Skip to Content
Streetsblog Chicago home
Log In
Streetsblog Network

On Portland’s Hawthorne Bridge, 20 Percent of Traffic Is Bikes

10:49 AM CDT on September 27, 2013

Ever encountered a transportation agency that says it's not worth the money to install bike access on an urban bridge, because bikes aren't "real transportation?" Point them to the case of Portland's Hawthorne Bridge.

Jonathan Maus at Bike Portland reports that the bridge just recorded its two millionth bike trip since it began electronically tallying riders around this time last year:

That puts the average weekday amount of bicycle trips over the bridge (in both directions) at about 5,600. For comparison, there's an estimated 22,000 cars crossing the bridge on an average weekday — which means bicycle traffic accounts for about 20% of the bridge's total vehicle traffic.

Thanks to the web interface that keeps a running tally of the data collected by the counter, we can dive into trip statistics on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. So far, the highest recorded day was June 8th of this year with 9,834 bicycle trips (that date also happened to be the World Naked Bike Ride). When you look at weekly and daily totals, it becomes very clear that weather plays a major factor in how many people bike each day. PBOT hasn't crunched recent numbers alongside weather patterns yet, but my cursory analysis shows a drop-off of about 2,000 daily trips when the weather turns iffy (we hope to share more data on the weather correlation in a separate post).

These numbers validate what we've known for years: The Hawthorne Bridge is a key artery in our road network and Portland is much better off because so many of the vehicles it carries happen to be bicycles. As we shared back in 2010, since 1991 Portland has increased the amount of people who travel to and from the central city via the Hawthorne Bridge by 20%; and because that increase in total vehicle traffic has been almost entirely bicycles, we have reaped major benefits. If the motor vehicle trips had increased at the same rate, we would have widespread congestion, more toxic pollution in our air, and we would have a more urgent need to make costly investments into the bridge and adjacent roads and ramps.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Greater City Providence shares a video announcing the city's ambitious zoning overhaul. The Architect's Newspaper reports that California Senator Barbara Boxer has been named "National Asphalt Legislator of the Year" by industry groups for her leadership in passing the current transportation bill. And Cyclelicious asks whether portrayals of cycling fully reflect the diversity of people who bike.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Chicago

Taste of 79th Community Walk uses a stroll with a New Orleans-style brass band to highlight the corridor

Saturday's event was a reminder that there's no better way to get to know a neighborhood than taking a walk with others, enjoying live music, and supporting local businesses.

September 20, 2023

Check it out: Now it’s safer to get on and off the 312 RiverRun from Belmont Avenue

One of the coolest new things on the on-street route is the treatment of Belmont near and over the Chicago River, by the southern trailhead of the north-south path.

September 19, 2023

Who’s to blame for the killing of a man on the sidewalk after two drivers crashed in West Ridge?

The police statement and crash report provide different accounts of which driver should have yielded, but a 6-lane street layout may have also played a role in the tragedy.

September 19, 2023
See all posts