1/28/09 - Bikeportland.org
reports on the City of Portland's Bicycle Master Plan update process. Alta Principal Mia Birk is a co-chair of the Bike Master Plan Update Steering Committee tasked with proposing improvements to the city council. According to BP, "
Once completed, the plan has potential to become a very important road-map for biking in Portland. Its policy implications will depend a bit on timing but regardless, it will help city employees, supportive elected officials, and advocates move forward with their vision of making Portland a truly 'world-class' bike city." Read the full article
here.
1/28/09 - Alta has published a study on Bike Sharing programs.
Bike Sharing/Public Bikes: A Summary of Program, Vendors and Technologies is available on our website in the
Presentations and Studies area. Until recently, bike share programs worldwide have experienced low to moderate success; in the last 5 years, innovations in technology have given rise to a new (third) generation of technology-driven bike share programs. This study details bike share systems, compares methods, and examines the elements of successful programs worldwide. Click here to visit the Alta's
Bike Sharing page.
1/27/09 - In California the
Marin Independent Journal describes the city's push to finalize plans and begin construction on bicycle and pedestrian improvements funded as part of the Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program. Infrastructure improvements are only one element of the 5-year NMTP Program managed by Alta. Other facets of the grant such as Personal Travel Encouragement programs (see
walkbikemarin.org) are already underway and the combined efforts are making Marin County a safer, more sustainable place to travel. See the
full article here and visit
altaplanning.com for more on the national
Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Programs.
Moapa Valley, Nevada's local publication
Progress details last week's public meeting on the
Moapa Valley Trails Study. The study will develop a trail network linking key destinations for pedestrian, ATV, equestrian, and bicycle use and is eagerly seeking public input on the plan. A user needs survey and public meeting dates are already collecting feedback on the
project website. Read the full story on the
MV Progress website.
1/26/09 - Last week Mexican news outlets
Milenio and
El Informador both reported on Guadalajara's intentions to develop a non-motorized mobility plan for the six-municipality metropolitan area of the city. The plan will aim to develop a bikeway network and reclaim public spaces for pedestrians and Alta is working with
Walk and Bike for Life and the
Institute for Transportation & Development Policy to achieve these goals. An estimated 37.4% of daily trips in Guadalajara are made by foot and a bikeway network could benefit the over 80,000 daily cyclists. The 5 primary goals for the plan can be found in
Milenio's article and you can learn more in this
story from El Informador.
1/19/09 - Coming up this Wednesday,
Alta Principal Mia Birk and
Portland Bicycle Coordinator Roger Geller will be presenting a Cycle Zone Analysis webinar as part of APBP's professional development series. The webinar will discuss adapting the Cycle Zone Analysis tool to other locales, and what would be required to implement this planning tool in your community. The one-hour webinar will take place on
January 21, 2009, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. For full details about the webinar and how to register, visit the
National Center for Bicycling & Walking's webinar page or
click here to download the flier. Please contact Debra Goeks at (262) 228-7025 or
deb@apbp.org to register or for any additional questions.
Alta has previously presented the Cycle Zone Analysis tool at several conferences. You can retrieve past versions of this presentation on our
presentations and studies page.
1/19/09 - The Portland State University
Initiative for Bicycle & Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI) has announced two scholarships for 2009 - 2010. The
Alta Planning + Design Scholarship is a $2500 scholarship plus paid internship opportunity offered every year by Alta to graduate students. For full details about the available scholarships and for application instructions, visit the
IBPI application page. Applications must be submitted to IBPI (please don't contact Alta) by February 20th, 2009.
1/14/09 - The City of Portland has
released a statement about "a crucial local jobs creation and business stimulus package aimed at revving Portland’s economic engine." The city's stimulus package, based around public infrastructure projects, will invest $503 million in the local economy create nearly 5,000 jobs. The stimulus package includes several important bicycle and pedestrian projects including the
Gibbs Street Pedestrian Bridge- Alta led the bicycle/pedestrian team of a multi-disciplinary team effort to design the bridge providing ADA accommodation, demand analysis, and intersection crossing improvements at key intersections. The City says that project will cost $11 million and create an estimated 157 jobs.
Bikeportland.org has more on this and the other bicycle and pedestrian improvement plans included in the stimulus package. Learn more about the complete stimulus package on the
city's website.
1/7/09 -
Consider Biking released
this press release announcing that Columbus, OH City Council enacted revisions to traffic codes that will implement key provisions of the
Columbus Bicentennial Bikeways Plan. The Plan, created through a city-wide, comprehensive, public-involvement process and released by Alta last may, creates a blueprint for making the City of Columbus a "Bicycle Friendly Community." The plan uses the "4-E's" -- engineering, education, encouragement, and enforcement -- to accomplish its goals. For more information about the Bicentennial Bikeways Plan plan visit the
project website.
Download the press release by
clicking here [PDF].1/6/09 -
Streetsblog LA picked up the story that Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is voting on a
proposal to fund the creation of a county-wide Bike Master Plan. Alta's LA office is already hard at work on the
City of Los Angeles' Bike Master Plan and Sharrow system, but this proposed plan would potentially extend the reach of the current efforts to the great LA county. The county's current Bicycle Master Plan hasn't been updated since 1975.
