Officer Enzenberger sits in his patrol car (yellow arrow) across from illegally parked vehicles (red arrow).
(Photos: Will Vanlue)

As I was out riding this morning I passed by what is unfortunately a common sight in Tigard: landscaping trucks blocking the bike lane on Durham Road. What made today's incident different was that a Tigard Police car was sitting almost directly across the road from where the trucks were illegally parked. (more...)

Downtown Tigard will soon be
more welcoming to bicycle traffic.
(Photos: Will Vanlue)

This past summer, the City of Tigard completed improvements to Burnham Street, one component of their downtown core.

Now they’re finalizing plans for Main Street (located along Highway 99, 10 miles south of downtown Portland), and by the summer of 2013 we’ll see improvements making it easier and safer to ride a bicycle in the area, including improved connections to the Fanno Creek Trail. (more...)

Is this a cycle track?
Not quite.
(Photos: Will Vanlue)

You may not think the city of Tigard (about 10 miles southwest of Portland) has anything in common with Amsterdam or Copenhagen.

The latter two cities are world-renowned for their bicycle facilities while Tigard is known mostly for its freeways and shopping malls.

But there is one thing Tigard has in common with Amsterdam and Copehnahgen: a paved, grade-separated path next to a sidewalk, which you might even call a "cycle track".

If you’ve ridden your bicycle along Durham Road between SW 85th and 92nd Avenues you may have seen a double sidewalk, of sorts, in front of Tigard High School. One half is cement, the other half is asphalt.
(more...)

New racks have been installed
in downtown Tigard.
(Photo: WTA)

Remember Tigard? It's a great little town about 10 miles southwest of Portland. Back in January we held a great Get Together event at a pub right alongside the Fanno Creek Trail. The room was packed with advocates, city staffers, and even a few politicians.

Today, I'm happy to share a few news items that show how Tigard continues to move in the right direction for bikes. (more...)

Washington County Commissioner
Dick Schouten addresses the
crowd in Tigard last night.
(Photos © J. Maus)

If the energy and turnout at our Get Together in Tigard last night is any indication, the West Side is poised for big leaps in biking in the coming years -- but it won't come easy.

About 60 people filled the back room at the Fanno Creek Brew Pub on Main Street in downtown Tigard. The turnout was diverse -- from Tigard Mayor Craig Dirksen to local bike shop owners, and even a few Portland residents who work in the area. (more...)

Trails and how they (don't) cross big
roads is likely to be one of many
topics we'll discuss.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Our Get Together in Tigard this Wednesday (1/27) is shaping up quite nicely. We've got a slew of interesting folks joining us and there will be no shortage of important issues, projects, and big ideas to learn about and discuss.

As per usual with these events, the idea is for citizens, bureaucrats (and I mean that in the best way possible) and politicians to mix and mingle and learn from each other. On that note, here are a few of the confirmed attendees so far.
(more...)

The Fanno Creek Trail in Tigard.
(Photos © J. Maus)

On January 27th, we're heading to Tigard (about 10 miles southwest of Portland in Washington County) for our next Get Together event. Why Tigard? Why not?!

Tigard is a sweet little town of about 46,000 people with a lot going for it bike-wise (hear me out). I first learned of its charms during my tour of the West Side back in May. Jim Parsons (our correspondent in that neck of the woods) and I rolled along and came to downtown Tigard's Main Street. Then, before us was a brew pub with bike parking right out front (cars have to park in the back and walk) just a few feet away from the awesome Fanno Creek Trail. (more...)

After years of encouragement from advocates and citizen activists, the City of Tigard says they plan to establish an official Bicycle Advisory Committee.

During a phone call, City of Tigard transportation project engineer Mike McCarthy told us the decision to form the committee comes as part of a larger effort. McCarthy said the Bike Advisory Committee will be a sub-committee of the newly formed Transportation Advisory Committee.

The City of Tigard has received a grant from Metro to help create a new bike map (City provides the data, Metro does the printing). According to McCarthy, they're looking to pull together a group of citizens to help identify routes for that project and he expects those people to form the basis of the Bike Advisory Committee.
(more...)

Downtown Tigard. Red lines show streets impacted
by amendments to planning code.
View Map

On June 23th, Tigard City Council voted unanimously in favor of planning code amendments that remove the city's requirement to have bike lanes on specific downtown streets. Along with that decision, they also voted on a code amendment that allows them to put on-street motor vehicle parking on those streets where it was previously not permitted.

Prior to the vote, Tigard's Transportation System Plan stated, as per their Bicycle Master Plan, that all arterial and collector streets should have a bike lane. The amended code now reads, "...with the exception of collectors within the downtown urban renewal district."

In a statement released today, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) said they are "concerned" about the Council's decision and the Washington County Bicycle Transportation Coalition (WashCoBTC) emailed the City expressing their opposition. (more...)

A view of the Fanno Creek
Trail in Tigard.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The City of Tigard is gearing up for their first-ever trail user count and survey. The counting effort will take place over five days in September and volunteers are needed.

According to City of Tigard planner Duane Roberts, a manual count and a user survey will be done along several popular trails including the Fanno Creek, Tualatin River, and Pathfinder/Genesis trails. The effort is part of a national trail user count that included 60 communities nationwide last year.

Roberts tells us that the data collected will be used to estimate existing and future trail demand and activity levels. In addition, the data will help inform the first-ever Tigard Greenway Trail Master Plan and will help city planners bolster grant funding applications to pay for improvements to the trail system. (more...)