Portland and the region join to make the case for millions in federal funding

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Cover of Portland’s
Community Case Statement.
(Download PDF here)

As part of their 2010 Campaign for Active Transportation (which launches Monday), the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has helped cities across the country develop “Community Case Statements”.

These case statements will be used to garner media attention for the campaign, but more importantly as tools to lobby Congress for increased federal funding in “active transportation” (biking and walking).

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Adams calls for “newfound maturity” in bike community

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Rose Quarter opening celebration-10

Commissioner Adams at the
opening ceremony yesterday.
(Photo © J. Maus)

In a blog post published yesterday, City Commissioner and Mayor-elect Sam Adams wrote that with each new innovation the city rolls out for bicyclists, “our bicycle community assumes more responsibility as well”.

“As we make continued investments in our street system to accommodate bikes, it is imperative that our bike community respond with responsible behavior. No excuses.”

Adams added that,

“with strong support of the BTA,” he has asked the Portland Police Bureau to “adopt a no discretion/zero-tolerance policy for red light running (applicable to all modes) through the Rose Quarter Transit Center”

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Rose Quarter is officially open for business

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Commissioner and Mayor-elect Sam Adams (right), BTA Exec. Director Scott Bricker (foreground) and TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen (left) ride through a ceremonial ribbon at the southern entrance to the Rose Quarter Transit Center.
(Photos © J. Maus)

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Build, baby build! Kulongoski’s transportation plan in line with national coalition

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(Graphic: Transportation For America)

Yesterday, in cities across the country, Transportation For America launched their “Build for America” campaign.

The Build for America effort is focused on lobbying congress for increased federal investment in a “21st century transportation system” that will create new jobs via the construction of a world-class rail system, upkeep of our existing infrastructure, and construction of more public transit, sidewalks, and bicycle facilities. (See their, “Five Point Plan to Get our Economy Moving”)

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Parade will mark opening Rose Quarter bikeway improvements

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New bike facilities in Rose Quarter Transit Center-5

Time to celebrate.
(Photo © J. Maus)

A parade is planned for Thursday (10/16) to celebrate the new bike access and safety improvements through the Rose Quarter Transit Center.

The project was the result of collaborative effort between TriMet, the City of Portland, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, and the Lloyd District Transportation Management Association.

A statement about the event issued by TriMet referred to the previous configuration of the transit center as a “critical barrier for cyclists”, and that “the alternative bike route around the transit center was difficult to navigate.”

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Following collision, PDOT puts Broadway/Williams back into play

BAC meeting - October-6

PDOT’s Rob Burchfield and Matthew
Machado presented ideas for changes to
the dangerous the Broadway/Williams
intersection last night.
(Photos � J. Maus)

The Office of Transportation has struggled for years to figure out how to safely manage bike and car traffic flow at the intersection of Broadway and Williams.

Following two fatalities due to right-hooks last fall, PDOT placed the intersection on a list of the 14 most dangerous in the city and initially planned to install a bike box. However, after further study of the intersection, it was determined that a bike box would not be a good solution at this location.

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