Do we have a new contender in the race for the best bikeway through a business district in Portland? With such a strong neighborhood greenway network, Portland has historically been relatively slow to install bike lanes on major commercial streets. I’ve long held that North Williams Avenue — even with its shortcomings — is the best example we have of a viable bike lane through a business district.
But after riding Northeast Broadway on Tuesday, I believe we might have another street that deserves consideration.
As I first reported 15 months ago, the Portland Bureau of Transportation once again seized an opportunity to make major striping changes to a street that was scheduled for a complete repave. The (very sensible and correct) thinking from PBOT is essentially (my words, not theirs): ‘We will have a blank slate after the repave, so we will restripe/redesign the street in a way that reflects adopted goals and visions.’ No specific changes are guaranteed on these “pave and paint” projects, and PBOT responds to what they think the community demands and will support.
In the case of the NE Broadway Pave & Paint project which PBOT began last summer, they had early support from both the adjacent business and neighborhood associations, so they were able to remove one of the general travel lanes and replace it with a bike-only lane…