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Oregonians, you should be proud. The team you sent to represent you in Washington is nothing short of an All-Star Team. And yesterday, I had the honor to accompany them for a full day of meetings with Oregon's Congressional representatives on Capitol Hill.

Jerry Norquist (R) ran into his old
friend, legendary racer Ned Overend,
at the morning briefing.

The day started early with a warm-up reception held in the House Office Building. After getting our marching orders from League director Andy Clarke, Congressman Earl Blumenauer stepped up to the lectern. He told us about a budget meeting he was in last night with President Obama. According to Blumenauer staffer Tyler Frisbee (who I talked to later), Blumenauer had a few minutes to present to Obama.

As he began outlining his ideas on the importance of transportation, he mentioned funding challenges. At that point, according to Blumenauer, Obama piped up with, "You mean, there's not enough money for bikes?!". "The big guy's on message," Blumenauer said with a grin.

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After his talk, and a bit more mingling, we set off to our first meeting with Rep. David Wu.

Nils Tillstrom (R) and Washington
Co. Commissioner Dick Schouten.

With such a large group, we couldn't fit in Wu's office, so Wu's Legislative Assistant, Nils Tillstrom, walked us down to the Rayburn Cafe (named after the building we were in). The meeting went very smoothly and I was impressed at how the group smoothly made their pitches and presented their ideas. Of course, Tillstrom -- an avid bike rider (and daily BikePortland reader he told us) -- is an easy ear, but even so, I think he learned a lot.

Our diverse group could speak with expertise about a variety of issues including: the bike industry and the development of Oregon's bike economy, the impact of biking on Portland's business climate, the importance of bike tourism, issues in Washington County, the tremendous cost-benefit and value potential of investing in bicycle projects, and so on.

After meeting with Tillstrom, we met with Rep. Peter DeFazio.

In Rep. DeFazio's office (he's
at left in blue shirt).

DeFazio seemed tired and battle-weary (maybe it was because the meeting before us was with ODOT's CRC project staffer), but he warmed up after the group got him talking about riding mountain bikes in Oakridge and coming out to Cycle Oregon this year. DeFazio shared a bit of his feelings about Obama's transportation budget; "It's horrible," he said, "there's a flat line on bikes." But not to fear, he added, the President's budget changes a lot once it goes through the House and Senate.

On the topic of the budget, DeFazio told us his big idea to bolster the transportation budget. He wants to put a $1 a barrel tax on oil which he says would raise a whopping $6.5 billion (Billion) a year.

Sen. Merkley outside his office.

>After DeFazio, it was over to the Senate side of the hill for a meeting with Sen. Jeff Merkley. Merkley had to run off, but he addressed the crowd and thanked them for their work before leaving. We met with Merkley's Legislative Assistant Jeremiah Baumann. Baumann is new to D.C. and he is the former leader of the big, statewide non-profit Environment Oregon.

After the Merkley visit, the group split up and had meetings with Blumenauer, Rep. Kurt Schrader, and Sen. Ron Wyden (who, according to folks at the meeting, was very excited to talk about bikes). Through all the meetings, the group spoke with authority and clarity. It was an impressive showing.

The Senate Caucus Room

After the meetings was the big Congressional Reception party. Held in the old and very stately Senate Caucus Room, this was the last event of the Summit where all the attendees were present. As advocates and industry leaders from all over the country mingled over snacks and drinks, League Director Andy Clarke rattled off the day's successes and introduced several members of Congress who had joined the party.

Here are a few faces from the crowd:

L to R: Ginny Sullivan, Jim Sayer, Amy Walker, Gary Brustin, Kristin Dahl, Roger Geller.

It was a fitting way to end the hard work of the 2009 National Bike Summit.

This story is part of our special 2009 National Bike Summit coverage (sponsored by Planet Bike). For more coverage, follow BikePortland on Twitter and browse the latest photos in our Bike Summit photo gallery.

When the Bike Commuter Benefit Act passed back in October, it was somewhat of a shallow victory for advocates who had pushed for its passage for seven long years. Not only did it pass as a ploy to build support for the controversial financial bailout bill, the "benefit" it provides is small ($20 per month compared to $230 for parking a car and $120 a month for taking transit), and the implementation has been the source of massive confusion to HR people across the country. Worse yet, the Bike Commuter Benefit Act included language that required bike riding employees to choose between the bike benefit or the transit benefit.

