Page 41 - Wash Co First and Last Mile Background Report

TECHNICAL MEMO #1

intersection of Farmington Road and Murray Blvd in Beaverton, 2) Tanasbourne Town
Center in Hillsboro, 3) Tigard Transit Center in Tigard, and 4) Beaverton-Hillsdale
Highway and Oleson Road/Scholls Ferry Road in unincorporated Washington County.
 TriMet’s Bike Plan (2016) developed a blueprint for greater integration between
bicycles and transit in the Portland metro region, including the use of bicycles to support
increased access to transit. Among other elements, the plan identified policies,
strategies, and projects to meet this goal, including priority locations for bicycle facility
improvements that facilitate first-mile/last-mile connections to transit, bicycle parking
and “end of trip” facilities at stops/stations to reduce the need to bring bicycles on
board transit vehicles, greater accommodations of bikes on-board buses and trains
while considering the needs of other riders, and improve bike and bus interactions along
transit corridors. Priority bicycle access projects were identified in several Washington
County locations, including downtown Beaverton, Washington Square, downtown
Hillsboro, Aloha, the Merlo MAX station area, and downtown Tigard. In Aloha, the plan
th
th
identified the importance of the planned rebuilds of SW 198 and 209 avenues south
of TV Highway to provide bicycle facilities and improve access to Line 57 service. The
plan also identified focus areas for improved bicycle parking in Washington County,
including secure bike parking at the Fair Complex MAX station, covered bike parking
oasis with electronic-access bike lockers at Merlo Road MAX station, and basic bike
racks at bus stops along TV Highway in Aloha and Hillsboro.
Baseline Road and Jenkins Road serves as a regional bikeway connection for cyclists traveling
across the County. Tualatin Valley Highway is also a major cycling route in Washington County.
This roadway connects Beaverton, Aloha-Reedville, Hillsboro, Cornelius, and Forest Grove. Bike
lanes are available along some portions of the highway but many roadway users still feel unsafe
biking along this corridor.

More recreational opportunities for cycling include the Westside Trail—a six-mile trail extending
from Tigard to Tualatin Hills Nature Park and the Merlo Rd/SW 158th Ave MAX station in
Beaverton—and the Fanno Creek Trail—an eight mile trail through Beaverton and Tigard. Metro
has plans to extend both of these trails in the future to connect the Tualatin River in Tualatin to
the Willamette River in Portland.

FIRST AND LAST MILE
32 | P a ge