NEEDLE & GLOBE

Via bikeportland.org, by Jonathan Maus:

The Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 passed with unanimous support by City Council this afternoon and the vote came with a $20 million commitment from Mayor Adams.

Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who created quite a dust storm with a funding proposal last week, decided to heed advice from the City’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and fold his idea into the plan (which calls for a Funding Task Force where ideas like his can be fleshed out).

After dispatching with Saltzman’s amendment, saying “I think this plan deserves better in terms of a funding source,” Adams proposed a new funding concept that will commit $20 million to bike projects. Adams said he’ll return to council in 30 days with more details on the “kickstart funding option,” but for now he said, “It shows our support for getting going with a bang.”

According to Adams’ transportation policy advisor Catherine Ciarlo, the Mayor’s idea commits $2 million per year to bike projects for the next 10 years (the money will also be “bonded against,” a process which I still don’t completely understand).

Adams’ office is yet to figure out every detail of where the $2 million per year will come from. The main source will be the Bureau of Environmental Services’ (BES) Green Streets program. BES and PBOT have worked together via the Green Streets program for years. In a nutshell, the program re-constructs roads to better handle stormwater runoff. The big bike-related component of Green Streets are curb extensions with bioswales.

Adams’ concept is to work with Saltzman and BES to find money in the BES budget, devote it to the Green Streets program, and then build curb extensions with the money. Curb extensions (also known as “neckdowns”) are a popular — and expensive — tool in PBOT’s bike boulevard tool kit.

It’s important to note that Adams’ $20 million, if it comes mostly from BES, will not be a blank check to build cycle tracks, buffered bike lanes, etc… The funds will only go toward curb extensions and other street features that are part of the Green Streets program. While that constraint might disappoint some (especially those who despise curb extensions in general), it also means other funds available for bike projects can go toward other things.

Another place in the BES budget Adams said he’d look for funds is “administrative savings” from the bureau’s Big Pipe project, which he said is “winding down.”

The other Commissioners had nothing but praise for Adams and the plan.

Commissioner Amanda Fritz said “This is a plan that is not going to sit on the shelf; it will get daily use.” Addressing concerns she’s heard about the “$600 million price tag” of the plan, she said she is still focused on her mantra of “providing basic services” to Portlanders and that “walking and bicycling are basic services.” “All of us want all of our citizens to be safe as they move around our city.”

Commissioner Nick Fish prefaced his remarks by turning to Mayor Adams and saying, “This is your moment, so I’ll be brief.” He gave Adams and PBOT staff a lot of credit for seeing the plan through. “I can’t think of a process that has been more inclusive… credit goes to the Mayor.” Fish also remarked that, “This will make bicycling a cornerstone of Portland’s sustainable transportation system…. As a father of a 6 year old, this is particularly exciting for me.” (Fish also used his time to mention his work on creating more off-road trail opportunities in Portland.)

Before voting in support of the plan, Commissioner Dan Saltzman said, “If we waited for funding before we did something we wouldn’t have streetcars!… You have to be ambitious and shoot for the stars. This is a plan that does that.”

Saltzman also addressed Adams’ “kickstart” funding concept, saying, “It’s a concept I’m fully prepared to embrace, but I need to think about how it might impact ratepayers and… I need to see the details…”

Commissioner Randy Leonard called Adams’ funding idea, “Ingenious.” “It ties our desire to build smarter streets and sidewalks and bikeways with the impact it has on our streams and rivers.”

Michelle Poyourow of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, an advocate who has contributed immensely to the development of the Bike Plan, said, “I can’t think of a better way to end my second-to-last day on the job.” (She resigned from the BTA last week).

Via star-telegram, by Mike Lee:

As a sea of bicyclists in red and yellow jerseys looked on, City Council members moved forward with a long-range plan this week to weave cyclists into the traffic pattern across Fort Worth.

The city has had false starts before with bike plans. But a grassroots movement, including two big bicycling clubs, is solidly behind the latest version, known as Bike Fort Worth.

“With a city that is more bicycle-friendly, then the sport of cycling will be enhanced, and maybe that will encourage more bicycle riding and less auto driving,” John Roberts, president of the Fort Worth Bicycling Association, told the City Council on Tuesday.

Jim Wilson, president of the Lockheed Martin Recreation Association’s cycling club, said the bike plan complements the city’s push to get people out of cars by encouraging mass transit and building walkable neighborhoods.

“None of those can go to every home — none of those can go to every neighborhood; the bicycle is another avenue to connect each of those,” he said.

The plan calls for creating 900 miles of new trails and bike lanes — up from 100 miles today — and connecting that web to popular destinations and to other cities, while encouraging cycling and striving to decrease bike accidents.

There’s no funding in the city budget for any specific projects, but adding bike routes to Fort Worth’s long-term plans will make it possible to build the bike routes incrementally as the city grows. It will also increase the odds of winning state and federal grants, said Julia McCleeary, a city planner.

Bikes have been an afterthought for most of Fort Worth’s explosive growth. In 2004, for instance, the city announced it would stripe 300 miles of bike lanes. But only 40 miles were actually built, because of lack of funds, McCleeary said.

A couple of things have changed since then.

In 2008, the city and the economic development group Fort Worth South joined forces to restripe Magnolia Avenue between Eighth Avenue and Hemphill Street. The street went from four lanes to three lanes, with wide bike lanes on each side. The street was already becoming a hipster mecca because of its restaurants, and now the bike racks are full on most days.

At the same time, cycling has become more popular overall, in part because of the spike in fuel prices in 2008.

“It’s hip and cool, it’s urban – it’s living in the city,” Councilman Joel Burns said.

Doug Black, a lawyer for the city who commutes by bicycle a couple days a week, said many of the basics for bike commuting are already in place. Most downtown streets are one-way, and the traffic moves slowly enough that bikes can mingle safely.

“Downtown riding is very, very convenient. Getting into downtown, depending on your arterial, is very, very tricky,” he said.

The bigger obstacles are convenience issues — where to find bike racks, showers and a place to change into professional clothes, he said. Black keeps his work clothes in his office at City Hall and uses extra deodorant.

McCleeary said even incremental steps could bring about big changes.

“There are a lot of people out there who actually do ride their bikes, and they’re craving these facilities so they can feel safe,” she said. “It’s kind of a feedback loop — the more cyclists there are, the more safe they feel.”

Black said he sees signs every day that bicycling is catching on. “I think the critical mass is out there to develop this city into a first-class biking city,” he said.