Continue reading |]]> I (Nathan) have a special place in my heart for May bike promotions. Growing up, I rode to school on occasion, but my first time riding for transportation as an adult was Bike to Work Day 2002. I had just started an internship in the newsroom of the public radio station in Louisville, KY, and one of the first stories I wrote was about Bike to Work Day. It sounded like fun–and it was! It was also the beginning of ongoing years of freedom, exercise, and financial dividends.

goRogueValley is carrying the torch this year with Go by Bike Week. We changed the name to reflect the fact that you can go anywhere by bike–not just to work–and reap the same rewards. To school, the grocery store, bank, library, gym, church, restaurant, park… the sky’s the limit! Once you get started, the rewards of riding are undeniable… but it helps to have some special offers to get started or restarted–or just as a special treat for those of you who already ride regularly. That’s why we have a whole menu of bonuses this year, from discounts to commuter breakfast stations to bike happy hours. You’ll find the details at www.goroguevalley.com/gobybike13/. Pledge to ride at that page for special offers, and log your trips at www.DriveLessConnect.org for a chance to win up to $100 at local bike shops.

Continue reading |]]> I had the good fortune to attend the National Bike Summit, hosted by the League of American Bicyclists in Washington D.C. on March 4 – 6^th of this year, thanks to sponsorships from ODOT Transit and Travel Oregon.  This annual conference brings together bicycle advocates, “advocrats” (those of us in the government working to promote active transportation), businesses, and other folks interested in bicycling as an option for transportation and recreation.  The honest truth is I wasn’t very excited about it—the last NBS I attended was good but not exceptional, and with no federal transportation bill to discuss, well, it just seemed like there wasn’t a lot going on.

The Summit had a whole different vibe this year—fighting for the right to the road was there, yes, but it was more about fighting for a transportation system that encourages all who are interested to participate.  The national scene is exciting, but more exciting is the number of great things going on at the local level.  From cities like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to small towns like Grand Marais, Minnesota, there IS a lot going on, and it is very encouraging and energizing!

Here are some of highlights of my experience:

• The National Women’s Cycling forum on Monday was jam-packed with over 350 attendees who came from far and wide to hear from the 30 speakers who led sessions on everything from community-based advocacy to engaging more women with rides and races.  The event culminated with a keynote from Janette Sadik-Kahn, the New York City Transportation Commissioner who has literally transformed how New York and other cities and communities around the country are looking at their streets.  She’s a rock star.  She pointed out that before this new transportation agenda of looking at streets for people (instead of for moving cars), there hadn’t been any changes since the 1950’s, the Eisenhower era, and demanded, “It’s time for a 21^st Century transportation agenda.”  One tidbit—retail sales on NYC bike streets have increased 50%, which is twice the rate of the neighboring streets.

• Greg Ballard, the mayor of Indianapolis, who has been instrumental in the expansion of the city bike lanes from one (yes, 1 mile of bike lane) to 75 miles, and has plans to have 200 miles of bike lanes in place by 2015.  That, in combination with their 8-mile Indianapolis Cultural Trail, which is basically a cycletrack that loops all of their major cultural attractions, has helped the mayor realize his goal of “creating the kind of city that attracts the talent of the creative class.”  Another tidbit—people using the trail typically spend $5-$10 per trip at the businesses along the way.  For the record, Ballard is a 23-year marine veteran and is a republican.

• The League of American Bicyclists’ changing paradigm.  If I could sum up the summit in just a few words—“It’s not about the bike.”  We heard it repeatedly from a variety of speakers.  Douglas Meyer, a marketing and communications specialist shared research about the perception of bicycling in the halls of congress.  Meyer suggested that advocates should “Be inwardly bike-centric, but outwardly multi-modal and mainstream.”  Bruce Katz from the Brookings Institution talked about riding the wave of the urban transportation revolution (note that he didn’t mention the urban bike revolution).  And Andy Clarke, the President of the League talked about the bigger picture and how bicycling fits in the frame.   It is about health, accessibility, economics, communities, livability, and the environment—these issues bring all kinds of people along on the ride.  Vehicular cycling works for some, but the League recognizes that the bigger audience out there is asking for safe, separated facilities that get them to their workplace, the store, the park… where they want to go.

