A few days from the start of the National Bike Summit in Washington DC, nationally syndicated columnist Neil Peirce wonders whether 2008 is the Year of the Bicycle.
In his most recent column, slated for national publication Sunday (3/2), Peirce writes that this might be “Bicycling’s best year since the start of the auto age.”
Among a “crescendo of trends and developments” Peirce uses as evidence are the rising price of oil, “bike-for-hire stations” that have taken off in Paris and other European cities (and are on their way to the U.S.), bike boulevards, and a “complete streets” movement that Peirce says “is gaining traction nationwide.”
Not surprisingly, U.S. Congressman (and former Portland City Commissioner) Earl Blumenauer figures prominently in the article. Peirce writes that Earl’s Congressional Bike Caucus (which totals 160 members), “claims a new pro-bike politics…that can moblize a 1-million-plus national constituency.”
Also making an appearance in the column is (of course) Portland:
“Portland’s experience shows the potential, Blumenauer insists: Since that city’s bike program began in the 1990s, the “modal split” for bikes has quadrupled and a $100 million bike industry has emerged, accounting for 1,000 jobs.”
Portland also gets a nod along with the buzz-phrase of the Year; bike boulevards:
“Contentious when they were first introduced a decade ago, the Portland bike boulevards have created quality environments, raising nearby home prices significantly. But perhaps most importantly, they’ve marked a major shift from meeting needs of expert and intermediate cyclists. The focus, instead, is on making cycling welcoming for everyone — kids, families and novices included.”
The column is slated for publication on March 2nd, but it’s already been leaked out on the web.
As for the National Bike Summit…stay tuned for lots of coverage. I leave Monday night and I’m spending all next week in DC…