Month: March 2009

Headed to DC for the National Bike Summit

Our day on Capitol Hill-33.jpg

A self-portrait while walking
the halls on Capitol Hill last year.

Tonight (at midnight, love those red-eyes) I’ll get on my Bike Friday Tikit and ride to the airport for my annual pilgrimage to Washington D.C. for the National Bike Summit. This will be my fourth year in a row attending the event and I’m looking forward to it with all the enthusiasm, excitement and nerves of a first-timer.

This year — with a new administration in the Oval Office, a strong Democratic majority on Capitol Hill, and a new transportation bill in the making — there’s more at stake for the national bike movement than ever before.

The League’s main focus for the summit is “building bicycling into the transportation bill”. But in addition to that, there are two other bills with major biking implications that are expected to be introduced this week; a new climate change bill, and a complete streets bill. (I’ll have more about both of those in a separate post).

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The Monday Roundup

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Time for the news roundup…

Right wing radio, comparing bikes to guns, a bike bell orchestra, alternatives to asphalt

– The New York times calls for people to take the high road while riding bikes. Interesting meditation. Are we losing the PR war? Does it fall on us to change our behavior?

– BikePortland contributor Libby Tucker reports on her blog, Naked Energy, about Mayor Adams’ proposal to set an ambitious “carbon budget” for the city that would include major zoning and parking changes to create a city full of 20 minute neighborhoods.

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Weekend Open Thread

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
Spring in Alberta neighborhood

Does this qualify as awesome
Alberta architecture?
(Photo © J. Maus)

There’s a ton of fun bike stuff to do this weekend.

I’m too tired to list it all right now, but if you check the Shift Calendar you’ll be off to a good start.

I’ll be escorting my lady to the BTA’s Alice Awards Saturday night and I’m sure I’ll see many of you there.

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A conversation with Rep. Krieger about his bike registration bill

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

“This is an opportunity for the bicyclists to start contributing to our roads… everybody needs to contribute to what’s there… if there were not bicycles we wouldn’t need bicycle lanes.”
— Rep. Wayne Krieger

Representative Wayne Krieger (R-Gold Beach) wants everyone who owns a bicycle in the state of Oregon to pay a mandatory, $54 registration fee (and then renew it for another $54 every two years).

He is the chief architect of House Bill 3008, a proposal that was met with a lot of negative responses on this site when I reported on it today.

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And then there were 12: CRC rolls on at maximum size

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

As expected, the Columbia River Crossing Project Sponsors Council made their recommendation today that the new I-5 bridge be built with 12 total lanes.

Here’s more from the Portland Business Journal:

“The Columbia River Crossing Project Sponsors Council…wants six lanes in each direction for the replacement bridge, which would also offer bicycle and pedestrian lanes and a light rail line. Another advisory council formed by the group will explore tolling options for the bridge, expected to cost in excess of $4 billion.”

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Popular local ride guidebook now on the Web

[Publisher’s note: This story was published yesterday on Page Two, but since it’s so darn beautiful outside right now, and because this is such a great resource, I thought it needed a bit more attention.]

Screenshot of RubbertotheRoad.com

River City Bicycles’ Rubber to the Road guidebooks have long been a popular way to learn about great rides in our region. Now the books have a useful, web-based complement at RubbertotheRoad.com.

The website has a ton of great rides listed, complete with turn-by-turn directions and an interactive GPS-powered map. Here’s more about it from the latest River City Bicycles newsletter:

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Metro flexes funding muscle for bikes

cool median design

Bike boulevard infrastructure, like
this bike turn median in Southeast
Portland, will get a major funding
boost thanks to a Metro committee.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Yesterday was a big day for Metro and for non-motorized transportation advocates around the region.

Between decisions on how to spend funds from the federal stimulus package (I’ll report on that separately) and their “regional flexible funding” program, Metro Council and their Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) doled out over $123.6 million in transportation projects.

Of that money, a record amount was approved for bike and pedestrian projects. From the regional flexible funds pot, Metro awarded over $10 million to bike/ped projects — nearly half the total amount allocated.

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Latest Headlines

Transportation advocates say lawmakers ‘betrayed public trust’ with budget bill support

River City Bicycles owner survives heart attack while on bike ride

Weekend Event Guide: Gold sprints, Springwater cleanup, and more

Guest opinion: ‘Bikeable Portland’ plan will get more people riding

From the Archives

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