Photo: Portland Bureau of Transportation

Back-to-school season is here, and streets all over Portland are about to get busier. With thousands of students walking, biking, rolling, and riding transit to school starting as soon as next week, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) urges everyone to travel with extra care.

“PBOT’s commitment to supporting student safety is stronger than ever,” said Transportation Director Millicent Williams. “We look forward to another year of helping Portland’s youngest residents walk, roll, and stroll to school through our Safe Routes to School programs and will continue our decade-long effort to invest in building a safe transportation network that enables them to do so.”

PBOT encourages parents and caregivers to organize a walking school bus or bike bus, where families walk or bike a route together and “pick up” passengers on their way to school. Parents and caregivers who typically drive their children to school can avoid the school traffic jam by trying a park-and-walk—parking a couple blocks away from school and then walking or rolling into class from there. It’s a win-win, families will save a bit of money on gas and students get the benefit of some light exercise and getting some wiggles out before class begins. The Safe Routes to School website offers tips and resources to get your own school program started. Over 30 schools in Portland already have a bike bus, with more being established all the time.

Everyone plays a part in kids traveling to and from school safely

There are more than 120 elementary, middle, and high schools in Portland. People driving must exercise caution, regardless of whether they’re near a school or not. On average, people moving about the city pass a school or a route commonly used by schoolchildren every half mile. Additionally, traffic crashes are most common between 3 and 7 p.m., a time when students are being let out from school and after-school programs for the day.

20 is Plenty on Neighborhood Kidways

"20 is plenty" is Portland's reminder that slowing down saves lives. By driving 20 mph on residential streets and neighborhood greenways, you can help protect neighbors and make our communities safer for everyone… especially the kids using them to walk and roll to school.

Neighborhood greenways are low-traffic and low-speed streets where we give priority to people walking, bicycling, and rolling. Neighborhood greenways form the backbone of the city’s Safe Routes to School network and connect neighborhoods, parks, schools, and business districts. Portland has more than 100 miles of neighborhood greenways in every part of the city. People use these streets to walk to school, visit parks, and move around their neighborhoods. This is where you will often encounter students on school bike buses and walking school buses on their way to school in the morning.

Neighborhood greenways are how many Portlanders of all ages travel to destinations like schools and parks. They also provide access for people to deliver goods and services to homes. People driving need to respect the intended purposes of neighborhood streets. To support this, PBOT installs traffic diverters at specific locations to prevent cut-through traffic on local streets.

Use neighborhood greenways and residential streets for:

Accessing local destinations such as schools and parks
Delivering goods and services to homes

Don't use neighborhood greenways and residential streets for:

Traveling to far-away destinations
Replacing arterials or collector streets
Cutting through traffic

Our streets are safer and work better for everyone when we all use them correctly.

Supporting student and school safety during ODOT’s I-5 closure

PBOT is taking proactive steps to mitigate traffic congestion near schools likely to be impacted by the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) five-week I-5 Southbound closure starting Sept. 11, 2026. PBOT's Safe Routes to School team will work to reduce traffic with tools such as temporary speed-reader boards and barrels with "Local Access Only" signs along Neighborhood Greenways. The schools expecting the highest increase in area traffic are Boise-Eliot Elementary, SEI Academy, Harriet Tubman Middle School, Beverly Clearly – Fernwood, Grant High School, Jefferson High School, Kairos PDX, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, Sabin Elementary, Benson High School, Alliance High School, and Lincoln High School. PBOT is coordinating with Portland Public Schools and will monitor traffic impacts near additional schools and respond with similar measures as needed.

Getting around the Portland metro area for work, school, or fun during ODOT’s construction project could require extra time. Start planning now before construction starts. Explore alternate modes of transportation like transit, carpooling, or biking. Shift your travel time, telework if you're able, or spend time exploring a local business district to avoid peak congestion on the road.

Explore the Shift Your Trip homepage for more options and learn more about how PBOT is supporting Portlanders during this major disruption by visiting our website.

Source: Portland Bureau of Transportation

Christen Limon