GO Bond Project Bonanza and September Bikey Events!

This time of year is always a flurry of activity… not only has the number of people biking in our community expanded dramatically with sunny blue skies and a thankfully mostly smoke-free summer, but we are seeing folks get fired up about advocating for the safety of people who bike! 

[Photo: Bend Bikes] Bend Bikes and Bend YIMBY teamed up for an epic August happy hour at Bevel Brewing… which actually had enough bike parking for the dozens of supporters who turned out (including Bend City Mayoral Candidate Melanie Kebler, Bend City Council Candidate Ariel Mendez, and Deschutes County Commission Candidate Oliver Tatom)!

Call to Action: Fill Out the ODOT Innovative Mobility Program Survey!

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is designing a new $20 million-dollar Innovative Mobility Program (IMP), which aims to provide climate-friendly, equitable, and accessible options to driving alone. They are looking for feedback from folks who have been intentionally excluded and underserved by the current transportation system to understand what kind of support ODOT can provide to encourage sustainable travel options like riding a bike.

Take the SURVEY HERE by September 30th to share your thoughts on ideas like bike share programs, state bike share passes, infrastructure, free bike equipment, and others.

GO Bond Project Update: Neff and Purcell / Purcell Extension

Bend Bikes has been working closely with the Mountain View Neighborhood Association (MVNA) to address street design issues stemming from the Neff and Purcell/Purcell Extension GO bond project. This is part of a key bicycle and pedestrian route and will increase traffic drastically on Purcell from Courtney to Butler Market, a residential neighborhood that does not have safe infrastructure for people who walk, bike, and roll. 

[Photo: MVNA presentation]

Bend Bikes board members were joined by Commute Options and engineers from the City to discuss all things transportation at the MVNA August meeting. The group discussed the use of tactical urbanism to test out traffic calming measures on Purcell north of Courtney. City staff committed to supporting MVNA in getting the permits and engineering approvals for those efforts. 

One major barrier is that the section of the key bicycle and pedestrian route from Courtney to Butler Market is not a part of the GO bond project list. Without funding, advocacy efforts can be a dead end. One option is to submit projects to the Neighborhood Street Safety Program, identify other ways the GO bond can fund the project, or identify other non-bond funds. 

Based on advocacy by Bend Bikes and MVNA with City Council and City staff, the Transportation Bond Oversight Committee (TBOC) decided at its August meeting to form a working group to discuss a potential recommendation to Council to add a project to the GO bond project list to address MVNA’s concerns. The Purcell working group will meet sometime in October or early November, and then the TBOC will address any potential recommendations at its November 29, 2022 meeting. Stay tuned for more updates and opportunities to provide public comment!

Do you have GO bond projects coming up in your neighborhood? We are happy to support any neighborhood association in advocacy efforts for people who walk, bike, and roll! Contact us at [email protected]

GO Bond Project Update: Bend Bikes Board President LeeAnn O’Neill Named to Midtown Crossing Working Group

The Midtown Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossing open house summary is available for public consumption! As a quick reminder, Bend Bikes sees the most potential for near-term safety improvements at Greenwood where there is plenty of space to work with and options for quick-build protected bike lanes. Having these safety improvements at Greenwood will help alleviate detour stress when Franklin is improved and Hawthorne is constructed. Our dreams for Franklin and Hawthorne both require time consuming and expensive permitting, planning, and construction processes, so our hope is that the behind-the-scenes work progresses while we move forward with Greenwood.

So what’s next? A working group comprised of members of the Core Area Advisory Board (CAAB) and the Transportation Bond Oversight Committee (TBOC), including Bend Bikes Board President LeeAnn O’Neill, will have a public meeting on September 14, 2022 from 4 pm – 6 pm to discuss how best to move the project forward.

CAAB and TBOC will then go back to their respective committees, which will each make their own recommendations to Council. Key dates to put on your calendars for the Midtown Crossings for public comment:

  • CAAB Meeting: September 15, 2022 at 3 pm 
  • TBOC Meeting: October 4, 2022 at 4 pm

GO Bond Project Update: Wilson Corridor Survey Results

Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback about the two protected bike lane products being tested out on the Wilson corridor – DezignLine BikeRail and DuraCurb. We had 60 respondents and the clear winner between the two products was the DezignLine BikeRail, but we also saw a lot of feedback that an even more robust product like a Jersey Barrier would be preferable for many folks.

We shared all of your individual comments as well as the aggregated “vote” to City staff to help inform future protected bike lane design and will continue to make our collective voices heard. 

There were some clear themes we saw in your comments that we hope City staff hears loud and clear. People who bike in Bend want:

  • More protected bike lanes all over Bend (e.g. Wilson from 15th to Bond, Riverside by Drake Park, Brookswood, Mount Washington) as soon as possible
  • A protected bike lane product that feels substantial and that will actually stop a vehicle from crossing into the bike lane.
  • A stronger and more robust bike lane product than either the DezignLine BikeRail or DuraCurb.
  • Bike lanes that are clear of debris, broken glass, and snow.
  • More space in the bike lane to allow for adaptive bikes, for folks to ride side by side, and for people who bike to avoid drains more easily.
  • A protected bike lane product that is highly visible to people who drive.
  • An option for people who bike to enter and exit the bike lane.
  • More information on how much each product costs.

Bend Bikes Finds a New Home!

As an all volunteer grassroots advocacy organization, we had humble beginnings in 2015 when we officially became a 501c3 non-profit organization. We spent years holding our board meetings in parks and coffeeshops and relying on our board members to proffer their homes to be the home base for Bend Bikes. Thanks to some of our ongoing major donors, like the Tall Tree Trust and Spurcycle, we have found a permanent home for Bend Bikes as a partner group of The Environmental Center!

The Environmental Center plays an important role as a hub of sustainability in our community. In order to foster connections and collaboration, they help support over 25 active organizations (now including Bend Bikes!) in Central Oregon that are also working toward a more sustainable future. 

So please update your address books and any donations that are not submitted electronically can be mailed to:

Bend Bikes

16 NW Kansas Avenue

Bend, Oregon 97703

EIN 46-3988503

Join Us on Bikes for Crux Bike Night and the Environmental Center Green Tour in September! 

Crux Bike Night – Thursday, September 15th from 4 pm – 7 pm

The folks at Crux Fermentation Project want to celebrate those who go-by-bike! Ride your bike to Crux and get $1 off beers and a chance to win some Bend Bikes swag! Visit our table to check out our Bend City Bike Map and learn about bike routes around town. Connect with other advocates for people who walk, bike, and roll in town and find out how you can get involved!

Environmental Center Green Tour by Bike – Saturday, September 24th from 1pm – 4 pm

The Environmental Center will host the 2022 Green Tour for folks to see real-world examples of green buildings that contribute to a more livable and sustainable community. Bend Bike board members Kaitlin Greene and Brady Park will lead a tour of the 10 sites around town by bike! Meet at the Environmental Center on 16 NW Kansas Ave at 1PM for this roughly 10-mile casual pace ride. We plan to return to the Environmental Center around 4PM. 
Register for the event to receive a tour map and digital guide the week of the event. Email Kaitlin ([email protected]) or Brady ([email protected]) with questions or access to the Ride with GPS bike route.