Now, Congressman Earl Blumenauer has introduced a resolution (H.R. 863) called the Multimodal Commuter Credit that he hopes will clean up the existing law.

The new legislation will allow employees to receive a combination of the bike and transit benefits up to the currently monetary cap of the transit benefit. The legislation also will allow employers to administer the benefit exactly the way existing fringe benefits are administered, thereby clearing up much of the confusion over implementation of the current bike commuter benefit.

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Blumenauer announced the legislation at this morning's kickoff of the Capitol Hill lobbying day here at the National Bike Summit.

According to a one-pager about the new resolution, Blumenauer's office says that the language to allow combining of transit and bike benefits is needed because many commuters "use multiple forms of transportation in their journeys," and that, by allowing employees to choose only one commuter benefit to use, "the program does not currently recognize these realities."

Here's more about the proposed legislation from Blumenauer's office (emphasis mine):

"According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, bicycles are second only to cars as a preferred form of transportation, and ahead of public transportation, however many bike commuters may not be able to ride every day because of inclement weather. Alternatively, many commuters need to bike a short distance before reaching a transit station. This legislation recognizes that employees should be able to structure their commute benefit to match the practices they use to get to work."

If passed, the Multimodal Commuter Credit (which its authors describe as being "smarter", and "more flexible") would amend the IRS code to receive transportation "fringe benefits" for the same month both in the form of transit passes and reimbursement of bike commuting expenses.

Essentially, this resolution is a clean-up measure meant to correct errors made when the Bike Commuter Act was first passed. I asked Blumenauer's bike policy staffer Tyler Frisbee why it couldn't have been done right the first time.

Frisbee said the reason is that it was passed as part of the financial bailout package, "instead of a more orderly process."

It seems like what Blumenauer is doing here is fixing errors made by the committee that rushed it into the financial bailout package without full knowledge of how it should be administered. In addition to cleaning up the existing law, perhaps this is Blumenauer wanting to put his name on a bill that he worked so hard to pass, only to have it finally get through on a larger bill that he actually voted against.

Perhaps this resolution should be known as the Blumenauer Amendment.

This story is part of our special 2009 National Bike Summit coverage (sponsored by Planet Bike). For more coverage, follow BikePortland on Twitter and browse the latest photos in our Bike Summit photo gallery.

Last night I experienced an important part of how special interest lobbying works. At a classy restaurant just steps from Capitol Hill, I joined bike industry and advocacy leaders for a reception (and dinner, but I didn't stay for that) hosted by BikesPAC.

BikesPAC is a political action committee founded by the non-profit Bikes Belong Foundation that raises money from donors and then spends the money on congressional campaigns of members that are supportive of biking. Each year during the National Bike Summit, BikesPAC hosts a reception and dinner and invites members of Congress to stop by. The idea is to share with them what the Bike Summit is all about, give thanks for their support of biking, and generally just try to strengthen the name of biking on Capitol Hill.

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Sen. Lamar Alexander (L) and
Bikes Belong leader Tim Blumenthal.

Bikes Belong Executive Director Tim Blumenthal served as the night's host (a job he did with much aplomb). As the members arrived, he would tap a glass to gain everyone's attention and we would all gather around while he introduced us to the member. At that point, each one of them shared a few words. In all, six members of Congress stopped by the event. They were; Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM), Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA), Rep. John Mica (R-FL).

Our first guest was Senator Lamar Alexander. Sen. Alexander shared a story about how he walked 1,000 miles across Tennessee in 1978. "I watched out for big trucks, dogs, and ligthtning...sort of like you guys do huh?", he said. "Did you ever think of doing it on a bike?" someone asked. "No," he replied, "but maybe I should have."

Sen. Tom Udall

Sen. Tom Udall from New Mexico was next to join us. He cheerfully recalled riding his bike with Lance Armstrong in the last leg of the Tour of Hope charity ride. He encouraged the crowd to tie in their advocacy efforts with the energy debate. Udall also expressed a lot of support for bikeways, saying that all roads should be bike-friendly and that "We should put the money in to do it right."

