PORTLAND’S PLATINUM BICYCLE MASTER PLAN EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT CHAPTER AUTHORS: DAN BOWER ROGER GELLER LINDA GINENTHAL DENVER IGARTA MARK LEAR JAMIE WALTZ TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary Chapter 1: Introduction 1-1 Chapter 2: Bicycle Use 2-1 Chapter 3: Progress on Benchmarks 3-1 Chapter 4: Goals, Objectives & Policies 4-1 Chapter 5: Encouraging Bicycle Use 5-1 Chapter 6: Bicycle Safety - Education & Enforcement 6-1 Chapter 7: Bikeway Network 7-1 Chapter 8: Central City Bikeway Treatments 8-1 Chapter 9: Design, Maintenance and Construction Practices 9-1 Chapter 10: End-of-trip Facilities 10-1 Chapter 11: Bicycles & Transit 11-1 Chapter 12: Bicycle Industry 12-1 Chapter 13: Funding* 13-1 * Draft incomplete Platinum Bicycle Master Plan – Existing Conditions Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2007 EXISTING CONDITIONS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION The City of Portland adopted its first Bicycle Master Plan in 1996 and updated the plan in 1998. In 2006, the Portland Bureau of Transportation undertook a major effort to update the Bicycle Master Plan. As part of that process a report documenting past developments and the current status of bicycling in the city was written to serve as a starting point for the new master plan. Most of the Existing Conditions Report was completed in 2007, with some chapters revised or updated in 2009. This Executive Summary is excerpted from the completed report. CHAPTER 2: BICYCLE USE By all metrics, bicycling in Portland is growing dramatically. Based on PDOT’s annual counts and surveys; the annual Service, Efforts, and Accomplishments (SEA) survey administered by the City of Portland Auditor’s office; the American Community Survey (ACS); and the US Census, more Portlanders are bicycling for more trips since the adoption of the City’s first Bicycle Master Plan in 1996. For example: • Bicycle traffic across the four bicycle friendly Willamette River bridges has increased 321% since 1990; • In 2006, 14.5% of Portlanders reported that bicycling served as their primary or secondary commuting mode; • Between 1990 and 2005 the US Census reported a 190% increase in bicycle commuting in Portland. Jonathan Maus/BikePortland.org According to the SEA survey the highest areas of bicycle commuting occur in Inner Northeast and Southeast, while North Portland has experienced the greatest increase in the city (430%). While bicycle commuting trends are showing significant growth, commute trips make up only about 25% of all trips a person makes each day. Surveys show that Portland residents are also cycling for non-commute trips, such as shopping, leisure, and fitness trips. For example, a 2007 survey of Portland residents revealed that only 29% of active cyclists commute to work by bicycle, however 46% use a bicycle to run errands. Although specific data on mode share for errands and neighborhood trips does not exist, the high number of active cyclists reporting bicycle usage for errands suggests that cycling plays a large role in Portland’s transportation system. Through years of surveys and public outreach campaigns, PDOT knows much more about Portland residents’ bicycle usage today than in 1996. • 70% of Portland residents own or have regular access to a bicycle. Platinum Bicycle Master Plan – Existing Conditions Report X-1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • Between 60% - 70% of cyclists on the road today are male. No other mode of transportation has such a high level of gender inequity. • Residents over 65 years old are under-represented in bicycle use and over-represented in terms of being negatively predisposed to cycling. In 2006, the City of Portland conducted surveys and focus groups with Portlanders to better understand the characteristics of cyclists and non-cyclists. The results of that endeavor aided PDOT in developing four classifications to represent Portlanders and their attitudes towards cycling. • The vast majority (60%) of city residents is categorized as “Interested but Concerned” – they’re not quite ready to hit the streets on a bicycle, but they’d like to under the right circumstances. • 7% of city residents are categorized as “Enthused and Confident” – they will bicycle readily if some kind of bicycle facility, such as bike lanes, exists. • Less than 1% of city residents are categorized as “Strong and Fearless” – they will bicycle regardless of conditions. • 33% are categorized as “No Way No How” – they are unable, unwilling, or uninterested in cycling. It was the “Strong and Fearless” and “Enthused and Confident” cyclists who helped shape the 1996 Bicycle Master Plan. That plan’s focus on bicycle lanes on arterial streets reflects the interests and dominant thinking of the time. However, in order to encourage the 60% of city residents considered “Interested