Oregon Bike Summit will bring national perspective to Portland
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) on March 14th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Local, regional, and national speakers, as well educational workshops, will be part of the event.
year’s Oregon Bike Summit.
(Photo © J. Maus)
Oregon’s dream to become the #1 bicycle destination in the country will move closer to reality when the Oregon Bike Summit comes to Portland in April.
The event, now in its third year, brings together advocates, exhibitors, politicians, city planners, and members of the bike industry. The agenda includes ample networking time, a slate of nationally prominent speakers, and workshops designed to educate and inspire attendees.
Hoping to build on momentum of the recently concluded National Bike Summit, event organizer Jerry Norquist has put together an impressive agenda. Among the speakers are:
- Hill Abell, Board President of the International Mountain Bicycling Association;
- Mia Birk, Principal, Alta Planning and Design;
- Congressman Earl Blumenauer, U.S. House of Representatives;
- Tim Blumenthal, Executive Director of Bikes Belong;
- Gail Achterman, Chair of the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC)
Blumenauer’s speech on Why Cycling is Important to Oregon should be good and I’m also looking forward to Gail Achterman’s insights into Oregon’s political climate for bikes.
I’ve been to the two previous Oregon Bike Summits (in Eugene and then in Sisters), and they’re a great way for everyone to coordinate efforts, learn about new initiatives, and become better advocates.
Registration for the event is available online until March 28th. I hope to see a large and energetic crowd again this year!
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The Oregon Bike Summit
April 4-5
Red Lion Hotel on the River – Jantzen Beach
Conference fee: $100 (includes Friday dinner and Saturday breakfast, lunch and reception)
— Register Online —
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.
RecommendedIt\’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. 🙂
RecommendedSorry – the portion of my brain that handles grammar doesn\’t seem to be working right this morning.
Recommendedoooh, 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?
RecommendedWhy are they having it at a place that is not very accessible by bike?
RecommendedDonna,
Nice it would be, to be able to edit posts here.
AKA Yoda
RecommendedThe 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.
RecommendedAny plans to mitigate the unfriendliness of the location? Seems like a good project for someone… (and no, I don\’t mean me….)
RecommendedJohn 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.
RecommendedCoyote– 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.
Recommendedhttp://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….
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