During the past few months, hundreds of community members have rallied at City Hall, attended Community Budget Hearings, and written to City Council in support of the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030. Together, we asked City Council to take critical first steps beyond adopting the plan to identify new funding and build the entire Portland Bike Network. Because we came together with a strong collective voice, we were successful in getting City Council to find additional funding for the Bike Plan that wasn’t previously identified.

You helped us pack the gallery at the City Council hearing for the Bike Plan.

On Thursday, Portland City Council will consider Mayor Sam Adams’ proposal to allocate an additional $20 million for Green Streets projects on prioritized bike boulevards between 2011 and 2013. If approved, the proposal would also identify $2 million per year in additional project opportunities on bike boulevards in 2014 and beyond.

If you are available between 10 am and noon on Wednesday, March 10 (tomorrow), please join the BTA and community members at City Hall to testify in favor of the proposal. If you can’t attend the hearing, please take a few moments to call or write City Council with your support.

The BTA recognizes Commissioner Saltzman for demonstrating political leadership by initiating the conversation about key funding gaps in the Portland Bicycle Plan, and we thank Mayor Adams for putting forward a smart investment proposal of $20 million. The proposal makes the most of existing funding sources and existing infrastructure to connect neighborhoods, improve stormwater management, make our streets safer for all users, and enhance the livability of our entire community.

Details
The proposal would “provide $20 million for green streets in support of the Portland Bicycle Master Plan over three years with no short-term rate impacts” by reprogramming and reallocating funds to the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES). If approved, BES and the Portland Bureau of Transportation would work together to identify bike boulevards that will benefit from Green Streets improvements.

Learn more:
Full description of funding proposal up for consideration at City Council (PDF)

Oregon Representative Earl Blumenauer (lifelong Portland resident) introduced the Active Community Transportation Act, H.R. 4722, on March 3rd. The bill is also known as the ACT Act is a revolutionary piece of proposed legislation. The bill would create a competitive grant program where communities compete for $2 billion (that’s right, BILLION) to help make their communities better for walking and biking by building out their pedestrian and bicycle networks.

BTA advocates Susan Peithman and Gerik Kransky will join 700+ bicycle advocates in Washington, D.C. next week for the National Bike Summit, where the ACT Act is sure to be a major topic of discussion. The attendees of the National Bike Summit are going to advocate to their respective Senators and Representatives to support the ACT Act.

The Alliance for Walking & Biking has made it possible for people outside of Washington to help lobby the bill. The Virtual Lobby Day is everyone’s opportunity to take action on the ACT act and demonstrate the need for such legislation.

More details from the Alliance for Walking & Biking below:

TAKE ACTION
Given the timing of the bill’s release, we have a unique opportunity to conduct a Virtual Lobby Day and present a strong and unified voice on Capitol Hill, Thursday, March 11th. In conjunction with the National Bike Summit we ask that you call your representative next Thursday at the same time that over 700 Summit participants will have in-person meetings in congressional offices.

TALKING POINTS
Please call your representatives on March 11th to ask them to co-sponsor H.R.4722: “The Active Community Transportation Act.”
Tell Them:

• Bicycling and walking are part of the solution. Half of all trips in the United States are three miles or less, yet the majority of these short trips are made by car. Shifting more of these short trips to biking and walking would not only reduce congestion, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and our dependence on oil, but will also improve physical activity, safety, and livability.
• Investing in bicycling and walking infrastructure works. Commuting by bicycle has increased 43 percent since 2000 – and by 69 percent in designated Bicycle Friendly Communities that have invested in infrastructure improvements.
• Please co-sponsor the Active Community Transportation Act (H.R.4722).

Bonus: Watch Earl speak up for his hometown from the House floor in response to an anti-Portland article from Newsweek columnist George Will in May 2009.

Now that the Bicycle Plan for 2030 has been adopted, it needs to be funded in order to get built.

The City of Portland is seeking input on their proposed 2010-2011 budget by holding Community Budget Forums all over the city. On Monday there was a forum on the West side. Tonight there will be a forum in Southeast.

Saturday there will be a forum in Northeast Portland and that’s where we’ve decided to focus our comments.

