says the plan doesn't include enough protected cycle tracks like those in Europe and the new one up by P.S.U. He believes those are the key to getting the riders who are too scared to commute now. In fact, with bike lanes alone studies show only ten percent of people will ride. With more protected bikeways it jumps to 40 percent.
George Crandall, Urban Planner: "P.S.U. is an interesting experiment, and it's a good one, and we compliment them for them, but we need to see a system designed for the entire community and that's what's lacking in the plan. That piece is just not there... The troubling thing is Portland is very progressive with bikes and to see them not be more aggressive in the plan is troubling because it's a great opportunity and the rest of the country will be looking to us for leadership and we've got great momentum, and the bike guys have done a great job. They just need to, I think, be given a little more encouragement and a boost to go the next step."
Ellen Vanderslice with Portland's Department of Transportation says the city intends to spend $10 million on 100 miles of bikeways within five years. Some of that will go to bike boulevards and buffered bike lanes, but Vanderslice says it's also a balance.
Ellen Vanderslice, Portland Deptartment of Transportation: "There are a number of places where it might work very well, but most of the places are places where we would need to take away on street parking, or take away a traffic lane in order to make it work, and in those places we may not be quite ready for that yet. We need more people riding, more demand for facilities before that can happen."
The city is taking public comment on the Bicycle Master Plan through November 8th. Send your comments to bicyclemasterplan@pdxtrans.org
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