As reported last month, the BICYCLE MASTER PLAN FOR 2030 was presented to Portland City Council in February garnering mostly positive comments but the vote was postponed a week. Eventually the plan passed with unanimous support and the vote came with a $20 million commitment from Mayor Adams. Commissioner Nick Fish stated “This will make bicycling a cornerstone of Portland’s sustainable transportation system”. Kudos to PBOT and all the dedicated volunteers who spent three years attending meetings and working on this excellent plan. A “Sustainable Transportation Task Force” has been formed to identify and pursue multiple strategies to increase funding for sustainable transportation and bicycle transportation and promote the implementation of the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030. This will include finding resources to raise the $613 million needed to fully implement the Plan over the next 20 years. (That’s only $61 million per year, or about the cost of building one freeway mile.)
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has just installed three more ON-STREET BIKE CORRALS in North Portland. These are the latest in an ongoing effort to install more bike parking in front of businesses throughout the city. New corrals are on N. Michigan Ave. by Saraveza Pub, on N. Albina Ave. by Albina Press coffee shop and on N. Mississippi Ave. by the German pub, Prost. There are now 46 bike corrals throughout the city.
In Fiscal Year June 2010-2011 PBOT will have $14 MILLION IN NEW STATE REVENUE , thanks to passage of “Jobs and Transportation Act”. Of this, $2.15 million will go to bikeways, etc. Specifically:
· NE 12th Ave. Overcrossing – Crossing improvements from NE Irving to NE Lloyd over I-84 near Lloyd Center.· 15 Miles of Bike Blvd – This money will help leverage other funds to help build seven new bicycle boulevards on 87th Ave., N. Central, 101st Ave., SE Bush, NE Klickitat, NE Holman, and SW Illinois/Vermont. · Cycle Track Development – “Two cycle track treatments at high volume locations.” Locations mentioned are N. Williams – Vancouver and NE Holladay St. · NE Glisan Buffered Bike Lane – From NE 22nd to NE 32nd. · Rose Quarter – “Additional pavement markings, signage, striping, and possible crossing improvement alternatives for additional bicycle and pedestrian access to the Rose Quarter.” · SW Terwiliger-PSU Access Improvements – “Design and implement connections from SW into downtown Portland.” Other money will partially fund SW Gibbs St. Pedestrian and Bike Bridge, SW Moody and River Parkway Cycle Track, SW Bancroft/Hood/Macadam improvements. SUNDAY PARKWAYS is coming back this year 5 times better, sponsored by the City of Portland. Events will be held in 5 different areas of the city. Four locations have been announced, one is still being decided but may be in hilly Southwest Portland. Here are the known dates and locations:
- May 16 – Northeast Sunday Parkways connecting Wilshire, Fernhill, Alberta, and Woodlawn Parks
- June 27 – North Sunday Parkways connecting Peninsula, Arbor Lodge, and Kenton Parks
- July 18 – East Portland Sunday Parkways connecting Lents and Ed Benedict Parks
- August 15 – Southeast Sunday Parkways – connecting Col. Summers, Laurelhurst, and Sunnyside Parks
- September-- unknown date and location