Neighborhood Greenways
Portland’s neighborhood greenways are residential streets designed to prioritize bicycling and enhance conditions for pedestrians. They are a key In Portland, component of Portland’s transportation system, and the City is committed to operating them as such. Currently more than 90 miles of neighborhood greenways, developed in three distinct phases since the first project on SE Salmon and Taylor streets more than 30 years ago, connect the city.
Neighborhood Greenway Assessment Report and Guidelines
Portland’s 2015 Neighborhood Greenway Assessment Report recommended a series of performance guidelines for neighborhood greenways that are based on national and local guidance. Download the Neighborhood Greenway Assessment Report.
The report recommends the following performance guidelines for neighborhood greenways:
- Vehicle speeds of 20 mph, measured as 85th percentile speed, which means that 85 percent of vehicles drive at or below this speed;
- Automobile volume target of 1,000 average daily traffic (ADT), with 1,500 ADT acceptable and 2,000 ADT maximum;
- An alternate vehicle volume measurement based on vehicles per hour may also be used in lieu or in addition to ADT: to design, build, and maintain for an average of 50 vehicles per hour in the peak direction, with 75 vehicles per hour in the peak direction acceptable and 100 vehicles per hour in the peak direction maximum;
- Bicycle and pedestrian crossing opportunities, measured as a minimum of 50 crossing opportunities per hour, with 100 crossing opportunities per hour the preferred level of service.
Current Issues on the Tillamook Neighborhood Greenway
Vehicle Speeds
- Problem: Sections of Tillamook see 85th percentile speeds of 23-25 mph. Some sections see 85th percentile speeds of 26-28 mph.
- Solution: Speed bumps at specific locations on the neighborhood greenway. Speed bumps are PBOT’s most effective tool to slow speeding auto traffic.
Vehicle Volumes
- Problem: Vehicle volumes on Tillamook between NE Flint and Martin Luther King are in the 1,200-1,450 vehicles per day range, higher than the performance target. Tillamook between Williams and Rodney receives more than 100 eastbound vehicles per hour during the PM peak, and Tillamook at MLK receives nearly 200 eastbound vehicles per hour during the PM peak, which are over the peak hour performance maximum.
- Solution: We are exploring possible traffic diversion designs for this section of Tillamook.
Intersection Control
- Problem: Local and national guidelines recommend limiting the number of stop signs along a neighborhood greenway route in order to decrease travel time for bicyclists.
- Solution: Convert stop signs on Tillamook to stop signs at the minor intersections, allowing people on bikes to flow continuously through the greenway.
Crossing Safety
- Problem: Some busy intersection crossings are stressful for people walking and biking.
- Solution: Improved crossing visibility with tools like bike boxes, marked crossings, and new signage.
Project Components
Location | Project | Status |
---|---|---|
Full length of Tillamook between NE Flint and 28th |
| Complete |
NE 21st and Tillamook | Median pedestrian islands and bicycle markings crossing safety design | Complete |
NE Martin Luther King Jr. and Tillamook | Bike box safety design | Complete |
NE Flint and Vancouver and Tillamook | Accessible ramp and marked crosswalk | Complete |
7th and Tillamook | Speed bumps, additional signage and crosswalk markings | Postponed - will be included in Safer 7th traffic calming project as part of Lloyd to Woodlawn Neighborhood Greenway Project |
Potential for traffic diversion test on Tillamook between Williams and Martin Luther King Jr. - more vehicle volume data will be collected in this area.
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