February to May 2009 Articles

5/6/09 - The Vancouver Voice ran this story about bicycling in Clark County, Washington. The county is working with Alta to develop a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan for the area encompassing the Vancouver and surrounding communities to promote active urban transportation as well as rural areas for recreational cycling. The county's goals include making Clark County a bicycle tourism destination. According to the article: "biking in Clark County is: healthy, active, enviro-friendly, communal and cost-effective. Perhaps most important, however, is what a well-known biking infrastructure can bring in: money." Read the full article here.

5/2/09 - Mia Birk's presentation to the Portland City Club- part of their "All About the Bike" program on May 1st- is available for download. Click here to download the speech in print form or listen to the presentation- featuring Mia and several other key members of Portland's bicycle industry and popularity growth- by downloading the MP3 here.

4/27/09 - The city of Grand Rapids, Michigan held their first annual Bike Summit this year expressing the city's commitment to developing bicycle facilities in an effort to be designated a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. Detailed coverage of the summit is available on mediamouse.org including Senior Associate Ann Freiwald's discussion of best practices, the influence of bike culture, and the importance of safety in encouraging new riders.

Mia Birk will be discussing bicycles as an economic influence, an urban planning opportunity and a lifestyle at the first May City Club of Portland Friday Forum. She'll be joined by other members of Portland's bicycle industry including a number of local bicycle builders displaying their work. Full details are available here.

Efforts to promote mountain biking in Portland continues to find traction and a coalition of mountain bike advocates has recently formed. Learn more in bikeportland.org's article. Alta is pleased to be part of this effort by discovering opportunities for more mountain biking in and around the city. Learn more about our experience with Mountain Bike Parks and Tourism on our Parks, Green Spaces, and Great Places page.

4/24/09 - Streetsblog LA features Culver City, CA's Bicycle & Pedestrian Initiative in their Bike Friendly Friday section. According to SBLA, "Culver City is working and planning to become the kind of bike-town that could rival Santa Monica for top spot on the Westside." Alta's Los Angeles office is working on the city's plan that includes coordination with the development of a light rail station and improved access to existing bike paths and infrastructure. The public input process has already begun and the community is encouraged to get involved at www.ccwalkbike.org

4/24/09 - The Greenville News reports on Easley, South Carolina's "push to become more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly" in this article. Alta was awarded the city's contract to develop a bicycle and pedestrian master plan for the community funded by an area transportation study. The plan reflects the City's desire to become a more fit and active community and is one of the City's first steps towards its goal of achieving Bicycle Friendly Community Status. It will involve an active community engagement process and is scheduled to be finished in early 2010. John Cock, Alta's new regional manager in the Southeastern United States will be leading this effort.

4/23/09 - Alta Principal Mia Birk was a panelist for Portland, Oregon's recent Green City Confidential symposium. The topics- based around improving Portland's sustainability- included livable metropolitan spaces, green transportation, development, and commerce. Mia's view is that while Portland has come a long way to becoming one of the country's most bicycle friendly cities, it has a long way to go in comparison to European cities like Copenhagen. See the Portland Daily Journal of Commerce's coverage of the panel here and learn more about Mia's recent experience with European bicycle infrastructure in our Cycle Tracks: Lessons Learned publication.

4/14/09 - Portland's Gateway Green project- a vision to build a 35 acre park in East Portland including world class mountain biking and cyclocross facilities- received major backing recently. The Oregonian reports on the momentum building on the project and mentions the concept plan for the park developed by Alta's Chris Bernhardt.

4/9/09 - Runner's World asks Alta Senior Associate Chris Bernhardt "Where Do Trails Come From?" Their article is a great look a the start-to-finish process it takes to design and build a natural surface trail.

4/9/09 - StreetFilms celebrates their 200th film with a recap of the previous 199. This three minute clip gives us a glimpse of livable streets efforts from around the world. Among the many featured activists, policy makers, and familiar faces is Alta Principal Mia Birk from the 2007 Bicycle Boulevards film in which she describes the how and why of Portland Bike Boulevard network.

4/1/09 - We've brought you special news and announcements before on the Rails-to-Trials Conservancy's Campaign for Active Transportation and we're happy to help spread the word about their upcoming Transportation Forum in Alameda County, California:

Alameda County Active Transportation Forum & Open House - April 16th
TransForm, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a TransForm regional coalition member), and United Seniors are working with the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority to make Alameda County a model for bicycling and walking. The 2010 Campaign for Active Transportation seeks to establish a $2 billion national Active Transportation Program, and bring $50 million of that federal funding to Alameda County to complete the Iron Horse Trail, expand Safe Routes to Schools programs, and improve access to transit for seniors. Come discuss the campaign Thursday, April 16, 2009 from 6:30-8:30pm at Dublin, CA City Hall. For directions and information about the April 16 Forum, click here ; to learn more about the Active Transportation Campaign, go to www.railstotrails.org/2010 or call Rails-to-Trails at 415-814-1100.

