"With the release of City Club’s report on bicycle transportation in Portland," says a description of the event on their website, "we’ll answer the question: 'How should we improve our transportation system to optimize choice, efficiency and safety for all modes of transportation?'"

Depending on the timing and political climate, City Club research reports can have a big impact on how local issues are perceived. Recall back in June 2010, when a City Club report on Forest Park came out just a few months before the City released its recommendations on mountain bike access.

In their report, Bicycling in Portland: A Serious Look at Transportation Policy and Priorities, City Club says they'll make specific recommendations for the role bicycling should play in Portland, including specific ridership and infrastructure goals, as well as ideas on how to achieve them.

The Bicycle Transportation Research Committee has taken this project very seriously. They've interviewed many local bike leaders and experts (and at least one blogger), they've studied documents, funding levels, budgets, and so on. I fully expect this report to be a substantive look at how Portland is doing and how we need to improve in the future.

When the City Club's Bicycle Transportation Research Committee got to work on this project last April, we said that, "The report will likely come out right as a new mayor of Portland is settling into office. In addition, the transportation funding ideas they come up with will likely hit at a time when local, regional, and statewide discussions about this very issue are becoming very mature." By the end of May that will certainly be the case. Mayor Hales will likely have selected a new Director of PBOT by that time, and as we saw earlier this week he appears to settling in with regards to transportation policy. Also, there is growing chatter among policy makers at the local, regional, and statewide levels that a new statewide transportation funding package is in the works.

Will the report be favorable to bicycling? I would be extremely surprised if it wasn't. Bicycling makes sense for Portland. There is not debate about that. The only time bicycling seems controversial, or anything but a good thing for Portland's future is when it's maligned for pageviews or politics. When you take time to research and fully understand the transportation policy context and benefits of bicycling — like it appears City Club's research committee has — there's simply no way to have a negative outlook on it.

Another clue about what we can expect in this report came Wednesday night when I shared my views on bicycling in Portland as part of a City Club-hosted "Civic Salon." Several members of the research committee were at that event, as were several other City Club members. We discussed many different bike-related topics and I shared all my crazy ideas, concerns, and hopes about where things stand. At the end of the event, someone from the committee said, "After hearing you speak tonight, I feel even better about our report." Hopefully that means the report will echo my feelings of the moment: That Portland has a legacy to be proud of but we've let bad PR and politics get in the way of progress for far too long.

I don't expect this City Club report to solve everything, but if my hunch is right it might help us regain some of our mojo.

"We really do not have a problem with mountain biking at all. In fact, we would affirmatively support mountain bike access on Mt. Hood and we'd love to build allegiances with those folks, but we just don't believe this is the proper place for this development."
— Rhett Lawrence, Conservation Director, Sierra Club (Oregon Chapter)

Plans to build a mountain bike park on Mt. Hood have taken another turn. Yesterday, four non-profit organizations filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to stop the project. The plaintiffs on the suit are Bark, Friends of Mt. Hood, the Northwest Environmental Defense Center, and the Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club.

In the 56-page lawsuit (PDF), that coalition says the area of Mt. Hood where RLK & Company wants to build the Timberline MTB Park is, "ecologically significant" and consists of ,"fragile alpine ecosystems" that feed directly into Still Creek and the west fork of the Salmon River. The plaintiffs also claim that the Forest Service did not adhere to adequate public processes as defined by federal environmental review laws.

The project would build 17 miles of new, lift-assisted mountain bike trails on a 12 20-acre parcel of land. In November of 2012, the Forest Service approved RLK's permit to build the park. In doing so, a USFS rep said he believes that mountain biking at Timberline, "represents yet another new opportunity for play in every season of the year." An appeal of that decision made by an even larger coalition of environmental groups was denied back in March (it's interesting to note that some groups on the original appeal have chosen not to join this new lawsuit).

In a statement (read full text below), Bark's Lori Ann Burd said, "The fragile alpine soils at Timberline are the wrong place for a downhill lift-assisted mountain bike park." Dennis Chaney with Friends of Mt. Hood referred to the project as an "adventure park" and said it would jeopardize Mt. Hood, "... by allowing high-speed downhill biking, races, and more development."

