This 2013 photo shows why some riders might opt to use the path adjacent to SW Terwilliger instead of the unprotected bike lanes. (Jonathan Maus – BikePortland)
Terwilliger Parkway is an iconic Portland bike route. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the winding road with interesting inclines is shrouded in lush greenery and offers memorable views of the Willamette River. For some it’s a route to and from southwest neighborhoods into downtown Portland, and for others it’s a perfect warm-up to challenging, hilltop destinations in the west hills like Council Crest Park.
The same attraction Terwilliger has for bike riders, it also has for walkers and runners. A sidewalk gives people a perfect way to experience the parkway on foot.
But a nonprofit that oversees the parkway, Friends of Terwilliger, says these two users have come into more conflict in recent years and with spring and summer approaching, they reached out to BikePortland in hopes of sending a message: “Please use the bike lanes that are clearly marked on the road if you are part of a group of cyclists.”
Friends of Terwiller board member Robin Vesey first contacted BikePortland last year when she began to hear reports of what she refers to as “organized groups of cyclists” using the pedestrian path and not yielding to people on foot. She says bike riders, especially those riding together in a group, should use the striped bike lanes on the roadway.
Here’s more from a prepared statement Vesey wants to share with the community:
“There has been a dramatic increase in the use of the sidewalks by bicyclists, going in both directions, even though there are dedicated bike lanes in both directions. Park users have noticed up to 15 riders, participating in a group ride, using the pedestrian path, not the bike lanes. Bikes have overtaken runners, walkers, and children from behind without notification and without slowing, endangering both the pedestrians and the cyclist…
Please use the bike lanes that are clearly marked on the road if you are part of a group of cyclists, young, or able-bodied. Keep the pedestrian path for walkers and runners and our senior community that frequents the Terwilliger Parkway pedestrian path.”
Vesey said a resident at Terwilliger Plaza, a nearby retirement home, is the person who alerting her to the “close encounters with cyclists speeding on the path.” I asked Vesey share that person’s concern: “I have had a close call from an electric-assist bike coming at speed up the parkway from behind me,” the person wrote. “Bikes are increasingly using the pedestrian path in both directions. It’s dangerous for runners, walkers and, especially, those trying to pick up litter on both sides of the path.”
The sidewalk path continues all along Terwilliger for about two miles to SW Capitol Highway, but the two locations of specific concern are where it begins just south of the Duniway Lilac Garden just past the SW Sam Jackson Park Rd intersection. Another trouble spot Vesey shared was an interaction someone had with a bicycle rider near the Chart House restaurant in September. “An organized group of 20 or so, with a leader, were coming uphill and not giving way to pedestrians. They were taking up the entire width of the path.”
I shared the Friends of Terwilliger concerns with southwest Portland cycling advocate Keith Liden (who you might recall from this BikePortland story last year). Liden said he’s one of the people who uses the sidewalk near the lilac garden because the bike lane in that section isn’t safe it, “discourages riding in the street.” It’s also uphill in the southbound direction, which creates a wide speed differential between car and bicycle users.
Other reasons bike riders use the sidewalk is because ivy and other vegetation often spills into the bike lane. In 2018 we shared an incident of road rage directed toward a cyclist that was likely caused by unsafe bike lane conditions.
Despite that, Liden says he hasn’t seen a lot of people biking on the sidewalk path. “Speaking for myself, I find it to be too lumpy and constrained,” he added.
But Liden also said a reminder about etiquette is needed. “Too often cyclists are guilty of coming up fast from behind, not politely announcing their presence, and whizzing by. And in some ways this has gotten worse with electric bikes. We all need to get along.”
If you ride on Terwilliger and choose to use the sidewalk instead of the bike lanes, please use caution, always assume there will be someone on the path, and pass respectfully.
