(April 14, 2015) PBOT crews have begun installing signs on four of Portland's Neighborhood Greenways to help people better understand the type of road they are using. Neighborhood Greenways are low-speed, low-traffic streets where people walking and bicycling are prioritized over cut-through automotive traffic.
PBOT has nearly 80 miles of Neighborhood Greenways in all parts of the city. While the program has changed since it first emerged as a citizen-led effort to identify SE Salmon and SE Taylor as a designated bicycle route, Neighborhood Greenways share several characteristics:
- Automotive speeds are low. In most cases the signed speed limit is 20 MPH.
- Automotive volumes are low. PBOT strives for less than an average of 1,500 cars per day and many Neighborhood Greenways have less than 1,000 cars per day.
- Crossings of major streets are improved for people walking and bicycling across.
The new signs help provide context for the 20 MPH speed limit signs, reinforcing Neighborhood Greenway routes as places for walking and bicycling and encouraging those uses. Keep an eye out for the new signs on the following Greenways:
• N Michigan,
• N/NE Blandena /Going /Alberta,
• SE Salmon /Taylor, &
• SE Bush /100th/101st
A total of 95 signs will be installed. As funding permits, the signs will be added to other Neighborhood Greenways, phased in gradually over time. These signs can also be included in the design of new Neighborhood Greenways.
Learn more about Portland's Neighborhood Greenways by visiting - http://www.neighborhoodgreenways.org