Transportation
Portland Wants to Make Bike Share Work for Disabled Riders
The city is becoming one of a handful to shed the notion that people with disabilities don’t want to ride.
Portland has one of the largest “smart” bike shares in the U.S., and soon it might also have one of the most diverse, adding hand-powered cycles, easy-balancing trikes, and tandems to its 1,000-strong fleet.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is developing an adaptive-bike pilot project to supplement its Biketown program, which rents Nike-sponsored bikes with GPS and solar-powered LCD displays. The idea is to serve more riders with disabilities, who have been vocal in lobbying the city for bikes they can comfortably control.