Portland Sunday Parkways Presented By Kaiser Permanente Kicks Off in SW Portland on May 18
Portland Sunday Parkways presented by Kaiser Permanente is back for 2025! We’re kicking off the season with a return to Southwest Portland on May 18, bringing free community fun and car-free streets for walking, biking, rolling, and playing.
We’re thrilled to be working with SW Trails to expand the walking route! This year, our self-guided walking route will feature loops in Gabriel Park and Spring Garden Park, offering more scenery as participants experience Sunday Parkways on foot. Plus, our team is actively working on additional exciting elements—we’ll share more details as they develop! Keep up to date by texting "Southwest" to 888-520-0526 for event updates.
Join the Fun—Volunteer, Become a Vendor & Win Merch!
Win Sunday Parkways Merch: Take our short pre-event survey and tell us your feedback! As a thank-you, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win Sunday Parkways gear. This survey will close on Friday, May 16 at 8:00 a.m. PST.
Volunteer with Us: Want to be part of the action? Sunday Parkways depends on amazing volunteers to help guide participants, cheer on riders, and support the event. Sign up to volunteer and enjoy a fun-filled day while giving back to your community.
Be a Vendor:Showcase your business or nonprofitat Sunday Parkways! Whether you're selling delicious food or merchandise, promoting your organization, or sharing resources, this is a great way to connect with thousands of Portlanders.
Are vendor fees a barrier? You can apply for a scholarship to request your vending fee waived for a Portland Sunday Parkways event. We prioritize systemically excluded businesses and organizations, as well as new small businesses or organizations.
Two Routes to Explore!
📍 Walking Route (3.6 miles): This walking route takes you on a journey through some of Southwest Portland’s most scenic spots! Start on SW Vermont Street and follow Gabriel Park’s east-side path, making your way south and continuing west on SW Canby Street. Turn south on SW 36th Avenue, walk one block along Troy Street, then continue south on SW 35th Avenue. As you cross Multnomah Village at SW Capitol Highway, enjoy the vibrant energy of the vendor marketplace.
Continue heading south on SW 35th Avenue to SW Spring Garden Street, walking through the beautiful SW Spring Garden Park. The route then follows SW Dolph Court to SW 35th Avenue, where you'll turn back and retrace your path toward Gabriel Park. From there, complete the loop along Gabriel Park’s west side before returning to SW Vermont Street.
📍 Biking & Rolling Route (2 miles): This fun and accessible biking and rolling route takes you on a smooth journey from north to south, starting at the north end of Gabriel Park. From there, glide along SW Vermont Street to 33rd Place, continue onto Nevada Court, then connect to 33rd Avenue before merging onto SW Capitol Highway. The route follows Capitol Highway until Dolph Court, where you’ll ride your way to Spring Garden Park!
These two routes can be started at either end, offering flexibility based on your preferred starting point and direction of travel. Bookmark the SW Google Map to follow along the route from your phone!
In addition, this map notes that car traffic is permitted to cross this route at designated intersections using 35th Avenue and crossing north and south at SW Vermont Street and SW Capitol Highway, as well as east and west on SW 35th Avenue at SW Multnomah Boulevard or SW Falcon Street intersections.
For full details, visit the Southwest Sunday Parkways webpage
Transportation News & Resources
Speed Limit Changes
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is updating speed limits citywide to set safe travel speeds. Why? Because speed is a top contributing factor to traffic deaths. Safe speeds lower the risk of crashes, and when crashes occur, safe speeds make it less likely that people are killed or seriously injured. We track speed limit changes online.
Locations where PBOT reduced the speed limit in the past three months:
30 to 25 mph
- N Argyle Street/Way from Interstate Avenue to Columbia Boulevard
Established 25 mph speed limit
- N Macrum Avenue from Columbia Boulevard to Fessenden Street
Upcoming changes
Locations where PBOT recently received approval from the Oregon Department of Transportation to reduce the speed limit in the past three months. PBOT will post new speed limit signs in the upcoming months:
30 to 25 mph
- N/NE Weidler Street from Ross Avenue to Grand Avenue
- NE Weidler Street from 16th Avenue to 24th Avenue
- SW Vermont Street from Oleson Road to 30th Avenue
- NW Miller Road from Cornell Road to Thompson Road
30 to 20 mph
- NE Weidler Street from N Grand Avenue to NE 16th Avenue
Learn more about speed limit changes in Portland
Upcoming 2025 Ann Niles Active Transportation Lecture
Join Portland State University’s Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) on April 30 at Portland State University's Lincoln Recital Hall for the Ann Niles Active Transportation Lecture featuring Anna Zivarts, author of When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency. As a low-vision parent and nondriver, Zivarts highlights the experiences of the one-third of U.S. residents without driver's licenses, emphasizing the need for inclusive transportation systems. The event is free, but tickets are required.
