This is the preliminary plan for Broadway Williams that was presented at the Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting last night.
“There’s no way we could have put in the facilities we’ve put in in the last 20 years without the bike tax.”
— A Colorado Springs city planner as told to the Gazette newspaper
In light of the bike excise tax idea that is being mulled about here in Oregon, I thought I’d share a story I came across several months ago (thanks to the excellent blog, Cyclelicious) about a bike tax in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
According to an article in the Colorado Springs Gazette published in August, the city has had a bike excise tax in place since 1988. In the past 20 years the tax has generated about $2 million in revenue and, more importantly, the article reports that:
On Monday, the New York Times featured a story about bike-sharing in Europe.
I’ve got an in-depth story (guest article actually) about Portland’s bike-sharing status that will hit the Front Page in the next few days, but there were so many great quotes in this story that I thought it deserved a story (and so did many readers — thanks for sending the link!).
Here’s the opening paragraph of the story:
In increasingly green-conscious Europe, there are said to be only two kinds of mayors: those who have a bicycle-sharing program and those who want one.
And they touch on why bike-sharing is lagging in the U.S.:
In North America, issues like insurance liability, a stronger car culture, longer commutes and a preference for wearing helmets have slowed adoption of bicycle-sharing programs.
The best quote comes in the final paragraph:
“The critical mass of bikes on the road has pacified traffic,” said Gilles Vesco, vice mayor in charge of the program in Lyon. “Now, the street belongs to everybody and needs to be better shared. It has become a more convivial public space.”
Read the full story at NYTimes.com.
By the way, the system profiled in the story, Barcelona’s “Bicing”, is managed by Clear Channel Outdoor, the same company that was in the running to do Portland’s system which was shelved back in June.
Stay tuned for Front Page coverage on the status of Portland’s bike-sharing potential.
The Oregonian reports that a Multnomah County Judge has thrown out indecent exposure charges in a naked biking case because he feels that it’s a, “‘well-established tradition’ in Portland and understood as a form of ‘symbolic protest.'”
Here’s a snip from the Oregonian’s story:
Judge Jerome LaBarre said the city’s annual World Naked Bike Ride — in which as many as 1,200 people cycled through Northwest and downtown Portland this past June — has helped cement riding in the buff as a form of protest against cars and possibly even the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels.
Multnomah County has released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Sellwood Bridge Project. Included in the DEIS are details of the five bridge design configurations that are being considered.
Now, the County needs your feedback to help them decide what type of bridge to build.
BikeCraft IV is just around the corner! Wednesday, December 10th, at Roots Organic Brewing (on SE 7th, just south of Hawthorne). The event is in Roots’ great new space next door to the regular bar, and will go from 5:30 until closing time.
BikeCraft is our fourth annual emporium of bike-related crafts, fashion, art, and more — all handmade right here in Portland. Come do some holiday shopping for the bicycle lovers in your life — then stick around to enjoy a beer (brewed on the premises!), win raffle prizes, and enjoy the company of other bikey locals.
*[UPDATE: I have edited this story to clarify that the bike tax is not, at this time, a part of Governor Kulongoski’s Jobs and Transportation Act.]
Both Metro and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) are supportive of an idea to create a bike tax.
According to BTA lobbyist Karl Rohde, the idea — which he stresses is still just a “concept” at this point — was one of the recommendations of the Governor’s Transportation Vision Committee (on which he and BTA director Scott Bricker were a part of).
Monsoon season is upon us in Portland. When you jump on your bike these days, you never know what awaits you; wind, rain, leaf-strewn (and slippery) bike lanes, or all of the above (no ice yet, but that’s coming too).
This time of year presents challenging conditions for two-wheeled travelers. The good news is that there are others willing to share tips to help make your riding safe and enjoyable throughout fall and winter.
We’ve recently focused on keeping kids happy on the bike, and PDOT has offered a nice set of winter riding tips.