The Sierra Club's participation in the lawsuit, with their 580,000 members nationwide and 20,000 members in Oregon, is significant. They're walking a very fine line given their history in working with mountain bike advocacy groups on national wilderness policy. In their "Park City Agreement" with the International Mountain Bicycling Association, Sierra Club says they see mountain biking as, "a legitimate form of recreation and transportation on trails, including single track, when and where it is practiced in an environmentally sound and socially responsible manner."

Image from Timberline Mountain Bike Park brochure.

In a statement about the lawsuit, Sierra Club Oregon Conservation Director Rhett Lawrence was careful to not say anything against mountain biking specifically. Their opposition has more to do with the USFS process and a general lack of trust that RLK/Timberline have been — and will be — good land stewards. In an email to BikePortland about the lawsuit, Lawrence explained that, "Though they may not believe it, we really do not have a problem with mountain biking at all. In fact, we would affirmatively support mountain bike access on Mt. Hood and we'd love to build allegiances with those folks, but we just don't believe this is the proper place for this development."

Portland resident Billie Cleek plans to end his Bark membership due to their continued opposition to this project. He contacted us after we shared news of this lawsuit via Twitter yesterday. Cleek is a frequent visitor to Mt. Hood for hiking, snowboarding, and mountain biking. He calls himself a "preservationist" and he wants to see more areas designated as wilderness (which prohibits mountain biking). But "Mt. Hood is not wilderness," he says, "It's a national forest." As such, he thinks it should be used for recreation. "Seventeen miles of single track below one of the lifts at Timberline lodge is not much. Modern trail building techniques result in significantly less run-off than many people realize. The trail system at Sandy Ridge [a few miles down the mountain from Mt. Hood] is a great testament to our ability to build solid trail without significant run-off."

"I have yet to see an explanation from Bark, Friends of Mount Hood, or Sierra Club that makes a strong case against the park; most arguments they are making seem to be based on faulty assumptions and/or fear. I'm more concerned about clear cuts, high grading, and ATV use throughout Mt. Hood National Forest than I am about a small mountain bike park in an already developed section of the mountain," added Cleek.

For more coverage of this issue — including a guest article from Bark explaining their opposition in more detail — browse our Timberline MTB Park story archives.

UPDATE: 2:19 pm: The Executive Director of the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association Kenji Sugahara has contacted Sierra Club leadership to express his "disappointment" with their decision. Read his email to Brian Pasko below:

Dear. Mr. Pasko,

On behalf of the 5,000+ members of the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association, I would like to let you know we are very disappointed
with the decision of Sierra Club to join in the lawsuit to stop Timberline Park.

As a progressive who has been a supporter of efforts by the Sierra Club to help the environment (coal trains etc), the lawsuit makes me question whether I should be supporting the Sierra Club. Most importantly the Sierra Club, by joining the lawsuit is damaging relationships that the Sierra Club should be looking to strengthen.

While I appreciate some of the concerns that were brought up by opponents, the work with IMBA ensures that trail building is done in
an environmentally conscious manner.

We request that you immediately withdraw from the lawsuit.

Sincerely,

--
Kenji Sugahara
Executive Director
Oregon Bicycle Racing Association
Phone: 503-278-5550

http://www.obra.org

UPDATE, 2:07 pm: In order to provide additional context to the positions of the plaintiffs in this lawsuit, I have pasted the full text of their press release about it below:

Coalition Files Suit to Protect Fragile Alpine Meadows on Mt. Hood
Destructive Mountain Biking Expansion at Timberline Lodge Threatens Summer Recreation Opportunities, Fish and Wildlife in Sandy River’s Headwaters

May 16, 2013 -- Today Crag Law Center filed a lawsuit on behalf of Friends of Mt. Hood, the Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Northwest Environmental Defense Center, and Bark challenging the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) decision to allow high-impact lift- assisted mountain biking that would harm fragile alpine habitat near Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. Over one million people visit Mt. Hood annually to climb, hike, ski, fish, bike, and play. Providing recreational opportunities and safeguarding our public land are at the core of the Forest Service’s mission, and the agency has an obligation to reject environmentally destructive development proposals.

