PedPDX Strategy 10: Provide opportunities for an interesting and enjoyable pedestrian experience

Information
Making walking in Portland a joyful experience is one of the six objectives of PedPDX. The neighborhoods of Portland each have their own character, and elements such as benches, “creative crosswalks,” wayfinding signs, and pedestrian events can help make that overall walking experience a joyful one.
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ACTION 10.1: Establish a program for community implementation of “creative crosswalks”.

Measures of Success: Creative crosswalks program implemented; Number of creative crosswalks and number of painted curb extensions installed through community creative crosswalks program

Status: In Progress

  • PBOT does not allow creative crosswalks at this time
  • PBOT has partnered with community members to install creative curb extensions. With these installations, PBOT installs any needed signage and striping. The community then works with PBOT to get a design approved that is painted inside of the curb extension area. The new painting makes the curb extension more visible because it makes it clearer where the road is and where the curb extension is.

ACTION 10.2: Encourage seating in the right-of-way

Measure of Success: Number of encroachment permits for seating in the right-of-way, including TriMet and private development 

Status: In Progress

  • In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, PBOT created the Healthy Businesses permit program to allow local businesses to creatively use street space to safely serve their customers. Since the program started in May 2020, PBOT has issued over 1,050 Healthy Businesses permits free of charge to permittees. Approximately 20 percent of permits were issued to businesses owned by Black, Indigenous and other people of color.
  • Due to funding from City Council and overwhelming public support for the Healthy Businesses permit program, the effort is transitioning from short-term pandemic response to a long-term program.

ACTION 10.3: Work with partners to update the City’s pedestrian wayfinding system.

Measures of Success: Study conducted to determine feasibility of updating pedestrian wayfinding system

Status: In Progress

  • In 2019, PBOT worked with Travel Portland and the Portland Business Alliance to fund a preliminary wayfinding study. PBOT staff are continuing to look for potential funding opportunities to advance that work.

ACTION 10.4: Encourage more programs, events, and projects that create a car-free environment.

Measures of Success: Number of open streets events per year; Number of car-free streets (temporally or permanently closed to cars)

Status: In Progress

  • Sunday Parkways is PBOT’s open streets event, held every year. From 2008-2019, PBOT held five Sunday Parkways events annually. In 2020 and 2021, the program pivoted to virtual events, as well as a self guided sticker hunt. In 2022, Sunday Parkways held two in-person events; one in East Portland and one in Cully.
  • PBOT’s Public Street Plaza program was originally developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This effort builds on PBOT’s Healthy Businesses Permit Program where PBOT and community partners work together to repurpose streets for public space for business and community uses. PBOT’s Public Street Plazas are community-oriented public spaces where business and community activities are clustered, using the full width or part of a city street. Rather than just a place to pass through, these sections of city streets become neighborhood destinations. As of summer 2022, PBOT has worked with community partners on a dozen public plazas.

ACTION 10.5: Integrate public art into capital improvement projects.

Measure of Success: Number of public art projects installed through PBOT Capital Delivery Division and through permits

Status: In Progress

  • Under city code, when constructing a capital project, PBOT is required to include public art as part of construction cost or allocate 2% of the design and construction cost to the Regional Arts and Culture Commission (RACC). From 2019 through 2022, PBOT contributed to 24 RACC projects.
  • Street paintings are large, decorative paintings installed directly on the street to beautify neighborhoods and build community. PBOT has a program that allows residents and businesses to paint the street with artistic murals. These murals are typically in intersections, but can be painted between intersections as well. There were 24 new residential street paintings installed between 2021 and 2022.
  • In 2021, PBOT began installing large street paintings in conjunction with the Public Street Plazas program. The Public Street Plaza program painted more than three acres of artistic murals on the street plazas for Portlanders to enjoy.

ACTION 10.6: Engage and work with community partners to co-promote walking events that help people take ownership over investments and use new infrastructure.

Measure of Success: Number of walking events held in conjunction with capital projects

Status: In Progress

  • In 2019 the Active Transportation and Safety Programs section conducted several activities that have a goal of engaging people into walking, with a focus on highlighting infrastructure:
    • The Ten Toe Walks series held 18 walks with an average for 30 participants for each walk. The newest walks featured improvements and community places in Lents, Jade District, and South Portland.
    • PBOT partnered with AARP Oregon to host NeighborWalks in which 16 walks were organized and facilitated by AARP member volunteers, and were very well-attended.
    • PBOT activated the Foster Transportation Streetscape project with a campaign called Summer on Foster that included 10 PBOT hosted and/or supported events, and gamified participation in the events in order to encourage active trips like walking.
    • Five Sunday Parkways were held in 2019 which opened streets for people to walk, roll, and bicycle in.
  • In Spring 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic set in, programming pivoted from in person events to socially distanced activities that promoted walking, biking, and exploration of new infrastructure without a gathering event. These activations were branded “Go By Greenways” and were dispatched with the help of community partners to the Holiday-Oregon-Pacific Greenway, 130’s Greenway, 150’s Greenway, Southeast 136th, and the Flander’s Crossing in Northwest.
  • In 2021 PBOT launched two additional Go By Greenways campaigns, encouraging walking and rolling in NW Portland surrounding the completion of Flanders Crossing and NW Flanders Greenway, and in East Portland surrounding the completion of the 150s Greenways and SE 136th Ave sidewalk infill project.
  • Two Sunday Parkways were held in 2022 highlighting a series of completed projects that improve walking in Northeast/Cully neighborhood and in East Portland neighborhoods. Each Sunday Parkways included a walk led by Oregon Walks and Multnomah County REACH.
  • The Blumenauer Bridge opened on July 31, 2022 and PBOT hosted an opening celebration with our partners: Go Lloyd, Central Eastside Industrial Council, El Milagro Theater, The Street Trust and the Green Loop. The new car-free bridge connects the Lloyd District and Central Eastside neighborhoods. Opening day saw 6,000 bicyclists and 2,000 pedestrians. Continued use of the bridge is supported by 59 temporary wayfinding signs installed in the neighborhood.
  • In 2020 and 2021 PBOT helped Oregon Walks distribute walking kits to 770 community members.
  • Additionally members of the public can request free walking and biking maps which feature areas that may be more challenging to walk in than others, as well as public amenities like parks, schools, and libraries.