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Portland in the spotlight on the national stage

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This story is part of my ongoing coverage of the 2008 National Bike Summit. See the rest of my coverage here.


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Roger Geller, Jerry Norquist, Scott Bricker, and
Veronica Rinard formed part of a dream team
of Portland bike advocates that filled in
for Commissioner Sam Adams at lunch today.
(Photos © J. Maus)

From the opening speech that was given by a former Portland City Commissioner (Earl Blumenauer) to the last event of the day which was headlined by a Portland-based lawyer (Bob Mionske) and just about everything in between, Portland was all over the National Bike Summit today.

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Bikes according to the “establishment”

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This story is part of my ongoing coverage of the 2008 National Bike Summit. See the rest of my coverage here.


John Horsley, Executive
Director of AASHTO, looking
very establishment-ish.

This morning we heard from John Horsley, head of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Horsley came to “give context on where bikes fit in the national transportation picture.”

AASHTO calls themselves the “Voice of American Transportation” and League President Andy Clarke referred to them as the transportation “establishment”. Suffice it to say, AASHTO is a powerful organization and to many, what they say, goes.

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Day 3 at the Summit: What’s on tap

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This story is part of my ongoing coverage of the 2008 National Bike Summit. See the rest of my coverage here.


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With Day 2 in the books, Sabrina Merlo
from the Bay Area Bicycle Coalition
wasted no time in letting loose (notice
the beer in her hand and the smile on her face).
(Photo © J. Maus)

Tomorrow is the day when the hopes and demands of America’s burgeoning bicycle movement begin to take shape. It’s the day when hundreds of advocates will march up to Capitol Hill to share their enthusiasm and visions for a more bike-centric America.

We’ll start out with an event I always enjoy; the Capitol Hill Rally and Continental Breakfast. This year we’re expecting to hear Rep. Earl Blumenauer formally announce his new bike bills (the National Bike Bill, the Congressional Resolution, his Capitol Hill Bike Plan, etc…) We are also likely to hear from another major bicycling ally; Congressman Jim Oberstar from Minnesota.

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Snoozeville Populaire

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Ride: Snoozeville Populaire (official website here)
Organizer: Bill Alsup (503) 977-0014
Date: Saturday Mar 8
Time: Start Time: 8:00AM Registration Time 07:00AM – 07:45AM
Start Location: Cornelius Pass Roadhouse
Address: Cornelius Pass Rd, Hillsboro, OR
Finish By: 14:40 (2:40 PM)

Entry Fee: $0, We will put out a donation can to help defer expenses. You do not need to be a member of Oregon Randonneurs for this event.

Who’s Riding? Pre-registered Riders Register Now!

Driving Directions: Hwy 26, take Cornelius Pass exit south, 62A, and go south. Turn right on Imbrie. Cornelius Pass Roadhouse will be on the left. Please park away from the entrances to restaurant. Note: there is a Starbucks on opposite side of Imbrie Rd.

Description:
This populaire starts in the hi-tech area just across from Intel and is quickly into the quiet roads of the Washington County. The route heads north and west thru North Plains then on to Mountaindale. All that remains of this community is the closed and run down Mountaindale General Store. Head north along Dairy Creek Valley with its dairy farms, nurseries and rural mini homesteads. You would not know you were in Snoozeville unless we told you so. Nothing remains of Snoozeville except the cross roads of Fern Flat and Sherman Mills.

After the turnaround, it is a gentle downhill back to Mountaindale. Head west on back roads thru wetlands to Banks where you can pick up food and drink before pushing on to Cedar Canyon. You leave the quiet of Cedar Canyon, head east then south on rolling terrain, skirting David and Clapshaw hills to the west and to the first timed control in Forest Grove. On the way to Forest Grove, be sure to check out Love’s barn full of antlers.

After leaving Forest Grove, zig and zag your way along meandering roads back to Cornelius Pass Roadhouse.

Cumulative elevation gain is 2000 feet.

Return to OR Randonneurs homepage

Ride to protest Vancouver helmet law

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5:30-5:40 will be the time that we wait for stragglers and chat.

5:45 the ride will start it will go till about 6:30 at latest. The route will include Columbia Street and of course City Hall (Columbia should be a bike highway) where we’ll all fill out comment cards for City Council.

Portlanders welcome!

Advocacy — the latest trend in the bike industry

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This story is part of my ongoing coverage of the 2008 National Bike Summit. See the rest of my coverage here.


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Jay Ferm is the advocacy
man for Planet Bike.
(Photo © J. Maus)

There’s an exciting trend in the bicycle industry: more and more companies are putting advocacy in the job description of their employees. A few companies are even making it a full-time position.

Jay Ferm, who heads up the advocacy efforts of Wisconsin-based accessory brand Planet Bike, says “it’s definitely a trend.” He points to industry heavyweights like SRAM and Pacific Cycle (they own Scwhinn, Mongoose, and GT) as just the most recent examples.

Other companies who have made advocacy an official part of the job include Chris King Precision Components, Saris, Specialized, Trek, and others.

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“You should be outraged!”; Blumenauer rallies the faithful

This story is part of my ongoing coverage of the 2008 National Bike Summit. See the rest of my coverage here.


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Blumenauer got a rousing ovation this morning.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Congressman Earl Blumenauer offered a historical perspective in his speech to the 500+ National Bike Summit attendees this morning. Referring back to major U.S. transportation planning milestones in 1808 and 1908, he continued his call for a new national transportation plan.

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Today at City Council: Bikes set for major boost in Parks SDC funding

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Switching gears for a moment from my 2008 National Bike Summit coverage

Portland City Council will hear public testimony and vote today on a proposal that would leverage System Development Charges (SDCs) over the next 12 years. SDCs are one-time fees assessed on new development to cover a portion of the cost for providing specific types of public infrastructure required as a result of the development.

Of particular note to bike lovers is that since the inception of the Parks SDCs revision effort, the funds dedicated to trails has increased from about 2% to 7.6%. This increase was made in no small part due to effective lobbying and testimony given to City Council by Scott Bricker from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance in a public hearing back in December.

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