City Council Goal Setting

Happy Sunday Folks!

On Feb 19th our City Council will likely pass a resolution which outlines their goals for the coming year. This set of goals will direct the actions of the city staff. We made some progress, as Council did include the Monroe Street Bike Boulevard (also called a Neighborhood Greenway) project on their goals at their last work session; however we feel that the wording of the goal is not clear or direct enough. So, we are asking you once again to write to the council, or better yet, show up at the council meeting on Feb 19th at 7pm and testify.

#6c of their goal list says 'Consider making Monroe Street a bike boulevard'. Monroe has already been 'considered' in our 2007 Transportation System Plan (TSP), and it stands out as the top priority of the many residents who worked on the bike chapter of the TSP. We want Council to decide that it is a priority on their agenda moving forward. Unfortunately, there are many other pressing issues in town, and it seems that only 2 of the 5 Councilors are currently interested in pursuing the Monroe project. To get this project done, it is going to take as many people as possible providing testimony in City Council meetings, writing letters, and sharing the idea with our community members (so that everyone understands how the project will help to make neighborhoods along this corridor nicer places to live and increase safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and automobiles). We need all of the City Councilors and the City Manager to understand why this project is important and to commit to moving the project forward.

We ask you to encourage City Council to direct City Staff to actively prepare for, and apply for grants that will allow Milwaukie to complete projects (like Monroe) that we would otherwise be unable to do on our own due to lack of funds. We have missed, and will continue to miss grant opportunities, unless and until City Council allows City Staff to allocate time to seeking out these opportunities. Here is the email address for City Council: ocr@ci.milwaukie.or.us. Please send them a message and ask them not just to 'consider' the Monroe project, but instead to 'direct staff to actively pursue funding for the Monroe project'. Speak from your personal experience as a pedestrian or cyclist in Milwaukie and how these kinds of projects will directly affect you. Thank you for working together to make our neighborhoods more livable and increasing bicycling accessibility in Milwaukie!

If you are not up to speed on what the Monroe project could look like, here is a short video showing an example in SE Portland.

http://www.streetfilms.org/portland-or-bicycle-boulevards/

Thanks for your time and consideration!
--
Greg Baartz-Bowman & Matt Menely
Bike Milwaukie Co-Organizers

Building community and encouraging advocacy in Milwaukie on self propelled wheels.
We have monthly or semi-monthly rides in and around Milwaukie.
Keep informed about Bike Milwaukie events on Facebook

City Council Goals for 2013??

Tell our City Council to make Monroe and other Bike/Pedestrian improvements from the 2007 TSP a priority in the coming year.

Please take a look at this from some background.
http://btaoregon.org/2013/01/tell-milwaukie-city-council-to-make-monroe-a-priority/


Tell the the City Council in person at their upcoming goal setting meeting on Jan. 22nd. You can also contact them here anytime: ocr@ci.milwaukie.or.us

City Council Goals?

Dear Milwaukie Bicyclists,
For the last year and a half we have been quietly showing you around Milwaukie and the surrounding area, hoping to inspire you and your neighbors into getting on you bikes more.

In 2007 the City developed it's most recent Transportation System Plan (TSP). In this plan is a road map to a better bike-way network for cyclists in Milwaukie. Since our City Council approved the TSP at the end of 2007, the City has installed bike-route signage throughout the City, and part of Lake road has been repaved and bike lane markings laid down, but other than that not too much has happened in terms of evolving the safety and quality of our cycling infrastructure.

 We've been quietly asking for further development of the Monroe Street Bike Boulevard and Bike Milwaukie even jointly applied for a grant with the City to obtain funding to install Sharrows on Monroe (which we did not receive). Monroe Street was highlighted as part of the recent New Year's Day ride of over 100 cyclists, lead by the The Bicycle Transportation Alliance, and graciously supported by some of our fellow community members including the Mayor of Milwaukie.

So we ask, would you like better bike infrastructure in Milwaukie? Would you like to see Monroe as the primary East/West bike route as laid out in the 2007 TSP?  If so, please contact City Council, and ask them to consider making bicycling infrastructure improvements (especially on Monroe Street) a priority in their upcoming goal setting meeting on Jan. 22nd.
You can contact them here anytime: ocr@ci.milwaukie.or.us

Bike Milwaukie Farm Tour Ride- Sunday

Hello Everyone,

This Sunday, Aug 19th is the next Bike Milwaukie ride.  This month's ride is a tour of small local farms and community gardens.  Starting at 9:00 am at City Hall  The ride will take approx 3 hours and cover approx 8-10 miles, and end back at City Hall.  When we finish the Farmers Market will be in full swing so you can do some shopping or grab a bite to eat!

