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Biking for Fun and Transportation in Portland
Published Mar 06, 2007

Hottest Day of the Year Ride on Aug. 6, 2006, brings bikers to Broadway Bridge.

Oregon is the only state whose obesity rate didn’t rise in 2006, and bicycling is one of the reasons why.

Portland, by far the state’s largest city, has 66 miles of bike paths and 163 miles of bike lanes, and Bicycling magazine rates it as the Best U.S. Cycling City with a population of 500,000-1 million. In the last 10 years, the number of bicyclists in the city has tripled, and greenhouse gas emissions have decreased to levels lower than in 1990.

One of bicycling’s many advocates here is Meeky Blizzard, U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer’s adviser for livable communities. She says Blumenauer “deserves a lot of credit for putting together an actual bicycle plan for this city in the 1990s,” when he was a Portland city commissioner in charge of transportation and planning. (After being elected to Congress in 1996, Blumenauer, a Democrat, co-founded the bipartisan Congressional Bike Caucus.)

The benefits of bicycling in Portland continue to mount. In 2005, traffic congestion in the city’s Eastside Hub dropped 8.6 percent, and events such as Pedalpalooza and the Providence Bridge Pedal attract thousands of bicycling enthusiasts to the city each year.

“On my way to work every morning, I see 30 to 40 people peddling even during the coldest months,” Blizzard says. “The city continues to make strong efforts to make bicycling a viable transportation option for people.”

She reminds everyone that the bicycling community isn’t trying to remove cars from Portland’s streets. Bicycling just gives commuters an alternative means of getting to work or school – and it’s a great recreational activity as well.

“We have very good buses here that are now equipped with bike racks, and travelers can also take their bikes aboard the MAX light rail system that runs throughout Portland,” she says. “As everything around here becomes more bike friendly, it will become more and more of a popular transportation option. Just pedal around Portland during rush hour, and you’ll be able to see the growing popularity for yourself.”

Story by Kevin Litwin
Photo by Jonathan Maus/Bikeportland.org

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Magazine:
Business Images of the Portland Region, 2008 Edition

Headline:
Biking for Fun and Transportation in Portland

Summary:
Bicyclists zip through the city on their way to work, school or play

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