Are Portland's bike paths safe?

[@TheJohnreeves]

"As soon as you're on a bike you just forget about it" is exactly right. Once you're there you realize it's just fine.

[@illeagledesigns8737]

I used to commute from NE to Milwaukie in the early morning. Taking I-205 to Springwater. It became too much to deal with. Camps directly on the path, broken glass laid intentionally across the path, and threats of death, were a few of the things that curbed my desire to do what used to be a great start to my day. It is sad that Portland clearly doesn’t care about its community beyond its center.

[@BikePortland]

ugh. I have heard so many stories similar to yours. Very sorry to hear it.

[@jmonk2011]

Great video, I appreciate you Jonathan, going out and interviewing people for their perspective. I'm especially glad to see the interviews with children and parents, I think it's important that we prioritize safety for kids on the bike path. I've ridden on these car free paths a lot over the years and while I've seen some sketchy behavior from houseless people; I've never been hurt. I agree about having safety in numbers, that presence matters.

[@BikePortland]

Thanks for the nice note! Given all the stories I've posted about the paths that make it seem really scary and bad, I think it's important to share that a lot of people have zero issues.

[@unholycow11]

I work out of Old Town and commute occasionally by bike around 5 miles each way: all the way down Clinton, then up either the Eastbank or Naito. Happy to report that the only time I BEGIN to think about personal safety are the seven blocks I have to ride on Couch between Broadway and Naito - once I'm off the bike trail and into Old Town. 90% of my ride is absolutely lovely, with that last 10% being absolutely sketchy as hell. No incidents yet, thankfully, but I don't see that final bit improving anytime soon.

[@garrettjansen]

I was riding Springwater towards the I-205 trail yesterday and a kid on a scooter stopped at a red light next to me, telling me he was robbed at gunpoint of his trail bike ~3 months ago. That I-205 path is pretty wild but Reuben is right that they're usually minding their own business and getting out of the way but I realize my experience is vastly different as a grown man going 20mph steadily than the young kid on a slower trail bike. Bring a pal is probably the best advice for that stretch.

[@insanity54]

I don't live in Portland but I enjoy these videos. Greets from Spokane

[@BikePortland]

thanks for saying that. Glad you found this channel.

[@TheGroupRide]

I ride the 205 path quite a bit and it is straight up dangerous, mostly from the amount of debris and bodies blocking the path.

[@cameronbracken6223]

Jonathan, Been reading you for years online from Seattle so I feel current while on my frequent visits. Always bring a bike and have ridden all these areas many times. Great reporting and good luck on the channel. Instant new subscriber

[@23CrazyAsian]

I ride spring water from boring to I205 and I205 to downtown a few times a week for the last few years and it’s pretty safe. But the worst area BY FAR, with the biggest exclamation point is any portion of the I205 bike trail. I have seen so many camps move in and out and tons of trash. The wort stretch is from foster to stark where people In RVs park into the neighborhoods and obviously selling drugs. I never want to ride that stretch during the dark. It’s sad that our city forgets anything past 82nd.

[@chrislehr07]

Thanks for the uplifting footage on the springwater. I fear your I205 video won't be as cheery. Heck, I try not to stop pedaling out there, even for an interview.

[@anthonidanowski9404]

lol the 205 path is pretty neat huh. one time i saw a decapitated cow head (still full of meat) laying on the path between stark and glisan. that part is a real gem.

[@BikePortland]

yeah I hear you. I will definitely get out there soon.

[@siaa9992]

@@BikePortland if you do could you try to get the opinions of people who are unhoused living on or near the path? it would be nice to see more media talking to people on the street instead of exclusivity talking about this nebulous concept of "safety"

[@DanielHandorff]

APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU DO!!!

[@BikePortland]

THANK YOU!!!

[@me12722]

These bike paths look nice. Enjoy and stay safe

[@regularlyirregular8876]

Aruna, if you see this: please tighten your helmet straps!!!

[@Sivah_Akash]

I do think mixed-use paths should be more regulated, but also well aware there are many more incidents happening on roads that we just don't talk about because we have normalized them!

[@pdxshadow9819]

It’s a bike path…. There doesn’t need to be regulation on them…

[@Sivah_Akash]

@@pdxshadow9819 , ah right. I actually meant mixed use paths.