Sen. Arlen Specter

Next up was Senator Arlen Specter from Pennsylvania. After playfully chastising Tim Blumenthal for not inviting President Obama to the event, Specter told us an anecdote about being a bike messenger when he was a boy in Kansas. "I'm very fond of my recollections of bicycling." he said, "it's a great sport." Being from the right side of the aisle, Specter said he has taken a lot of heat from fellow Republicans for supporting Obama's stimulus plan. "If you want a bike advocate in the Senate," he told us, "I'll need your support on this." He also said he plans to be a co-sponsor on the recently introducted Complete Streets Act.

Sen. Jeff Merkley

It was a pleasant surprise for members of the Oregon delegation that were present when rookie Senator Jeff Merkley showed up. He told us, that as a 19-year old Congressional intern, he would bike into the capitol and went six months in D.C. without even owning a car. Merkley also remembered his time in Portland's West Hills, racing quarter-midget cars at Alpenrose Dairy, "I would go over to the track [velodrome] and tell my dad, 'that's what I want to do!'".

L to R: Alison Hill, Jay Graves, Jeff Merkley, Jerry
Norquist, Chris Distefano, Scott Bricker.

When he left the reception, all the members of the Oregon delegation that were present took the opportunity to get a group photo with him. BTA Executive Director Scott Bricker also made a point to thank Sen. Merkley for his support of the Vulnerable Roadway Users bill, which he voted for as Speaker of the Oregon House.

Rep. Doris Matsui

Rep. Doris Matsui from Sacramento California, who had opened the Summit with a keynote about the Complete Streets Act, was next to stop by. She re-iterated her "our highway system is broken" mantra and said about the upcoming authorization of the transportation bill, "We're going to write a transformational bill...and you're going to be a part of something big."

Rep. John Mica

The last member of Congress to make it to the party last night was Rep. John Mica from Florida. Mica is the House Minority Leader of the all-important Transportation and Infrastructure committee. He shared candidly that, while he and Rep. Earl Blumenauer "have our disagreements from time to time," he is supportive of biking. Mica boasted that Florida leads the nation in rail-trails and then said in a self-deprecating tone, "That's pretty good for a right-wing, knuckle-dragging conservative." On that note, Mica said that as a Republican he has to support biking "quietly". "I did a path over an interstate years ago," he said, and then began to smile, "but we didn't send out a press release on it."

The evening was interesting and exciting (in a, "Wow. This is how our democracy works?!" sort of way). One thing that will stay with me after being there is that several of the members seemed sincerely appreciative, not just for the invite and thanks they received, but for the work of the advocates in the room.

Sen. Udall said, "Don't just elect us, constantly hound us. A democracy only works when you stay involved."

This story is part of our special 2009 National Bike Summit coverage (sponsored by Planet Bike). For more coverage, follow BikePortland on Twitter and browse the latest photos in our Bike Summit photo gallery.

Rich Edwards is a trail solutions
coordinator with IMBA.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Most talk about biking in cities revolves around commuting to work and urban biking culture. But there's another way to enjoy riding without leaving town that is just starting to get on the map in Portland -- urban trails, jump parks, and pump tracks.

The topic is very hot in Portland right now. Our Gateway Green project is rolling along, and discussions are afoot for more bike access in Forest Park and possibly even our first pump track/skills park near the Burnside Bridge.

With all that in mind, today I sat in on a breakout session titled, Urban Trails and Jump Parks to learn more.

Rich Edwards, a "Trail Solutions Coordinator" with the International Mountain Bicycling Association, caught my attention when he said that studies have shown outdoor recreation is just as effective as drugs in curing depression. With BusinessWeek naming Portland the Most Unhappy City in the U.S., perhaps more riding opportunities would be just what the doctor ordered.

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I also learned in this session that there are many ways to create fun places to ride in an urban context.

The first, and most obvious, are mountain bike trails. Unfortunately, urban mountain bike trails often come with a byproduct of controversy. Trails are popular with bikers, but also for runners, hikers, and equestrians. This means user conflicts are common -- especially in places that have not planned ahead to accomodate the needs of different users.

What often gets lost in access wars, according to Edwards, is that trail design is often the culprit. "User conflicts are more about trail design than people just being angry," he said. Edwards also mentioned that bike access works best when the trails are built specifically with bike use in mind. With a fresh slate, trail builders can do things like extend sight lines to at least 150-feet and create smooth switchbacks down hills instead of steep chutes.