Community Budget Forum
Saturday, March 6th, 1:00-3:30 PM
IRCO Community Space
10301 NE Glisan St.

Remember, this isn’t as simple as saying “yes” or “no” to bikes. These forums are an opportunity to make clear that health, livability, affordability, and environmental conditions all benefit from increased bike use and that active transportation can fit nicely into many budget priorities.

Portland Bicycle Tours has posted a ride to the forum on the Shift list. Read more here.

Please fill out the city’s online survey about the budget before attending.  It’s in two parts and the second part really starts to address budget priorities.  It’s pretty easy but budget 15 minutes for the whole thing.

See you Saturday!

To all who attended the Portland Member Forum on February 25, thank you for all of the thoughtful feedback, questions, and productive discussion about BTA advocacy and direction. For those of you who couldn’t attend, here’s a summary of the conversation.

Portland Member Forum Notes
February 25, 2010

Attendees: 13 members, 2 non-members
4 BTA board: Mary Roberts (facilitator), John Beaston, Nance Pautsch, Tommy Brooks
5 BTA staff: Gerik Kransky, Margaux Mennesson, Carl Larson, LeeAnne Fergason, Michael O’Leary

The meeting began with the following list of potential topics. Audience members each voted for top 2; order of discussion followed number of votes received.

• New direction for BTA
• Building the Portland Bicycle Plan
• 2011 Legislative Agenda
• Member engagement
• Hiring new Executive Director
• Statewide advocacy focus
• Board-staff relations
• Active transportation

I. New Direction for BTA

Mary/BTA board chair started off with an overview. BTA has been a highly effective advocacy organization for 20 years, but as Portland bicycling landscape evolved, BTA also needed to evolve. Over the past year, BTA board, staff initiated a series of conversations with members, activists, other organizations, business leaders, elected officials, health care professionals, and others to discuss a new vision and direction.

What we learned from those conversations:
• Put BTA and bicycling in larger context of active transportation and associated benefits
• Focus on how bicycling transforms communities and is good for public health, environment, economy, neighborhoods
• Frame message so that anyone can understand why biking is good for the entire community
• It’s not about bikes vs. cars; it’s about future vs past
• Past: Car culture is subsidized to the point where we don’t even consider another mode of transportation
• Future: livable, healthy, prosperous communities are designed so that people can move around by bike or on foot, or take transit.

Some members want BTA to continue to focus on the needs of bicyclists in light of the larger context of active transportation. Knowledge of bike infrastructure, safety needs is critical in conversations with engineers and city planners when designing for bikes.

Members would like BTA to set out goals and measure progress visibly. This will help members know when to get engaged if goals are not being met in their communities. BTA Board is just starting the strategic planning process for the coming year.

Mary/BTA Board Chair mentioned that part of the work over the past year has been inwardly focused on significant improvements to the financial controls, replacing the broken data base with a new powerful one, and communicating more frequently and effectively with members.

II. Building the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030

Board, staff and members discussed questions about the bike plan and Build It campaign.

In current economy, how is BTA working to convince people the city can afford bike plan?
We know that funding for bikes polls low for many residents. BTA and bicyclists can show return on investment in health care savings, healthier employees, cleaner environment, and greater livability.

How will BTA keep the Bike Plan alive after the political and media hype dies down?
Everyone is encouraged to carry a copy of the plan and read it in your spare time. Upcoming opportunities to engage members and city officials:
1. Integrating Bike Plan into Transportation System Plan
2. Integration into Portland Plan
3. Community budget forums – attend a forum and ask for more funding for bike plan in the budget. Right now there’s $7 million for bikes in 2010/11 budget. At this rate, Bike Plan for 2030 would not be built until 2097.

Download the Bicycle Plan for 2030 and learn what it would take to build a world-class bike network in Portland. Then attend a Community Budget Forum to discuss critical first steps. (Image: Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030)

Does BTA look to cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen for inspiration?
Lots of exchange between European experts and Portland bike leaders, including trips overseas. They teach us not only about building for bikes, but about not building for cars.

What does the Bike Plan mean for pedestrians?
Mode share that benefits most from bike plan (after bikes) is walking. Members want to see BTA partner with WPC, build up the Pedestrian Master Plan.

