Next week, two BTA staffers and one “super-intern” will head South on a reconaissance mission to California. Their top-secret mission is to observe and glean ideas from other innovative and bike-friendly cities.
First, they’ll visit Davis to “see what Platinum looks and feels like”. Then they’ll continue south down to Berkeley to check out their approach to bicycle boulevards. The BTA is in the midst of a campaign to learn about and implement bicycle boulevards here in Portland.
Jessica Roberts will be one of the staffers on the trip:
“Our goal is to come back with lots of photos and ideas, and learn from the people on the front lines about what works for bicycle boulevards and where the challenges lie. We will be meeting with the city bicycle planners from Davis and Berkeley, and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s director Leah Shahum will be joining us on our tour in Berkeley. We may also go on a ride in SF, time permitting.”
This trip is just one of several summer trips the BTA has planned.
In the next few months they have trips planned to Eugene (currently a “Silver” level bike friendly community), and then to Seattle and British Columbia.
Like their big visit to Amsterdam last winter, these research trips keep BTA staff on the cutting edge of bicycle facility and transportation planning theories and practices.
Watch the BTA Blog for reports from the road.