At each farm we will stop for 10-20 minutes and learn a little about each farm
Wear shoes that you are comfortable walking in the dirt and gravel with.
Please bring water and consider wearing a helmet. 

We hope to see you there! 

Thanks,
--
Greg Baartz-Bowman & Matt Menely
Bike Milwaukie Co-Organizers

Building community and encouraging advocacy in Milwaukie on self propelled wheels.
We have monthly or semi-monthly rides in and around Milwaukie.
Keep informed about Bike Milwaukie events on Facebook

August Ride

Hey everyone - Join us next Sunday, August 19th for a awesome ride to the farms of Milwaukie!

The Farm Ride starts at 9AM. We meet at Milwaukie City Hall. More details to follow this week on the Bike Milwaukie Facebook page.

See you next week!

June Rides!

Hello Folks,
Bike Milwaukie had a great ride last weekend, looping around town and learning a bit about Milwaukie's rich history.
About 20 neighbors joined us, even though it rained most of the ride.

Mark your calendars.  Bike Milwaukie will have 2 rides in June!

June 9th (Saturday 9:00 am) - Ride to the Dragon Boat Races near the Hawthorne Bridge, along the Springwater.
June 30th (Saturday 4:30 pm) – An evening ride out to Cartopia food carts for dinner (and possibly beyond), on the Springwater Trail.

Both rides start and finish in front of City Hall. Rain or Shine.

Please pass this along to anyone who might be interested.

Click 'like' on our Bike Milwaukie Facebook page to receive updates about upcoming rides.

Hope to see you there!
Thank you,

--
Greg Baartz-Bowman & Matt MenelyBike Milwaukie Co-Organizers

Building community and encouraging advocacy in Milwaukie on self propelled wheels.
We have monthly or semi-monthly rides in and around Mi

FW: Get your registration in for the Oregon Active Transporation Summit!

 

2012 Oregon Active Transportation Summit – April 16-17, Salem The excitement is building! People from all over the state are signing up to be part of the Oregon Active Transportation Summit – the year's premier gathering of active transportation advocates. Come join us as we shape the future of active transportation! This is your chance to stay up to date and fully involved in Oregon's cycling, walking and transit issues – and registration for the Oregon Active Transportation Summit is only $50 per person. The conference officially kicks off Monday evening with an inspirational opening session called "The Future of Active Transportation" from Alan Durning of the Sightline Institute. The event continues all day Tuesday, with keynote speakers, a wide variety of breakout sessions to sample, and a must-see lunchtime panel called "Bikes Mean Business" that explores the economic benefits of promoting cycling. On Monday, before the conference officially begins, there will be a variety of meetings and one all-day session on the NACTO bikeway design guide. These meetings and session are open to all conference registrants. Click here to see the full agenda for the summit and the meeting schedule. Your registration includes a reception the first evening, light breakfast and lunch the second day, plus the chance to connect with some of the most involved transportation advocates around. Get an updated agenda and all the event details at the Oregon Active Transportation Summit website. The pre-conference session on The NACTO (National Association of City Transportation Officials) bikeway design guide will be offered on Monday, April 16 from 9 a.m. – 5p.m. Taught by Roger Geller, Rob Burchfield and Peter Koonce, the session will cover the 21 designs found in the guide as well as other treatments in use, but not yet covered there. The NACTO Guide presents both detailed designs and examples of how best practice bikeways are being implemented throughout North America. The course is intended for traffic engineers, project managers, planners and anyone interested in the nuts and bolts and discussion of more recent bikeway designs. Completing the training offers 6 professional development hours and the NACTO guide is available for purchase when registering for the summit. 2012 Oregon Active Transportation Summit April 16-17 Salem Conference Center 200 Commercial St. SE Salem, Oregon 97301 503-589-1715 Attendees $50; Exhibitors $30 Host Hotel: Grand Hotel info@cycleoregon.com   Cycle Oregon