Portland, OR

Moving down the list of 10 Things I Love About Portland I get to the fact that “I love driving in Portland.” Yeah, I do. It sounds crazy, and probably really is, but I don’t mind the traffic, being flipped off for using my turn signal or the Sunday drivers on the way to the coast.

I love to drive in Portland because it allows me to see the city. I look at everything when I drive, am a very observant driver, and love to listen to music. So, being “stuck” in my car isn’t a bad thing for me! However, for most people in Portland, this isn’t the case. So, you want to avoid traffic in Portland?

First, use TripCheck - you can see traffic problems, construction areas and weather conditions for your trip.

You can even use Google Maps to view traffic.

Second, pick a different route! Need to get to Seattle but don’t want to deal with northbound traffic through Vancouver? Take highway 30 over to St. Helens, and then cross into Washington over the The Lewis and Clark Bridge. It’s a gorgeous drive, shorter mileage-wise and doesn’t take much longer (maybe 10 minutes) to get through everything. If you use Google Maps to create your route, you can choose to avoid highways & freeways as well as re-route your trips to avoid certain areas.

Third, don’t drive during rush hours. A Portland Tribune article calculates that between 4-6pm on weekdays, the average vehicle speed between I-84 and I-5 is 22 miles an hour. The speed limit in that passage is between 45-65mph. (The article also says that this commute is worse than taking 26 out of Portland!) Traffic.com allows you to plug in a zip code for your location and work your way around hold-ups as well. Most news websites also offer traffic reports as well as traffic cameras you can take a look at.

Another way to beat Portland traffic? Take a bus. TriMet busses run ALL over Portland. You may have to get up a few minutes early and you might even have to sit next to a smelly guy or a crazy lady, but you won’t have to drive in the traffic! You can also take your bike … there are thousands of Portlanders who help cut down on traffic and exhaust emissions by taking their bikes everywhere. (Just be sure to wear your helmet, please!)

So, there are some ways to get around Portland traffic if you’re not crazy like me and ENJOY sitting in it!

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