The City of Milwaukie (just to our southeast) has installed the first of 212 BIKEWAY NETWORK signs. The signs are similar to signs the City of Portland began installing in 2005. These signs will help cyclists find the best routes to significant destinations and give an estimate of time and distance.
Metro’s excellent BIKE THERE! Bike map, last updated in 2007, will have a major update this year. In addition to reflecting public feedback, the map will have greater regional coverage (such as Hagg Lake and Dodge Park), more and better detailed sub-area maps showing parks and local bike paths, cycle tracks, buffered bike lanes and many other improvements. A release date has not been announced as yet.
Construction of a new path for cyclists and pedestrians across the MORRISON BRIDGE began in March, 2009. Weather delays have pushed completion until the middle of March (hopefully). The new shared 15-foot wide path is being added to the south side of the bridge between SW Alder St. and SW Naito Parkway on the westside and SE Water Ave on the eastside. The Morrison Bridge has the lowest use of the five downtown bridges open to cyclists. Opening of this new path should ease some of the congestion on the Hawthorne Bridge.
As reported last month, PORTLAND BIKE COUNTS SHOWED THE FIRST SLIGHT DECLINE IN 5 YEARS. From the recently released report, we see that trips by drivers and transit riders over the four main bicycle bridges were down also, so cyclists are still the same 13% of all vehicular crossing of the bridges. The overall trend in bike trips is up, increasing 180% since the 2000/2001 counts. Other reasons for the decline are lower gas prices and the difficulty of attracting new riders unless the transportation infrastructure is improved.
At the 2011 Legislative Session, the BTA will present a legislative package including a VEHICULAR HOMICIDE LAW to make Oregon safer for cyclists. The BTA’s lobbyist, Doug Parrow, was in Salem recently for a hearing on this new bill. Here’s what is being proposed. For drivers who kill while violating a traffic law when their license is suspended or revoked, prison time of 6-10 months. For other drivers who kill while violating a traffic law, probation and up to one year local jail time. Other states have similar laws. Personally I think the penalties should be higher, but it would be better than what we have now.
The BICYCLE MASTER PLAN FOR 2030 was presented to City Council on Feb. 4. It calls for a network of family-friendly low-stress bikeways to create healthier and more vibrant neighborhoods. The goal is to have a quarter of Portlanders using bicycles for at least some of their daily transportation. There was lots of testimony, most of it positive. One consultant testified that the plan wasn’t far-reaching enough. Of course the problem is where to come up with the $600 million spread over the next twenty years. This is the cost to build 12 freeway miles so you would be getting a lot for your money. A committee will be formed to investigate funding sources. The commissioners and mayor asked intelligent questions showing that they had read the lengthy document and were in favor of it. However, the final vote was tabled for a week so I’ll let you know next month what happened.