Mutimodal Commuting - Park Your Bike and Ride the Tram

Valet bike parking at the base of the Portland Aerial Tram.

No one would dispute that Portland, Oregon, is forward thinking when it comes to fueling the bike transportation boom. While visiting on vacation this month, it came as a delightful surprise to discover a full bike parking facility at the base of an aerial tram. Bike parking is free and open to all, though used primarily by OHSU workers employed at the upper campus. A cyclist can take advantage of the bike valet service then hop on the tram for a 4 minute ride, saving a 500 foot uphill slog.

Go By Bike operates the valet service.

As a family we didn't have easy access to bikes. Instead, we experienced multimodalism on our own terms: drove to ride lightrail (with a bus link because of construction on rail tracks), walked as far as our teens could handle, then hopped on a street car, arriving at the base of the Portland Aerial Tram. I had little time to photograph the new found valet parking before I was whisked aboard the next tram car. And what spectacular views of the city! It was there that I became intrigued with the Tilikum Bridge.

Read more about the OHSU Bike Program.

Go By Bike has a nifty 2 minute video that includes parking and tram ride. If you look closely you can see the streetcar. Also, many folks board the tram with bicycles. Check it out.