(Photo © J. Maus)
May was National Bike Month across the country and Portland (where every month seems like bike month) did its part to join the celebration.
(Photo © J. Maus)
This morning, Shift held its hallmark Breakfast on the Bridges event (on the Steel and Hawthorne bridges) and morning bike commuters were treated to free coffee, pastries, and even fresh pancakes!
The City of Portland’s Transportation Options Division also got in the mood with a slew of events this month. On Wednesday they held an Afternoon Tea on the Steel Bridge complete with scones, cucumber sandwiches, and cookies (Prince Charles was invited but was unable to make it).
PDOT’s SmartTrips Downtown program held a Beginner’s Bike Ride during the lunch hour last week. Newbies got free bike rentals (courtesy of Waterfront Bicycle) and the ride wound through downtown, stopping at Tanner Springs Park in the Pearl District.
pit stop on the Beginner’s Bike Ride.
(Photo: Steve Hoyt-McBeth)
The SmartTrips program will continue with rides each month through summer with the help of 40 new “Bike Champions” PDOT has recruited to help get their co-workers into the bike frame of mind.
(Photo: Jeff Bernards)
The BTA also joined in the May bike action with a very successful bike challenge event that pitted PSU students versus elementary and middle school kids from their Safe Routes to Schools program.
Speaking of being safe, Jeff Bernards and his volunteer crew fitted 110 helmets to the heads of Portland State University students at an event last week. That was just one of many events organized by the PSU Bike Co-op throughout the month.
These were just some of the events held around town in the past few weeks to encourage more Portlanders to go by bike…and if you thought May was full of bike stuff, just wait till June!