[@pdxshadow9819]

@@Sivah_Akash pretty soon with your mindset we will need to get a bike license, register our bikes, get required insurance. Kids won’t be allowed to ride because they don’t have licenses

[@Sivah_Akash]

@@pdxshadow9819, so people on bikes zipping past people who are walking doesn't occur in mixed-use paths? Also explaning how my comment is wrong will be more helpful than just indicating I am incorrect in my belief. :)

[@pdxshadow9819]

@@Sivah_Akash it does happen. And it isn’t an issue…

[@LornaT460]

I lived in Portland for almost a year and I loved the bike paths there. I used the city rental bikes until that went to assisted pedal and then it was no longer exercise.

[@lyzzrdlyzzrd8795]

I frequently ride the paths my biggest/one path I feel the most endangered or at risk of kind including debris I.e glass or needles is 205 path from marine dr down to South to Clackamas. There’s many unhoused and car/campers especially between Stark to Lents. This would one my favorite routes to loop Portland however I try to avoid it and go the longer way around, which isn’t so bad from past Gresham to Boring to country roads to Troutdale and back marine dr.

[@daveanolik8837]

Pulling the camera back far enough to see all of the US, Portland is an outstanding cycling city and the multi use paths are wonderful for cycling. Minneapolis is another one. Is there glass, an unhoused population and the occasional scary creep? Yes. Welcome to a smaller city evolving into a bigger one. It’s still a wildly far distance from other large urban metropolises like Chicago or LA in terms of cycling accessibility, comfort and safety.

[@standardannonymousguy]

Great video. I feel safe on the Spring water Corridor. Also I am looking forward to the new OMSI revitalization project (although it'll take ten years to complete ..) because the path between the Hawthorne Bridge and OMSI is rough pavement, is ugly, and has no separation between the OMSI parking lot and the path.

[@maverik15j]

Transplant from small town Ohio here. Paths have been great. I mostly ride the esplanade and portions of Springwater but have always felt safe. I’m a 180lb male in my 30’s and only ride in the daytime so take from that what you will.

[@mattmurphy24]

I was in Portland visiting family. I was driving on I think Naito Pkwy heading to St Johns. A train was blocking the road. After a couple minutes I thought I was in the wrong lane. Cars were heading toward me on the right, then cutting across the intersection in front of me. It turns out it was drivers losing it and using the bike lane to avoid waiting for the train. It was a long train. Maybe 15 minutes or more.

[@russellzauner]

They make backpacks with LED on the back, you could just ride in front of people with a message flashing "doing interviews about this path, holler at me". Then you could get other riders but passively flagging them down so it's easy for everyone.

[@BikePortland]

I like that idea. That's why I love my new hi-viz vest. It says "Media BikePortland" on it and helps folks know I'm not some stalker weirdo. I think what would be cool is a small a-frame sign that I'd place about 20 yards before I'm set up and says, "Talk to BikePortland ahead".

[@torianjallen]

Your trail system looks awesome! I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and my family loves the trails here. My wife commutes by bike, and I’ve considered getting rid of my motorcycle.

[@radfordbean2855]

I've ridden the Springwater Corridor Trail from Sellwood Park to Boring and back several times and ride the East Esplanade from Portland to Sellwood many times. I've never had any issues. I have found the section from Powell Butte to Boring to be better maintained and cleaner than the Portland section, probably because it's less industrialized.

[@FreeRadicalX]

I bike up and down both the Willamette Greenway and Springwater several times a week, turning around by crossing the Sellwood Bridge, and it's by far my most low-stress workout route because of how car-free it is. I've been meaning to get back out east on further Springwater / 205 path but have indeed heard many of those reports recently about cars getting onto the trails and occasional hostile campers. I'm against camp sweeps but I do think that the paths themselves need to be kept clear in a fairly strict fashion.

[@bergmanst]

Please do a video about the I- 205 Multi trail with all the homeless. It's awful.

[@adamtharp]

Yeah. I had an early morning commute on the I-205 to the I-84. Eastbank is tame unless you poke up into the scetch part of inner SE or roll at midnight. I would ride at night no worries. I have not done the springwater for a while. about Jonson creek To the Park thing in Gresham was scetch at times. I have only had two real incidents.

[@zroeder]

I had a couple of sketchy experience on the I-205 path during the pandemic that I'm still trying to shake. Unfortunately, that's how I'd get to gateway green with my daughter. I've never taken her there.

