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<\/a>The Portland Bureau of Transportation just released their latest Bicycle Count Report and the numbers could be read as a case of \u201cno news is good news.\u201d Overall, PBOT counted 1% more bicycle riders on streets citywide compared to one year ago<\/a>. While it\u2019s good we\u2019re holding steady and have pedaled out of the decline that happened between 2016 and 2022, keep in mind we\u2019re still down about 40% from our mid-2010s peak.<\/p>\n PBOT\u2019s bike counts are widely respected for their consistency over time as they\u2019ve fanned out along bikeways with clipboards in hand for over three decades. The counts were tallied by 150 trained volunteers who posted up at 342 locations (the most ever) between June and September of last year. PBOT splits the city up into eight geographic sectors (see map below).<\/p>\n In 2025, none of those sectors posted double-digit growth. The largest increases came from East (all areas east of I-205) and Southwest (excluding areas in the City Center) where counts showed 6.6% and 6.0% growth compared to 2024. Three sectors showed negative growth. North (west of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd) was down 4.2% and Northwest (excluding areas in the City Center) and South showed significant declines with a 12.9% and 16.8% decrease respectively.<\/p>\n Interestingly, PBOT mentioned in the report that the nearly 17% decrease in South might be due in part to it being home to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office, which was the site of numerous protests.<\/p>\n The one group that really has something to celebrate with the 2025 counts are electric bike retailers. PBOT reports that nearly one in four people on bikes in Portland are riding an e-bike. That\u2019s the highest number counted since they began counting e-bikes in 2023 (note that this number should be taken with a grain of salt given inherent difficulties of identifying e-bikes versus acoustic bikes). Another fun e-bike fact in the report is that one-third of women counted were using them, compared to 22% of men.<\/p>\n When it comes to shared micromobility, the report revealed large growth in e-scooter use and the second straight year of decline in Biketown riders.<\/p>\n Amid the relatively \u201cmeh\u201d news about bike ridership, the PBOT report included a section about how our city \u2014 once the undisputed \u201cBicycle Capital of America!\u201d \u2014 remains full of \u201centhusiasm\u201d for all things bicycle. Specifically, PBOT mentioned the bike bus movement. Here\u2019s a snip from the report:<\/p>\n \u201cThe energy and enthusiasm around bike buses\u2014as well as their leaders\u2019 demands for network improvements\u2014provide an insight to the desire parents and children have for an environment that fosters safe and comfortable conditions for biking for people of all ages and abilities. Portland has the policies, plans and understanding of how to create conditions that make bicycling more attractive than driving for most short trips. Lacking are the resources to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n For more insights, check out the full report, which you can download from PBOT\u2019s bike counts website<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/a>