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Teaching the next generation about the benefits of bicycling and walking just got easier for Oregon educators.

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) and Oregon Safe Routes to School have partnered to develop and produce the Neighborhood Navigators curriculum, and they are now distributing it online, free of charge to educators.

Focusing on efficient and healthy transportation choices, pedestrian safety, and community and neighborhood design, the curriculum includes age-appropriate lessons and skill practice activities for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

For more information and to access the Neighborhood Navigators curriculum, visit BTA at http://www.bta4bikes.org.

Image from Neighborhood Navigators Grades 4-5 Curriculum
Article courtesy of Jacob Knight

On January 21 the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) of Portland, OR launched a major campaign to get the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 adopted, funded and built. According to Michelle Poyourow of the BTA,  “We’re calling on Portland City Council to not just adopt this plan, but to take first steps right away toward getting it built. That means building new bike boulevards, new safe crossings, and new safe routes to schools in the first year… We cannot wait until year 5 or year 10 to know whether we’re succeeding in making Portland America’s healthiest city or not. We’ll need to start right away.”

The BTA is inviting members and supporters to get involved in the campaign and show Portland City Council how many Portlanders value the health, safety, and livability benefits that 25% of bicycling would bring to the community. Supporters are invited to testify, call or e-mail city hall, and take their picture with the Build It logo and post it on the campaign website http://www.portlandbikenetwork.org/.

The Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 is up for vote at the February 4th City Council meeting. According to the BTA, “It if adopted, funded and built, it will attract new riders, strengthen policies, build a denser bikeway network, increase bicycle parking, expand programs to support bicycling and increase funding for bicycle facilities. But it is just a document unless the Portland City Council approves the plan, funds the plan, and ultimately builds the Portland Bike Network.” Check out and add your support to the Build It Campaign at http://www.portlandbikenetwork.org.

In August of this year Portland, Oregon’s Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) asked its members and the public for feedback to help them plan for bike advocacy and organizational growth in the future. Over 2,000 people responded to the survey providing the BTA with data on a wide range of advocacy and education topics, bicyclists’ perceptions, and organizational direction.

According to the BTA, some of the findings include:

• “As cycling experience levels increase, so do the number and percentage of trips that occur by bicycle. Those extra bike trips are mostly replacing car trips: automobile usage decreases significantly as bicycling experience increases, but public transit and walking trips remain relatively consistent.
• People who rate themselves “intermediate” or “advanced” cyclists are more likely to ride for commute purposes than beginner cyclists. Conversely, beginners report a higher ratio of recreational and utilitarian trips.
• Virtually everyone responded “bicycling in my community is safer for me personally than for my family.”
• Advocacy work at the local, regional and state levels is more important than national advocacy.”

The BTA survey was developed and analyzed with support from Inavero Institute for Service Research in Portland. For more information and to download the pdf with complete survey results, visit http://www.bta4bikes.org/btablog/2009/11/11/bta-survey-reveals-trends-perceptions-of-bicycling-around-oregon/.

Portland‘s Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) is celebrating the unveiling of the city’s first cycle track on August 31st.

The new cycle track runs on Broadway, from southwest Clay to southwest Jackson, and separates cyclists from parked cars by a 3-foot striped buffer zone. This seven-block section has always had heavy bike traffic and few right turns for cars, which makes it the perfect location to test this innovative concept.

In addition to the bicycle-friendly lanes, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has painted green markings throughout the track to facilitate left-hand turns for bikers. Known as “Copenhagen lefts,” they are the first of their kind being used in North America.

The BTA helped in getting this project started by creating the proposal and presenting it to the city staff.

This cycle track is the latest development in an extremely successful summer for Portland after finishing three Sunday Parkways, a new uphill bike lane on North Mississippi, and buffered bike lanes on several main streets. The PBOT believes that this track will prove safer and more comfortable for bikers and drivers alike. They plan for similar projects throughout Portland in the future.

For more information, go to http://bikeportland.org/2009/08/31/first-look-at-portlands-inaugural-cycle-track/

According to Oregon’s Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA), “The BTA and partners launched this summer’s Eye to Eye campaign activities with a press conference and bike bell giveaway on Thursday, June 25, with the theme “Room to Breathe.” As more people take advantage of summer weather to bike and walk, we’re reminding everyone to give each other some extra space on our streets and paths by slowing down when necessary, increasing passing distance, using turn signals, and giving pedestrians and other cyclists an audible signal (like the ring of bike bell!) before passing.” 



For more information on the Eye to Eye PSA video and BTA’s summer calendar of events, click here…