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6/20: Hello readers and friends. I am having my second (of two) total knee replacement surgeries today so I'll be out of commission for a bit while I recover. Please be patient while I get back to full health. I hope to be back to posting as soon as I can. I look forward to getting back out there. 🙏. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor
You can also read about the BTA’s legislative efforts on their website.
Bricker on the steps of the Capitol in 2007.(Photo © J. Maus) The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) is working feverishly to garner more support for the Idaho Stop Law (HB 2690) with legislators in Salem. According to BTA Executive Director and lobbyist Scott Bricker, the Chair of the House Transportation Committee has given him a … Read more
BTA veteran Doug Parrow will help bolster legislative efforts in Karl Rohde’s departure.(Photos © J. Maus) I got in touch with BTA executive director Scott Bricker today to ask him about how their recent shift in personnel would impact their 2009 legislative agenda. On Friday, I reported that the BTA’s government relations and public affairs … Read more
Tim O’Donnell’s widow, Mary O’Donnell, had these buttons made for the hearing. Last Friday, just two days after he relieved former BTA lobbyist Karl Rohde from his duties, executive director Scott Bricker was down in Salem filling his former role as the organization’s chief lobbyist. Bricker presented the BTA’s position on their proposed Vehicular Homicide … Read more
The letter from Eugene’s bike program coordinator in opposition to the Idaho Stop bill.(Download PDF) Last week, when the Idaho Stop Law bill — which would allow bikes to treat stop signs as yields (adopting a law similar to one already on the books in Idaho) — was in its first hearing down in Salem, … Read more
[Update, 10:50am: According to a comment from Karl Rohde of the BTA, the work session has been delayed for a few weeks.] The BTA’s Karl Rohde, seen here on the steps of the capitolearlier this week.(Photos © J. Maus) The House Transportation Committee has scheduled a work session for the Idaho Stop law proposal (HB … Read more
(Photo © J. Maus) Karl Rohde, the BTA lobbyist who is working on a bill in Salem that would allow bicycles to treat stop signs as yields (known as the “Idaho Stop law”), tells us that the fate of the bill hangs in the balance. (The bill received its first committee hearing yesterday). According to … Read more
“And you’re scratching your head wondering when was the last time you saw one actually stop.”— Harry Esteve, The Oregonian It’s the BTA’s worst nightmare. They’ve spent months preparing for the smooth passage of the Idaho Stop Law (the proposed bill, HB 2690, would allow bicycle operators to enter a stop-sign controlled intersection without stopping … Read more
Through those doors, the laws are made.(Photos © J. Maus) Tomorrow I’ll make my first trip down to Salem this session — and what a full day it’s shaping up to be. My day will start with a meeting of the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC). The OTC is the five-person, governor-appointed cabinet that sets transportation … Read more
“Right now, it’s not moving…it’s not going anywhere.”— Colleen Krieger, legislative assistant to Rep. Wayne Krieger As the bike registration bill saga enters its second week, all signs point to the demise of H.B. 3008. The bill, which seeks a mandatory fee of $54 to register all bicycles in Oregon that are operated on public … Read more
A scene from last summer’s Sunday Parkways event.(Photo © J. Maus) It may not feel like it outside, but summer is fast approaching and the City of Portland Office of Transportation is busy putting the pieces together for their second annual Sunday Parkways events. Last year, the city held one Sunday Parkways event in North … Read more
Rep. Earl Blumenauer at a reception this morning on Capitol Hill.(Photo © J. Maus) When the Bike Commuter Benefit Act passed back in October, it was somewhat of a shallow victory for advocates who had pushed for its passage for seven long years. Not only did it pass as a ploy to build support for … Read more
Oregon state Senator Sal Esquivel It has been interesting to follow the widespread discussion spurred by the proposal in the Oregon legislature that would establish a $54, mandatory bike registration fee in Oregon. Even though the bill is highly unlikely to pass, it has drawn the attention of advocates, the media, and citizens like few … Read more