PBOT Safe Routes to School July 2025 Newsletter

Newsletter

PBOT's Safe Routes to School July 2025 newsletter.

Published

July 1, 2025 9:04 am

Updated

July 1, 2025 9:29 am

Dear parents, caregivers, educators, and community,

Summer break may feel like a pause, but at Safe Routes to School, it’s a season for planting the seeds of a safer school year ahead. We’re tending to progress that will bloom this fall—from safety infrastructure upgrades to stronger community partnerships. Now is also a great time to nurture growth at home by helping the youth in your life build traffic safety skills, such as learning how to cross the street safely, fit a helmet, or plan a walking or biking route. These early habits are like roots. They create a strong foundation for a safe, confident return to school.

Keep scrolling to read what’s new and what’s next.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and tag us in your stories so we can share your successes with our Portland community.

With gratitude,
Safe Routes to School Team | Brittany, Dana, Gui, Janis, Jeri, Josh, and Meaghan

In this newsletter

Learning from Seattle traffic safety projects and strategies
Welcome, Maddy and Ian, Portland's new Safe Routes to School coordinators
Build walk, bike, and roll habits this summer
New, safer crossing near Creston K-5 School in Creston-Kenilworth
Stay cool. Drive slow.
Free BIKETOWN for All bike helmets
Portland Parks & Recreation Summer Free For All
Personal safety community resources
Job and volunteer postings
What we're reading

Learning from Seattle traffic safety projects and strategies

A group of seven adults walk down the middle of a closed neighborhood street with a heart "Healthy Streets" sign. — Seattle Department of Transportation introduced "Healthy Streets" during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 to open more space for people rather than cars—improving community and individual health. Healthy Streets are open for people to walk, bike, roll and play and closed to pass-through traffic.

Portland Bureau of Transportation's (PBOT) Safe Routes to School and Vision Zero programs recently travelled to Seattle to learn from their program counterparts at Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). Over two days, staff learned from one another, exchanged information, and shared traffic safety innovations, strategies, and supportive policies.

A kid and adult biking through a complex intersection, following marked green bike paths. — Seattle Department of Transportation's Pinehurst Way NE and NE 117th Street Intersection and Sidewalk Project redesigned a complex junction of three intersections that addressed multiple visibility, "channelization," and crossing needs for people walking, biking, and driving.

The team visited Seattle's latest traffic safety projects, including their first protected intersection, a community-led plaza, Traffic Gardens, bike playgrounds, student-designed sidewalk art, temporary-to-permanent School Streets, a complex intersection redesign, and more.

Four adults stand with a traffic blockade holding a road closed sign. — Seattle Safe Routes to School's School Streets are open for people walking, rolling, and biking to school—and closed to pass through traffic, including caregivers dropping off their students. The goals are to encourage families walk or bike to school and to provide a safer school environment by reducing traffic congestion.

Staff were inspired by Seattle's recent, innovative safety work and their commitment to community needs.

"Seattle's School Streets and Healthy Streets programs inspired me. The principal at Genesee Hill Elementary School told us it takes a lot of work upfront to get families to stop driving on the School Street—but after three years, it ran like a well-oiled machine."

"Visiting Seattle and meeting their Safe Routes to School staff and school principals in person was invaluable. I was especially impressed by how their School Zone Checklist—a standard set of safety upgrades like speed bumps, marked crosswalks, and signage—has evolved, and by the supportive policies they've adopted to ensure streets around schools meet a higher standard for safety infrastructure and traffic control."

"Seattle has developed clear policies to make streets near schools safer and more community-focused. Their approach includes tools like all-way stops next to schools, permanent street closures with strong neighborhood support, and creative touches like student-designed street art. By testing changes in phases and listening to community feedback, they’re building streets that prioritize people over cars and support kids getting to school safely."

Six adults huddle around an outdoor tabletop reviewing a large piece of paper illustrating three different plaza plans. — The Local community organization Lake City Collective worked with the Seattle Department of Transportation to install a Healthy Street in a dense residential neighborhood. Lake City Collective has hosted cultural celebrations, community health education events, visioning sessions for future projects, and recreation and community connections in the plaza.

This exchange offered collaboration and fresh ideas for partnerships and projects that will continue to advance street safety in Portland.

Learn more about Seattle's Safe Routes to School program

Welcome, Maddy and Ian, Portland's new Safe Routes to School coordinators

An adult standing on top of a bike next to an adult holding a bike helmet. — Maddy Cirineo (left) is Portland Public Schools' new Safe Routes to School Coordinator. Ian Rees, MPA (right) is Centennial School District's new Safe Routes to School Coordinator.

Maddy Cirineo, Portland Public Schools Safe Routes to School Coordinator

Since joining Portland Public Schools (PPS) in May, Maddy Cirineo has been thrilled to step into her role as Safe Routes to School Coordinator. She works closely with schools across the district to support walk and roll events, encourage active transportation, and help ensure students have safe, accessible ways to get to school. Next school year, she’s excited to build relationships within each school community and join as many walking school and bike buses as possible!