I encourage you to check the League of American Bicyclists blog page, where you can read about the sessions and even watch some of the presentations, and also have a look at the coverage by Jonathan Maus at Bike Portland.  I also highly encourage folks who are interested in advancing active transportation in the Rogue Valley to attend the Oregon Active Transportation Summit on April 24 – 25^th in Salem.

Enjoy your spring!

Jenna

Continue reading |]]> Have you heard of the Oregon Scenic Bikeways program?  Are you wondering why the map is blank in Southern Oregon?  After all, we do have some of the best biking in the state, right?  Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (State Parks) has opened the application process and Jackson County Parks, with support from the Ashland Chamber, is submitting two applications:  The Cascade/Siskiyou Mountain Lakes Loop is a 52-mile that starts in Ashland, heads up the Greensprings Highway, across the plateau along Hyatt and Howard Prairie Lakes, and returns to Ashland on Dead Indian Memorial Road.

The Res to Rogue Ride starts at Emigrant Lake County Park and ends at Palmerton Park in the City of Rogue River, utilizing the Bear Creek and Rogue River Greenways as available.

The applications are due in mid-March, after which a committee rides and reviews the proposed route and we find out whether or not we make the cut.  That’s when the real work begins, including developing a detailed plan that covers everything from signage to marketing of the route.

Do you want to get involved?  Drop me a line if you’re interested in serving as a member of the committee that will help develop the management plans, which will steer the future of the Bikeways.

Check out these links for more information and some great videos!

OPRD Scenic Bikeways website

Travel Oregon’s website

Path Less Pedaled Bicycles and Small Town America video

Travel Oregon/Path Less Pedaled Old West Scenic Bikeway video

As always, feel free to contact me with questions relating to bicycling in Jackson County or the Bear Creek Greenway.

Happy March!

Jenna

stankejs@jacksoncounty.org, 541.774.6231

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The current connection between Highway 62 and the Greenway in Medford. Jackson County and ODOT think we can do better.

Until January 31, ODOT is requesting public input on the 155 projects seeking funding under a current active transportation grant program. The combined Transportation Enhancements and Bicycle/Pedestrian program represents approximately $8.5 million in funding, and applicants have requested about $50 million statewide.

The public input survey on ODOT’s website asks where you live, and shows you only local projects based on your response. Scrolling down on the page above also shows a list of project applications so you can study up.

Take a look to see what projects are being proposed, and register your input.

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A bicycle boulevard in Berkeley, California.

The Southern Oregon Active Transportation Summit in October drew over 100 attendees from four Southern Oregon counties for a day of presentations and networking. One highlight of the event was the “Big Idea” session. Prior to the event, organizers asked attendees to submit their Big Idea for advancing active transportation in Southern Oregon. During the event, attendees voted in two stages to choose a single favorite idea. After the first round of voting, four ideas rose to the top:

1. Promote further road diets in the region
2. Promote bicycle boulevards and cycle tracks as the top infrastructure priority for municipalities in the region
3. Explore light rail between Medford and Ashland
4. Create a multi-use path between Jacksonville and Medford

At the final session of the day, attendees voted for their favorite idea among those four, and the winning idea, by a strong margin, was number 2 above, submitted by Grants Pass Community Development Director Michael Black, and fully expressed as follows:

The SOATS 2012 Big Idea: Fully integrated bicycle boulevards and cycle tracks, as well as buffered bike lanes, should emerge as the municipal infrastructure priority over all new roads and intersection improvements until such time as cycling becomes a reasonable, everyday, safe and effective transportation alternative for people of all ages and abilities.

