Portland To Ban Cars On 100 Miles Of Roadway To Promote Safe Distancing

The city of Portland, Oregon will ban cars from 100 miles of roadway in order to encourage social distancing for people walking, biking or running during the coronavirus pandemic.

They closures will primarily affect streets along designated neighborhoods which have lower car traffic in general, according to KGW8. Temporary barricades and signage will be installed to alert drivers of the closures.

The plan also includes expanding space for pedestrians along streets that are “narrow or missing sidewalks,” and provide more room with pop-up walking and biking lanes.

In business districts, PBOT said they’ll establish space so customers can line up with enough physical distance, and create dedicated loading zones for pickup and delivery.

The city of Portland has seen a dramatic spike in speeding since the pandemic began and a major decrease in traffic congestion. 

Further details about the plan can be found online. It’s unclear when the closures will begin. –KGW8

“When we reach the point that we can re-open, we want to make sure our transportation system is ready,” announced Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Chris Warner.

“Portlanders have made great use of their neighborhood streets to walk, bike, and roll during the pandemic. We’ve designed the Slow Streets|Safe Streets initiative to make sure they can continue to do this safely as we get back closer to normal.”