If that headline made any sense to you at all, you should join us next week for Wonk Night. On Wednesday, December 5th, BikePortland (that’s me) and Lancaster Engineering (the nice, smart folks I sublease my office from) are hosting an event where we’ll discuss lots of fun and interesting topics.
The night’s agenda will include:
- A recap and sharing of my recent trip to New York City. While Sandy dominated much of my coverage, I also learned a lot at the NACTO Designing Cities conference that preceded it. I’ll share a bit more about both of those things as well as answer any questions you’ve got about biking in the Big Apple.
- As reported back in July, Portland is in the midst of finally changing their level of service (LOS)/performance standards. The new standards will go beyond motor vehicles and Lancaster’s Todd Mobley thinks it should be on everyone’s radar screen. Lancaster put in a bid to to work on the project, and even though they weren’t ultimately selected, they appreciate what a big deal this is.
- We’ll also discuss the ongoing problem of right-hooks from an engineering perspective. Lancaster’s Brian Davis (who was hired by Lancaster after they hosted our last wonk night!) will share his insights on infrastructure-based solutions.
Todd even made a poster!
Wonk nights are very informal. We just talk about bike policies, infrastructure, and other stuff. It’s also a great place to meet people in the engineering/planning/wonk-related fields. We’ll supply some drinks and snacks and the venue is the lobby of the Lancaster Engineering headquarters at 321 SW 4th Avenue. Mark your calendars and we hope to see you there.
UPDATE: Just confirmed that the best gluten free beer in the world, Omission (by Widmer), will be the official sponsor. Join us for a few free cold ones!
I went to wonk night last time and highly recommend it for anyone who loves to talk nerdy or meeting interesting folks doing really cool sh*t.
Bike parking?
Not that I don’t appreciate this event, but WHY is it scheduled the same night as one of the BTA’s major community meetings? It makes it very difficult for those of us who are “wonks” to choose which to attend.
Sorry about that Matt. The BTA input session is in Oregon City, but I feel your pain. No harm intended. That’s just the date we picked. Wanted to do something before we got too close to Christmas.
Thanks for hosting there, Jonathan — I plan to be there.
Ted Buehler
Will try to be there tonight, but if not, is this a monthly event?
Hi Kari,
No. It’s not a monthly event. If you miss this you will never get to join us again! ;-).
Actually, while it’s not a regular, monthly event yet, I’m sure we will consider that. And I’m sure we will do it again sometime soon.
I like that you’ve added a “yet” in there! There is SO much to wonk out about when it comes to cycling (as you know).