Bridge event to promote winter biking.
(Photo by PBOT)
Though those scurvy (and yeah, OK, pretty badass) vikings in Minneapolis might not understand the concept of biking in the winter actually being fun, a new city promotion is looking to spread the word to more Portlanders.
“The fresh air, the lack of congestion along Waterfront Park, the ability to consume eggnog without weight gain,” city transportation promoter Timo Forsberg explained in an email last week. “We want to encourage them to try it out.”
So the city is asking Portland bikers to use the hashtag #Resolve2Ride on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to share their decision to pedal through the January weather. The city’s Active Transportation Division will then use the list of folks who do to pull four winners of a “Winter Cruise send-off package” or a $25 bike shop gift card.
The city has also put together a page with links to some upcoming events and web resources for winter riding, including a brown-bag presentation on “all-season cycling” this Thursday at the Portland Building next to City Hall.
The campaign ends Jan. 6.
“The fresh air, the lack of congestion along Waterfront Park, the ability to consume eggnog without weight gain,” city transportation promoter Timo Forsberg explained in an email last week. “We want to encourage them to try it out.”
Kind’ve a slap to the face since the city doesn’t have “fresh air,” and there are consequences to biking in a car-heavy world. The city isn’t doing much to improve biking and/or reduce pollution, on any significant level.
http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.mapsarchivecalendar
Just telling people to “get out there and bike” seems like an insult to those people that do risk their lives biking through car-shared dangerous streets and particulates-infested nitrogen/oxygen needed to survive.
But yeah, use a twitter hashtag. That fixes things.
The air pollution along waterfront park is a travesty. It’s stifling in some sections. Really bad.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that “the city doesn’t have fresh air”… but we should be doing more about secondhand exhaust. Truly, it’s gross.
Hmm, now that you mention it – bicycling does indeed suck. I quit.
Wow! Saint Lucy is real! And she made it to the BoB.
Too bad I missed seeing her in the flesh…all I ever get to see is a white robed cyclist with a halo of LEDs going down the Springwater Path in December…and always one curve ahead too.
Gee, physically separated routes would make me much more interested in biking any time of year…any chance of getting some of those rather than Twitter sweepstakes?