“Mountain biking is growing in popularity and we support Forest Service efforts to provide environmentally-responsible, quality recreational opportunities for mountain bikers and other recreationists. However, the fragile alpine soils at Timberline are the wrong place for a downhill lift-assisted mountain bike park,” said Lori Ann Burd with Bark. “The Forest Service has failed to meet its responsibility to the public. Bark has worked with mountain bikers to encourage the Forest Service to convert unused logging roads into trails, but the Forest Service has failed to take action to seize these opportunities. Instead it has approved the construction of 17 miles of new trails in the sensitive headwaters of Still Creek and the West Fork of the Salmon River, leaving us no choice but to go to court to stop this development.”

The area around Timberline Lodge is cherished for summertime recreation such as wildflower viewing in the shadow of Mt. Hood. “Timberline Lodge in the summertime has always been a place to seek peace and quiet, and generations of families have treasured memories of hiking, picnicking, and sightseeing around Timberline,” said Dennis Chaney of Friends of Mt. Hood. “This project would jeopardize this beloved place by allowing high-speed downhill biking, races, and more development that will further degrade this fragile alpine environment. A National Historic Landmark and the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail are not compatible with an adventure park."

Marla Nelson of the Northwest Environmental Defense Center (NEDC) noted: “NEDC opposes this project because it would harm trout, salmon, and the aquatic environment that supports them.” She stated that the project will also:

- Increase sediment in Still Creek and the West Fork of the Salmon River, undercutting the significant investment of time and money in restoring downstream trout and salmon habitat
- Convert vegetation into bare mineral soils and encourage the further spread of noxious weeds
- Disturb wildlife, including elk, which rely on these high alpine meadows during calving season

“Timberline’s master plan to build a new day lodge, a new parking lot, and this mountain bike park was accepted by the Forest Service without adequate consideration of the cumulative effects on this fragile alpine environment,” said Rhett Lawrence, Conservation Director with the Sierra Club. “Timberline has not been able to successfully restore the areas it has already damaged and any new construction would simply add to the area's degradation. The Forest Service needs to engage the public in a meaningful discussion of how to provide for ecologically responsible recreation on our public land, instead of taking more risks with Mt. Hood.”

It's always interesting to look back and see how bicycling has grown in Portland over the decades.

Back in October 2005 I took some slides from a presentation by PBOT Bicycle Coordinator Roger Geller and put together a GIF showing the development of Portland's bicycle infrastructure each year from 1980 to 2012 and beyond. That one's worth another look:

The GIF above is neat, but it only shows infrastructure. Now I've put together a more up-to-date animation that combines infrastructure with bike mode share. In the 2012 Bicycle Count Report released by PBOT this morning, Geller included several graphics of the bikeway network overlayed with U.S. Census tract data based around a four-mile radius of the Burnside Bridge. When those graphics are put together into a GIF, you see a more compelling visual picture of how cycling has grown in Portland between 1990 and 2011:

Portland Bicycle Commute Mode Split By Census Tract
GIF by BikePortland using graphics created by PBOT

While it's fun and reassuring to see our progress over time — in both system development and ridership numbers — we are growing at a slower rate. There are many people in Portland still waiting for us to complete our network of bike-friendly streets. And until we do, we won't see a huge jump in ridership. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: If that GIF goes too fast to fully comprehend each graphic, I've shared them below for your viewing pleasure (click to enlarge):

Before you finalize all your weekend riding plans, I wanted to highlight three events that deserve your attention.

Tomorrow is the American Lung Association's big annual Reach the Beach ride. It's the 23rd year for this popular event that takes folks from several starting points out to the finish line at Cape Kiwanda (south of Tillamook). There are 100, 80, 55, and 28-mile options leaving from Portland, Newberg, Amity, and Grand Ronde respectively. If you're doing the ride, have fun and good luck! If you're biking or driving on the route, expect to find thousands of people sharing the road with you.

On Sunday (5/19), bike racers and riders of all persuasions will head out to Sauvie Island for the Kruger's Kermesse Farm Crit. This unique event features a fun mix of terrain that will have something for riders of all abilities. It all happens at Kruger's Farm, which is a great place to bring the family and hang out with friends. For a fun day, ride out to the event via the St. Johns Bridge and Highway 30 (where traffic is much more pleasant on the weekends).

On your way out (or to) the Kermesse, swing by Kenton Cycle Repair (2020 N McClellan) for their Huge Swap Meet and Grand Opening. Bring your bike stuff to sell and get a table for just $10.

