🚨 Please note: BikePortland is currently on hiatus and only publishing guest articles. Learn more here. Thank you. - Jonathan 🙏
At a meeting last week between the BTA, the Portland Police Traffic Division and citizen bike advocates, Commander Bill Sinnott told us about a cool new program they’ve started.
In recent weeks they have carried out undercover “bike missions” that put officers on bikes in order to observe and ticket motorists that violate laws and make unsafe maneuvers.
Last night I heard a presentation by Matt Garrett, Region Manager for ODOT. He came to the PSU Traffic and Transportation class to give an overview of how ODOT fits into the transportation picture.
As someone who is concerned about bike safety, and the livability of our cities, it was very unsettling to listen to Mr. Garrett’s talk and it’s obvious to me that bicycles do not figure into ODOT’s priorities at all.
The word “bicycle” did not even appear in his 26 slide presentation and he made only two mentions of bicycles. One of those was to say that bicycles, “probably shouldn’t be riding on Powell, they should take Hawthorne instead.” Hmmm. Then maybe cars shouldn’t be allowed on Tillamook or Clinton.
Just came across a nifty little bike parking map on the Lloyd District Transportation Management Association’s website. It’s got information and photos on all the racks and bike lockers in the Lloyd District. You just roll over various points and a little window pops up. Neat!
However I must admit, I can’t remember the last time I thought, “hey, I wonder if there will be a place to lock up my bike?” But that’s just me.
I had no idea the LDTMA had such a good bikey vibe going on. It looks like they’re doing excellent work in getting more people to ride in this dense, highly urban area. If you live in or around the Lloyd District area, you should check out their bike information page.