Last week’s post about PBOT bike coordinator Roger Geller’s plan to spur a Portland bike renaissance was a shoe-in for a lot of great comments.
I was drawn to Dan’s comment partly because of his writing “voice” — it goes down easy, and is unpretentious and authoritative at the same time. Like someone who knows what he is talking about, but parked the ego at the door.
Here are Dan’s ideas for sparking a resurgence in cycling:
I have spent 45 years riding my bike everywhere, including over 35 years commuting and riding for fun in and around Portland. In my view, marketing ain’t gonna cut it.
For example, there’s a bike lane on Beaverton-Hilldale Highway, which is an important transportation corridor to the west. And even I hate riding on it. I used to ride my bike to meetings and events in downtown Portland, parking and locking it on the street. The idea of doing that now is laughable. People in cars have become more and more lawless, and the streets more dangerous. To really make bikes a meaningful part of our transportation system, here are a few ideas:
1) Step up enforcement of traffic laws — a lot.
2) Build more off-street bike paths. This includes both in town and long-distance bike paths to far-away places.
3) Create a secure, staffed bike parking facility downtown.
4) Improve and maintain existing bike infrastructure, including sweeping.
5) Tax gas and cars a lot more.
6) Close some streets downtown and in business hubs and create pedestrian areas.
7) Provide tax advantages for buying and using bikes and electric bikes.
8) Crack down on bike thefts and theft rings.
9) Dramatically increase civil and criminal penalties for drivers that hit, harass, or otherwise harm cyclists.
10) Elect leaders who think of cycling as a form of transportation at least equal in importance to all others, not just a niche segment to wink at now and then to be politically correct.Many will dismiss most or all of these suggestions as unrealistic, and indeed perhaps they are in early 21st century America — even in a place that at least thinks of itself as progressive like Portland. But in other places in the world, all of these things are simply reality — and they work. Marketing is basically wishing something will happen. We need to do the hard work to try to make it actually happen. We get the society we collectively decide to make.
Thank you, Dan! You find Dan’s comment, and the rest of the top-notch thread, under the original post.