Feel free to plug other events and/or share your plans in the comments...

In a report released this morning, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) says bicycle traffic counts for 2012 were up 3.3 percent over 2011 levels. These counts, which have been conducted annually since 1991, provide an important barometer for how many people are riding bikes in Portland. In addition to bike traffic volumes, the counts also tally gender and helmet usage. PBOT uses a mix of automated "hose" counts as well as manual counts by staff and volunteers. For the 2012 counts, volunteers manually counted 38,500 daily bicycle trips across a record 216 locations throughout the city — which PBOT says translates into more than 190,000 daily bicycle trips once the two-hour peak period counts are extrapolated out.

Here's the summary of 2012's numbers (taken directly from the report):

• Bicycle use in Portland continued its two decade long upward trend.
• 2012 bicycle counts showed a citywide 3.3 percent annual growth compared to the same locations counted in 2011.
• Bicycle counts showed a one-year decline in both NW and SW Portland.
• Bicycle traffic on Portland’s five principal bicycle-friendly bridges (Broadway, Steel, Burnside, Morrison and Hawthorne bridges) showed the highest number of bicycle trips since annual counts began in 2000/2001.
• Of 216 locations counted, 69 (32 percent) had daily bicycle traffic of more than 1000 trips.
• Since the 2000/2001 counts, the overall trend in bicycle traffic was up 211 percent; more than a tripling in use.
• Helmet use remained at historic high levels, with 80 percent of all people wearing their helmet.
• Helmet use is highest in SW Portland (90 percent) and North Portland (83 percent) and lowest in East Portland (63 percent). Helmet use in 2012 continued to be more prevalent among female riders (86 percent) than for male riders (77 percent).
• Female riders represented 31 percent of bicyclists citywide, remaining essentially unchanged since 2003.

Of Portland's seven districts, northeast and east Portland showed the largest ridership increases over 2011 with a 9.3% and 11% increase respectively. On the flip-side, northwest and southwest (not including the central city) Portland showed a 5.7% and 6.6% decrease in ridership.

2012 Non-Bridge Bicycle Counts Compared with Prior Years

Another highlight of this year's count report are daily bike trip counts for the Hawthorne Bridge which gives us our best sense of how seasonal weather changes impact bike ridership. The chart below shows the daily 2012 counts compared to summer time peaks from 2009, 2007, 2005 and 2003. "While the graph demonstrates the drop in bicycle use associated with the seasons," writes the report's authors, "it also demonstrates that winter bicycle use in 2012 was generally higher than were the summertime peaks from 2005."

Daily Hawthorne Bridge Counts: January 1 2012-December 31 2012
-Click to enlarge-

2012 was the first time PBOT has included count data from the Morrison Bridge. When it went in, the County (who owns/manages the span) and PBOT hoped the Morrison would alleviate the bike traffic crunch on the Hawthorne. So far, it seems to be underperforming. The Morrison had just 860 daily bicycle trips in 2012 compared to 8,136 daily trips on the Hawthorne. The Broadway Bridge was second to Hawthorne with 4,432 daily trips followed by the Steel with 3,311 and the Burnside with 2,055.

PBOT uses these counts to measure performance toward their goal of "making the bicycle an integral part of daily life in Portland" (they also rely on U.S. Census and City Auditor data).

Take a closer look at the numbers by delving into the full report here (PDF).

• Bike Mechanic - Sunset Cycles
• Policy and Government Affairs Manager - Cascade Bicycle Club
• Manufacturing Materials Processor - Chris King Precision Components
• Team Member - Universal Cycles

For a complete list of available jobs, click here. If you'd like more information about the BikePortland Job Listings, contact us, or visit the Job Listings page.

You can sign up for all the latest job listings via RSS, email, or by following us on Twitter.

I came across something interesting while perusing some Oregon Transportation Commission meeting materials: the 2012 ODOT Sustainability Progress Report (PDF). The report covers a number of things; from how much paper the agency uses to the amount of greenhouse gases being emitted by their vehicle fleet. But the part that caught my eye was the section titled "Work Force Diversity". It was an analysis about the demographics of ODOT's 4,521 employees.

