Safe Routes to School National Conference coming to Portland

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

We’ll have a lot more coverage of this exciting upcoming event in the weeks to come. For now, here’s the official press release from conference host, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA):

The 2nd Safe Routes to School National Conference will be held in Portland on August 19th-21st, bringing stakeholders from across North America together to champion walking and biking to school safely. Themed “Two Steps Ahead,” the conference will highlight how Safe Routes to School programs across the country are changing the habits of an entire generation of children and keeping thousands of families ahead of health, traffic safety, and environmental concerns.

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The Monday Roundup

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Mapes in the New York Times, carfree NYC, climate change and public health, a celebrity bike activist speaks up, BRT in Salem, and a self-balancing unicycle.

This week’s news of bikes, transportation, and livability:

– David Byrne reviews local author Jeff Mapes’ excellent book, Pedaling Revolution, in the Sunday New York Times. The book is destined for the best-seller list. Congrats Jeff!

– Obama has appointed Polly Trottenberg as assistant DOT secretary; Streetsblog quotes a recent speech where she laments that state requests for federal dollars are so heavily weighted towards highway projects, despite the federal government’s commitment to sustainability.

– The dream of a high speed rail line between Eugene, Oregon and Vancouver, BC inched forward last week when the mayors of Portland and Vancouver, BC signed an agreement to work together to make it a reality.

– In the meantime, Washington State is requesting $800 million in stimulus funds to significantly expand existing passenger rail service between Portland and Seattle.

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