in official Bridge Pedal logo.
You know you want to ride it.
The Tilikum Crossing bridge has been seducing your eyes for months now with its elegant lines that span the Willamette, its carfree promise, and its 14-foot wide bike/walk path.
When Bridge Pedal registration opens today at noon, you can reserve your spot to be one of the first people to ride a bicycle across it. Well, you and 20,000 others.
As we shared back in August, the bridge won’t official open until September 12th, but Bridge Pedal participants will get early access on August 9th. It’s the 20th anniversary edition and organizers are touting an inaugural Tilikum crossing as the main highlight for this year’s event.
All four of the routes will cross the Tilikum, but organizers say they will cap the total number of participants in order to reduce bottlenecks and make sure everyone can finish on time.
“Because we are marking 20 years and cyclists have the opportunity to ride across the Tilikum Crossing, we’re anticipating a lot of interest,” said event organizer Rick Bauman via a statement, “We’re encouraging people to register early to ensure they get to do the ride they want at the time they prefer.”
Register, check the routes, and get all the info you need at ProvidenceBridgePedal.com.
UPDATE: TriMet says the bridge will also be open to the public after Bridge Pedal for those who do not register for the ride.
Why am I so jaded that my first thought was that this is two of the secretly evil forces actually combining forces against the bicycling community and one of the levels of Hell? It is the Dinseyland-a-fication of bicycling. Let’s pull our Trek comfort-bikes out of the garage, dust them off, put them on top of the Mazda5 because we don’t feel safe pedaling from our house gentrified Lents (I called deep SE Mt Tabor) and complain about the lack of parking near the start.
I’m going to be quiet now. I don’t my cynicism to spoil your fun. Have an enjoyable Bridge Pedal…suckers…(I’d like that last word stricken from the record).
Proof that BikePortland commenters will complain about anything?
So you are trespassing before the bridge is open to the public? And if you’re hurt in an active construction site will you cry and complain to get compensation?
To quote Yogi Berra: Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded. About 10 years ago the the ratio of idiots on bikes passed my tolerance level. Also remember–Bridge Pedal is a business, I think that’s all Rick Bauman does.
Correct. And if I understand correctly, Providence (a not-for-profit organization) foots most of the costs of the Bridge Pedal for the rights to the name.
Source: http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/portland_bridge_pedal/#.VFgNMYcXFA4
Providence is a business that does NOT play well with others. Do not believe their propaganda. They will build a multi-million dollar cancer center, and make huge capital improvements for guest housing….yet, they refuse to spend a dime to relocate a promised crosswalk, increase transit services or play well with the neighbors. Pricing parking to encourage employees to take transit is NOT even a topic they are willing to discuss….in any of their multi-state facilities.
I did the bridge pedal once so I could ride over the Marquam and Fremont, that was enough.
Providence gives EVERY employee a FREE yearly TriMet pass.
Priced parking would also dump a HUGE amount of patient and employee parking onto your neighbors’ streets. I can’t imagine you want that.
I get the complaints, but Providence is a weird entity in that it is both a non-profit hospital system, but also is running an insurance company. So yes they do straddle both worlds.
I’m the world’s worst typist. I leave off and mix up whole words.
wow, i don’t know why you’re so jaded… perhaps you should take a step back, re-read this post out loud to yourself in front of a mirror and think long and hard about it. Your “bicycling community” is not removed from people who ride once a year.
I, for one, am looking forward to it. Great incentive, and one that I hadn’t even considered. Looks like i’ll be doing my first BP in a while after skipping the last 5 years or so.
Looks like the link to ProvidenceBridgePedal.org is broken, and when I googled the link seems to be http://blog.bridgepedal.com/ (ProvidenceBridgePedal.org resolves to the .com address).
thanks for pointing that out Heidi. Sorry for the hassle. We’ve fixed the link.
Sam, I am sorry you feel strongly against the event. I’ve had both good and bad experiences with BirdgePedal, and I still support folks who want to do the ride to ride it, and those who don’t to be elsewhere.
The event definitely attracts many people who don’t currently ride daily. Some subset of them will ride more because of good memories formed on the ride. As a proponent of biking, I like this. Those people who loaded the bike onto the car and drove near down town didn’t spend the day driving to Tacoma to shop. As a proponent of less gas use, I like this. A bunch of people will view the river in a way they hadn’t previously. As a proponent of preserving natural resources, I like this.
Just because people don’t do everything exactly the way I do, or value the exact same things, does not make them bad people or even suckers tricked into …you know, I’m not sure what they are being tricked into. They may be taking a babystep towards more sustainable transportation. Or they may be increasing the joy in the world. They are, in fact, raising cash towards a childrens hospital. I like this.
And you are quite welcome to have fun doing something else that day.