Here's how the report's authors introduced the section:

ODOT must have a fully skilled, competent and diverse workforce to carry out its mission. As the number of retirements increase, ODOT must recruit employees with diverse backgrounds, retain the expertise of experienced employees, and develop employee skills to meet new challenges to the agency and the transportation system.

That sounds reasonable. Then I saw the statistical breakdown: 63% male, 90% white non-hispanic and 56% over the age of 50.

Graphic by ODOT, from the report.

The report noted that the workforce demographics didn't change much in 2012; but it did say that, "there are signs of an aging workforce as seen in a decrease in the percentage of employees under 35 years of age, and an increase for those 50 years and older."

As for racial diversity, the authors pointed out that employee demographics represent just "a piece of the diversity story at ODOT" and that many employees go through "training, conferences, and educational opportunities on diversity and cultural competency." 351 ODOT employees attended a diversity conference last year and ODOT has an internal course titled, "Building Intercultural Competency" which "aims to improve the ability of ODOT staff to interact effectively with people of different cultures." 2,673 ODOT staffers have taken the course so far.

The demographics of those who plan, develop and implement our transportation system matters. Age, race, and gender are major topics of discussion in the transportation advocacy world right now. I wonder how the demographics break down at the Portland Bureau of Transportation and other regional transportation agencies.

What do you think about ODOT's workforce demographics?

45 year-old Lance Marcus died on Tuesday night after driving his car into a power pole on SW Barbur Blvd near Miles Street. The Portland Police report that Marcus was driving "at a high rate of speed" before he hit the pole.

In October of 2011, just a few tenths of a mile north of where Marcus died, 25-year old Nisha Rana was also killed when police say she "failed to negotiate a curve" while driving "at a very high rate of speed."

Back in 2010, just one mile north of those tragedies, 28 year-old Caleb Pruitt was also driving "at a high rate of speed" (according to the police) when he rounded a corner on SW Barbur Blvd near the Town and Country Apartments and collided with 26 year-old Angela Burke. Burke was walking her bicycle at the time and was attempting to cross the street.

Barbur Blvd is notorious in Portland transportation circles. It's one of the City's High Crash Corridors and it has been subject of hopeful planning documents and neighborhood activism for years. However, despite this attention, it remains a classic, high-speed arterial where people continue to drive too fast and people continue to get hurt and killed. A few weeks ago a new "Friends of Barbur" group came together to try and hasten improvements. Here's what they wrote on their website:

Few streets in Portland have received some much planning and attention yet so few improvements. From The Barbur Streetscape Plan, The Barbur Concept Plan. and The Southwest Corridor Plan Barbur has been through several public processes yet it remains one of the most dangerous high crash corridors in Portland and is a barrier for walking and bicycling movement in throughout Southwest Portland.

As the fatality on Tuesday reminds us, Barbur is also a safety hazard for people in cars because its design encourages speed and, as we all know from Traffic Safety 101, speed kills (either the person doing it or unlucky bystanders).

Roger Averbeck is a veteran of transportation activism in southwest Portland. Through his membership on the Southwest Neighborhoods Inc. Transportation Committee, he volunteers on many advisory committees and goes to so many planning meetings he probably works more for the city than some of their own employees. After hearing about the death of Lance Marcus, Averbeck emailed dozens of PBOT staff and nearly 50 of his personal contacts last night.

"Unfortunately, there was another fatal car crash on Barbur Blvd last evening," Averbeck wrote. "The time has come for a serious and earnest discussion with the community regarding traffic safety on Barbur Blvd, including the consideration of a lane diet, and safety improvements for all modes."

A rendering by Owen Walz of what SW Barbur Blvd could look like where it passes over the SW Vermont St bridge.
- Click to enlarge -

Averbeck also noted the irony that Tuesday's crash happened just one block from an ODOT's SW Barbur Blvd Newbury & Vermont Street Bridge Rehabilitation Project. That's the project that has spurred a renewed push for a road diet on Barbur. Road diets are proven to reduce speeding and collisions and analysis shows a lane reconfiguration would not bring auto traffic to a grinding halt.

If this were a PBOT owned and managed facility, I have little doubt a road diet project would already be underway. But ODOT owns and manages these outer segments of Barbur Blvd, and they have so far been unwilling to take strong steps forward with it. The road diet idea is currently being discussed as part of the SW Corridor Plan; but advocates like Averbeck know planning processes like that work on timelines measured in decades.