[@funshinebear4822]

Not in portland, but some of the paths near me have a high proportion of displaced folks or forested areas. For my comfort, I wear pepper spray in a chest vest that I can easily access, just in case. Have only observed authorized vehicles (rarely) on my trails or the nuisance e-biker flying by at 30mph on a 15mph path. Have also had unleashed dogs excitedly view me as a play thing. Thankfully, they've not been aggressive.

[@donkeyavenger]

The state of the 205 path is pretty sad. Once you get past the Prescott turn off it gets rough and impassible at points with the camps, trash and people passed out on the path. It doesn't help that mopeds and motorcycles from the camps are using the path to get around too

[@ssimonson09]

I commute in on the Springwater from the Tacoma max station to the Moda center area a few times a week and other than the occaisional houseless folks hanging around the fire station area by Hawthorne its super chill. The Springwater used to be a bit sketchy around the Johnson Creek/205 stretch, but even that is better than it was. The 205 path is definitely worse, with camps, broken glass, and occaisional aggressive houseless individuals. It honestly sucks to ride anyway though with all the freeway noise, wind, pollution, and frequent street crossings. As someone else above said, big picture wise, Portland has great cycling infrastructure for a city its size and drivers that are generally more aware and conscious of bike riders.

[@DanielLoveReel]

Same in Seattle, there are certain types of media who will do anything they can to demonize any way of getting around that isn't driving a personal automobile. When theres a fatal car wreck they get crickets.

[@Kattbirb]

Of course, because of motonormativity. We don't accept this level of negligence in any other facet of our lives.

[@siaa9992]

theyre a lot safer than trying to navigate through traffic or avoiding potholes on side streets. sometimes i feel a little uneasy riding on the 205 path when people's camps get a little messy but a little trash is nothing to be worried about.

[@Channelscruf]

‘A little trash’ 😂

[@siaa9992]

im sure you or i wouldn't fair much better without sewer and garbage services.

[@anthonidanowski9404]

@@siaa9992 i probably woldnt have 20 stripped bikes strewn about. i like my bikes assembled.

[@siaa9992]

@@anthonidanowski9404 are you telling me you DONT have countless spare bike parts all over your house?

[@seanedging6543]

omg there's a Bike Portland KZbin channel? My life is complete

[@BikePortland]

haha yes! I'm trying to do as much video as I can. Thanks for watching.

[@sailingaeolus]

Problem with all that sketchy is that one time is that all it takes. Still looks better than side of the road.

[@drill_fiend1097]

Stalkers on bikes is a problem even in other countries with good bike infrastructure. Happens a lot in Japan and South Korea.

[@brian-mcbride]

I've never had an issue near Portland. It's always enjoyable to ride along the river. The things I hear about are more towards Johnson Creek or the outer areas along the 205 I do believe that the city should police the bike paths and there should be a concerted effort to keep people from camping along the bike path. The housing crisis is real and I'm not always a fan of strict displacement. In the case of the paths, I do think that people camping should be displaced off the path to ensure a safe route for pedestrians and bicyclists. We wouldn't allow people to camp on the street where cars drive. It should be the same for other transportation routes and types.

[@terranceturnbow8184]

Hello, ide love to be in a video with you and talk about the paths in Portland and even Clackamas area, i work in Troutdale (pdx9) and i ride a bike every day 11 miles to work and another 11 miles back home, allot of the paths used to be so fun and safe even but now days it can be very dangerous at times

[@tomsandahl9450]

The paths definately WERE “getting more dangerous and less desirable to use”. You’re about 4 years late on that. Though I think it’s true that things are getting steadily better now.

[@BikePortland]

Hi. I've been covering these issues for almost 20 years just FYI, so wouldn't say I'm late really.

[@milkbone28681]

Two men just broke into the locked bicycle room inside a locked garage after jumping a fence and stole my beloved REI CTY and I'm a cancer patient !! Like for shame stealing from someone facing chemo and cancer.

[@anthonidanowski9404]

I have ridden every inch of these paths and have crossed from vancouver into portland nearly 1000 times (according to strava) and ive personally never had any real problems anywhere except the columbia slough and delta park area. ive seen stolen cars driving on the path about a dozen times and nearly ran straight into one under the marine drive/I5 pedestrian bridge. ive also had a rifle pointed at me on a mundane commute home but according to the cops it was a bb gun. seen my fair share of pretty gross nude bodies as well. also was threatened by a fully geared up ebiker going the wrong way over the i5 bridge when i didnt yield the right of way ( i was going to correct direction). by far the biggest problem has been glass on the paths.