Another way to create riding opportunities in a city is to build a pump track or skills park that might include jumps, berms, man-made features, etc... One unlikely place leading the way in creating these parks is New York City.

Michael Vitti works to create
pump tracks and trail parks
in New York City.

Michael Vitti, President of the Concerned Long Island Mountain Bicyclists (CLIMB, get it?), told us that New York City currently has three mountain bike parks and is adding a fourth soon.

Vitti said that the parks they developed used to be nothing but havens for drug users and prostitutes. "Kids wouldn't go near the parks," he said. Vitti made it his mission to develop riding opportunities for city-bound kids. He said it took him five years to educate and negotiate with the parks department before he finally made a breakthrough.

One of his big lessons, he recalled, was trying to pass the idea of "jump parks" by the city's lawyers, who were afraid of potential lawsuits. "How can you possibly ask for permission to do something called a 'jump park'?" So, Vitti began calling them "BMX skills development areas" and the problem was solved.

At times during his presentation Vitti sounded more like a social worker than a bike advocate. He said biking has been the way out of a life of obesity and crime for many kids in the neighborhoods where the parks are located. Vitti also mentioned that, unlike mountain bikes -- which can cost nearly $1,000 for a trail-worthy model -- BMX bikes are much more affordable.

Vitti also warned that pump tracks require a lot of maintenance. "Make sure you realize, this is an intense management situation you're getting yourself into," but, he added, "it's a heck of a lot of fun and people that have fun develop a passion for it and they help maintain it for you."

Slide from the presentation.

Last but not least in this session was a rundown of the I-5 Colonnadeproject in Seattle. This innovative bike park, created by the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, was built under the I-5 bridge in the heart of downtown. This grassroots, community-driven effort has been a huge success. The trails, rocks, stunts, and other features attract riders with a wide range of abilities. And best of all, since it's under the freeway, it's protected from the rain!

I have been dreaming about a similar project to the Colonnade in Portland. We've got land under I-5 near the base of the hill on N. Albina Ave. Can you imagine having a fun riding session and then hanging out afterwards at Widmer Brewery or the White Eagle with a few friends? I sure can.

When it comes to urban off-road riding opportunities in Portland's future, I hope it's a matter of "when", not "if".

Rep. Doris Matsui wants to slay
the evil, bloated, highway dragon.
(Photos © J. Maus)

With a commitment to focus on livable communities, and with active transportation advocates in key positions of power on Capitol Hill, this just might the year when a complete streets bill becomes the law of the land.

Spearheading the legislative effort is House Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA). Matsui addressed the National Bike Summit this morning to kick of the introduction of the Complete Streets Act of 2009 into the 111th Congress. (Matsui is one of the chief architects of the bill).

According to Transportation for America, a "complete street" (as defined in the legislation) is one that takes into account all users of the street, not just those in cars. Matsui -- a member of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee - sees the bill as a way to solve three main problems: congestion, poor health, and air pollution.

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"Transportation should focus on all Americans, not just people who drive cars," said Matsui to receptive applause. She spoke about how our transportation system must reflect that key American democratic ideal -- choice.

The League gave Matsui their Legislator
of the Year Award for her work
on complete streets.

Matsui talks about cars and our existing highway system (and the sprawl they have enabled) as if they're an evil dragon that must be vanquished in order for peace and happiness to return to the kingdom.

Here are a few snips from her remarks:

"Our outdated transportation system fosters reliance on cars...we talk about an epidemic of obesity, and the way we design our communities is partly to blame.

"Complete streets can re-invigorate corridors that are currently dominated by cars. We should transform these areas that are really nothing more than highways superimposed on surface streets."

"The days of irresponsible transportation investment are over. We cannot afford them any longer. We cannot afford more asthma, more congestion, and more climate change."

Currently, federal law only recommends complete streets practices, but just a few states follow it (only 80 jurisdictions nationwide have officially adopted a complete streets policies). Advocates say the time is now to make this a federal priority.

Matsui said she's optimistic that the political stars have aligned in this Congress. "We are finally in a position," she said, "to make our complete streets vision a reality."

Representative Jim Oberstar (D-MN) -- the man whose passion for Safe Routes to Schools helped establish it as a national priority in America -- is now throwing his energy behind a new idea. And, as Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that will be writing the new transportation bill, Oberstar's ideas have real potential to turn into policy.