Before joining PPS, Maddy worked as the Micromobility Program Coordinator at the University of Maryland and helped install the university’s first protected bike lanes. She attended Portland State University for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees, where her passion for active transportation began as a freshman working in the campus bike shop. That early hands-on experience sparked a long-term commitment to making biking and walking safer and more inclusive for everyone. Outside of work, Maddy enjoys sewing bike bags and gear, swimming, playing board games with friends, and cheering on the Thorns.

Send a welcome message to Maddy

Ian Rees, Centennial School District Safe Routes to School Coordinator

Ian Rees brings a unique background in athletic education and transportation to his new role at Centennial School District. Earlier in his career, he coached a variety of sports, working with athletes at all levels—from toddlers to professionals.

In 2023, Ian transitioned into transportation safety after earning a Master's in Public Administration from Tulane University. His passion for how transportation shapes our lives was fueled by exploring transit systems across North and South America. Previously, Ian served as a Traffic Safety Coordinator in Eastern Washington and completed a capstone project on transit-oriented development with the Washington State Department of Transportation.

A newcomer to Portland, Ian enjoys exploring the city's parks, museums, music venues, and sports arenas by bike. He's terrible at karaoke but doesn't let that stop him from belting out a tune at some of Portland's best establishments. Ian also serves as the newly elected Chair of the Centennial Community Association's Parks Committee, where he's eager to develop public spaces and programming the community can truly enjoy.

Send a welcome message to Ian

Build walk, bike, and roll habits this summer

Summer is a great time to practice safe travel skills with children. Invest now to help them build habits that will set them up for success once the start of the school year arrives. Walking, biking, and rolling at free summer events is an easy way to do just that!

Tips and resources

A line of middle school students on bikes in a bike lane wave to someone across the street. — Summer is a great time to practice safe travel skills with youth, such as traffic safety rules, how to find routes, planning trips, how to fit a helmet, and more.

Find your route with a Portland Neighborhood Bike and Walk Map
Plan your trip with our Getting There guide
Review the Portland Family Biking Guide to prepare for all stages of family biking, including biking while pregnant, with kids of all ages, and helping kids prepare to bike alone
Get to know TriMet and review what to know for your first trip
Learn how to properly fit a bike helmet
Make sure you know how to bring your bike on public transit
Pick up TriMet's free summer pass for high school students

Learn more about all stages of family biking in Portland

Free PBOT bike events

Three kids stand with them bikes and helmets on in the middle of a low-traffic street where an event is taking place. — Southwest Portland Sunday Parkway, presented by Kaiser Permanente, was a family-friendly event designed to highlight the network of neighborhood greenways and other infrastructure, parks, and community resources.

Bike Maintenance Education: Wednesday, July 2 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Montavilla Plaza (SE 79th Avenue and Stark Street)
East Portland Neighborhood Bike Fair: Saturday, July 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Menlo Park Elementary School (12900 NE Glisan St.)
East Portland Sunday Parkways: Sunday, July 27 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. stopping along the way at Gateway Discovery, Ventura, Lincoln, and Parklane parks

Learn more about free PBOT bike events

Bike Summer (Pedalpalooza)

More than a dozen adults and kids ride bikes down a neighborhood street lined with lush foliage on a summer day. — Bike Summer (Pedalpalooza) is Portland's community-led bicycle festival spanning June, July, and August. Most rides are free, and all are open to the public to join. Several rides are family-friendly and marked accordingly.

Fourth of July Kids Bike Parade: Friday, July 4 from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. at Rose City Park United Methodist Church (5830 NE Alameda St.)
PDX Sidewalk Joy Ride: Sunday, July 6 starting at 10 a.m. at Grant Park (NE 33rd Avenue and US Grant Place)
Kidical Mass PDX - SE Splash Ride: Saturday, July 26 starting at 2 p.m. at Laurelhurst Park playground (SE 37th Avenue and Oak Street)
NoPo Splash Pad Pedal: Saturday, July 26 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Northgate Park splash pad (near 9300 N Clarendon Ave.)

Learn more about Bike Summer (Pedalpalooza)

New, safer crossing near Creston K-5 School in Creston-Kenilworth

A green two-way bike lane on one side of a street allows for a connection at a T-intersection. — Construction of the SE 52nd Avenue Crossing Improvement Project concluded in April 2025. This project installed safer crossings for people walking, biking, and rolling on SE 52nd Avenue at Center and Gladstone streets.

Crossing SE 52nd Avenue just got safer thanks to the SE 52nd Avenue Crossing Improvement Project! This spring, Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) crews finished construction on SE 52nd Avenue from Gladstone to Center streets. These improvements will help people walking, biking, and rolling safely connect the neighborhood greenway as it shifts from SE Gladstone to Center streets. In March, Emily Essley, bike bus leader at Creston K-5School, shared that "the work at 52nd and Gladstone looks fantastic!" We love to hear it.

