You know a town is bike-crazy when an FM music radio station broadcasts their bike plan and makes a statement that calls for the city to get “bolder for bicyclists.”
KINK-FM (101.9 in Portland) runs a segment called “KINK Considers” twice a week. The short segment is a “station editorial” that they say, “never shies away from taking a stand on controversial or emerging issues of importance” to their listeners.
Thanks to a heads up from a tipster (thanks Todd!), I just listened to their current piece, “Getting Bolder for Bicyclists.”
The station calls out Portland for not being bold enough in building bike infrastructure. They say, “…except for Springwater [Corridor Trail], it’s all pretty weak tea.”
They also lay out their plan which includes; putting “a trail parallel to the Banfield on a fast track” and building more bike facilities separated for cars (and, given this morning’s incident on the Hawthorne Bridge, you can’t blame them). They even suggest using one cent from a proposed three-cent gas tax to pay for it all.
Read the full piece on KINK.fm, or listen to it live via the short clip I recorded below:
[audio:kinkclip2.mp3]
Excellent: high profile media exposure can\’t hurt but… the Springwater Corridor, as great as it is, is a road to nowhere. For recreational riding (which in some cases is an entry point for increased bike transportation) the Springwater is wonderful but as a model for developing useful routes in and around the city it doesn\’t offer much.
Well, that totally depends on where you live. If you\’re coming in from Sellwood, Gresham, Woodstock, etc. it\’s a road to plenty.
I don\’t use it much anymore as I moved to SW but when I lived on the Eastside I used it a lot and still do when heading to or from rides out in the Boring/East County area. I use the Eastbank Esplanade plenty – especially in the winter when short ride options are called for.
Not sure about the tunnel idea, but I do like the mention of the other concepts.
As for the Springwater, it is a model highway for cyclists as Jay Graves puts it. Living in Sellwood, it makes commuting to downtown, inner SE easy.
Although I do enjoy sharpening my nerves of steel on occasion down Milwaukie Ave…
There is a group in Boring, OR which is pushing to continue paving of the Springwater out to their town center (such as it is). Even having the option of getting across the highway out there would be fantastic.
unless this is a different radio station, this must be part of the settlement for that morning talk jock\’s dumbass comments on running cyclists over, eh?
that was the \”hip-pop\” station i think you\’re thinking about BURR…
I\’ve worked at KINK for almost 20 years (I was REALLY young when I started:-) and we\’ve never been an anti-cyclist station.
In fact, we\’ve been a sponsor of many cycling events including Bridge Pedal, Reach the Beach, MS 150, Twilight Criterium, Worst Day of the Year Ride, etc.
Both of our morning show hosts took part in Bike Commute Challenge – riding their bikes into work in the middle of the night with Jay Graves from Bike Gallery.
Sorry, I know like I sound like an ad for the station, but if there is one radio station that has your back, it\’s KINK!
Interesting…. it would be easier to commute if I didn\’t have to worry about the behaviour of my fellow road users, but I don\’t see \”the City\” as doing much beyond the status quo.
Tigard, which is officially a part of Portland (we don\’t have a separate post office, and my zip comes up as Portland), never gets consideration when it comes to bike infrastructure.
Neither do any of the other suburbs.
It\’s almost like people think that all the cyclists live close-in to downtown or something.
How about a Springwater-type trail out here, eh? Or at least convince ODOT to clean the bike lanes a little more frequently.
Or, and this is my favorite idea, link up all the disparate sections of this area in one vast bicycling network, so people can actually get from their homes to other places– places they wouldn\’t ride their bike to because of the barriers in their way?
What station supports cycling more than KINK Burr? Any thoughts…
Tigard, which is officially a part of Portland (we don\’t have a separate post office, and my zip comes up as Portland)
Tigard is indeed a separate incorporated City, and has a Post Office located on Main Street. You may indeed have a Portland address and live in Tigard, or vice versa, as postal addresses often have little to do with the jurisdiction where you are located.
Nice initiative, kink!
More biking would create healthier citizens and bring us cleaner cities. There\’s really no downside to cycling!
Tigard and Portland in the same sentence – egads. Sorry, I\’m a Portland snob, for good reason.
I\’m a runner,and I\’m here to tell you that alot of bikers are as rude to runners and walkers with children as they percieve drivers are to them. It comes down to respect and consideration for fellow travelers. The other person does not always see or hear you.
Driving north on Tereilliger from Hillsdale to OHSU a bicyclist suddenly pulled out of the bike lane into traffic. I almost killed us both. Slammed my brakes, swerved out of control, fishtailed into oncoming traffic, freaked out that I\’d swerve into him…crazy scary nonsense. Please try to stay in your lane.