Bike, Walk, Roll
About 12% of adults in Oregon bike, walk or roll to their destinations, according to ODOT calculations using data from the 2009-2011 Oregon Household Survey. Households that do not have access to a car take 52% of their trips by biking, walking or rolling.
Oregon’s land use planning system has ensured many communities are designed for short trips by bicycle, on foot, or rolling. In fact, half the trips Oregonians take are shorter than three miles.
Biking, walking and rolling, and scooters can be grouped under a common term: active transportation. It also covers electric versions of the above modes, like e-bikes or e-scooters, for example.
Shifting from driving to no or low emission modes like biking, walking or rolling is key to reducing emissions from transportation.
Oregon needs steady investments into active transportation infrastructure to create a “connected priority system.” The system will have a core set of connected routes — transit, active transportation, other low-emission modes — that allows people to travel via the modes of their choice. Giving people that infrastructure — and building it so it keeps them safe and on time — is key to incentivizing its use. It also improves the experience for everyone who uses it.
Bike, walk, and roll: emissions reduction vision
By 2050, 30% of short trips (under 20 miles roundtrip) in urban areas will be made via biking, walking or rolling.
By 2050, a majority of urban households have equitable access to biking, walking, and rolling options close to their home. The ODOT Pedestrian and Bike Performance Measure provides these additional goals:
o By 2040, 90% of ODOT priority pedestrian and bicycle corridors will have walking and bicycling facilities in fair or better condition.
o By 2040, 78% of ODOT priority pedestrian and bicycle corridors will meet minimum spacing (750 ft.) between designated crosswalks.
The Oregon Department of Transportation continues to provide and expand dedicated and reliable funding for bike and pedestrian infrastructure through 2050.
How Oregon is doing
Oregon’s biking and walking system is incomplete, and the backlog of needs is huge: at the current rate of state and local investments, it will take roughly 150 years to close gaps in walking and biking infrastructure. As urban boundaries expand, those needs will compound.
Funding has improved in recent years, and is expected to put a dent in the backlog. In 2021 the Oregon Transportation Commission approved $255 million in federal funding for active and public transportation for the Oregon Department of Transportation’s 2024-27 budget cycle. The nearly $100 million increase from the previous cycle doubles funding for these modes.
Of that $100 million, $55 million was set aside for a new Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategic Funding Program. The program will target the high priority gaps and needs to encourage broader use of biking, walking and rolling networks on state-owned roads. This will help close access gaps to form a connected and safe system.
The 2021 federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will also provide funding for active transportation projects. Oregon’s state and local agencies are promised $30 million over five years for biking, walking, and rolling projects.
How Oregon can improve
To meet today’s backlog and future needs, ODOT and local agencies must continue to invest in active transportation infrastructure and programs like pedestrian safety, accessibility for people with disabilities and older adults, and protected bike lanes.
ODOT is also working on better metrics to gauge their progress in improving infrastructure for biking, walking, and rolling and biking. They’re working on a priority-based system to improve how they track bike lanes and sidewalks on highways and local streets.
Land use policies can also help shape new community developments that are walking, biking and rolling friendly. When housing is near jobs, shopping, restaurants and other similar places, it encourages people to walk, bike or roll to get there. The Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development has updated their land use planning requirements for cities in metropolitan areas. (See the Land Use page for more information.)