Zen and the art of navigating Portland traffic

Spring in the Portland area brings out the chirping birds, fresh blossoms and plenty of road construction.

So much so, in fact, that the Portland Bureau of Transportation has provided a handy, regularly updated listing of Projects in the Pipeline to keep motorists up to speed on the latest in local roadwork. The page is a great resource for anyone that uses public streets in any fashion, which is to say all of us. Part of the reason we like this website so much is in the way it empowers us to avoid traffic, which follows construction like dandelions follow rain.

Some metrics put Portland right up in the top 10 most congested cities in the U.S., thanks to heavy regional traffic flows that pass through the metro. A 2018 study found Portland drivers lose 116 hours each year to traffic jams, nearly 20 hours more than the national average of 97.

That’s a lot of congestion. And with the study’s conclusion of an average economic loss of $1,348 per driver, per year, it literally pays to avoid traffic when you get behind the wheel. Some good ways to do that are to:

• Avoid peak driving hours, which is admittedly tough in a city with a “rush hour” that lasts for six
• Use a bicycle or alternative means of transportation
• Steer clear of our area’s worst bottlenecks and, if all else fails,
• Beg for the right to telecommute to work.

Maybe not the most elegant solutions, but they’re a start. When you do get caught in traffic, it may help to practice some traffic meditation as we found on this yoga website. If nothing else, maybe those 116 hours can go towards your transcendence.

Once you’re no longer gridlocked, head over to Scrubby’s for a little spring cleaning. We’ll keep the bays open, the water running, and the $1 Mondays deal up and ready for you!