Today at the National Bike Summit in Washington D.C., Oberstar will meet with the country's top bike lawyers to discuss the potential of a new legislative initiative to draft the country's first piece of legal policy that would directly relate to the respect and recognition of bicycles as users of our roadways.

According to Portland bike lawyer Ray Thomas, he was one of a handful of legal minds tapped by the League of American Bicyclist's Advocacy Director Walter Finch to meet with Oberstar to discuss the idea.

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Thomas, along with Portland lawyer (and author of Bicycling and the Law) Bob Mionske, well-known cycling lawyer Gary Brustin, and others will be asked for their insights on how to best move forward with this initiative (unfortunately, both Mionske and Thomas were unable to make it to the Summit, but I have heard that BTA Executive Director Scott Bricker might represent them at the meeting).

Thomas describes the initiative as a way to create a federal law to ensure equitable treatment of people on bicycles who are involved in crashes. Too often, he says, drivers do not receive serious charges in collision cases. The way the system is set up now, police officers and prosecutors (for a variety of reasons) will often not even attempt to press serious charges against motorists.

Oberstar wants to fix the system so there's a better chance that justice will be done.

League of American Bicyclists Executive Director Andy Clarke told me this morning that the initiative could result in language being put into the transportation bill that would give more "legal standing to bicycles as a mode of transportation". Clarke mentioned the precedents of federal regulations about how states must comply with blood-alcohol level and seat belt usage laws.

This conversation is only in its infancy, but with Oberstar at the wheel this is definitely worth paying attention to.

This story is part of our special 2009 National Bike Summit coverage. For more coverage, follow BikePortland on Twitter and browse the latest photos in our Bike Summit photo gallery.

Ray LaHood, President Obama's Transportation Secretary kicked off the opening plenary at the National Bike Summit this morning.

LaHood, sporting the ubiquitous bike pin, made it clear that he symbolizes a new era of cooperation between the U.S. Department of Transportation and bike and active transportation advocates around the country. As I reported last night, LaHood is focused on the idea of "livable communities".

At the outset of his remarks, he said, "I want all of you to know you have a full partner at the US DOT in working toward livable communities". A key theme of LaHood's remarks was that he and President Obama will work hard help make communities nicer places to walk and bike. LaHood said that he and Obama, "Will work toward an America where bikes are recognized to coexist with other modes and to safely share our roads and bridges."

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LaHood also shared a personal biking anecdote (which is standard for any politician speaking at the Summit). LaHood said he and his wife enjoy riding on the Rock Island Trail near his home in Peoria, Illinois. "It's a magnificent thing," he said, to see all the families and kids (with helmets on he was careful to mention).

One bright spot that did not go unnoticed by the crowd is that LaHood said he and other transportation officials plan to study European models of bike and walk-friendly facilities this spring (something Portland, New York City, and others have already been doing).

Earl Blumenauer (L) and Ray LaHood.

At the end of his speech, LaHood repeated his line about how the US DOT will be a "full partner to accomplish the things you want to do" and he added that, "We are on the cusp of making more progress on these issues than ever before."

There is a lot of optimism in the room this morning. Finally, after years of clamoring for attention, it seems like the issues many people at this Summit care about now have real traction at the highest levels of the American political establishment.

This story is part of our special 2009 National Bike Summit coverage. For more coverage, follow BikePortland on Twitter and browse the latest photos in our Bike Summit photo gallery.

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.

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The article in CQ (published March 6th) was titled, 'Livable Communities' Central to Administration's Transportation Goals and it includes some very encouraging words from LaHood that leaves a big opening for future bike-friendly legislation.

CQ wrote that LaHood's proposal for the next transportation bill "will focus heavily on the idea of "livable communities."" Here's LaHood from his confirmation hearing (as reported in CQ):

"The era of one-size-fits-all transportation projects must give way to one where preserving and enhancing unique community characteristics, be they rural or urban, is a primary goal rather than an afterthought."

And check out this passage from CQ:

"For the past half-century...the federal government has ignored mobility within communities to build the Interstate Highway System to promote movement around the country."

CQ also reports that LaHood has discussed ideas to put affordable housing near public transportation, shortening street blocks to make them more walkable, and more. There also seems to be some serious talk about integrating transportation policy, housing policy and land use to create more livable communities.

