City, BTA gear up for Walk and Bike to School Day
The morning scene at Trillium Charter School in North Portland.(Photos © J. Maus)
Note: I'm currently on a family trip and not working normal hours. Email and message responses will be delayed and story and posting volumes here and on our social media accounts will not be at their usual levels until I return to Portland September 4th. Thanks for your patience and understanding. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor
The morning scene at Trillium Charter School in North Portland.(Photos © J. Maus)
We need more like him.(Photo © J. Maus) Yesterday the Safe Routes to School National Partnership launched their “Dear Congress: Why Safe Routes to School is Important” campaign. The intention of this grassroots lobbying effort is to send a clear message to members of Congress that their constituents care deeply about getting more kids to … Read more
Kids pedal cars around a “traffic garden” in Utrecht, Netherlands.(Photo © J. Maus)
Signs don’t work as well as crosswalks.(Photo © J. Maus) It’s common at advocacy-oriented conferences to hear the latest horrible stats about how bad things are and how it’s up to the great work of advocates to charge into a new era and change the world. At the Safe Routes to School National Conference being … Read more
Robert Ping from the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.File photo(Photos © J. Maus) Robert Ping, the State Network Coordinator for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership shared a startling bit of information during his presentation at the Safe Routes to School Conference today. In communities throughout America, students are being told they are … Read more
We need more like him.(Photo © J. Maus) This week, Portland is playing host to the Safe Routes to School National Conference. The event is hosted by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) and they report that over 500 attendees have registered. Attendees include biking and walking advocates, health care providers, city planners, transportation experts and … Read more
We’ll have a lot more coverage of this exciting upcoming event in the weeks to come. For now, here’s the official press release from conference host, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA): The 2nd Safe Routes to School National Conference will be held in Portland on August 19th-21st, bringing stakeholders from across North America together to … Read more
Good spacing, a high visibility location, and cobblestones!(Photos © J. Maus) When students and staff arrive at the campus of Benjamin Franklin High School in Southeast Portland (5405 SE Woodward), they’re greeted with an important message: Bikes are respected, encouraged, and accommodated for. The message isn’t something you read on a poster. It’s implied — … Read more
How can the city say no to a face like this?-Slideshow below-(Photos © J. Maus) Last Friday, about 100 people — most of them families with kids in tow — rode to City Hall as part of a special edition of the BTA’s monthly Kidical Mass ride. The goal was to raise awareness about the … Read more
A politician’s worst nightmare. Kidical Mass storming City Hall.(Photos © J. Maus) The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) plans to use their monthly “Kidical Mass” ride as way to send a clear message to City Council about their upcoming budget: Find more money for the city’s Safer Routes to Schools program. Hoping it is seen as, … Read more
Portland’s Safer Routes to Schools program encourages kids to ride to school — but budget cuts loom.(Photos © J. Maus) The City of Portland’s Safer Routes to Schools program is facing a steep drop in its funding for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. In the past two years (Portland’s fiscal year goes from July 1 to … Read more
You’re not likely to find a bike like this at your local shop.(Photo © J. Maus) The other day, in the bike rack of my daughter’s school, I noticed a very practical children’s bike. It had everything a bike needs to be used as a real transportation vehicle — a chain-guard, generator lights front and … Read more
Comment of the Week: Gratitude for N/NE Broadway project