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When Bicycle Magazine recently listed its top 10 bike-friendly cities, Portland, Chicago and Washington, D.C. made the cut. Leah Treat has a connection to all three.

Last year, the city of Portland named Treat its director of the Bureau of Transportation. Alternative transportation enthusiasts – especially bicycle fans – rejoiced, knowing that Treat has been involved in developing better cycling infrastructure and launching bike share programs in both Chicago and Washington.

“I love to ride my bike,” Treat said. “I ride to work, to meetings and on weekends.”

But she also sees bicycles as part of a bigger picture. Citing the integration of multimodal systems – light-rail trains, efficient buses and streetcars, bike lanes and pedestrian paths – Treat is quick to point out that the traffic of a city like Portland is more than automobiles.

“People who walk and ride bikes shop more and interact more with businesses and people,” she said. “It’s not just economic; it becomes cultural. One survey projects 70 percent of people in the city will take transit, bike or walk every week by 2035. That’s a livability increase as well as a boost to economic development.”

Treat stepped into the leadership role at PBOT with a clear understanding of – and prior experience with – the challenges attached to the title of director. Deteriorating roads and declining funds top the list in Portland. Those issues are similar to problems she encountered while managing a $1 billion transportation portfolio in Washington, D.C., and as chief of staff to the transportation commissioner of Chicago.

Treat and her staff at PBOT also have made safety in all forms of transportation a priority for Portland.

“Fatalities are up slightly over last year,” Treat said. “That makes it a public health issue.”

Despite the pile of transportation-related challenges facing the city, Treat believes that she, her department and the city as a whole are up to the task of addressing them.

“…There’s a public appetite in Portland for support and funding transportation,” she said.
People really want it at the grassroots level, and it’s my job to make it happen.” – Rick Arnett