dog Hershey.
(Photo: TedForGov.com)
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski will come face to face with one of the world’s most bike-friendly cities when he travels to Amsterdam in March.
Kulongoski, who will take advantage of a new non-stop flight from the Portland Airport, is reportedly making the trip to woo potential eco-industry investors.
This could be an important trip for Oregon’s bike advocacy and tourism efforts because whether he plans for it or not, Kulongoski will be immersed in a city where not just cars rule the road.
After all, we just saw how during a walking tour of the I-5 bridge, a passing bike rider left a lasting impression on him.
His trip also comes at a time when momentum for Oregon’s goal of becoming the country’s premier cycling destination is at an all-time high. Besides the recent gathering of the Oregon Bicycle Tourism Partnership, there were more signs of this momentum at last night’s announcement of the 2008 Cycle Oregon routes.
Exhibiting at the event was Oregon’s bicycle recreation coordinator, Iris Riggs. Riggs displayed an impressive spread from Oregon State Parks that touted Oregon’s scenic bikeways, family-friendly routes, bike camps, and mountain biking. Check it out:
Then, in the auditorium we heard about Cycle Oregon’s new partnerships with Oregon State Parks and the National Parks Service to help protect the majestic glacial moraines near Wallowa Lake from development pressure.
And just in case his Amsterdam experience doesn’t drive the bike message home, when he gets back he’ll head straight to the Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism which is in the same Portland hotel (Red Lion Jantzen Beach) just a day after the third annual Oregon Bicycle Summit (April 4-5, stay tuned for more on this event).
I can’t wait to see photos of Mr. Kulongoski tooling around Amsterdam’s bikeways, or better yet, stuck in some classic Amsterdam bike traffic. That would hopefully give him a new perspective on Oregon’s transportation issues.
Maybe you could go for a post trip interview? That would be sweet!
My recommendation to the Gov. after traveling with Sam to Amsterdam…I strongly suggest booking time to ride before you leave…think of it as research.
In Amsterdam…bikes are the faster than driving and taking the tram or tube.
Game Plan:
– walk around for 2 to 3 days and get to know how traffic works…(bike tracks look like sidewalks but they are not!)…just get a cup of coffee and watch
– rent a bike and join a bike tour (Yellow Bikes/ Mac Bikes) and see how locals ride a nice slow upright pace (day 3)
– then ride around and enjoy the controlled organic chaos of streets with more bike and pedestrian traffic than car traffic (Day 4+)
– then repeat repeat repeat
– please be sure to get on a Dutch bike and not miss this opportunity (and ditch the helmet – but do have working lights!)
If your trip is short…try renting a Dutch bike from Clever Cycles in Portland before you leave to save a day of equipment orientation.
Sir, a bit more to think about while traveling to very bike friendly communities:
http://www.sightline.org/daily_score/daily-score-series/bicycle-neglect-series