Washington County advocates ask permission to bike through park – UPDATED

Here’s an interesting advocacy alert from the Washington County Bicycle Transportation Coalition. They’re hoping the Hillsboro Parks Commission will grant them a variance to allow an event ride to pedal through an area park. An excerpt from their action alert is below (read the whole thing here):

The Tour de Parks planning committee is asking for your help.

Noble Woods Nature Park, one of the parks featured in the Hillsboro Tour de Parks and one of the City’s most beautiful currently does not allow bicycles in the park. In 2009, we asked the Hillsboro Parks Commission to allow cyclists to pedal through the park during the Tour, entering from the south and dismounting when the trail reaches the bluff at Baseline Rd and zig-zags up the hill. While they denied our request, citing safety concerns and that riding through the park was not allowed, riders were permitted to at least walk bikes through the entire length of the park.

On Tuesday morning, July 27th August 10th at 7AM, we plan on attending the Parks Commission meeting and again ask to be allowed to ride through for the 3rd Annual Hillsboro Tour de Parks on Sunday September 26, 2010. We invite you to join us.

Here are our main talking points:

Noble Woods is one of the most beautiful parks in the city’s system and, unless you live in the neighborhood, visiting by bike is nearly impossible. Brookwood Avenue is the closest north-south route, and that would be forbidding for most riders who would travel the 10 park route. Another alternative would be to travel east to 229th, near Cornelius Pass Road, making that leg of the journey impractical because of so few parks in that area and the distance traveled.

… Experiencing Noble Woods Park by Hillsboro’s cycling residents who may have never considered visiting by bike, can provide impetus and stimulus to develop the unused eastern portion of the park…

The Parks Commission is meeting Tuesday July 27th at 7am. We are asking that you show your support and attend with us.

The Hillsboro Parks & Recreation Administration Offices are located at:
4400 NW 229th Avenue
Hillsboro, OR 97124
At the Hillsboro Sports Complex”

Read the full action alert here.