Additional Information
Select a station below or click "Next" to move through the open house in order.
Stations
Purpose
The Oregon Coast Bike Route Plan will increase safety, accessibility and enjoyment for residents and visitors by identifying needs and prioritizing improvements to the route. The Plan will:
- Define the route – both where it follows U.S. 101 and where it follows other roadways.
- Identify ways that ODOT and local jurisdictions can improve the route and support riders.
- Identify high priority improvements and a plan for implementing those improvements.
Why Now?
The Oregon Coast Bike Route was designated in the early 1980s. It has now been more than a decade since ODOT has looked at how to improve the route. With changes in bicycle and roadway standards, the growth of bike tourism, and the increase of all tourism traffic along U.S. 101, it’s the right time to do this work.
What we’ve learned so far
In spring 2018, ODOT received over 900 responses from people who have ridden the Oregon Coast Bike Route or who were interested in similar cycling experiences but have chosen not to ride the OCBR. Highlights from the user survey:
- It is estimated that between 6-10,000 people ride the OCBR annually.
- Individual riders report spending about $500 during their trips which contributes to $3-5 million in annual tourism spending on the coast related to cycling.
- About half of respondents had ridden a significant portion of the OCBR, and the other half had not.
- In a nutshell, cyclists love riding on OCBR, but also find portions of the route "scary" and "dangerous."
- Half of respondents who have not yet ridden the OCBR would consider riding it.
- The top concern for new and potential riders was safety.
- The additional draw to riding on the OCBR is its beauty and amenities.
Project Area
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The plan will also recommend improvements such as wider shoulders, new bike facilities, striping changes to help riders and drivers safely navigate intersections, or warning lights that alert drivers to the presence of people on bikes in constrained areas. In some cases, the plan may even recommend things like transit shuttles to give riders a choice to skip particularly challenging sections.
As we think about the critical needs, potential solutions are described below. Depending on the location, some solutions might be more feasible than others.
What are "critical needs"?
The project team assessed the entire route and mapped where bike facilities or shoulders are narrower than four feet in rural areas, and narower than six feet in urban areas. Because of the route's length, the team identified the highest-priority areas by considering:
- Existing conditions: width of the existing bike facility or shoulder
- Safety: crash history, crash risks
- Short gaps/barriers
- Overlap with the Oregon Coast Trail
This helped zero in on areas with the most critical needs. The plan will also recommend design standards and approaches for the entire route.
Stay Involved
- Visit the project website at oregoncoastbikeroute.org for more information.
- Contact ODOT:
Jenna Berman, Region 2,North Coast, Active Transportation Liaison, jenna.berman@odot.state.or.us, (971) 718-6024
Jenna Marmon, Region 3, South Coast, Active Transportation Liaison, jenna.marmon@odot.state.or.us, (541) 774-5925 - See Oregon Coast Bike Route displays and talk with representatives at an open house for Oregon Coast Trail planning:
Thursday, Dec. 13, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
REI Downtown, Community Meeting Room
1405 NW Johnson Street, Portland
Schedule
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Survey
Help inform the project process by answering a few short questions.