Washington County advocates are celebrating the completion of a new mid-block crossing. Now, people riding on the Rock Creek Trail (a paved path) will have a much more intuitive, safe, and efficient way to get across NW Evergreen Parkway.

When we first reported on this project back in November 2010, reader Matt Picio shared with us that people on bikes were forced to go 1/4 out of their way to a high-traffic intersection" in order to cross. "Not very pleasant," he wrote.
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The beautiful roads just outside Hillsboro.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Oregon's State Scenic Bikeway program has really taken off in recent years. Routes have sprung up all over the state and they're spurring economic development and providing people with great bike adventures. But so far, none of them are very close to Portland.

Now comes word from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department that there's a proposal on the table to designate a new scenic bikeway that would be relatively close to Portland and would begin just south of Hillsboro. (more...)

Want to get the latest about bikes in Washington County and hear from the west side's major bike leaders?

Check out the press release below for more info...

On Monday December 3 the Washington County Public Affairs Forum will feature a program entitled “Bicycles: Transportation, Fitness and Fun in Washington County.” Speakers will include Hal Ballard of Transportation Solutions ByCycle; George Harris, America’s Wellness Sergeant; Mike Manning of Fit4Ever Wellness Studios; and Dick Schouten, Washington County Commissioner.

The PAF meets at the Old Spaghetti Factory, 18925 NW Tanasbourne Drive, across from the Evergreen movie theaters in Hillsboro. The doors open at 10:30, with a first lunch serving at 11:30 and a second at noon. The hour-long program begins at noon, and is open to the public. Members only have the opportunity to question speakers – sometimes the most interesting part of the program.

Founded in 1956, the Public Affairs Forum provides a common meeting place for the interchange of ideas and to stimulate thinking on civic matters, business, science, the arts and education. The Forum is a neutral arena; it endorses no particular point of view and takes no responsibility for the opinions expressed by speakers, which are not necessarily those of the Forum’s members or its Board of Directors. Programs are replayed on TVCTV Channel 21 Thursday at 6 am; Channel 28 Thursday at 10 pm, Friday at 6 pm and Sunday at 3 pm; and Channel 11 Monday at 10 am.

Learn more at www.washingtoncountyforum.org

For more information, please contact John Tyner, Forum President johntyneratty@gmail.com

Event will encourage folks to get out and enjoy the Fanno Creek Trail.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland

The Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD) has just announced its first ever "Sunday Trailways" event will be held on June 24th.

THPRD spokesman Bob Wayt says they've recognized the success of Portland's Sunday Parkways (which boasted a crowd of nearly 30,000 last month), and they wanted to give Beaverton-area residents something similar. Wayt calls Sunday Trailways an "active outdoor event with a twist."

The free event is scheduled to run from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and will celebrate the Fanno Creek Trail (which we happened to write about earlier today). There will be activities for all ages at various points along the path, which runs 4 1/2 miles from the Garden Home Recreation Center to Greenway Park. Some of the scenic areas along the route are the Koll Wetlands, the Fanno Farmhouse and Vista Brook Park. (more...)

Getting cleaned up.
(Photos and story by Will Vanlue)

The Fanno Creek Trail, which the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation Department is grooming for a name-change to the Fanno Creek Greenway, will soon be a little safer for people traveling around Main Street in Tigard.

I was passing through the area the other day and noticed crews spraying herbicide on overgrown blackberries on an existing but inaccessible piece of the popular path north of Highway 99.
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Susan Peithman with the
Bicycle Transportation Alliance
was one of the presenters.
(Photos and story by Will Vanlue)

The most interesting (in my opinion) and well-attended session I sat in on at the Oregon Active Transportation Summit focused on the work being done just over the hill from Portland in Washington County.

The session covered a few topics including an overview of two recent road projects and a change in the county’s policy on mid-block crossings (a key policy given the presence of many multi-use paths and suburban/rural arterials).

It also dove into Washington County’s highly anticipated Bicycle Facility Design Toolkit, an official document to help planners and engineers select the appropriate facility for bicycle traffic. (more...)

Drawing of project in Hillsboro that will come with a cycle track.

I tell a lot of people there are exciting things happening in Washington County and two examples have popped up recently in Hillsboro.

First, the City of Hillsboro is forming a new citizen subcommittee to advise the City on issues pertaining to biking and walking for transportation. And second, Hillsboro is unveiling significant roadway improvements — including a separated cycle track — leading to the Fair Complex MAX station on April 20th.

The new citizen subcommittee, dubbed the Active Transportation Subcommittee, is actually one of two new groups to advise their Transportation Committee. The second group will focus on motor vehicles and public transit. Hillsboro Transportation Planner Brad Choi explained how the two subcommittees will work: (more...)

Christopher Williams
(Photo: Beaverton PD)

Yesterday evening Beaverton Police arrested a man who drove his car into someone on a bike, attempted to flee, and then aggressively confronted the rider. The altercation happened in the parking lot of Cedar Hills Crossing Mall on SW Hall Blvd.

According to a Beaverton PD statement, 22-year old Portland resident Derrik Fleming was in the mall parking lot and maneuvered his bike around a stopped car to make a left turn. When he did that, Christopher Williams, a 30-year-old resident of Beaverton, sped up from behind, came around the stopped car in the opposite lane and then slammed on his brakes right in front of Fleming.

"This action caused Fleming to crash," reads the statement, "into the right rear of Williams's vehicle. This crash caused Fleming to go over his handle bars and onto the asphalt of the parking lot."
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Schouten at our Get Together event in Tigard in 2010.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Incumbent Washington County Commissioner Dick Schouten has earned the endorsement of political action committee Bike Walk Vote. The announcement was made today and the organization is expected to make endorsements for Portland City Council and Metro races later this evening.

Schouten represents District 1, which includes nearly all of Beaverton as well as parts of Aloha, Cooper Mountain and Reedville. For those in transportation advocacy circles in the Portland region, this endorsement comes as no surprise. Schouten has been an outspoken advocate for bicycling, walking, and sensible transportation planning on the West Side for many years. His support of bicycling goes back over a decade: He was given an Alice Award by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance in 2001. (more...)

The owners of Salem-based bike shop, Santiam Bicycle, are set to open a new store off SW Hall Blvd in Tigard near the Washington Square Mall (about 10 miles southwest of downtown Portland). The large, high-profile store (it's in the same shopping center as Target) will not only be a great place to shop for bikes and gear, it could also help spur visibility of bicycling in Washington County.

It's worth noting that the crew at Santiam were integral to the creation of the Black Rock Mountain Bike Area (about 30 miles west of Salem).

To learn more about the new store, I sent a few questions to Santiam Bicycle President Troy Munsell... (more...)