|
News media contact:
John Brady
(503) 577-8236
john.brady@portlandoregon.gov
@pbotinfo
News Blog:
You can help shape how Portland builds its sidewalks
(Oct. 18, 2021) When a private developer builds a sidewalk, they must follow the rules in the Portland Pedestrian Design Guide. The current design guide is over thirty years old, and it really needed a refresh. For the last two years, groups of technical experts, community members and city staff from multiple bureaus have created an updated design guide. They have focused their efforts on crafting rules that would ensure that sidewalks built in Portland are accessible to people of all ages and abilities. |
|
 |
Now the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) needs to hear from you. The new design guide establishes sidewalk design criteria, including requirements for minimum sidewalk widths, street tree placement, and sidewalk elements like transit stations, tree wells and café seating. As part of the update, the guide also addresses newer types of pedestrian infrastructure, such as sidewalk-level bike lanes, alternative walkways, multi-use paths, and separated sidewalks without curbs.
 A graphic that shows the different types of zones on a typical Portland sidewalk
The Portland Pedestrian Design Guide translates the vision of PedPDX, Portland's pedestrian master plan, into concrete design requirements. Importantly, the guide also gives the development community clarity about how they can adhere to PedPDX’s policies related to the City of Portland's building frontage requirements.
To provide comments, please visit the project website. The link can be found here. The website has the draft design guide and a link to provide comments. You can submit comments through October 31, 2021. PBOT staff will review all comments and use them in preparing the guide’s final draft.
The final draft will then be adopted by PBOT administrative rule. We expect that any building permits of land use applications accepted after January 31, 2022 will be subject to the new rules.
If you have specific questions about the guide, please contact PBOT's Pedestrian Coordinator, Michelle Marx at michelle.marx@portlandoregon.gov.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is the steward of the city’s transportation system and a community partner in shaping a livable city. We plan, build, manage, and maintain an effective and safe transportation system that provides access and mobility. Learn more at portland.gov/transportation
|
