“Expanding the freeway and constructing six new massive interchanges will do tremendous damage to the bike friendliness of communities around the project.”— From a press release issued today by the BTA The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) issued a statement today in opposition to the Columbia River Crossing project. The statement is by far the BTA’s … 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
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
“The costs of providing facilities to accommodate and encourage bicycling are minimal in comparison to the value derived by reducing the impacts of our present reliance on motor vehicles for transportation.”— from the BTA’s statement The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) issued a press release today stating their formal opposition to a proposal that would require … Read more
An estimated 750 came out to toast the BTA.(Photos © J. Maus) Saturday’s Alice Awards gala had all the glitz, glamour, and inspiration you’d expect when 750 of Oregon’s biking superstars get together to toast their collective success. Since most of the crowd are used to meeting up at bike events and work meetings, many … Read more
(L to R) Mark Ginsberg (an Alice Award nominee), Dat Nguyen, and Ben Salzberg at last year’s Alice event.(Photos © J. Maus) The BTA’s biggest annual fundraiser, the Alice B. Toeclips Awards and Auction, is happening this Saturday and the Portland-based non-profit is pulling out all the stops to make sure it’s a successful event. … Read more
“… it’s less about the number of lanes, per se, and more about the impact on the community.”— Scott Bricker, executive director of the BTA This week’s decision by City Council to authorize Mayor Adams to vote in favor of a 12-lane Columbia River Crossing bridge has sparked outrage among many Portlanders. Several comments here … Read more
PBOT Director Sue Keil at a press conference in May 2008.(Photos © J. Maus) Back in January, just days before the Willamette Week broke news of Mayor Sam Adams’ relationship with Beau Breedlove, the incoming Mayor unveiled an ambitious plan of projects he promised to complete in his first 100 days on the job. Among … Read more
The ghost bike for Austin Miller.(Photos: Jim “K’Tesh” Parsons) On February 11, 2008, 15-year old Beaverton high school student Austin Miller was collided with a TriMet bus when he merged from a sidepath on Murray Road into a bus stop on SW Farmington Road. The tragedy sent shockwaves through the region. It raised questions about … Read more
Michelle Poyourow of the BTA.(Photos © J. Maus) Advocate Michelle Poyourow of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) was one of over 70 people that testified in front of City Council at last week’s public hearing on the Columbia River Crossing project (CRC). After the hearing, several people mentioned her testimony to me and I also … Read more
If you’re looking for more information from the BTA on why they’ve decided to push the Oregon legislature to pass a law that would make it legal for people on bicycles to roll through stop signs (a.k.a. an “Idaho-style” stop sign law), read the statement just published by their lobbyist Karl Rohde. Here are some … Read more
The Frequently Asked Questions below were developed by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) as supporting material for their Idaho Stop Law proposal. Frequently Asked Questions What would this law do? This law would make it legal for bicyclists to treat stop signs like yield signs. A cyclist approaching an intersection controlled by a stop sign, … Read more