"While I appreciate the consideration of future improvements that might occur as result of high capacity transit in in the SW Corridor 15-20 years from now," Averbeck wrote in his email. "this is too long to wait. Critical safety improvements, that were recommendations in the 2011 High Crash Corridor Study, and increased law enforcement are needed now, not in 2028."

Averbeck is calling for a meeting between ODOT, Metro, the City of Portland and southwest Portland community members, to discuss funding and implementation of safety improvements on Barbur. Hopefully this meeting takes place and hopefully it results in action. Stay tuned.

After playing the role of decoy in a crosswalk enforcement mission this morning, Portland Mayor Charlie Hales has firmly cemented safety as his top transportation priority. Under the watchful eye of about eight motorcycle officers with the Portland Police Bureau's Traffic Division and with several TV news cameras rolling, Hales put himself in the middle of morning rush hour traffic on East Burnside at 16th.

Luckily for Hales, the intersection (a key north-south route for biking and walking traffic that's just a few blocks from a school) was recently upgraded with crosswalk striping, median islands, and caution signage.

Prior to these improvements, people trying to cross Burnside at 16th by bike or on foot took a significant risk. This morning, not only did Hales have engineering on his side, he also enjoyed nearly perfect behavior from road users due to the gaggle of onlookers, PBOT staff, police, and news media that had gathered on the corners. There were a few stops made by the officers, but not many. And for what it's worth, they were only issuing warnings today. One of the officers said they plan to return next week for another "enforcement mission" and they won't be so forgiving.

This is less than half of the crowd that made this morning's event far from a surprise.

Between crossings, I asked Hales what he thought of the new crossing treatment. "I think this reinforces that a really clear and legible crossing really does make a difference," he said. "I think even after the show departs from this intersection, the clarity of what has been done here will help a lot."

It's important to note how Hales has evolved — politically and personally — on the transportation issue. He ran for Mayor by promising to make road maintenance his top priority. "Transportation choices and bikes and all the other things that we're doing might have to be deferred a bit while we catch up on maintenance," he told KATU after winning the election in November. Hales based this in part on the huge maintenance backlog we have; but it was also a way to draw a contrast to former mayor Sam Adams. Adams was arguably the most safety-oriented transportation bureau commissioner Portland has ever had. One high-level PBOT staffer once referred to him as "our transportation safety mayor." Adams took a political risk by spending money on traffic safety-related projects at the expense of more traditionally auto-centric paving and capacity-related projects.

Now, in light of a rash of fatal collisions, Hales talks a lot more about safety and a lot less about maintenance. In a PBOT press release about this morning's crosswalk action, Hales stated, "Safety is the top priority of our transportation system."

This morning during a short interview, I asked Hales about how he's evolved on the topic of traffic safety. He pointed out that Portland has suffered from 15 traffic deaths so far this year. "We're off to a really bad start... And a bunch of them were pedestrians." He mentioned Morgan Maynard-Cook, the five year-old girl from east Portland that died trying to cross a street at the end of April. And then he shared that a woman killed while walking on Beaverton Hillsdale-Highway back in December, 27 year-old Mara Rosanne Forsythe-Crane, was the daughter of a personal friend.

"So it's personal. It's a serious community problem, and I've become more fervent about it than I was even six months ago."

Hales' change of tune on this topic has already impacted city policy. Just over a month after Morgan Maynard-Cook died, he held a press conference to announce that he would restore funding to a sidewalk project on SE 136th (funding that was yanked by Hales' hand-picked, road maintenance-centric PBOT Director Toby Widmer).

Hales with PPB Traffic Division Captain David Hendrie (and PBOT spokesman Dylan Rivera).

Asked about the policy implications of his safety focus, Hales said, "It reinforces the importance of traffic enforcement in the Police Bureau." When it comes to the ongoing city budget negotiations, Hales said he's "Trying to maintain a level of enforcement effort in the Traffic Division so they can be out here educating and penalizing as appropriate."

"And obviously," he continued, "we want to make sure PBOT continues to invest in these type of improvements systematically around the city. We've got hundreds of intersections that still need this kind of treatment."

