Wow. I knew it was coming up but I nearly forgot. As the BTA reminds us, today is the one year anniversary of the passage of the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030.
On February 11, 2010, Portland City Council voted unanimously to pass the plan. Mayor Adams, with his infamous $20 million “kickstart” that would tap in Bureau of Environmental Services stormwater management funds, said that commitment showed he wanted to “start with a bang.”
We haven’t crunched the numbers yet to see just how much has been spent on the plan so far. However, in the weeks ahead, the BTA plans to release an evaluation report and the Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee is planning a “Bicycle Master Plan Implementation Subcommittee” to track the plan’s progress.
The day after the plan passed last year, we published the cartoon at the top of this post. So far, my sense is that the plan hasn’t just sat on the shelf. Obviously we need to do more and we need to do it faster, but the plan has already helped to inform policies and has given city staffers the confidence to make some progress.
What do you think? Has the plan made the impact you expected (good or bad)?
Stay tuned…
Nice toon!
Though I hope that pile of bike projects is in the “OUT” box and not just paper stalled in the “IN” box. We will see what the BTA reports.
Honestly, I’m unaware of the progress that has been made, but I remember reading not too long ago (in the Oregonian) about the backlash towards Sam Adams for proposing to take money from the stormwater funds. Apparently people still don’t like that idea and I wonder if that has caused the City to progress, well, quietly……
The Mayor didn’t take money from stormwater funds to use for bike infrastructure, regardless of what the TV says. The stormwater funds are being spent on swales and green curb extensions that coincide with routes in the 2030 plan.
for updates on projects related to the 2030 plan, visit portlandonline.com and search for Neighborhood Greenways.
In related news, a major bummer of a setback:
The North Portland Greenway from St. Johns Bridge to the Steel Bridge has been blocked by industrial interests. We’ve been waiting too long for this. Now it could be delayed for years, if it happens at all. Story at http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/02/portland_back_to_the_drawing_b.html
I think at great things have happened for bikes in the last year. We have a ton of great bike boulevards, and there is piecemeal progress toward other things, like the new Willamette River bridge.
I rode on the new Gladstone Bike Blvd this week, and it was a pure pleasure. I was particularly impressed with a car diverter (cars can’t enter the street, but bikes can) and use of an existing half signal to cross Foster somewhere around 64th (half signals are where bikes and pedestrians on the cross streets can activate the signal to cross, but cars oni the cross street can’t — it favors bikes and pedestrians without encouraging car traffic).
Gladstone, klickitat, Holman, going, concord, Bryant, they’re all new, and consistently good.
My concern is, though, that these things were already in the lineup before the plan was passed. And i was a meeting recently where Roger Geller mentioned that the bike budget this year may not be met in future years.
To get to 25% more share by 2030, Portland will have to keep up the pace, and be vigilant about keeping designs ever-improving for bicycling,
In 2010 we also lost the Lovejoy bike route, with in inferior alternate route and no signage. The city will need to better defend our existing infrastrucuture from gradual decline. Otherwise our dreams of having more people on bikes will crumble with the network.
Ted Buehler
Links to readings of the Bicycle Master Plan by the Bike Temple — it’s easier to engage the public with the plan if you read it out loud.
http://biketemple.blogspot.com/2010/09/reading-from-holy-book.html
and
http://biketemple.blogspot.com/2010/08/deacon-amos-preaches-sermon.html (2nd video down)
Ted Buehler
looks about right.. ppl like paying for that gas,, can’t teach them its a die’n cause to drive..