This summer the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) will be conducting bike counts at 334 locations across the city and enlisting the help of over 100 volunteers to make it happen. The counting season begins Tuesday, June 4 and continues through Thursday, September 26.
For over 30 years, PBOT has been counting bikes across the city with the 1992 count done at just 20 intersections. As Portland’s bike network has grown, so too has the count.
The data volunteers collect allows PBOT to see how biking is changing over time and gives a more nuanced look at how the volume of people biking, gender make-up, helmet use and e-bike adoption differs across the city. From the data collected in 2023, it was found that the number of people biking had increased by about five percent citywide compared to the previous summer. But in NW and East Portland—two areas that have seen substantial investment in bicycle infrastructure—biking was up by 15 and 12 percent, respectively.
Volunteering for the bike count is easy and impactful. Go to portland.gov/bicycle-counts and select one or more of the available locations to spend two hours observing and recording people biking with the Bicycle Count Form. Typically, counts are 4-6 pm but occasionally take place 7-9 am, depending on the site. After the count, volunteers submit their data. Each site is counted once on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday between the count dates.
The summer bike count has grown into a beloved tradition, with many volunteers returning year after year to help count sites. The online registration is not only easy but also provides written instructions, a video training and an in-person training for volunteers that covers the ins and outs of the process.
Participants ride their bikes through North Portland in late March as part of PBOT’s Spring Awakening guided bike ride.
Photo by PBOT.
