If snow comes, let’s keep our cool and keep riding

(You won’t be the only one out there. Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland))

If you live in Portland, the news is unavoidable: Snow is coming. Maybe close to one foot if some predictions hold.

BikePortland wants to remind everyone that bicycling is not mutually exclusive with the presence of snow. In fact, it can be really fun. Often when a severe weather happens there’s a tone and vibe from road agencies and the media that it’s too dangerous to ride bikes, or that all the focus and advice for road users should only be put on people inside cars and buses.

Newsflash: It’s perfectly normal and reasonable for people to continue to ride through a snowstorm! As drivers, we should expect bike riders to be on the road and use our cars accordingly. As riders, we should be extremely cautious (any threat or presence of ice is a 100% no-go situation unless you have spiked tires), but also embrace the opportunity to use calmer streets and commune with nature in a way that’s relatively rare for Portland.

My advice is to browse our 55 Riding in the Snow stories for loads of excellent tips and insights from the BikePortland reader brain trust (also known as the comment section) going all the way back to 2007.

Some of my favorites:

— The ‘commute from hell’ was heaven on a bike (2016)
— How to keep little bike passengers cozy in the cold (2018).
— Biketown bike share vs. Snowmageddon (2017)

Whatever happens out there, bundle up and enjoy the ride.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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