Most Portland neighborhoods would jump at the chance to upgrade their bike lanes. But the coalition that represents 32 neighborhoods in District 4 is different. At their meeting Wednesday night, the District 4 Coalition (D4C) plans to finalize a letter to Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Millicent Williams that outlines their opposition to $760,000 of planned bike lane projects in Southwest Portland.<\/p>\n
These projects are part of the bike lane hardening effort I reported on in August 2024<\/a>. With marching orders from a city traffic engineer directive<\/a>, PBOT is going through a list of protected bike lanes citywide that were initially built with just paint and\/or plastic wands and replacing them with concrete curbs. The idea is permanent curbs offer a more pleasing aesthetic, provide a stronger safety benefit, and will require less maintenance (the wands are frequently uprooted). PBOT is also responding to some bike advocates who see paint and plastic as a poor substitute for more robust materials.<\/p>\n In a draft version of the letter<\/a> about the projects in Southwest, D4C Land Use and Transportation Co-Chair Nicole Zimmerman (who\u2019s also a candidate for City Council District 3) says they oppose planned hardening projects at three locations: Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway between SW 39th and SW 65th, SW Capitol Hwy between SW Valona and Stephenson, and Bertha Blvd between Vermont and 13th (see map below).<\/p>\n Below is an excerpt from the letter that lays out the reasons for their objections (emphasis theirs):<\/p>\n If this sounds familiar, it\u2019s because BikePortland reported on a Southwest-based cycling advocate who shared many of these same concerns back in fall of 2024<\/a>. I reached out to that person, former PBOT Bicycle Advisory Committee member and veteran bike advocate Keith Liden, and he confirmed he was the inspiration for the D4C position. \u201cYes, my fingerprints are all over it,\u201d Liden shared with me via email last week.<\/p>\n \u201cWe feel it makes no sense to spend scarce dollars to \u2018gold plate\u2019 isolated sections on routes with serious gaps,\u201d Liden said. \u201cHardening these bike lanes will do nothing to attract less confident\/inexperienced riders, while the current users will still be fine with painted buffers.\u201d Liden wants PBOT to offer a more complete route before spending money to improve isolated sections. \u00a0<\/p>\n Kiel Johnson with nonprofit BikeLoud PDX disagrees with Liden and has sent a message of his own to PBOT, urging them to move forward. In an email sent Thursday, February 19th, Johnson wrote that Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway currently feels like a freeway due to its design, and changes are needed to attract more riders. \u201cPaint and plastic wands are not protection,\u201d Johnson wrote. \u201cPhysical barriers\u2014concrete curbs, continuous raised protection, and median refuge islands\u2014would reduce conflict points, prevent encroachment into bike space, and narrow the effective roadway in a way that calms traffic without eliminating access.\u201d<\/p>\n The D4C coalition wants PBOT to allow them to help review and evaluate the projects to find, \u201can acceptable approach for improving and maintaining these facilities at reduced cost and to redirect the remaining funds to improvements that support more pressing priorities in District 4 and identified in our adopted plans.\u201d Liden and others in Southwest feel PBOT\u2019s project selections are too \u201ctop-down\u201d and they want a more collaborative process to determine future bikeway investments.<\/p>\n Learn more about PBOT\u2019s bike lane upgrades on their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n The D4C Land Use and Transportation Committee meets tomorrow (Weds., 2\/25) from 6:30 to 8:30 pm via Zoom.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bikeportland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-24-at-10.27.28-AM.jpg\")
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