during the storm.
(Photo © J. Maus)
The Mayor’s office has launched a survey to help gather feedback about how they responded to the major storm we had at the end of 2008 (take it online here).
The survey is part of a “snow and ice readiness assessment” that the Mayor’s office has undertaken. It’s obvious the City (and TriMet) was caught off-guard with the storm. After acknowledging the “tireless work” of city employees and citizens, in the introduction to the survey, the Mayor’s office says, “we would like to do better next time”.
In addition to asking where people received information about the storm and how Portlanders would rate the storm response of various bureaus and agencies, the 15 question survey focuses primarily on driving and taking transit.
Unfortunately there is no mention of biking in the survey.
The only non-transit or driving question pertains to pedestrians and asks, “Did you feel safe walking during the storm?” It would have been nice if there was a question that could capture how the biking conditions were and how the City might improve them next time.
I was one of many Portlanders that continued to bike on the snowy and icy streets. It was challenging at times, but overall I found it to be a viable way to get around (not to mention that biking is relatively cheap for taxpayers and the City’s budget — unlike driving cars and/or using TriMet).