[@raylivengood8040]

We need more designated paved paths 👍🏼

[@mr.esfusioncollect8494]

In my experience motorcycle hooligans doing tricks are a bigger issue on the bike paths than anything else. Especially at night.

[@jeffdavis5841]

I live in Southern Oregon and we' have a bike / recreational path that runs from Ashland to just north of Medford. When I first moved here it was a very safe option for commuting and recreational use but since the expansion of the homeless people using it as a camping area it has become pretty sketchy at times. The Sheriffs dept has cracked down on it somewhat but the issue still remains. I'm an avid cyclist and used it regularly to commute into Medford for work. It was pretty sketchy in the early mornings, with lots of open drug use and wasted people along the path. We've had one homicide (unsolved after many years) and the opinion is that a homeless encampment area was likely the cause of the Almeda Fore although there has been no official cause pinpointed. It was devastating to the Ashland, Talent, Phoenix and South Medford area. The concept of the bike paths are great, however there needs to be more resources used to keep them safe for people to be confident they can use them safely.

[@BikePortland]

gosh I hear you on this so much. My dad lives in Grants Pass and I was in Medford for a while recently visiting him in the hospital. I was so sad to see how empty the Bear Creek Greenway looked and it was clear to me that people don't feel safe using it. I agree with you that we need resources for these facilities that are commensurate with the priority given to highways and urban arterials --- after all that's what they are intended to be in some ways to non-drivers!

[@goofoffbert]

Are there maps? I'm north of you but want to come down and ride your bike routes.

[@davej7458]

Any place you are isolated or out of sight in the greater Portland Metropolitan area, you are at risk. On foot, in a car, on a bike. What we need is to actually punnish the criminals. We still don't.

[@FlashOhJoy]

Portland ? Where? Which state?….

[@the.mermaid.scientist]

Oregon

[@onewheelisbetterthan2]

As a cyclists i ride a unicycle most of the time and my bicycle to and from work..... If your worried about safety you should probably go sit at home under the covers. Just like a show car under a blanket in a garage. Personally i take on the road and enjoy excitement. People from the west coast are so soft lmao Actually i used to use local bike trails at night time to run from cops. Most cyclist are boring.

[@KahluaBomb]

I was coming from Vancouver to Portland over the Columbia Slough and a lady was driving her car on the path right next to the highway. I was really glad she wasn't in a hurry and she was very apologetic. She still shouldn't have been on the path but it was more of a "portland is weird" situation than a dangerous "im gonna die" sort of deal. I'd ride in Vancouver more if we had more than just the burnt bridge creek trail, but we don't have much usable bike infrastructure that isn't just a painted lane on a 2 lane 45mph busy road.

[@FreeRadicalX]

It's nice that she was apologetic but if she's the one in a million drivers making an egregious mistake like that then I question if she should be behind the wheel of a 2-ton high power vehicle at all. Takes a series of very bad decisions to end up on a bike path with a full sized car, and making a lot of very bad decisions in a car should come with consequences.

[@KahluaBomb]

@@FreeRadicalX oh and you can't get into this without going over the curb and very visibly being on a sidewalk. I'm not even sure how she got her car up there, it was the last bike path I'd ever expect to see a car

[@JoeStanek-vu7rl]

Liar.

[@godofcycling]

You have bike paths 😱 the UK

[@4336aaa]

If people are just having a conversation they should step off the path.

[@garrettjansen]

They were stepped off, or at least as much so as you can. Having ridden this path a lot, they were reasonably out of the way.

[@jstar1000]

Why would you want to ruin a bike ride by going to work half way through?

[@Cram3rMKE]

There are cars on the paths in Milwaukee nearly every time I ride them.... nearly every day.

[@Cormoran7]

The I-205 path is where the trouble is. Lots of garbage and some very sad looking people. Another hazard are e-bikes going way too fast.

[@randomdude5938]

Wait so Fox News is lying?!? NOOOOOOO!!!!

[@Ih8GoogleandApple]

I ride an expensive bike and don’t feel threatened by the transient drug addicted meth heads. I’m also 6’2” 200lbs and carry weapons just in case.

[@peterbedford2610]

Way better than being hit by a car!!!

[@robertirving4776]

This guy no helmet. If what's up there isn't worth 50 bucks don't waste it on a helmet.

