Moving to a Bike Friendly City – Portland Edition

So before moving here I knew that Portland was referred to as the Bike capital of the US, but I didn’t realize what a difference it would make. I’d say the biggest difference is just how normal it is to ride bicycle here. It may be just the area I live (SE Portland), but I swear you can’t stand outside for more than 5 minutes without seeing a bicycle zip by regardless of the weather. And it’s still winter! On top of that, the variety of bikes is out of this world. There are all the regular bikes we’re used to (from city commuter to fat tire mountain bike), but there are also recumbents, trikes, folders, and every type of cargo bike you can imagine. I don’t think I’ve seen a single stroller here, but I have seen more than I can count of what I will call “stroller-bikes” – from a standard trailer, to converted cargo bikes with kid’s seats attached, and one particularly neat bike that had a wagon-esque seat in the back for their two kids. Sadly we’ve only seen one tandem thus far, granted we haven’t even taken ours out yet, so maybe they’re all still in hibernation. Even that tandem we saw wasn’t a regular tandem, it was a semi-recumbent tandem called a Hase Pino (which Andrew has been trying to convince me to get for our next tandem for some time now haha).

I think seeing all the other bikes out on the road, makes it more comfortable for more bikes, especially newbies, to get out there. I remember when I was first learning to ride back in Kansas City, and how terrified I was of getting out on the streets because there were so few designated bike areas (and the city sidewalks weren’t suited for any sort of wheeled vehicle). But here, instead of being an anomaly, cars do actually expect cyclists on the road and thus actually share the road with them. Most of the more major streets seem to have bike lanes, and the smaller ones have share-ows. The infrastructure here is also made in such a way as to encourage riding. Many lighted intersections have a sensor specifically for picking up bikes, and some of them have the cross button actually accessible from the road so that a cyclist could reach it without getting off their bike. There is also signage specifically for bikes with directions and distances to popular areas. One interesting aspect I really appreciate is that there are several bike encouraged thorough fares, where the intersections prevent cars from continuing straight and only allow bikes through, thus discouraging through traffic, but still allowing local drivers to get around on those same streets. Crossing the Willamette River that splits the city in half is also surprisingly easy since all but the interstate bridges include a safe bike lane to get across. There’s even a major bridge, the Tilikum Crossing, that is only for the light rail, pedestrians, and bikes. It’s amazing what a difference all these little things make in terms of feeling safe and comfortable while out riding.

Designated lanes on the Tilikum Crossing Bridge to make crossing the Willamette River easier

Bike friendly intersection designed to keep cars off that road unless they were local by only allowing bikes to continue through the intersection

The city is constantly improving infrastructure with this latest addition being the Flanders Crossing bike/pedestrian bridge allowing safe passageway across the interstate in NW Portland.

Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be as many trails as Denver had, but there are definitely still more trails than most cities I know of have. Since roads are actually designed with bikes in mind, the need for trails isn’t as great for getting around. Yet there are enough of them and they are long enough that you can still go find one relatively easy.

Bike Friendly Routes

Before moving out here I saw the the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) issued maps to help bikes plan the safest routes. They are color coded based on everything a cyclist would be interested in from traffic volume, to which way the hills go, and they even have ‘tricky intersections’ flagged. They discontinued the printed versions, but there are several different maps you can look at online. I have found them to be very helpful in planning my routes. It’s also refreshing to see the map covered in various bike friendly options instead of being limited to just a few. But even the few times I’ve wound up on less than ideal roads, I’ve still been respected for my right to be on the road. I remember one time I had been riding back in Kansas City on a low traffic four lane road (so cars had plenty of room to get around me) and being honked and yelled at and told to get on the nonexistent sidewalk. Here, at least thus far, I’ve never felt like I didn’t belong or wasn’t wanted while I’ve been out on my bike, and that’s really refreshing. It has been so nice being surrounded by bike enthusiasts, it’s too bad more cities haven’t made their way in this direction, but maybe post-Covid we’ll start to see more bike infrastructure in cities across the country.

Another exciting thing I’m looking forward to experiencing in this area are the Scenic Bikeways. Oregon is the first state to actually designate areas as such. Most of them share the space with cars, but the streets are signed and designed to encourage cyclist. And there are several options to choose from, so I look forward to trying them all! What better way to view Oregon’s diverse landscapes than by bicycle?