A recent flap over Sunday Parkways funding at City Council underscores what seems to be a growing reality for people who run active transportation programs: You better start looking for private funds because city/state/federal budgets are shrinking fast.
Portland would not be getting a bike-sharing system (at least right now) if it weren't for the fact [...]

(Image: BikePortland)

Bikes Belong just announced that Volkswagen will donate "significant funding" to support their ongoing People For Bikes campaign and other programs the organizations funds like like the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.
Here's an excerpt from the press release:
"We are working with VW as part of its Think Blue initiative, which encompasses all of [...]

Training for a lifetime of bike rides(Photo courtesy of the BTA)

Remember the old saying, "If you give someone a fish, they will eat for a day. Teach a person to fish and they will eat for a lifetime"?
The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) is applying the idea in their Walk+Bike Jump Start program by training teachers [...]

Dangerous storm grate on Hall Blvd.(Photos courtesy Jim Parsons)

Last month we took a look at reflective warning stripes installed by the City of Tigard to warn people on bikes to the presence of hazardous drains in the bike lane.
Those stripes were installed, in part, because of attention brought to the issue by citizen activist [...]

Maria Schur(Self portrait)

In many ways, Portland resident Maria Schur epitomizes the die-hard Portland bike lover. She averages 120 miles a week in the saddle, commutes by bike to her job at BikeTiresDirect, spent two years as a bike messenger in San Francisco, participated in the first ever Critical Mass ride in 1992, operates a bike-centric [...]

People gathered at a bar in Beaverton to give thanks to those who help make projects happen.(Photos: Will Vanlue)

Earlier this week the Westside Transportation Alliance (WTA) gathered a group of advocates and citizens from around Washington County to write thank-you notes to people who have helped promote and improve conditions for bicycling, walking, and public [...]

Occu-bike.(Photos © J. Maus)

Tomorrow's 'N17 - Occupy the Banks' actions of civil disobedience throughout downtown Portland can count on an assist from a cadre of people on bikes. A ride dubbed 'Swarm the Banks' will look to play a similar role to the 'bike swarm' that made its presence felt at the big standoff at [...]

Evan Manvel says time is right for political action.(Photo © J. Maus)

Bike. Walk. Vote. — Portland's only political action committee that focuses solely on how candidates stack up on biking and walking issues — is about to awaken after a hiatus in the last election.
The group is planning a re-launch party on December 4th in [...]

Get involved and make a difference.(Photo © J. Maus)

Below are some of the many opportunities to get involved and make a difference on transportation projects and issues throughout our region this week…
Tuesday, November 15th
Adult Bike Riding Class, Part I
PBOT is sponsoring classes to get adults riding bikes. Do you know healthy adults that [...]

Still from KATU News video (watch their story here).

A reader brought to our attention a great story about the power of bicycles and how one person can make a difference.
The head custodian at Poynter Middle School in Hillsboro, John Sarrazin, has turned a chance encounter with a student who needed help fixing his bike [...]

Below are some of the many opportunities to get involved and make a difference on transportation projects and issues throughout our region this week...
Tuesday, November 8th
TV Highway Corridor Plan Open House
4:00-7:00 p.m. Hillsboro Civic Center (150 E Main St, Hillsboro)
ODOT is considering rebuilding the Tualatin Valley Highway, either as a 6 lane freeway or a [...]

TriMet's "Be Seen Be Safe" rally comes to Pioneer Square Friday.(Photo © J. Maus)

We now present to you the weekly roundup of meetings, open houses, and other opportunities for activism...
Tuesday, Nov 1
North Williams Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting
Noon to 2:00 pm, Red Cross Board Room (3131 N Vancouver Ave)
Here's the blurb about this meeting from [...]

Traffic on Skyline Blvd.(Photo © J. Maus)

Residents around Skyline Blvd have scheduled a community forum next month to discuss road safety issues.
Hostilities between road users on narrow, winding rural roads like Skyline (and its many offshoots) got a lot of attention back in August when a local email list lit up with allegations of [...]

Problem solved thanks to action by PBOT.(Photo: Brett McLane)

Last week I shared the story of an armored truck that had repeatedly violated Oregon law by parking in the bike lane on the southbound (downhill) side of N Greeley Ave outside the Adidas USA headquarters. Upon receiving an official complaint from North Portland resident Brett McLane, [...]

Bench at NE Prescott and 68th.(Photo © J. Maus)

The Community Cycling Center is taking their "I ride" campaign to new places. The non-profit that sees bicycles as "vehicles for social change" announced today they have purchased bus bench advertisements at 15 locations in north and northeast Portland.
I spotted one of the ads yesterday on NE [...]

According to a 2008 report by Alta Planning, bike crashes on streetcar tracks are a "major and underreported problem for Portland-area bicyclists." Even so, the issue struggles to gain official attention because the vast majority of crashes do not get reported.
Portland-based, grassroots transportation advocacy group Active Right of Way (AROW) hopes to change that with [...]

Trail Fest flyer.

The Northwest Trail Alliance is gearing up for their 2nd annual Trail Fest, a four-day event that will bring together off-road riding advocates, trail builders, and the local bike industry.
The event kicks off tomorrow night at the Hollywood Theater with a special screening of the new documentary Pedal Driven. The film, which was [...]

A week may have already passed since the Oregon Active Transportation Summit down in Salem, but our news intern Patrick Croasdaile and I still have notes and photos to share. Of particular note was Patrick's experience at the big "Lobby Day" on Wednesday.
Organized by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, Lobby Day consisted of dozens of [...]

The panelists: L to R: Dr. Philip Wu, Olivia Quiroz, Mychal Tetteh, Noelle Dobson.(Photos: BikePortland/Patrick Croasdaile)

In recent years, the fields of public health, equity and transportation policy have become increasingly linked. At a breakout session at the Active Transportation Summit yesterday, advocates and experts came together to learn more about why these issues are linked [...]

[BikePortland is down in Salem today for the Oregon Active Transportation Summit. We'll be reporting from Salem today and tomorrow.]

Still in beta.

Daniella and Elliot Crowder, owners of the Bike Newport bike shop, unveiled their plans for a new iPhone app today. The new 'Cycling the Oregon Coast' app is currently in beta form and is [...]