Portland Cyclists to Parks & Rec: We Need More Off-Road Recreation

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Thursday, January 08, 2015

Üma Kleppinger, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Portland mountain bike advocates sent a clear message Wednesday night, asking Portland Parks & Recreation to commit resources to create citywide off-road cycling master plan.

Last night, the Parks department hosted a public meeting to discuss budget line items for 2015. Missing from the printed list of one-time budget items already being considered by Parks was the citywide recreational cycling master plan, suggested by Commissioner Amanda Fritz almost one year ago. 

In a blog post dated February 2014, Fritz wrote "I believe that a citywide Master Plan for cycling recreation is needed prior to embarking on individual projects." Since then any discussions have resulted in little more than spinning wheels, metaphorically speaking.

Local off-road advocacy group, the Northwest Trail Alliance came prepared; the group presented a petition with over 2,500 signatures from urban off-road cyclists, asking the city to allocate the funds to create a master plan. Of the 125 or so in attendance at last night's discussion, approximately one-quarter were mountain bikers invested in securing improved recreational opportunities in Portland.

Long-time Portland resident, community advocate, and mountain biker Ron Strasser, addressed the group, joking that he "had to get back to the nursing home before they noticed he'd snuck out".

"Kids of all ages need safe places to recreate. Right now people must pack up a bike on their car and drive out of town to get to off-road access. It just doesn't make sense—environmentally or economically," Strasser said. "What about families who can't get out of town because they have no vehicle or can't afford the gas? These cheap gas prices we're enjoying now won't last."

The printed petition was handed over to Parks staff by two of Portland's youngest off-road cyclists—Ian and Nora Panoscha—as NWTA President Kelsey Cardwell addressed the assembly. Cardwell pointed out that many active, young professionals moving to Portland for quality of life and work opportunities feel the city isn't measuring up to its image as a gateway to the outdoors. 

"Portland has the opportunity to make the entry into outdoor recreation less steep. People shouldn't have to rely on their cars to enjoy nature by bike when we have so much available in the urban boundary," Cardwell said. 

"We have great access, huge numbers of bicycle-related businesses, hundreds of bike shops, and massive organizations like the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance" Cardwell said. "Portland lacks the infrastructure to really put it together, but with a master plan in place coupled with the resources of the NWTA and our partner, the International Mountain Bike Association, we could provide a lot of the tools and support the city needs to bring off-road cycling to life here."

Although over 2500 signatures have been collected and submitted, the petition is still open; you can add your voice to the discussion, here.

 

 

Üma Kleppinger is a Portland-based copy writer, author and bike addict. A recovering sesquipedalian who blogs about life in the saddle and outdoor adventure, she is also the author of Bike Yoga, a flexibility and recovery program for cyclists. When not writing, she can be found riding and racing her mountain bike throughout the Pacific Northwest. If you have cycling-related news to share, events to promote, or  deep thoughts about this or any other cycling related matters, shoot her a nice email.

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