Would a bike registration fee help as symbolic gesture to show that cyclists pay for the roads?
We know that bicyclists do pay their share through property tax and other fees. Further, about 90% of bicyclists own a car. BTA believes it’s more valuable to educate people on how roads are actually paid for (out of general funds) instead of furthering misperceptions to the contrary.

Has the BTA done any direct outreach to members about getting involved?
Yes: direct emails, information on the website and blog, a rally at City Hall, outreach at events like Transportation Safety Summit, the member meeting in December and this member forum in February. We encourage people to write a letter to City Council, attend the budget hearings, or meet in person with your City Commissioner. Go to www.portlandbikenetwork.org to learn more.

Is there anything in the Bike Plan about bike and driver education?
The plan sets goals for Education, Encouragement and Enforcement. Aims to expand Safe Routes to School to more schools in Portland.

Download the Bike Plan to learn more about future education and encouragement programs.(Image: Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030)

What has the BTA accomplished in education, enforcement, and encouragement?
o Teaching Bike Safety and Ped Safety to more students in more Oregon communities;
o More participation in Walk + Bike to School Day and Challenge Month;
o More participation in Bike Commute Challenge;
o Teaching the Share the Road Safety Class;
o Collaborating with Portland Police to create Community Policing Agreement

III. Legislative Update

Brief update from Tommy Brooks, BTA Board Member and Legislative Committee member: Wrapping up 2010 special session and starting to generate ideas for the 2011 session. Right now Legislative Committee has a list of proposals for 2011 that it is evaluating (see below). The committee intends to select 3 or 4 priorities to recommend to the BTA board. Members are welcome to send suggestions Tommy Brooks or Doug Parrow.

Draft list of topics on the table:
o Vehicular Homicide
o Local control over speed limits
o Insurance coverage for cyclists
o Bicyclists’ right to ride in the travel lane
o Crash reporting standards
o Continuation of travel lanes through intersections
o Enforcing the Vulnerable User Law
o Improving citizen citation process
o Driver education

IV. Member Engagement

Ideas for improving member communication and engagement?
o Encourage members to contact the board
o Outreach to people who can’t attend meetings
o More email communication and web presence
o Online surveys
o Reach out to nonmembers
o Give members 2-3 solid talking points so they can reach out to their networks

All BTA members are encouraged to attend the first of several member forums in 2010 in Portland and Salem from 5:30 to 7:30 tonight. At these member-guided meetings, BTA staff and board members will discuss the issues that are relevant and important to your community.

At our first forum last year, members discussed how individual cyclists, law enforcement agencies, and BTA advocates can make the roads safer for bicycling. Read the report here.

Feb 25 – Portland
Whole Foods Market, Salud Community Room
1210 NW Couch Street
5:30 – 7:30 pm

Feb 25 – Salem
Salem Public Library, Plaza Room
585 Liberty Street SE
5:30 – 7:30 pm

Please RSVP your attendance to Margaux or call 503-226-0676 x28.

Two weeks ago Portland City Council unanimously adopted the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030. If you missed it, check out some of the blog posts, media reports, and national coverage.

One important thing to remember about the plan is that it is aspirational. It contains a lot of great goals and a strong vision for the future, but it is not yet funded or incorporated into the upcoming Transportation System Plan. That means we have to continue to push to get the Portland Bicycle Plan built.

City estimates of the Portland Capital Budget for 2010/2011 indicate $7 million for bike and pedestrian projects. This number is much larger than the amount of bike/ped funding in last year’s budget, and the BTA applauds City Council for taking steps to change the way transportation dollars have traditionally been spent.

Unfortunately, $7 million is not enough.

At the current funding level, Portland will not be able to build out the Bike Plan for 2030 until 2097.

We should ask for more.

We should ask for more at the upcoming Community Budget Forums on March 1st, 3rd, and 6th.

Please attend a forum and encourage the City to invest in healthy vibrant communities and cleaner air and water. Money spent on bike projects is money saved on our public health and transportation costs. It also reduces air pollution and the amount we need to drive to get around by making bicycling safer and more convenient.