Providence does not make money off of the event. It is part of their advertising budget. It is a for-profit venture for Rick Bauman and Providence pays him money for the rights to the sponsorship name (as well as doing most of the volunteering hours).
Source: http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/portland_bridge_pedal/#.VFgNMYcXFA4
I see the jade. First opportunity to ride across “the people’s crossing” will be on a FOR PROFIT pay-to-enter event.
Sam-
Parking – There may be some people who live far enough away from the course that they feel compelled to drive, or have kids that they are trucking around, or any other number of scenarios
Cycling Advocacy – I would say any event where more people get exposed to cycling in the city, the better (even if it is on a hybrid, GAWDD FORBID), but you seem to have a different opinion.
Size of event – It is a busy, cluster of an event, but that is also attributed to the fact that as a participant you get to do something pretty unique, not only for Portland, but in the U.S, that is ride across freeway bridges.
If you want cycling to be some sort of fringe thing where it is is not such a disney-fied experience, there are plenty of cities in the U.S. where cycling is still only done by early twenties fixie riders, and triathlon people chugging on their time trial bikes.
David-
Parking – I agree with you on some level; I’ve been the that guy taking the kiddie bikes off the top of the mini van. (A Mazda5 no less)
Advocacy – We (the cycling community) need to work on projects the *work* for us and the non-cyclist among us alike. We don’t need to raise awareness. We need to raise the utility of cycling, not create more Mickey-Mouse events.
Size of event – If the event has out grown itself because of its popularity, then please refer to the ‘Advocacy’ point. If Bridge Pedal’s solution is to raise the price then all they are doing is raise the perception that cycling is just a toy for the rich and privileged.
So bummed that the bridge pedal still bans skateboards. 🙁
Skateboarding Is Not A Crime
“This isn’t a skateboard, it’s a glider bike without handlebars.”
When this was first announced, around the time of the last Bridge Pedal, Trimet said that on the day of the event the bridge would be open to bikes, pedestrians, etc, for the entire day, including after the Ride is over, so you don’t have to sign up for the ride to get access to the Bridge. Sleep in, have a nice brunch, then ride over to the Tilly after the BP is over.
Trimet is trying to avoid a madhouse on the 1st day that the bridge is officially open, so it is to their advantage to let more folks have access.
I’m confused. Just to the right of this column is a long list of bicycle related businesses, most, I assume, are for profit businesses. Lawyers, bike apparel, bike shops, bike builders. This is even a for profit bicycle blog. Now some posters here seem to say that a bicycle event business is a bad thing? I agree with post #2, you guys will criticize anything!
I got a list email from Tri Met today that said “For those not attending the event, the bridge will stay open for a public preview after the Bridge Pedal.”
It doesn’t specify if that could be or foot or wheel.
The Bridge Pedal is a great community event that is GREAT for the city, Just do NOT let you think that Providence as a hospital is Bike friendly. They only do what is minimally required by law, and not spend one dime more on anything related to the community they are in.
This is ALL propaganda and advertising for them. They are now owned by a multi-state mega corporation that sends lawyers everywhere and refuses to take the needs of their neighbors seriously. Congesting pricing for their parking ramps to cut down on commuters?…TOP DOWN corporate policy is that this is NOT allowed to be talked about at ANY of their facilities ….paying for tri-met improvements? Not required for them to do…..Spending $15,000 to move a crosswalk in front of a MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR cancer center? They would prefer to fight it with lawyers than spend the money…as it would set a precedent. Not getting enough use from their shuttle service?…then let us CUT IT instead of advertising it.
Nope…do NOT believe the PROPAGANDA. I bike across town for my medical needs.
Terry, there are currently two crosswalks (one of them at a signal stoplight) within 1 block of the cancer center (Irving and Oregon). Two more at Glisan and the rapid flash beacon on the other side of the 47th overpass (both of which within .2 miles of the cancer center). That makes 4 crosswalks (3 of them signaled) within a quarter mile on 47th.
Where else did/do you want a cross walk on 47th?
geez… maybe you all are overthinking an opportunity to ride on I5 and 405 a little bit?
Wait, you have to register to do this bridge ride thing? In the past I have just merged in the route and headed over the “no-bike” bridges for some good views!
I cant imagine paying money to ride over the bike-friendly bridges that I hit every ride anyway.
I have to concur with Eric, if only for practical reasons. With 20,000 riders, how DOES one prevent folks from hopping on for free?
Secondly, it would be interesting to survey multiple-year participants to ask what the draw continues to be; and if it is indeed worth the price of admission. ALso might be interesting to poll riders to sese how many first-timers the ride attracts each year.
(Disclaimer: I have never paid to participate in Bridge Pedal. I rode the first five for free as a volunteer ride-along mechanic. They did away with ride-along mechanics about the same time I decided at there were too many participants, and I stopped going.)