but Concerned” the new master plan must address their concerns about cycling: primarily traffic speed and volume and cycling distances. CHAPTER 3: EVALUATION OF 1996 BICYCLE MASTER PLAN BENCHMARKS Eight components were used to evaluate the City’s progress on meeting the goals and benchmarks in the original Bicycle Master Plan. 1. Increase bicycle mode share 2. Reduce bicycle crashes 3. Complete the bicycle network 4. Reduce maintenance requests by bicyclists 5. Install signal detection and pavement markings 6. Provide end-of-trip facilities for bicyclists 7. Encourage integration of bicycles and transit 8. Provide bicycle education and encouragement to city residents • Mode Share o Goal: Inner Portland - 10% bicycle mode share for all trips by 2006; City-wide - 6% mode share for all trips. o Results: Data on mode share for all trips is incomplete. The 2000 Census reported 3.14% bicycle commute mode share for Inner Portland and 2.13% city-wide. Other measures, such as specific neighborhood surveys, show commute mode splits as high as 10% in some inner eastside neighborhoods and below 1% in outer eastside neighborhoods. i-2 Platinum Bicycle Master Plan – Existing Conditions Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • Crashes o Goal: 10% reduction in bicycle-motor vehicle crashes by 2006. o Results: Reported bicycle-motor vehicle crashes have remained static from 1996 to 2005. However, based on a significantly decreasing bicycle crash rate conditions for bicycling are safer today than in 1996. • Bicycle Network o Goal: 378 miles of developed bicycle multi-use trails, boulevards, signed connections, and bicycle lanes by 2006; 60% of the 20 year goal of 630 bicycle network miles; 204 identified bicycle projects. o Results: 290 miles of the bicycle network completed; 48% of the 20 year network goal; 68 constructed bicycle projects. • Maintenance of Bikeway Network o Goal: 50% reduction in bikeway network maintenance requests. o Results: The number of maintenance requests has not been accurately tracked over the last 10 years. Since 1996 PDOT has developed new reporting mechanisms for residents to make maintenance requests. In 1996, requests were made in writing and mailed to the Bureau of Maintenance. Today, residents can simply dial a number and leave a voicemail maintenance request. Thus, it is expected that maintenance requests have most likely increased. • Pavement Markings & Signs o Goal: 50% of all signals with detection should be tuned and retrofitted with pavement markings by 2006. o Results: 65% of all loop detectors are set to function for bicycles. In 1996 the City contained 25 loop detectors markings. By 2006, the City had 161 loop detector markings. • End-of-Trip Facilities o Goal: Provide 3,440 short-term bicycle parking spaces; 7,527 long-term spaces; shower and changing facilities available to all bicyclists. o Results: The City manages 4,705 short-term parking spaces and can account for 569 long-term spaces. While long-term parking may seem well short of the goal, most long-term spaces are administered by private developers and are difficult to count. Shower and changing facilities are also difficult to count because they are also most often found in private developments. The City has made building code changes to promote shower and changing facilities in new construction and has developed a Bike Central program to provide facilities for bike commuters. • Bicycle & Transit o Goal: No specific benchmark; statement of intent to incorporate bicycles and transit. o Results: In 2006 all TriMet buses and light rail trains carry bicycle racks or designated bicycle areas. TriMet provides short- and long-term bicycle parking, including 340 bicycle lockers. • Education & Encouragement o Goals: Stage five citywide promotional events. Provide bicycle safety education in schools. Promote children bicycling to school. Conduct other promotional events. Platinum Bicycle Master Plan – Existing Conditions Report X-3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY o Results: Portland hosts 2,100 cycling-related events each year, including those sponsored by the City and other community organizations. Regarding education, 81% of school age children have received bicycle safety education, while 11% of Portland students receive bicycle safety education annually. Portland’s Safe Routes to School program showed a 10 – 20% increase in walking and biking to school among participating schools in 2006. PDOT also encourages cycling and other transportation options through its award-winning individualized marketing program, Portland SmartTrips. The program annually shows 9 – Portland Bureau of Transportation 12% reductions in drive-alone trips and includes hundreds of bicycle rides, clinic, and informational events. CHAPTER 4: BICYCLE-RELATED GOALS, POLICIES & OBJECTIVES The City of Portland’s goals and