10 March 2009 Archives

LaHood and the potential for livable communities

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

We’ll hear from Transportation
Secretary Ray LaHood tomorrow
morning.

Tomorrow morning, President Obama’s Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will address the 2009 National Bike Summit.

When LaHood was announced as Obama’s pick back in December, many in the bike movement didn’t really have much to say about him. He’s been a strong supporter of rail, but his background on bike issues wasn’t too deep.

Tomorrow, he’ll have his first chance to acquaint himself with America’s bike power brokers and, if a recent story in Congressional Quarterly is a reliable sign, LaHood is sure to win many fans.

A politician’s worst nightmare.
Kidical Mass storming City Hall.
(Photos © J. Maus)

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) plans to use their monthly “Kidical Mass” ride as way to send a clear message to City Council about their upcoming budget: Find more money for the city’s Safer Routes to Schools program.

Hoping it is seen as, “a show of force for the Portland City Council,” the BTA wants to bring attention to a 40% reduction in the Safe Routes program that’s currently being proposed by the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation. The 40% dip is the result of PBOT holding back “one-time” funds (given out from surpluses in the city’s General Fund) it has enjoyed over the past two years.

Roger Geller (L) and the bike program
manager for the City of Copenhagen,
Andreas Rohl.
(Photos © J. Maus)

The 2009 National Bike Summit kicked off tonight with a pep rally of sorts, and the head cheerleader was Andreas Rohl, bike program manager for the city of Copenhagen.

For the uninitiated, Copenhagen is the world class cycling city all others aspire to. Don’t believe that claim? 36% of people who enter the city for work or for school do so on a bicycle and among people who live in their city’s core, 55% bike to work.

“The costs of providing facilities to accommodate and encourage bicycling are minimal in comparison to the value derived by reducing the impacts of our present reliance on motor vehicles for transportation.”
— from the BTA’s statement

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) issued a press release today stating their formal opposition to a proposal that would require all bicycle owners in the state of Oregon (over the age of 18) to register their bicycles.

The proposal, (House Bill 3008, text here), was created by State Representative Wayne Krieger (R-Gold Beach). Krieger defended the bill in an interview I did with him on Friday.

During that interview, I asked how he thought bike advocacy groups would respond. Now we know. To find out where the BTA stands on this issue, read their full statement below (emphasis mine):

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance opposes bicycle registration and other annual fees on bicycle ownership because:

• The net revenue realized would not contribute significantly to the construction and maintenance of roads and the ancillary facilities necessary for complete streets,

LaHood and the potential for livable communities

Kids will take Safe Routes message to City Hall

Summit starts with lessons from Copenhagen

BTA issues formal opposition to bike registration bill

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