Planning and conservation › Natural areas, parks and trails › Planning parks and trails › Regional trails and greenways › Trail counts
Get involved with an ongoing project to collect important data on bicycle and pedestrian activity.
Each September, volunteers from throughout the region gather along trails to count and survey people biking and walking on the Intertwine – the Portland metropolitan area's system of trails, parks and natural areas. The count is part of the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project’s ongoing effort to gather accurate trail use data to help decide where and when to build new trails and respond to the needs of trail users. Learn more
View trail count sites in Google Maps
View trail count sites in Google Earth
The Intertwine trail counts and surveys project could not be accomplished without the help of local partners and volunteers. In 2012, 150 volunteers counted at 102 unique sites. Metro partnered with the cities of Cornelius, Gresham, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego. Oregon City, Portland, Sandy, Tigard, Tualatin and West Linn and with Clackamas and Clark Counties, Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon Parks and Recreation and Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District on project coordination and training.
The Portland metropolitan area is supported by a system of regional parks and trails that connect people to natural areas and wildlife, transit, schools, shopping and jobs. The growing network of bicycle and pedestrian pathways boosts the region's tourism activities, offers recreational opportunities and helps the region grow in a way that improves livability and reduces energy dependence. The Intertwine trail counts and surveys project helps maintain and increase these benefits by tracking usage, trail conditions and future demand.
Counting automobiles and transit users has been a well-established practice for years, but until now, there has been no consistent effort to do the same for bikers and walkers. The lack of data is part of the reason why these transportation modes receive less transportation funding.
The data gathered is used to support funding requests, planning and development and to better understand the region's overall feelings and values about trails. Volunteers use nationally standardized methods for surveying and data recording in order to ensure consistent responses. To learn more about the project and last year's results, review the project documents below.
By the numbersIn September 2012, more than 34,000 trail users were counted in two days.
* Includes all other modes such as rollerblading and skateboarding.
Metro will lead the sixth annual Intertwine trail count in Sept. 10-15, 2013 with new and returning partners. Sites selected for the project will be tied to current or future trail projects.
View a presentation with photos and data from the 2011 trail counts. Download the presentation
Metro
Mel Huie, 503-797-1731, mel.huie@oregonmetro.gov
Beaverton and Tualatin Hills Parks
Melissa Marcum, 503-629-605 ext. 2720, mmarcum@thprd.org
Clackamas County and North Clackamas Parks
Katie Dunham, 503-742-4358, kdunham@co.clackamas.or.us
Cornelius
Richard Reynolds, 503-357-3011, rreynolds@ci.cornelius.or.us
Forest Grove
Tom Gamble, 503-992-3237, tgamble@forestgrove-or.gov
Gresham
Kate Dreyfus, 503-618-2294, kate.dreyfus@greshamoregon.gov
Happy Valley
Justin Popilek, 503-783-3810, justinp@ci.happy-valley.or.us
Hillsboro
Brad Choi, 503-681-5203, brad.choi@hillsboro-oregon.gov
Lake Oswego
Ryan Stee, 503-697-6575, rstee@ci.oswego.or.us
Oregon State Parks
Kevin Price, 503-695—2226, kevin.price@state.or.us
Guy Rodrigue, 503-630-7150, guy.rodrigue@state.or.us
Oregon Department of Transportation
Basil Christopher, 503-731-3261, basil.r.christopher@odot.state.or.us
Portland
April Bertelsen, 503-823-6177, april.bertelsen@portlandoregon.gov
Taylor Sutton, 503-823-4533, taylor.sutton@portlandoregon.gov
Sandy
Nancy Enabnit, 503-489-2157, nenabnit@cityofsandy.com
Tigard
Greg Stout, 503-718-2817, gregs@tigard-or.gov
Tualatin
Carl Switzer, 504-691-3064, cswitzer@ci.tualatin.or.us
Vancouver / Clark Co. Parks
Hailey Heath, 360-487-8316, hailey.heath@cityofvancouver.us
West Linn
Zach Pelz, 503-656-4211, zpelz@westlinnoregon.gov
Wilsonville / South Metro Area Transit
Jen Massa Smith, 503-682-4523, massa@ridesmart.com
To view KML files, download free Google Earth application.
To view PDF files, download free Adobe Reader. To translate PDF files into text to assist visually-impaired users, visit Access.Adobe.com.
To view MOV files, download free QuickTime.
The Intertwine is the name for the region's ever-growing network of integrated parks, trails and natural areas. See a regional map of The Intertwine's best-loved outdoor recreation and education locations, and find nature activities, bike rides, bird walks, volunteer opportunities and many workshops on the calendar.
