September Newsletter
It has been a busy month for Bend Bikes. We hosted our first Kidical Mass ride with nearly 200 participants, led a bike tour of sustainable buildings for the Environmental Center Green tour, educated students and members of the public about our organization at the OSU Beaver Block Party, hosted a social ride to Bevel Brewing, chimed in at the Neighborhood Connections and Street Standards open house, and received the Hero Award from the Deschutes County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
This coming month, there are multiple opportunities to advocate for safer streets and a forward thinking vision for Bend’s growth and transportation network. Read on and get involved.
Photos from September
What do you want our transportation system to look like? Let the council know at their October 21st meeting!
-by David Green
In the midst of so many issues affecting our city –homelessness, housing affordability, trees, natural gas appliances and electrification, city expansion or densification, dark skies, and wildfire protection and evacuation–one issue has been constant: transportation. How our transportation system grows and changes affects our daily lives and influences almost every other issue the city is facing.
Read on to see our call to action for the October 21 city council meeting.
Should Bend Reduce Speed Limits Across the City?
–by Andy Neary
It is a well known fact that speeding on Bend’s streets is a dangerous issue and a major contributor to serious injuries and deaths*.
If you follow Bend Bikes, you know that we believe strongly that street design is a critically important way to reduce speeds on our streets. But reducing speed limits can also have widespread effects, both quickly and cheaply. Cities throughout the state and beyond are trying this approach with promising results.
Just last week Salem City Council voted unanimously to institute a city-wide speed limit reduction to 20mph on residential streets and low volume collectors. Read on to see why we think it’s time to consider this approach locally.
*2019 and 2026 Bend Transportation Safety Action Report initial conditions findings
2026 City Council Candidate Questionnaire
How we’re able to move around in Bend has an enormous influence on our quality of life. Our City Council controls the philosophy used by the engineering department to build streets. They approve the projects that get built. How they feel about transportation will affect all of our lives. Although Bend Bikes cannot endorse candidates, we’ve asked all of this year’s candidates five questions about transportation.
Remember to vote and get your ballots back before election day on November 3rd! All registered voters in Bend will be voting for the mayor and both city council positions. Follow the link below to see the candidate’s unedited responses.
This week is the week without driving!
-By Jim Elliott
The Week Without Driving, October 1-8, is a national event meant to focus attention on the transportation needs of the over 30% of those in our country who are involuntary non-drivers. It is also an opportunity for everyone to experiment with getting around town without a vehicle, whether by bus, on foot or by bike and gain perspective on the daily experience of these individuals. Read on to learn more about the event and join us in getting around town without a vehicle this week!
Volunteers Wanted!
Current Volunteer Opportunities
Video Editing Volunteer
Are you savvy with video editing or interested in learning? Bend Bikes is in the process of ramping up our video story-telling presence and could use your help! We are currently looking for a motivated individual to help create short and long-form videos to tell stories and educate the public about biking in Bend. We can provide training as well as a video-editing laptop. Email us at [email protected] to learn more!
Bike Bus Ambassadors
As school approaches we are looking for volunteers, parents and educators interested in helping to organize, lead and support bike buses to their local schools. Bend Bikes has assisted with some of these efforts over the years and hopes to help empower volunteers to organize more events in the upcoming school year. We can help with route planning, ride support and promotion. These could be daily, weekly, monthly or even one-off events. If you are interested please fill out this form.
Upcoming Events
Check out our events calendar to stay up to date with upcoming events!
Opportunities for Public Comment and Engagement
- Date/Time: Wednesday, October 7th | 3:00 – 5:00pm
- Location: Canal Row Park, 1930 Butler Market Road
- The City of Bend is having a pop-up event to get reactions to the new improvements along NE Butler Market Rd.
- The first half of the Butler Market Improvements are completed as part of the north-south Bend Bikeway. Future improvements are planned along Butler Market Rd between NE 8th St and NE Boyd Acres Rd.
- Come out to see the new bike lanes and sidewalks, show your support for these improvements, and find out what is coming next
Olney and Revere Intersections Open House
- Date/Time: Thursday, October 8th| 6:00 – 8:00pm
- Location: Pilot Butte Middle School, 1501 NE Neff Rd.
- Come weigh in on the initial designs for these four key intersections which will have a important bearing on the future livability of midtown and the Orchard district
- The project team is currently planning a partial multi-lane roundabout at 8th and Olney based on increased automobile traffic estimated for 2046
- Multi-lane roundabout configurations introduce a number of conflict points and pose considerable dangers to people driving, walking and biking in comparison to single lane configurations
- Show up and consider advocating for a single lane configuration that will improve capacity for future pedestrian, bicycle and automobile traffic while prioritizing safety for all users
- Can’t make it in person? The online open house will be available from October 8 – 22.
- Date/Time: Wednesday, October 21st| 6:00 – 8:00pm
- Location: Council Chambers, 710 NW Wall St, Bend, OR 97703
- The City Council Meeting will be focused around transportation and public safety, see the call to action above.
Bike Rides and Social Events
Bend Bikes – Saturday Social Ride
- Date/Time: Saturday, October 17th | meet at 3:15pm, depart at 3:30pm
- Location: Alpenglow Park North Parking Area (corner of Murphy and 15th)
- Mid-route option: meet at Stone Creek park at 3:45.
- Come on out for a casual, social ride to connect with the Bend biking community and explore new routes to one of our favorite breweries in southeast Bend.
- Bevel will be offering $4 pints to all who join us!
- All ages and abilities welcome, Bevel is kid friendly!
- A route leader will be available to guide the group back to the starting point at 6:00pm
- See the route here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/57394548?via=BSu1Vwf8MUY4YxpZXzdwxw
Support Bend Bikes
As an all volunteer non-profit, your support helps us stay afloat. Your donation to Bend Bikes will help support:
- Advocacy work for the safety of people on bikes in Bend
- Community events promoting better bike infrastructure
- Our vision of a complete bike network in Bend
- Equitable access for people from all communities to bike across town
You can also email [email protected] for other options such as supporting us by volunteering your time.