March 2009 Archives

Getting pumped on urban trails and bike parks

This story is part of our special 2009 National Bike Summit coverage (sponsored by Planet Bike). For more coverage, follow BikePortland on Twitter and browse the latest photos in our Bike Summit photo gallery.

Rich Edwards is a trail solutions
coordinator with IMBA.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Most talk about biking in cities revolves around commuting to work and urban biking culture. But there’s another way to enjoy riding without leaving town that is just starting to get on the map in Portland — urban trails, jump parks, and pump tracks.

The topic is very hot in Portland right now. Our Gateway Green project is rolling along, and discussions are afoot for more bike access in Forest Park and possibly even our first pump track/skills park near the Burnside Bridge.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Rep. Doris Matsui wants to slay
the evil, bloated, highway dragon.
(Photos © J. Maus)

With a commitment to focus on livable communities, and with active transportation advocates in key positions of power on Capitol Hill, this just might the year when a complete streets bill becomes the law of the land.

Spearheading the legislative effort is House Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA). Matsui addressed the National Bike Summit this morning to kick of the introduction of the Complete Streets Act of 2009 into the 111th Congress. (Matsui is one of the chief architects of the bill).

Publisher Maurice Tierney
(Photos © J. Maus)

I ran into Dirt Rag magazine publisher Maurice Tierney a few minutes ago and was excited to see one of the first copies of his latest endeavor — Bicycle Times magazine.

I have a lot of respect for Tierney and have been a fan (and contributor a few times) of Dirt Rag for many years. Tierney and his team in Pittsburgh built Dirt Rag from a small, regionally-focused newsprint magazine into one of the industry’s most respected publications.

As its name suggests, Dirt Rag started out as a magazine and forum for mountain bikers. But over the years, Dirt Rag’s articles, product reviews, and how-tos began to cover a much wider scope that included advocacy issues and city/utility bikes. It was a natural progression, but it became clear to Tierney that he needed to launch a new title.

Citizen advocate works to improve calm on Lincoln bike boulevard

With its calm streets, SE Lincoln is a popular bikeway.
That is, until you get past SE 50th.
(Photos by Spencer Boomhower)

The bike boulevard on Harrison and Lincoln Streets between SE 12th and SE 60th Avenues is one the most popular in Portland, and with good reason: it offers a pleasant ride in a straight shot from Ladd’s Addition all the way up to Mount Tabor.

“It’s obvious that they are intimidated by the bus revving up the hill and would rather just wait it out then feel this mass coming up behind them.”
— Michael Shaver, SE Portland resident

Like most bike boulevards in town, the Lincoln Street route slows and minimizes automotive traffic with selective use of automotive diversions, traffic-calming devices and bicycle cut-throughs. The result is a stretch of road that makes cyclists feel safer and more welcome than they might elsewhere on the streets of Portland.

Until, that is, Lincoln crosses 50th Avenue, into the ten-block stretch that continues up to 60th. Suddenly Lincoln starts to seem less like a bike boulevard, and more like a standard Portland street. There’s faster-moving automotive traffic, and more of it.

Rep. Jim Oberstar, speaking
at the opening night dinner.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Representative Jim Oberstar (D-MN) — the man whose passion for Safe Routes to Schools helped establish it as a national priority in America — is now throwing his energy behind a new idea. And, as Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that will be writing the new transportation bill, Oberstar’s ideas have real potential to turn into policy.

Today at the National Bike Summit in Washington D.C., Oberstar will meet with the country’s top bike lawyers to discuss the potential of a new legislative initiative to draft the country’s first piece of legal policy that would directly relate to the respect and recognition of bicycles as users of our roadways.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Ray LaHood addressed the National
Bike Summit this morning.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Ray LaHood, President Obama’s Transportation Secretary kicked off the opening plenary at the National Bike Summit this morning.

LaHood, sporting the ubiquitous bike pin, made it clear that he symbolizes a new era of cooperation between the U.S. Department of Transportation and bike and active transportation advocates around the country. As I reported last night, LaHood is focused on the idea of “livable communities”.

At the outset of his remarks, he said, “I want all of you to know you have a full partner at the US DOT in working toward livable communities”. A key theme of LaHood’s remarks was that he and President Obama will work hard help make communities nicer places to walk and bike. LaHood said that he and Obama, “Will work toward an America where bikes are recognized to coexist with other modes and to safely share our roads and bridges.”

We’ll hear from Transportation
Secretary Ray LaHood tomorrow
morning.

Tomorrow morning, President Obama’s Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will address the 2009 National Bike Summit.

When LaHood was announced as Obama’s pick back in December, many in the bike movement didn’t really have much to say about him. He’s been a strong supporter of rail, but his background on bike issues wasn’t too deep.

Tomorrow, he’ll have his first chance to acquaint himself with America’s bike power brokers and, if a recent story in Congressional Quarterly is a reliable sign, LaHood is sure to win many fans.

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) plans to use their monthly “Kidical Mass” ride as way to send a clear message to City Council about their upcoming budget: Find more money for the city’s Safer Routes to Schools program.

Hoping it is seen as, “a show of force for the Portland City Council,” the BTA wants to bring attention to a 40% reduction in the Safe Routes program that’s currently being proposed by the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation. The 40% dip is the result of PBOT holding back “one-time” funds (given out from surpluses in the city’s General Fund) it has enjoyed over the past two years.

The 2009 National Bike Summit kicked off tonight with a pep rally of sorts, and the head cheerleader was Andreas Rohl, bike program manager for the city of Copenhagen.

For the uninitiated, Copenhagen is the world class cycling city all others aspire to. Don’t believe that claim? 36% of people who enter the city for work or for school do so on a bicycle and among people who live in their city’s core, 55% bike to work.

“The costs of providing facilities to accommodate and encourage bicycling are minimal in comparison to the value derived by reducing the impacts of our present reliance on motor vehicles for transportation.”
— from the BTA’s statement

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) issued a press release today stating their formal opposition to a proposal that would require all bicycle owners in the state of Oregon (over the age of 18) to register their bicycles.

The proposal, (House Bill 3008, text here), was created by State Representative Wayne Krieger (R-Gold Beach). Krieger defended the bill in an interview I did with him on Friday.

During that interview, I asked how he thought bike advocacy groups would respond. Now we know. To find out where the BTA stands on this issue, read their full statement below (emphasis mine):

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance opposes bicycle registration and other annual fees on bicycle ownership because:

• The net revenue realized would not contribute significantly to the construction and maintenance of roads and the ancillary facilities necessary for complete streets,

Saturday’s Alice Awards gala had all the glitz, glamour, and inspiration you’d expect when 750 of Oregon’s biking superstars get together to toast their collective success.

Since most of the crowd are used to meeting up at bike events and work meetings, many people use the night to show off their fashion sense. Check out a few samples below…

Here’s Portland Mercury reporter Sarah Mirk and her interesting choice in hats (one commenter on Flickr called her grin a “S-mirk”):

Getting pumped on urban trails and bike parks

With Complete Streets, Matsui says roads will be for everyone

Dirt Rag publisher begins era of Bicycle Times

Car Free Happy Hour

Citizen advocate works to improve calm on Lincoln bike boulevard

Seeking a national legal standard to ensure traffic justice

Sec. LaHood: “You have a full partner at the US DOT”

LaHood and the potential for livable communities

Kids will take Safe Routes message to City Hall

Summit starts with lessons from Copenhagen

BTA issues formal opposition to bike registration bill

Alice Awards red carpet photos and recap

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From the Archives

With six kids and no car, this mom does it all by bike