Learn more about PBOT's traffic safety programs at their Traffic Safety Resources page. You can also read past coverage of crosswalk enforcement actions

This guest article was written by ODOT's Region 1 Transit and Active Transportation Liaison Jessica Horning and ODOT's Historic Columbia River Highway project coordinator Kristen Stallman.

The Historic Columbia River Highway is one of Oregon’s most popular and scenic destinations regardless of your preferred mode of travel. The 73-mile route from Troutdale to The Dalles provides amazing views of the best the Columbia River Gorge has to offer, from waterfalls to windswept high plains. The highway was constructed in 1913 with a maximum 5 percent grade, making it an ideal route for a long distance bike ride. The Historic Highway is also a designated scenic byway, making it a popular shared route for motorists and bicyclists alike.

In 2013, the Historic Highway will see improvements that will make this scenic gem more accessible, with more opportunities for visitors to enjoy the Gorge by foot, bike, and car.

The Historic Columbia River Highway Advisory Committee and the Friends of the Historic Columbia River Highway have joined together to advocate for the completion of the State Trail by 2016, the 100th anniversary of the Historic Highway.

On May 24th, the section of the Historic Highway between Larch Mountain Road and Latourell Falls will reopen after being closed to all traffic (including people on bikes and foot) sporadically through the winter while repairs were made to the Crown Point Viaduct around Vista House. The Historic Highway will be open with no traffic restrictions for Memorial Day weekend (May 24-27) and then periodic lane closures will resume until repairs are completed in mid-June. These closures may cause delays for all users and result in the highway being more crowded than usual, so please plan ahead and be alert and courteous when sharing the road.

More of these coming soon.
(Photo: ODOT)

Narrow and winding sections of roadway contribute to the Historic Highway’s charm, but can also lead to tension between users, especially during the peak summer months. This spring ODOT will install Share the Road signs in several locations along the Historic Highway between the Sandy River and Vista House to alert drivers to the presence of cyclists. This road is a precious resource that is shared by many users and it is important that we are all respectful and considerate to one another. ODOT is also working with local communities and organizations to increase understanding of proper road-sharing behavior:

• Motorists should pass cyclists with care when it is safe to do so, and be patient in areas where topography, debris, or the narrow roadway makes it safer for cyclists to ride in the center of the lane.
• Cyclists should ride to the right and single-file when traffic approaches and allow motorists to pass when the road is wide enough to safely do so.
• ODOT will be installing “Share the Road” signs at several locations on the Historic Highway and is exploring ways to improve bicycle wayfinding signage.

ODOT is investing in making the Historic Highway an even better place to ride by reconnecting severed sections of the Historic Highway via the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail. Eleven miles of the Historic Highway are currently preserved as a State Trail for exclusive hiking/biking use. On Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, ODOT will celebrate the grand opening of an additional 1.6-mile section of trail connecting John B. Yeon State Park in Warrendale to the existing restored Historic Highway State Trail at Moffett Creek Bridge that travels to Cascade Locks. Federal funding has been secured to design and construct another gap in the State Trail between Warren Creek and Lindsey Creek in 2015. Another 2.1 mile section of trail connecting Wyeth State Park to Lindsey Creek State Park (across Shellrock Mountain) is currently being considered for funding through ODOT’s 2016-18 State Transportation Improvement Program.

Map by ODOT, click to enlarge.

The McCord Creek Bridge and a new 1.6 mile section of the Historic Highway State Trail will open this summer. This connection will close the "missing link" and allow people to travel via bicycle from Troutdale to Cascade Locks without having to ride on I-84.

McCord Bridge Trail.
(Photo: ODOT)

Once complete, the Historic Highway State Trail will connect communities along the Gorge to many of Oregon’s underdeveloped State Parks. As trail construction continues, a world-class cycling route is being developed in partnership with these small towns by developing relevant mapping and enhancing tourism amenities to cater to the cycling market. In order to share initial successes and the positive economic impact of Historic Highway and State Trail, ODOT produced the film, One Great Road, Many Great Economic Benefits.

At ODOT, we're excited about the progress on the Historic Highway. Thanks for your patience during construction and we hope to see a lot of you out on your bikes enjoying this state treasure very soon.

Learn more about the Historic Columbia River Highway on ODOT's website. You can also browse our archives for past coverage.