Bike, Ped Improvements Part of Portland’s Stimulus Plan

A couple of hopeful pieces of news from the Pacific Northwest, courtesy of Streetsblog Network member Bike Portland. First off, their fair city has put some exciting bike/ped improvements in its stimulus package request, including the design and construction of a bike-and-pedestrian-only bridge, as well as Portland’s first-ever cycle track. The plans call for starting the projects within the next 12 months.

493747753_a7487a75d9_m_1.jpgPhoto by Jonathan Maus of Bike Portland.

Bike Portland also filed an exclusive report on the Bicycle Transportation Alliance‘s call for an "Idaho style," or rolling, stop sign law for cyclists in Portland:

In an interview this afternoon, BTA lobbyist Karl Rohde said the
bill language is currently being drafted in Salem and it will be
officially known as the “Idaho Stop Law”.

“We feel the law needs to change to reflect the safe behavior that’s
happening now,” said Rohde, “Coming to a complete stop isn’t necessary
for a vehicle (bicycle) that does not pose the same threat to other
road users and whose operators have a greater awareness of their
surroundings.”

Moving south for other bike-related news: Transit Miami interviews that city’s first Bicycle Coordinator, whose agenda includes more bike lanes, more bike racks and better education efforts. He says biking is "the closest thing to flying," and we’d have to agree.

Also: shovel-ready green projects in Ohio, via GreenCityBlueLake, and improved reliability in Chicago transit, via CTA Tattler.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

NYC Stim Projects Help Fund Big Bike-Ped Improvements

By Ben Fried |
Brooklyn Bridge upkeep grabbed headlines this morning, but wait til you see what’s happening on Houston Street. Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg unveiled the list of city transportation projects set to receive an injection of federal stimulus cash. Budget-wise, the big ticket items are mostly bridge repair projects, but channeling those stim bucks toward necessary maintenance also […]

2008: Year of the Bicycle?

By Jason Varone |
Ahead of this week’s National Bike Summit in Washington, DC, syndicated columnist Neal Peirce wonders if 2008 will be "bicycling’s best year since the start of the auto age." He writes about developments promoting the bicycle as a legitimate form of transportation around the world, many of which have been featured right here on Streetsblog: […]

Freak Snow Can't Stop Cycling in Portland

By Angie Schmitt |
It’s not often that the Portland region sees snow. But yesterday, like a handful of other odd places, including Texas, America’s bike capital got walloped (by northwest standards anyway). As it happens, a little snow can’t change Portland, reports Jonathan Maus at Bike Portland, who captured a series of photos showing cyclists who weren’t easily […]

Federal Bike-Ped Funding Sets New High, With Much More Room to Grow

By Ben Fried |
Graph: FHWA [PDF] Federal funding for pedestrian and bicycle projects reached a new high last year, according to a report released yesterday by the Federal Highway Administration. In terms of dollars, federal investment in walking and biking more than doubled compared to the previous high, set in 2007, thanks largely to an infusion of $400 […]

Portland’s Safer Streets: How Do They Do It?

By Sarah Goodyear |
Last Sunday in New York, the Street Memorial Project organized a ride in memory of the 14 bicyclists and more than 100 pedestrians killed by cars in the city in 2008. You can see the StreetFilm about the ride here. PBOT traffic safety expert Greg Raisman. Photo © J. Maus. In Portland, OR, they marked […]