Familiar faces take home national bike/ped awards

Former ODOT bike guy
Michael Ronkin won the
Lifetime Achievement Award.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus)

Local transportation experts made their mark at a recent awards event hosted by the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. The APBP is a non-profit founded in 1995 that, “promotes excellence in the emerging professional discipline of pedestrian and bicycle transportation.”

The event was held in conjunction with the Walk/Bike California 2007 conference on the campus of UC Davis in Davis, California.

Of the five awards given out this year, three of the winners were names that will be familiar to regular BikePortland readers. They included:

• former ODOT Bike and Pedestrian Coordinator Michael Ronkin;
• bike planner Mia Birk;
• and PDOT staffer Linda Ginenthal.

Mia Birk
(Photo: Jonathan Maus)

APBP’s Executive Director Kit Keller said, “It was an honor and a privilege for APBP to present awards to not one but three Oregonians. It is indicative of the creativity and leadership people in your state bring to the field of bicycling and walking.”

Michael Ronkin (now retired from ODOT) was given the Lifetime Achievement Award, “For his outstanding dedication and leadership in setting standards of excellence in state and national documents, practices, and workshops and in mentoring and advising fellow professionals in making communities better places to bicycle and walk.

Linda Ginenthal
(Photo: Jonathan Maus)

Mia Birk (a principal with Alta Planning + Design), was named the 2007 Professional of the Year for her, “‘force of nature’ project leadership in SAFETEA Demonstration Communities, Safe Routes to Schools, and as Adjunct Professor at Portland State University (Pedestrian and Bicycle Issues course), and for her dedication as editor of the APBP newsletter in 2007.”

And Linda Ginenthal won the award for “Project of the Year” for her work on the Portland SmartTrips program which uses individualized marketing techniques to encourage more people to walk, bike, and take transit.

Way to go team!