The City of Portland will hold a rally tomorrow morning to “recommit community support for all modes of transportation” and officially launch the “I Share the Road” campaign. According to the official statement (PDF here) from the Office of Transportation, the joint effort has brought together a diverse group including; the Mayor of Portland, and heads of the American Automobile Association, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, TriMet, Portland Public Schools, Willamette Pedestrian Coalition, Portland Police Bureau, Elders in Action and others.
Along with the rally at Waterfront Park, the City will take the following immediate actions:
- Beginning now, all City owned vehicles will display an “I Share the Road” decal.
- The City will make these decals available to any resident to place on their bicycle, skateboard, car or truck.
A few key excerpts from the press release:
“recent events highlight the need to need to increase civility as people are moving around the city…whether a person chooses to travel by car or by bicycle, by foot or on a bus, their need for personal safety and their responsibility to be courteous to those around them do not change.”
“The idea is to show respect to get respect. The City hopes that everyone will make it a point to walk, cycle, ride, and drive as an ambassador of safe and pleasant travel. ”
A quote from Mayor Potter: “We should be proud that our bold community vision resulted in a network of bicycle lanes and boulevards, sidewalks, and transit routes that are the envy of most American cities.â
Itâs at Waterfront Park (Salmon Street Springs) from 8:30-9:30 and the public is encouraged to stop by. Along with the Shift-organized bus driver donut giveaway, it will be a busy morning on the bridges.
Thanks for reading.
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What a remarkable response to recent events. From Shift handing out donuts to bus drivers, to the city taking a stand for respect on the road – this outbreak of civility makes me proud to live in Portland.
So where’s the rally going to be? Is it open to the public?
Here’s the official statement with all the info…but yeah, it’s at Waterfront Park (Salmon Street Springs) from 8:30-9:30 and it’s open to the public. Thanks for the questions.
man, i love portland.
Incredible!
I’m going to try to be there! Portland is so much better for bike than anywhere in my home state, Michigan.
RAWK ON!
I want to point out that not only did AAA sign on, but for so many bureaucratic entities to agree to the bumper sticker plan so quickly is nothing short of remarkable. Also, they promised that they’ve have bike-sized “bumper stickers” as part of the campaign, which I think is exactly the kind of multimodal approach we need.
How much do I wish LA and the surrounding areas would do this? VERY, VERY, VERY much! That’s how much. I even almost put in another VERY, but that might be overkill.
Any idea when the stickers will be made available to the public? I can’t attend the really tomorrow morning.
For everyone that can’t make it to the rally…the stickers (both car and bike sized) are being printed right now and will be available in 2 weeks or less. There will be a website up in the next few hours where you can leave your name and address in order to have one sent to you. I’ll post the web address as soon as it’s ready.
Thanks once again for the info Jonathan.
I just got this update:
“Greg Raisman is also looking for people who are willing to make homemade “Share the Road” signs. So, if there are any budding artists among you, please give Greg a call at 503.823.1052.”
I know there are bikey-crafty types out there who would do a great job…so give Greg a call.
Wow, I’m very surprised that AAA is getting in on this. The same AAA that has consistently opposed funding for any transportation mode other than cars, in fact always seems to oppose anything that would make driving more expensive or less convenient such as fuel economy laws? This is pleasantly shocking.
http://www.nrdc.org/amicus/01win/aaa/aaa.asp
I know that many local drivers are changing their auto club to Better World Auto Club, which is more environmentally-conscious and supportive of alternative modes. Also, they donate a percentage of profit (yeah, it’s only 1%, that’s still a lot of money) to enviro cleanup / advocacy.
http://www.betterworldclub.com/
Still, congradulations AAA for making this gesture.
Jonathan, if your site is secure, I’ll post my address for a decal..otherwise..where else can they be made available?
Jonathan,
Thanks for all of your help in getting the word out. I would really encourage people, if at all possible, to make it to tomorrowâs event. As your posted, we have a great group of speakers. I think it is going to be a classic Portland event â we will have free Stumptown Coffee and voodoo donuts. Timo Forsberg (1/3rd of the AKA Trash Mtn. Boys) will kick-off the event at 8:30 with his new song âSharinâ the road Sharon.â It is going to be a super family friendly event. We have a group of four-year olds from a local daycare that have made their own signs and will be singing âWheels on the busâ with Timo. These kids know what it is like to share the road â they walk downtown everyday 12 kids on a rope.
I would encourage people to bring a sign and maybe an umbrella â in case there is any confusion the Salmon Springs Fountain is at the intersection of Salmon and Naito in Waterfront Park. The coffee and donuts should be available by 8am.
Thanks,
Mark
KATU is doing a preview to this tonight (thursday) at 11pm. Sounds interesting.
organic brian, maybe AAA figured it was cheaper than settling all the insurance claims for U-lock related damages đ
Decent turnout, I think. I’d say about 50 riders or so were milling about and singning with Timo. I had to split after 20 minutes…got to cold from standing around and not pedaling.
Huzzah!
I still want Bureau of Maintenance to make cleaning bike lanes their first priority!
My letter to AAA in response to their support. Everyone should let these guys know that we appreciate this ‘extreme change’ in their attitude.
Dear AAA;
I would like to express my thanks to you for supporting todayâs âShare the Roadâ rally in Portland. This is the first time that I have seen AAA commiting time and resources to aid non-vehicular transportation and I support the effort. I look forward to a more positive relationship with AAA in the future.
Sincerely;
Aaron Tarfman
âBoycott Trafficâ
http://www.yourbodypower.org
Where can I submit my address for those stickers?
Website?
Thanks.