(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)
—BikePortland’s coverage from Washington D.C. is made possible by Planet Bike.
Oregon advocates might have the easiest job of any of the state delegations here at the National Bike Summit. No matter which of the seven offices they entered during the annual bike lobby day on Capitol Hill, they were greeted with smiles and support.
inspired version of the ubiquitous bike pin.
But even so, that doesn’t mean that the 20 or so advocates took it easy or let their guard down. On the contrary, they lobbied like true pros. In fact, one main reason Oregon’s congressional representatives are so friendly to cycling is because of the quality of our advocates. This was on display from the first meeting to the last.
The Oregon advocacy team was well-prepared and delivered a persuasive barrage of statistics, poignant personal stories, and examples of successes earned and challenges that remain. Economic development was a big theme; but beyond impressive dollar figures, stories were shared about how bicycling is vital to combating Oregon’s childhood obesity crisis and about the importance of signature projects like the Salmonberry Corridor and the completion of the Historic Columbia River Highway.
To illustrate the importance of projects like the Salmonberry, advocate Stephanie Routh told House Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-1st) how her grandfather’s Tillamook County timber business was decimated years ago and how a new trail could help revitalize forest towns (a topic she shared more about with us back in December).
The big surprise of the day came during a meeting with Greg Walden, the sole Republican in Oregon’s Congressional delegation. Before anyone could even sit down in his office, he asked eagerly, “What’s the route for Cycle Oregon this year?” Turns out he and his wife did a bike-and-barge trip on e-bikes along the coastline of Croatia this past year. Rep. Walden loved it and couldn’t stop singing the praises of bike touring and e-bikes the entire meeting.
Check out more photos below from Oregon’s bike lobbying day on Capitol Hill:
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Go Dr. Z! He’s also a bikeportland.org advertiser, “See betr here”, and the man behind Fremont Family Vision.
First nonnegative report I’ve heard regarding Walden on any issue. Don’t know that I’ve ever felt represented by him on anything.
I’m glad to see our only Republican is useful for at least one thing. Hopefully he stays off the anti-bike infrastructure bandwagon….
Thanks for the update. It’s good to be represented by such a stellar group of people. Go advocates!
Ah, Walden. John Boehner henchman extraordinaire!
He probably loves the dollars CycleOregon brings to desperate villages in Eastern Oregon, but can never look to cozy with those Liberal bottom feeders advocating “Active Transportation” “Mass Transit” “Health” and a “Clean Environment”.
Proof is in the pudding – Watch how Walden votes, not how he smiles.
Cynically yours,
IanC
Great to see these OR advocates on The Hill! Glad groups like CCC are making a diversity push, such as exhibited in recent Board decisions, so that in future years, an even more diverse representation of Oregon’s deep, hard-working advocacy community may be represented. Keep up the leading work, all.
I’d love to get one of those pins