What are the three specific types of bicycle infrastructure called out in the Big Idea? All three are well described with illustrations in the National Association of City Transportation Officials’ Urban Bikeway Design Guide, but we’ll define them briefly here:

• Bicycle boulevards, which are now called neighborhood greenways in Portland (great 7-minute Streetfilms video here), are low-volume secondary streets, generally paralleling major thoroughfares, that are optimized for comfortable and safe bicycle travel. In addition to signage and street markings designating bike boulevards, other treatments that are often part of the creation of a bike boulevard include the reorientation of stop signs, traffic control changes to limit automobile through traffic, and speed management.
• Cycle tracks are used to provide bicycle access to major thoroughfares by creating a bike facility that is physically separated from adjacent automobile traffic.
• Buffered bike lanes are comparable to conventional bike lanes, but with additional space, generally designated by lane markings, providing increased clearance between bicycle traffic and adjacent motor vehicle traffic.

In addition to submitting the winning Big Idea, Michael Black was a presenter at the summit. It appears he was persuasive to his audience by presenting recent projects accomplished and planned in Grants Pass and by championing the idea that “you shouldn’t have to be brave to ride a bike.” Black took home a daypack donated by REI in recognition of his idea.

Continue reading |]]> We owe updates on several items, so here they are:

Spinlister, which we highlighted back in the summer, is now up and running in beta. The site provides a way for individuals and businesses to offer their bicycles for rent–and for individuals to find bicycle to rent. The site is now operational across the US, but to begin, it’s only available to users who have listed a bicycle for rent. Sweetening the pot is the fact that Spinlister is paying for the first rental of each bicycle. I (Nathan) am watching this with interest. Apparently I’m the only one in the Rogue Valley to have listed a bike so far, but I want to see that change soon. We need some mountain bikes on there!

The Southern Oregon Active Transportation Summit is coming right up. We have over 100 registrants, and registration is free for the first 150.

The Bicycle Benefits program continues to grow, with 5 new businesses in the process of signing up, after a recent mailer helped to highlight the program across Jackson County.

Bike to Britt was a good success, with 14 people leaving the car at home and riding to the Wilco show. We’re working with Britt to request better bicycle accommodation and encouragement next season. It seems like a win for everyone.

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Britt Festivals and RVTD present “Bike to Britt” for the Wilco show on September 25th. Staff will provide free valet parking for bikes at the covered parking area beside the library at 340 West C Street, right on the Britt trolley route. The first 16 concertgoers to RSVP can reserve a $5.00 concession stand certificate and a Bontrager front/rear bike light set—staff will install it during the show. Too far to bike? Park at the designated Park & Bike area at Bi-Mart on West Main and ride the last four miles to Jacksonville on the Don Stathos Bikeway. After the show, staff will lead a group ride back to the Park & Bike lot for anyone who prefers riding with a group after dark. RSVP to Nathan Broom at RVTD: nbroom@rvtd.org or 541-608-2411.

Bike to Britt is part of RVTD’s Drive Less Challenge, a week of activities September 21-27 promoting alternatives to driving alone.

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Sunday Parkways Participation Letter

(Use the link above to view the participation letter, and click on the flyer image at right to view the event flyer.)

The Sunday Parkways Planning Committee invites you to participate in the first Grants Pass Sunday Parkways event on September 30, 2012 from 11 am to 4pm.

The event known as “Sunday Parkways” was adapted from an event that occurs in Bogota, Columbia where over seventy miles of roadway are closed down on Sundays to vehicles and opened up for use by bicyclists and pedestrians.  The idea has been reinvented in cities across the U.S. where miles of streets are temporarily opened up for the use and enjoyment of residents and visitors moving under their own power.  Sunday Parkways can be described as a really big city block party with the focus on physical activity, exploring our neighborhoods and business districts, enjoying our parks, and reconnecting to our community.

The first Grants Pass Sunday Parkways event will be held on Hawthorne Avenue, south of Morgan Lane and north of Lynel Court. The event will not only close over a quarter mile of roadway but also will showcase a new trail being built that will connect Gilbert Creek Park, Highland Elementary, and North Middle schools and provide residents an opportunity to walk, bike, roll, or stroll on this new public amenity.

