New Portland sidewalk standards on the way

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The city of Portland has adopted a new Pedestrian Design Guide that modernizes city standards for sidewalks to provide more access for people with disabilities and allow larger street trees.

The new standards, finalized after two years of weighing public input, will replace ones from 1998.

All pedestrian facilities and rights-of-way designed and constructed in Portland by city-led capital project teams and by private developers will have to conform to the guide.

Under the new rules, sidewalks must be at least 6 feet wide in general to account for people using a mobility device (such as a wheelchair) and traveling side by side or passing each other, and at least 8 feet wide in busier areas to better accommodate larger numbers of pedestrians. However, there is an exception if a street is too narrow to allow the required sidewalk width.

The guide’s most significant provisions, however, pertain to street trees. They now may be planted beyond the sidewalk in the street space normally reserved for on-street parking if doing so won’t interfere with traffic safety or conflict with underground utilities.

Also, the standards for tree wells and planting strips were updated to accommodate larger trees; the wells will increase from 6 feet to 9 feet, and the planting strips will become continuous on all industrial streets, regional corridors and local streets, regardless of land use. Such street types account for about 80 percent of Portland streets, according to the city.

“I’m proud that the guide both makes our sidewalks more accessible while also including creative ways for us to accommodate more street trees, especially the larger trees that create a larger tree canopy and lower the street temperature on hot summer days,” City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty stated.

The new rules will take effect July 1, when the city will start its next fiscal year.