2009 Oregon Bike Summit

Bikes Belong hopes all-star team can bring biking mainstream

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Bikes Belong Executive Director Tim
Blumenthal spoke at the Oregon Bike
Summit yesterday.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Bikes Belong Executive Director Tim Blumenthal shared a lot of inspiring news and information during his remarks at the end of the Oregon Bike Summit yesterday.

Blumenthal is a key figure in the national bike movement. He’s at the helm of arguably the most well-funded and well-positioned bike organization in the country and he deftly wears many hats including that of an advocate, a corporate fundraiser, a marketing expert, and a smooth political operator.

Rep. Dembrow (right) with
Jay Graves (center) and Ray Thomas
in the State Capitol building yesterday.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Billing it as a “A new kind of town hall,” two Oregon State Legislators will lead a bike ride around their districts next month.

Representative Michael Dembrow and Senator Jackie Dingfelder — both of whom represent districts in Northeast Portland — will join their constituents for a bike tour around the Cully neighborhood on May 9th. The six-mile ride will make a stop at the Rigler School Community Garden for a brief work party and organizers are considering a stop at the site of the upcoming cycletrack (slated to go in on Cully Blvd between Killingsworth and Prescott).

Legislator bike ride at the Oregon Bike Summit-13

On the steps of the Capitol.
-Slideshow below-
(Photos © J. Maus)

This morning, as part of the Oregon Bike Summit, a handful of state legislators suited up for the first-ever Legislator Bike Ride.

About 50 summit attendees met on the steps of the Capitol building before taking a leisurely, five-mile ride around Salem. Joining the bike advocates from around the state were six state legislators: Rep. Jules Bailey (D-Portland), Rep. Tobias Read (D-Beaverton), Sen. Jackie Dingfelder (D-Portland), Sen. Ginny Burdick (D-Portland), Sen. Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene), and Sen. Jason Atkinson (R-Ashland).

David Lowe-Rogstad and the
home page of the new site.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Yesterday in Salem at the Oregon Bike Summit, we got a sneak peek of the new “Ride Oregon” website. When it officially launches in mid-May, the site will allow visitors to learn about Oregon’s great rides, plan a trip of their own, find the best hotels, places for a post-ride meal, and more.

The site (URL yet to be announced) is funded by Travel Oregon and it’s being created by Substance, a creative design agency based on Portland. Travel Oregon put their support behind the site after hearing years of requests from communities and advocates around the state.

-Slideshow below-
(Photos © J. Maus)

Day One of the Oregon Bike Summit is in the books.

With a focus on the legislative agenda, summit attendees got a crash course in lobbying. Tomorrow we start bright and early with a bike ride with state legislators. Then, it will be time to storm the capitol to meet with our representatives and sharpen our advocacy tools at a variety of breakout sessions.

Stay tuned for more reports. In the meantime, check out my photos in the slideshow below:

Two new bike shows are being planned for the Portland area in 2010.

The Northwest Bike Show, “Where cycling comes full circle”, is slated for February 20-21 and will take place inside a 54,000 square foot hall at the Portland Expo Center. The event is being put together by the Hilsboro-based Convention & Meeting Planners of Oregon, Inc. (they’re also behind the Rose City Bridal Showcase). The CEO of the company, Lora Heil-Frone, has a booth here at the Oregon Bike Summit. She said highlights of her Northwest Bike Show will include a kids safety area, a performance stage, and hopefully (she’s still working on it) a stunt riding performance by the Dew Action Sports team.

Speaking at the opening session of the Oregon Bike Summit today, Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) Executive Director Scott Bricker gave a rundown of their existing priority bills in the 2009 legislative session.

With the door officially closed on Idaho Stops (interesting report about it on the Mercury blog today) and with news today that their Driver’s Education bill (HB 3252) will not move forward this session, the BTA is pouring all remaining efforts into their vehicular homicide bill, HB 3399.

Time to rise up, Oregon cyclists!

Next week’s Oregon Bike Summit (4/21-4/22) in Salem could be the most important advocacy event of the year.

In previous years, the summit has been held in Eugene, Sisters, and Portland, but this year organizers are taking the bike movement straight to the lawmakers and pursestring holders in Salem.

The man behind the summit, Jerry Norquist, is the ride director of Cycle Oregon, Chair of the Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and one of the state’s pre-eminent bike advocates. He’s decided to model the event on the National Bike Summit, held each year in Washington D.C..

2009 Oregon Bike Summit

Bikes Belong hopes all-star team can bring biking mainstream

Portland legislators will hold town hall meeting on two wheels

Legislators suit up for ride around the Capitol

A sneak peek at the new “Ride Oregon” website

Oregon Bike Summit: Day One slideshow

Two new bike shows coming to Portland in 2010

BTA: Vehicular homicide bill is “alive and kicking”

Have your say in Salem at the Oregon Bike Summit

Latest Headlines

Pedalpalooza’s Bike Prom is way more fun than your average high school dance

Pulling our kayak (by bike) from Tigard to the Tualatin River

Police say racial bias motivated assault of bicycle riders on Eastbank Esplanade

The Monday Roundup: Power of framing, bike lane protection, and carfree public space

Featured Video