Aside from showing up to enjoy the event, there are many ways for organizations and individuals to participate in Sunday Parkways:

• Food/Beverage Vendor Booth: People will be working up an appetite and in search of delicious, thirst-quenching beverages after all the activities they will partake in at this event.  Healthy food and beverage options are strongly encouraged!
• Interactive Booth/Activity Space: Let’s get people moving!  Provide entertainment or activity which engages participants in fitness and/or promotes healthy living and exercise.  Interaction should be the primary focus, not incidental.  Contact committee for ideas.
• Donate: Can’t be there for the event but want to show your support?  Making a monetary or in-kind donation is a great way to participate in making this event a success, supporting healthy living and your local community.
• Join the Planning Committee: Bring your ideas to the table and add to the success of this fabulous community event!

For more information please contact Carla Angeli Paladino at 541-450-6070 or by e-mail at cangeli@grantspassoregon.gov.

Continue reading |]]> Bicycle Benefits is a nationwide progressive bicycling program designed to reward individuals and businesses for their commitment to cleaner air, personal health, and the use of pedaling energy in order to create a more sustainable community. The program’s continual growth decreases parking demand, increases helmet use, and improves cyclists’ safety and health by putting more people on bikes.

How does it work? Cyclists purchase a reflective helmet sticker for $5 from a participating business. When they visit a participating business by bicycle and show their sticker at the register, they receive a discount on their purchase! Discounts are decided by the business, and vary from place to place.

Local participating businesses include:

The Rogue Creamery Cheese Shop in Central Point (10% off)

The Northwest Outdoor Store in Medford

Medford Cycle Sport in Medford (10% off parts and accessories)

Medford Service Course Velo in Medford (10% off parts and accessories)

Hampton Inn in Medford (15% off regular room rate)

Good Bean Coffee in Jacksonville (buy 1 drink get 1 of equal or lesser value free)

Flywheel Bicycle Solutions in Talent (10% off parts and accessories)

Inti Latin Soul in Talent (50% off dessert with purchase of meal on Mondays and Wednesdays)

Ashland Bicycle Works in Ashland (10% off parts and accessories)

Get ‘N Gear in Ashland (10% off)

Oregon Mountain Coffee Company in Medford ($1 off total purchase)

For a full listing of participating local business, check out the “Jackson County” page of the Bicycle Benefits website.

The Bicycle Benefits website has all of Bicycle Benefit Business Members across the nation, including their discounts/rewards, addresses, and maps to get there.  To get your helmet sticker, just visit any of the participating Jackson County Bicycle Benefits Business Member locations.

If you are interested in participating as a business, please contact Jenna Stanke at (541) 774-6231 or stankejs@jacksoncounty.org.

Continue reading |]]> Peer-to-peer carsharing is taking off in Oregon and California. But what about bikes? In answer to that question, Spinlister launched peer-to-peer bikesharing this spring in New York and San Francisco, with plans to expand around the country. Spinlister is built on the same model as Airbnb (lodging) and Getaround (cars)–creating a web-based tool for individuals to rent out what they own.

The Spinlister home page

There are obvious questions about this kind of service, and Spinlister appears to have answers for most of them. In order to rent, users are required to have a valid credit card on file with Spinlister, providing what amounts to a security deposit for bikes that are damaged or stolen during the rental period. If Spinlister is unable to recover costs from the renter, they guarantee bikes up to $5000–and they’ll buy you a cake. Spinlister also carries liability insurance at $1 million per claim.

Spinlister accepts listings from individuals as well as existing bike shops and rental operations. Users set their own rate ($20/day is the current average), and Spinlister keeps a 12.5% fee. Facebook and Twitter verification are not required, but are encouraged. The site includes a series of short How It Works articles.

There’s no precise word on when Spinlister will begin expanding their geographic area, but their website says “The more bikes we get [listed] the sooner we can go live!” I listed three of my bikes, and found the process pretty painless and intuitive.  I’m imagining a Rogue Valley where visitors can easily find a nearby bike to rent during their visit, no matter where they’re staying. Where locals can try a new kind of riding, regardless of what kind of bike they own. And where all of us who love bikes can justify and subsidize our habit a bit more easily.   Spinlister.com