Oregon Bike Summit will bring national perspective to Portland

I really do not see how the IMBA is relevant to transportation? This is just more lycra and testosterone distracting people away from real transportation and public space issues. Sky diving is not a legitimate alternative to elevators, and mountain biking is not transportation.

It\’s not transportation per se. What is has the potential to be (and often is) is a gateway to further bicycle use. Sometimes that includes using bikes for transportation.

I say lure \’em in however you can. 🙂

Sorry – the portion of my brain that handles grammar doesn\’t seem to be working right this morning.

oooh, will they also discuss how the PPD constantly harasses bicyclists in the \”Best City for Cycling\”? maybe how much of police time/budget is spent trapping bikers?

Why are they having it at a place that is not very accessible by bike?

Donna,

Nice it would be, to be able to edit posts here.

AKA Yoda

The Oregon Bike Summit is about all forms of two-wheeled fun! Transportation, yes, but also recreation. The tourism folks are pretty interested in the recreation components- road and mountain.
How come no one ever complains that cyclo-cross isn\’t transportation, or the Mt Hood Cycling Classic, or even Cycle Oregon? We\’re all riding, and most of us ride many bikes for many reasons. As Donna says, it\’s a gateway! Just get \’em riding!

It is a bummer that the Bike Summit locale is not very bike friendly.

Any plans to mitigate the unfriendliness of the location? Seems like a good project for someone… (and no, I don\’t mean me….)

John Reinhold, maybe the location choice is deliberate–possibly to highlight the need to include bike space in whatever fix is decided on for the Interstate bridge.

Coyote– this is the Oregon Bike Summit, not the Oregon Transportation Summit, and mountain biking is just as much a legitimate form of biking as road riding or commuting. Having established recreatioinal biking opportunities within riding distance of where we live helps keep more cars off the roads, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum use.

In order for Portland to receive platinum status from the League of American Bicyclists and all of the benefits that will bring (good info here http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=eefjh ), we need to have more singletrack available to mountain bikers within city limits.

IMBA is a welcome addition to the summit IMO.

http://www.oregontourismconference.com/

Coyote,

investigate before wondering aloud what is up. See the above link….note the Oregon Governor\’s Conference on Tourism is immediatly following the Bicycle Summit, in the same hotel.
The Bicycle Summit is also about attracting visitors to our fine state, all the while spending their $ here at local stores, shops, wineries, B&B\’s, hotels, etc., helping our local economy.

The location had nothing to do with anything BUT tying into the Gov\’s event.

IMBA hopes to see you there, introduce yourself! You\’ll find we are fun, nice people who enjoy riding our bikes for FUN too, and away from cars. Try it sometime, you just might like it! That\’s why WE are always smiling….