Money in the game: Council ushers in new era for bikes
By Mary Roberts, Stephen Gomez and Jim Middaugh
Bicycle Transportation Alliance

Published Monday, February 22, 2010:

Despite the hysteria in the news, the case for cycling has always been airtight. A city that has more bikes on the road is safer, healthier, and more livable. A city that prioritizes bicycling sees an economic benefit every time one of their citizens decides to take a bike instead of driving a car.

When you build for bikes, you re-engineer what you have, as opposed to building something new. We take all of our experience and knowledge about how our city moves people and freight, and we improve it. As a result, we all see less traffic on the roads, and goods have an easier time reaching the heart of our city.

You don’t even have to own a bike to get the benefits we all see when more people ride a bike for transportation.

But the case for cycling had always been missing one key ingredient: the political will to disrupt the status quo. That is until last week when the City Council unanimously adopted the Portland Bike Master Plan.

We at the Bicycle Transportation Alliance were overjoyed to see this long considered plan adopted, but we were also surprised. Surprised that the leaders of our city decided to look past adoption of the plan and towards the next critical step: funding.

To this end we applaud both Mayor Sam Adams and City Councilor Dan Saltzman for demonstrating not just political will, but real political leadership by addressing the key gap to getting the Portland Bike Network built by announcing a program to kick-start the implementation of the plan with a seed investment of $20 million.

Bikes connect neighbors and neighborhoods. That is why we thank the leaders of our city, and why we strongly urge Mayor Adams, Commissioner Saltzman and the rest of the Portland City Council to work together and fulfill the Mayor’s promise to dedicate $20 million to new bike-related projects.

Today, 50 percent of driving trips in Portland are under 3 miles. Build it and they will bike instead.

A blog post from Oregon Catalyst (where conservative Oregonians gather and share news, commentary, and gossip) says that even at a cost of $1.5 billion, the “bang for the buck” is indisputable when it comes to funding the Bike Plan for 2030.

This afternoon Portland City Council unanimously adopted the Bicycle Plan for 2030. In a vote of 5 – 0, Mayor Sam Adams and all the City Commissioners praised the plan for its public health benefits and community-oriented approach.

The Mayor also pledged to kickstart the building of the plan with a one time allocation of $20 million; he will report back to Council in 30 days on what sources of funding will contribute. This is a great first step – in the draft of next year’s transportation capital budget recently released by the Bureau, there is only about $7 million (out of $129 million total) to build new bike routes and trails. Raising that by $20 million is one of the strongest leadership moves we’ve seen the Mayor take since he has been in office, and we are thrilled to see his commitment to making Portland such a safe and healthy city!

More than 70% of Portlanders have a bicycle in their garage, but many of them don’t feel safe using them to get exercise, to have fun, or to take short trips. The Portland Bicycle Plan, and this new $20 million in smart transportation investment, will give all Portlanders access to trails, quiet streets, clean air and water, and easy active transportation.

The Mayor also announced the creation of a finance task force to seek new funding sources. As the city allocates some local money now, it will help us prepare for federal funds later. Portland needs to be ready with engineering and planning to ensure the projects are shovel ready when federal funds become available (in the last round of stimulus funding, for example, most of the “shovel-ready” projects were paving).

Today was a big win for the future of Portland as a safe, healthy city; but it is just the beginning of our campaign to Build It! Stay tuned for new opportunities to get involved.

The new Portland Bicycle Plan will go before City Council for a vote tomorrow, Thursday, at 3:00 pm, in Council Chambers at 1221 SW 4th Ave. Last Thursday, Council heard three hours of testimony for the Plan, asked for some more information from City staff this week, and scheduled time for more discussion and a vote tomorrow.

Excerpt from tomorrow's Agenda; click on image to jump to City Agenda website. At 2:00 pm a Code Amendment Package, including long-term bike parking changes, was supposed to go before Council, but that item has been canceled.

We are optimistic that the Plan will pass, but there will likely also be interesting discussion among the Commissioners about some final amendments addressing trails, particular bike routes, and sources of funding. Once the Plan is adopted, the BTA will be asking Council to Build It.

Be there! We sure will.