(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Last month I shared the story of a reader who admitted that he doesn't always stop for people on foot waiting to cross the road in front of him. In that story I mentioned Oregon's crosswalk law; but I mistakenly left out a key part of it. After hearing from several readers who were concerned about what I wrote, I want to clear up any confusion about the law. Here's what I wrote:

Oregon law (ORS 811.028) clearly states that if you see a person waiting to cross an intersection at a corner, and you're able to do so in time, you must stop and let them cross.

What I failed to mention is that you are only required to stop if the person has made some effort to demonstrate their desire to cross. My memory of recent legislation changes to the crosswalk laws was faulty and I regret the error. Thankfully, I've heard from Oregon Walk Executive Director Steph Routh and she has helped sort out my misunderstandings. (more...)

Out with the old.

The Willamette Pedestrian Coalition will not exist — at least in name — after Saturday night. The non-profit that pushes for infrastructure and policies to encourage more walking has been operating in Portland for over two decades, and now it's ready for a major change.

Major changes at our region's walking advocacy organization are bound to impact bicycling. Walking advocates push for many policies and projects that reduce car use and help create the conditions necessary for better bike access.

At their annual Weston Awards fundraising event this Saturday, the WPC will unveil a new name, a new logo, and an expanded vision. (more...)

Grant winner Stephanie Routh, shown here with
Oregon State Representative Lew Frederick at an event in April.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The Portland Society, a non-profit business alliance of professional women, "who are passionate about bicycling" has announced their 2012 grant recipient. Stephanie Routh, the executive director of the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition, has earned a $1,000 award from the Portland Society Fund, which aims to help women develop professional skills for use in promoting active transportation.

Routh is a respected local activist whose combination of policy smarts and fun-loving nature has lifted the profile of the WPC. With her $1,000 grant, Routh plans to enroll in the Fiction/Creative Nonfiction Certificate Program offered by the Independent Publishing Resource Center (IPRC). (more...)

Not even 24 hours has passed and the Portland Bureau of Transportation's (PBOT) decision to include bike share in a federal funding request is already facing opposition — and some of it is coming from unlikely places.

But, while this bike share funding decision is poised to become just the latest bike-related political/media punching bag, supporters of the project are confident and feel that the time is right to move forward.

At issue is whether or not a large-scale bike-sharing system deserves funding priority over other, more traditional biking and walking safety projects. Bike share is on a $6.6 million list of three active transportation projects that PBOT hopes to get adopted by City Council tomorrow. Not on that list is the SW Barbur Boulevard Streetscape project, which would improve a street that has claimed two lives in the last year and that many neighborhood activists have been working on for years. (more...)

Stephanie Routh of the Willamette Pedestrian
Coalition at an Eye-to-Eye campaign
event in 2009.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The leader of the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition, Stephanie Routh, has written a guest column in The Oregonian that provides a meaningful and important perspective on the recent TriMet bus crash that killed two people and injured three others as they walked across a street in downtown Portland.
(more...)