Portland families are invited to join the Safe Routes to School program for the 3rd Annual Safe Routes to School Spring Kick-off on Saturday April 6th, 10am - 2pm at Cesar Chavez School (5103 N Willis Blvd Portland, OR 97203).

This popular event celebrates walking and biking to school with FREE family-fun activities that focus on health, safety, and physical fitness.

There will be activities for parents, students, and younger children:

• Bike activities and walking games
• Walk and bike art projects
• Bike Rodeo
• Map reading and safe route planning activities
• Learn to ride a bike class
• Free bike repair
• Helmet fitting and giveaway
• Free healthy lunch!
• Community bike ride (with bikes and helmets available to borrow)
• Raffle …and more, all for FREE!

For more information, email saferoutes@portlandoregon.gov, call 503-823-1189, or check out our Facebook page (complete with photos from last year's event).

TRAFFIC ADVISORY: Street paving closes lanes on North Vancouver Way beginning April 5 

(PORTLAND, Ore.) – The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation advises the traveling public that street improvements will require lane closures on North Vancouver Way between North Marine Drive and North 3rd Drive beginning Friday, April 5, through Thursday, April 18, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. The public is advised to expect delays, travel cautiously, observe all lane closures and directions by flaggers, and use alternate routes if possible. 

One traffic lane will remain open at all times. The lane closures are necessary to grind down the existing pavement and repave 3.5 lane miles of the street. 

Local access to residences and businesses will be provided. 

This work is weather-dependent, and the schedule may change. 

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http://goo.gl/maps/vaAei

Street Seats, the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s program to permit businesses to build a temporary platform in the on-street parking lane, is now accepting applications to host Street Seats in 2013. The deadline for applications is May 1, 2013.

PBOT modified the Street Seats program after evaluating the 2012 pilot project. Among the changes is having a fixed window of time to accept applications.

Please contact PBOT Active Transportation Program Manager Gabe Graff at streetseats@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-5291 with any questions about the program.

A family from Cesar Chavez enjoys the bike rodeo and their swanky new helmets.

Even with the looming rain clouds, families from across Portland came out to Cesar Chavez School to celebrate walking and biking to school this past weekend. Families enjoyed an array of activities, including a bike skills rodeo, trainings on how to fix a flat tire and how to lead a walking school bus, great food and much more. In addition, the Spring Kick-off offered free basic bike repair which resulted in 18 bikes rolling away with smiling cyclists ready to ride to school!

Safe Routes to School staff were excited to welcome all families and especially thankful to Cesar Chavez staff and volunteers that helped with the Safe Routes Spring Kick-off.

For more information on other upcoming Safe Routes to School events and programs, please visit the website.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation and Portland Police Bureau sent a notice to the general public today that a crosswalk enforcement action is scheduled for Friday, April 19, to raise awareness of pedestrian safety and traffic law.

The enforcement action will be during the morning commute, from 7:30 to 9 a.m., at the marked crossing of NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at NE Jarrett Street.

A crosswalk enforcement action includes a pedestrian decoy positioned at marked or unmarked crosswalks. Drivers who fail to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk and pedestrians who jaywalk may be issued a warning or citation by the Portland Police Bureau.

Crosswalk enforcement actions are an effective way to communicate pedestrian right of way laws to both drivers and pedestrians. The transportation and police bureaus do enforcement actions in response to community requests and to educate the general public on the rules at marked and unmarked crossings. They are conducted approximately once a month.

Learn more about PBOT’s safety work at https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/40390.