3/27/09 - Oregon Field Guide examines Portland's growing bicycle ridership, infrastructure, and network. This segment takes a look at the City of Portland's efforts to improve safety and Alta Principal Mia Birk discusses the motivation for improving conditions and education for cycling. Portland's bike boulevards, green bike boxes, and Springwater Corridor are highlighted and there's even a look inside Alta's Portland office. See the full segment here (7.5 minutes).

3/12/09 - Recent Updates & Mentions:

• Alta Senior Associate Steve Durrant's concept for secure bike parking facilities at transit stations was featured in this Bikeportland.org article about the Portland Metro Council's approval of stimulus funds for bike-related infrastructure. TriMet, Portland's regional public transit authority, was awarded funding for bike stations and bike garages describes as “secure, covered, high capacity bike parking facilities" that will be located a major transit centers around the city. Alta has been working with TriMet to research and develop proper designs for these facilities which help connect bicyclists to transit.
• Streetsblog San Francisco reported on the standing-room-only crowd gathered to voice their support for reopening the Alto Tunnel (a prexisting railway tunnel between Mill Valley and Corte Madera, California). Alta+LandPeople is developing the corridor study for this connection as part of Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program . Find more information about this study on the walkbikemarin.org website.

3/2/09 - Streetsblog San Francisco goes more in depth about last week's announcement City of Sausalito's contract with Alta to recommend options for riding on downtown ferry landing and the start of the bike path next to US 101. According to Streetsblog, "The current bike route along Bridgeway was widened and repainted last year, but neither cyclists or motorists are happy with it." The article further discusses the goals of the project and features input from the Sausalito Police Department and Marin County Bicycle Coalition . See the full story here .

2/26/09 - The Marin Independent Journal says "Southern Marin city has become a bicycle mecca in recent years" and explains the city of Sausalito, California's commitment to "find a better way to move bicyclists through town." Specifically the city council recently agreed to award Alta a contract to examine bike access between the city's Ferry Landing and Gate 6 Road, a two-mile stretch through the town, in an effort to move bicycle traffic more quickly through the city. See the full article here .

2/24/09 - "One day, the Tahquitz Creek could be a place where horseback riders, joggers and bicyclists congregate to enjoy trails, desert landscaping and wildlife," says The Desert Sun of Palm Spring, CA. Alta recently presented preliminary plans for the prospective trail system. For a summary of the improvements and amenities Alta has proposed, see the full article . The 50+ local residents are looking forward to a trail system that will add to the quality of life and provide a new horseback riding, hiking, and biking tourist destination in the community. Visit our website to learn more about Alta's unique experience in Trail Planning and Corridor Studies .

2/23/09 - Alta is hiring! We're currently seeking qualified applicants to fill roles in our Berkeley, CA and/or Portland, OR offices. Openings include Mid-Level Landscape Architect/Designer and Junior-Level Planner . Full details are available on our Careers page and applications are due March 6th.

2/12/09 - Alta Principal Mia Birk is featured in the SustainableLife section of today's Portland Tribune. The article titled " Portland ‘bike queen’ finds worldwide niche " talks about Alta's present work in Dallas, Texas as well as Mia's history as Portland bike coordinator and involvement in outreach programs. See the full article here and to learn more about Mia, visit her profile in Alta's staff directory .

2/11/09 - The Le Grande, OR Observer reported on the Joseph, OR city council review of Alta's recently submitted City Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. The article gives a brief history of the plan's purpose- originating from a citizen request for better access paths through the city which led to a grant to improve all forms of non-motorized transportation and access. Priorities in the plan are the connecting and adding sidewalks for better access to downtown and key areas. According to Alta Planner Rory Renfro , the plan not only includes "on-the-ground" improvements, but also a bicycle and pedestrian education, encouragement and enforcement campaign. Read the full article here .

2/5/09 - Bikeportland.org is running a feature on bicycle and streetcar interaction. Freelance writer Libby Tucker is examining the relationship and rider experience in Portland and cites Alta's study on bike/streetcar interaction published last year. The first in the two-part feature story is available here . Visit our Presentations & Studies page for our Report on Bicycle Interaction with Streetcars.