[@garrettjansen]

This take seems super common in America and less so in Europe where cycle commuting is way more common. I guess they are much safer there than a lot of our paths but you can stay reasonably away from cars in Portland much of the time.

[@FreeRadicalX]

Helmets are mostly for biking with cars or biking for sport. When you're riding around at a calm pace with no cars nearby there's very little need. See the Netherlands: complete car-free bike infrastructure, people biking strictly for transport, not a helmet in sight, lower injury rates than the US. I wear a helmet when I ride but that's because I like to go fast and regularly ride alongside cars. All of my crashes (3 over 15+ years) have involved conflicts with cars.

[@Larry93215]

The electric bikes are a hazard and don't belong on the bike paths

[@3ckell3]

Biker butts drive me nuts

[@davidwpinkston4226]

i would feel better if you use a helmet when riding a bike

[@webslinger67]

It's trashed. Not safe at all

[@EyemBobbyMom]

Why are we so obsessed with bicycle safety when it is literally the safest vehicular mode of travel? There is 43k+ automotive deaths per year and less than 800 cyclist deaths per year (and over 80% of these are automotive collision related). So these types of vehicles are moot points and the Karens who raise the alarm should really get out a little more into the world they are complaining about.

[@pdxshadow9819]

Leftists always find things to complain about

[@tmayberry7559]

Why aren't you wearing a helmet 🤔

[@siaa9992]

Nascar drivers wear helmets when they race, does that mean you should wear one when you drive to work?

[@BikePortland]

Hi. Thanks for your concern. I typically don't wear a helmet when I'm just riding my upright bike at relatively slow speeds for work stuff. I just don't think the risk is high enough to warrant it... For similar reasons I don't wear a helmet when I run or do most other things. When I go faster and do training rides, I always wear one!

[@tmayberry7559]

@@siaa9992 it's hard to recover from a brain injury in a front end bike vs car / person crash

[@alexwilsonpottery3733]

@@tmayberry7559- so pay attention and don’t exceed speed limits when you’re driving. And try not to hit anyone walking or cycling…it’s not like you’re being asked to perform brain surgery.

[@danielsilvernail6943]

No, I don't feel safe because motorized bikes (aka ebikes) are allowed. I've been non-mortorized paths since 1993 and up until the introduction of ebikes I've felt safe.

[@mscm4592]

Awesome - a so-called bike safety advocate who doesn't see the common sense safety value in wearing a helmet. Video stopped 30 seconds in. Swipe.

[@garrettjansen]

You'd hate Europe.

[@BikePortland]

Hi. You might call me a "bike safety advocate" but that's not what I see myself as. I'm just a guy that runs a news business who likes to ride bikes.

[@clint120]

No, they’re not safe. Broken glass, paths filled with shopping carts and occasionally homeless blocking paths. EV bikes that are too fast.

[@garrettjansen]

Riding these almost daily, there's few stretches that are a bit strange but no broken glass or homeless blocking the path until you get way out past Sellwood, towards I-205. Even then, they've only moved out of my way without issue but I understand my experience as a grown man might be a bit different than yours.

[@anthonidanowski9404]

@@garrettjansen no broken glass you say, my dyna plugs disagree. mostly from the delta park area though.

[@FreeRadicalX]

I ride this route several times a week and this is not accurate. Maybe further east, beyond where he went in this video (Where I also do not ride)?

[@siaa9992]

i regularly ride on the i205 path and east of the freeway on the springwater corridor. No problems over here.

[@dearfinesoul]

One of the reasons we moved out of Portland was a overwhelming amount bike lanes and the entitlement of the bicyclists. Getting harder and harder for older people to live and get around in Portland.. crime like murder , Homeless crimes , Drugs , all getting worse and worse..

[@Sivah_Akash]

As with any group, it's only a minority of bicyclists who are entitled though. I have seen entitled drivers in Portland as well, but know they are also in the minority.

[@stevesecret2515]

You ran away from bike lanes? Are you afraid of sidewalks and parks too?

[@Jeremy3eb]

Very normal and not weird reasoning here

[@KahluaBomb]

Damn, i'm so glad you guys are now safe from the bike lanes and other mixed use paths that help people navigate the city. Enjoy Beaverton!

[@Sivah_Akash]

@@KahluaBomb , Beaverton has a good amount of bike lanes too lol. I personally found both Beaverton and Portland equally bikeable.