Learn more about this free lecture
Apply for the Transportation System Plan Community Advisory Committee
Help shape the future of transportation in Portland! The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is recruiting applications for up to 30 new Transportation System Plan (TSP) Community Advisory Committee (CAC) members. Application open through April 14, 2025.
The Community Advisory Committee will advise the Director of PBOT, support project team staff by advising on key tasks throughout each phase of the 2045 TSP workplan. The Transportation System Plan (TSP) is the 20-year plan to guide transportation projects, programs, policies, and investments in Portland.
Learn more and apply for the committee
In the Community
Volunteer at City Cast Portland’s 503 Day Block Party
503 Day is a new holiday based on our city's area code, established by the folks running Portland's daily podcast and newsletter, City Cast Portland and Hey Portland. It is a day dedicated to celebrating everything you love about Portland with a block party featuring live entertainment, music, outstanding food and drink, local luminaries and vendors, and more.
503 Day is on Saturday, May 3 located at Ankeny Alley Plaza from 1:00 p.m. - 6:03 p.m. (that's five hours and three minutes). If you love Portland and want to be part of this exciting new tradition, send Amy an email to volunteer and be part of the 503 Day magic!
Rx for Central City Livability: Applying Past Successes with Earl Blumenauer
City Club of Portland’s Built Environment Issue Committeeinvites you to a conversation on May 2 about the future of Portland's Central City area.
Portland has a history of transformative public infrastructure investments—from the Transit Mall and Waterfront Park to the Pearl District park sequence—that reshaped the city through collaboration, vision, and catalytic investments. As we look ahead, what lessons can we take from these past successes to guide the next chapter of Portland’s growth? Join a conversation with leaders involved in Portland’s milestone projects.
Mark Your Calendar
Celebrate Earth Day by Going Car-Free! 🌍🚲🚶♀️
Earth Day is right around the corner, making it the perfect month to choose active and sustainable ways to get around! We invite you to ditch the car and join one (or all!) of these free fun biking events.
New to Portland ride: Lents – April 3
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Are you new to town, or new to cycling in Portland? Join us for a springtime ride in the Lents neighborhood! We will visit several community-focused spaces, from community orchards and parks to local bike shops. This ride is free and open to everyone.
Vestal School Bike Fair- April 11
2:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
There’s something for everyone at this free family-friendly event!
- Biking lessons for children with activities to learn about bike safety skills
- Learn-to-ride coaching for adults and children just starting out on a bike
- Quick-fix Bike Repair to make sure your bike is rolling smoothly and safely
- Helmet fitting to make sure you're protected
Participants are welcome to bring their own bikes. There will be bikes of various sizes available for children and adults to borrow for the Learn to Ride clinic.
Earth Day Community Bike Ride – April 19
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Join PBOT's Portland by Cycle team on a community bike ride from Colonel Summers Park to Laurelhurst Park for the City's Earth Day - Together as One celebration.
Meet at 11 am, ride starts at 11:30 a.m. We will ride the Neighborhood Greenways, Portland's quiet, slow streets that are prioritized for walking, biking, and rolling.
Earth Day Bike Bus – April 22, 2025
7:15 am – 8:30 am
The City Bike Bus is back! We’re kicking off the City of Portland’s second annual bike bus season with a special Earth Day ride that’s open to the public. On April 22, we’re inviting anyone who commutes downtown to join one of nine different routes across the city and bike to work.
At the end of the ride, we’ll gather at Salmon Street Springs for coffee, treats, e-bike demos from River City Bikes, and music! There will also be information on how to get involved with Bike Month, a month-long celebration of cycling all throughout May, where you can earn prizes just for riding your bike!
Find out more about the routes and ride times
Jobs & Professional Development
Streetcar Maintenance Supervisor, Portland Bureau of Transportation – closes April 7
Safety Support Assistant, Portland Water Bureau – closes April 9
Clean Energy Fund, Workforce Policy Coordinator, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability – closes April 14
Tribal Government Relations Manager, Office of Government Relations – closes April 21