These ideas are nothing new to bike and transportation advocates, but this marks a clear change from past administrations. It's also something we would have never heard from former president Bush's Transportation Secretary Mary Peters (who didn't even think bike paths should be considered transportation infrastructure).

Livable communities are bike-able communities. I think many Summit-goers are sleeping tonight with dreams that finally, we just might have an administration that gets it. Do they? We'll begin to find out tomorrow.

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.

Families with cargo bikes have exploded
in Copenhagen recently. An "interesting
planning problem" says Rohl.

Before his keynote speech in front of an estimated 4-500 summit attendees, I joined Rohl and about 30 other people at a smaller reception here at the Reagan International Trade Center on Pennsylvania Avenue. When I first approached Rohl, he was busily chatting with none other than his Portland counterpart -- city bike coordinator Roger Geller.

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Roger and I were both interested to hear what challenges (if any) Mr. Rohl faces in his bike utopia. One of the first things he mentioned was the expansion of their Metro (trains) system. He called it "the greatest threat to the public health of Copenhagen," because of how it would contribute to less active transportation. (With his accent, I'm not quite sure if he was serious or not, but I think he was.)

You had me at "green wave".

On a more serious note, Rohl said that he is working hard to make their bike facilities more "communicative". He said that his engineers focus too much on function and not enough on making facilities communicate ideas and expected behaviors to riders. Geller just nodded and smiled; he said, our streets are "our largest canvas".

Somehow, snow came into the conversation so I immediately asked Rohl how they prioritize bikeway sweeping after a major snow storm. He said the city has a set policy broken into three levels: 1) all cycle tracks and 4-5 main roads, 2) all the main roads and 3) everything else. I love that. All cycle tracks first.

Back to Rohl's keynote. He started off with a series of numbers to help paint the Copenhagen biking picture:

• 36% of commuters use bike to go to work or school (the largest percentage of any mode).
• 750,000 miles are covered by bike in Copenhagen each day.
• 55% of central city residents bike to work.
• 60% of Copenhagen residents say biking when asked what is your main mode of transport?
• 1:1 is the ratio of bikes to people in Copenhagen. 500,000 bikes and 500,000 people.
• 25% of families with 2 or more children have a cargo bike. (dream on Clever Cycles!)
• 30,000 bike trips each day on Copenhagen's busiest bikeways.
• 100 years ago Copenhagen built their first cycle track.

With stats like that, it's no surprise that in Copenhagen, "riding a bike is like brushing your teeth". "Which is great," Rohl continued, "until we try to communicate with them." The point he was making is that in Copenhagen (unlike Portland), people don't identify as "cyclists". They simply ride their bike. So, when an advocacy group or the city tries to target an education campaign to them, there's no specific group to aim for. A good problem to have for sure.

On the topic of safety, Rohl had a particularly memorable insight. Of course it's important, he said, but it's even more important to not put too much focus on it. "If you tell someone to think of an elephant," he said, "they'll think of an elephant." His point was that if advocates and planners are always talking about safety (which the U.S. is very guilty of) than people -- especially the ones advocates are trying to attract -- will assume it's a dangerous activity.

Portland and Copenhagen have vastly different cultures around cycling, but here's something we have in common:

This slide is very similar to one I've published many times. Like Portland, Copenhagen has seen a lower crash rate as more people ride bikes.

And, you'll have to excuse the poor quality of this next slide photo...

Have you ever heard of Copenhagen's "green wave". This is essentially a traffic signal system that is set specifically for bike speed so that, if you ride the prescribed speed, you will hit nothing but green lights. The chart above shows how much smoother bike traffic flow goes on streets where the "green wave" is installed.

And do you recall the first-ever cycle track Portland is planning to build out in the Cully neighborhood? Well, check out this slide for a look at Copenhagen's cycle track network -- over 200 miles strong.

OK, one last slide and then I'm off to a party/reception hosted by the Thunderhead Alliance:

Copenhagen takes the bike-transit connection very seriously. But still, with 500,000 bikes in their city, they can never seem to find enough space to park them all.

At the end of Rohl's speech, League of American Bicyclists Director Andy Clarke said of Copenhagen; "This is a vision of where we want to get to."

And the work to get there starts tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the 2009 National Bike Summit. I'm also posting numerous updates throughout the day on Twitter.