Project elements

Six new curb ramps that meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements
Two marked crosswalks
Two-foot buffer to existing bike lane on west side of SE 52nd Avenue
Two-way bike lane (10' wide) on east side of SE 52nd Avenue and south side of Center Street
Concrete curb separators to protect the bike lane
Street lighting

Informed by community needs

Together with the local school community, PBOT identified the intersection as an important connection for students and families travelling to and from Creston K-5 School during a Safe Routes to School outreach process.

Made possible by Portland voters

The SE 52nd Avenue Crossing Improvement Project is funded by Fixing Our Streets—the 10-cent citywide gas tax Portland voters approved in 2016, 2020, and 2024.

Learn more about the SE 52nd Avenue Crossing Improvement Project

Stay cool. Drive slow.

A person driving a silver sedan makes a left turn through an intersection. — Speed is one of the top contributors to traffic deaths and higher speeds make crashes far more deadly. In 2024, nearly half of Portland's traffic deaths involved speeding.

Warm days demand cool heads—and slower driving. Heatwaves, combined with urban heat island effects, are known to increase traffic crashes and deaths. In Portland, traffic deaths involving people in vehicles consistently are highest in June and July. That means summer is the season to take it slow.

Speed is one of the top contributors to traffic deaths and higher speeds make crashes far more deadly. In 2024, nearly half of Portland's traffic deaths involved speeding. That’s why Portland Bureau of Transportation is lowering speed limits, redesigning streets, and encouraging safer driving habits.

So slow down and stay alert for people outside your vehicle. People walking, biking, and rolling are more vulnerable in crashes because the human body can only withstand so much physical impact. Consider this: You double a pedestrian’s chance of survival by driving 20 mph instead of 30 mph.

When you drive slower, you give yourself more time to react—and increase your chances of a safe, easy, breezy summer.

Learn more about how you can help make our streets safer

Free BIKETOWN for All bike helmets

Youth 16 and older who qualify for BIKETOWN for All may pick up a free helmet at Adaptive BIKETOWN (1945 SE Water Ave.) or the Portland Building (1120 SW Fifth Ave.).

Did you know BIKETOWN for All members get free helmets? BIKETOWN for All offers affordable, accessible, and fun bike-share transportation for everyone, regardless of income. Individuals 16 and older who qualify for or receive any of the following are eligible:

Pell Grants (Portland campuses only)
Oregon Trail Card (Electronic Benefit Transfer card)
Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program
Affordable housing residents
Unemployment assistance
Oregon Health Plan (Oregon Medicaid)
TriMet Honored Citizen (qualifying income)

Pick up your free helmet at Adaptive BIKETOWN (1945 SE Water Ave.) during seasonal hours or the Portland Building (1120 SW Fifth Ave.). Call 311 ahead of time to arrange for you to pick up at the Portland Building.

Learn more about BIKETOWN for All

Portland Parks & Recreation Summer Free For All

Six children of different ages stand behind a booth in a park holding different snacks in their hands. — Portland Parks & Recreation offers free lunch for youth during the summer through Summer Free for All programs.

Portland Parks & Recreation's Summer Free For All builds community through free, inclusive, and family-friendly activities that celebrate Portland's diverse cultures and local artists.

Free Lunch + Play

Play for days at Free Lunch + Play, where kids come to share a meal and have fun in the sun! Portland Public Schools and Centennial, Parkrose, and David Douglas school districts provide meals Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Cultural events

Come down to the park and experience free movies, concerts, festivals, and special events. The first events take place on Thursday, July 10 with Guardians of the Galaxy at Elizabeth Caruthers Park (3508 S Moody Ave.) and Son de Cuba at Mt. Tabor Park Amphitheater (SE Salmon Way).

Mobile Lunch + Play

The Mobile Lunch + Play program travels to apartment complexes in East Portland to provide free meals and recreation activities to kids. The program is held at Eastgate Station Apartments (100 NE 120th Ave.) and Vine Maple Apartments (177 SE 146th Ave.)

Learn more about Summer Free For All

Personal safety community resources

A student jumping between two jump ropes playing Double Dutch in front of seven of their peers wearing backpacks. — Personal safety is core to making our streets safe. To realize a safe transportation system that provides all people access and mobility to where they need to go, we must proactively take care of each other.

We want to help create a transportation system that allows all people to feel safe getting where they need to go. We put together free, accessible personal safety resources for community members, including how to report a non-urgent traffic safety concern, report bias and hate, participate in a self-defense workshop, and more.

Learn more about personal safety community resources

Job and volunteer postings

The City of Portland posts new job opportunities every Monday.

Public Safety Deputy City Administrator

Apply by Monday, July 7

The City of Portland is seeking a collaborative, strategic, and transparent leader to serve as its Public Safety Deputy City Administrator (DCA). The DCA will guide a high-performing leadership team and build strong partnerships across bureaus such as Police, Fire & Rescue, Emergency Communications, and Emergency Management, as well as with community organizations and regional stakeholders.

Learn more about the Public Safety Deputy City Administrator position

What we're reading