12/27/08 - This month's issue of
Oregon Business magazine features a
cover story on Oregon's bicycle fueled industry and the cultural momentum behind it.
The article discusses Portland and regional businesses including manufacturing, sales, and organized events claiming in all the state generates $150 million in annual bicycle-related revenue. This articles comes on the heals of Alta's recent report on Portland's bicycle-related industry growth.
Mia Birk is featured in the article as well as the stories of several Oregon based business owners and a brief look at the growth of ridership and interest across the state. The January 2009 issue of
Oregon Business is currently available online and you can read the full article "
Geared Up"
here.
12/27/08 - Streetsblog
recently interviewed Alta planner David Pulsipher about his involvement in the forthcoming
Los Angeles Bicycle Master Plan Update and LA local education & community-building cycling group
C.I.C.L.E. The interview touches on the role of activism in the planning process as well as the importance of public involvement to help shift public perception of riders. "I really want to encourage feedback from the public," says David, "it helps us make sure we've addressed the common concerns out there."
Read the full interview here and check the
LA Bike Master Plan website for the latest news and updates.
12/15/08 - On December 4th the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission adopted the Comprehensive Local Regional Bikeways Plan prepared by Alta reports the
Dayton Daily News. Among other features, the trails plan calls for complete connections between existing bike paths to encourage active, non-motorized transportation and improve safety.
The article discusses the reason MVRPC chose to drop the plan's language outlining Complete Streets policy- city staff and the League of American Bicyclists are optomistic that a similar policy will be adopted in the future. For more information on the plan and to review documents and presentations, visit the project website at
http://altaprojects.net/mvrpc/
12/12/08 - Tune in to
KERA 90.1 Dallas Public Radio (broadcast or
online) to hear
Alta Principal Mia Birk discuss how the proposed Katy Trail improvements and connections will improve personal travel options in the city. The KERA program "
think" hosted by Krys Boyd will also feature Eric Van Steenburg, executive director of the
Friends of the Katy Trail. Show starts at 12:00pm CST (see program guide
here) and you can read more about the discussion topic
here. You can tune in locally in Dallas on 90.1 or online at
http://www.kera.org/audio12/11/08 - The
Rails to Trails Conservancy is seeking active transportation project submissions to include in their federal economic recovery package proposal. According to RTC "The recovery package will likely be $700 billion or more, aiming to create and maintain 2.5 million jobs over the next two years. This framing is significantly different than previous estimates of $300 billion over a few months—hence our renewed call for projects." Learn more about the goals of this economic stimulus project and submission guidelines at the RTC
online submission page.
Submissions are due Monday, 12/15/08 - 12:00pm ET!12/10/08 - The
Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) is hosting a series of webinars in the coming weeks featuring Alta staff. On December 17th Alta
Program Manager Jessica Roberts will be presenting "Bring SmartTrips Home," a look at programs use for individualized marketing to change trip behavior by offering information and support for shifting some car trips to walking, bicycling and transit trips. On January 21st
Alta Principal Mia Birk will join Portland Bicycle Coordinator Roger Geller for "Cycle Zone Analysis (CZA), A New Bicycle Transportation Planning Tool," discussing how this tool helps Portland planners more accurately assess and improve cycling conditions. You can learn more and register for theses webinars at
http://www.bikewalk.org/webinar.php. Cost is $50 per site for APBP members; $60 per site for non-APBP members.
If you missed these great presentations at the 2008 Pro Walk/Pro Bike conference, this is your opportunity catch them live and interact with the presenters. For a sneak peek at these topics, download the presentation slideshows from the
presentations & studies section of
altaplanning.com12/1/08 -
Alta Principal Mia Birk is hard at work on her forthcoming book:
Joyride: One Woman's Journey Empowering People and Transforming Communities. It is a memoir following her career, and telling the story of what we have done to revolutionize Portland and integrate bicycling and walking into daily life in communities across the U.S. Publication is planned for Fall 2009.
Click here if you would like to be notified about advance ordering information.
12/1/08 - A recent
Dallas Morning News editorial outlines the potential positive impact of the Katy Trail expansion project. Aside from offering transportation alternatives and a recreational outlet in existing neighborhoods, the expansion project could help extend new commercial and residential growth.
Read the full editorial here and learn more about the Katy Trail project- under development by Alta and Friends of the Katy Trail-
on the project website.
11/25/08 - Following a recent visit to Copenhagen,
Alta Principal Mia Birk has developed
Cycle Tracks: Lessons Learned, a guide to the advantages and best practices of implementing these bicycle-exclusive facilities. Cycle tracks have been an roadway accomodation for many years in European cities, but have only recently begun to appear in the United States. Safety and increased ridership are key factors in their popularity. To review the full report, visit our
Presentations and Studies page.
11/11/08 - The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ask "
Can Milwaukee become the next big bike friendly city?" in the Editorial Board's blog. The article is about Alta's work with the City of Milwaukee and the
Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin to assist in
updating the Milwaukee Bicycle Master Plan including the public process and feedback integral to Alta's work. Alta Project Assistant
Susan Peithman is quoted in the article- she's a Chicago native with experience riding in Milwaukee and understands the issues facing the city and what it's taken for her present home of Portland to become a bike friendly city. For more information about the Milwaukee plan update process,
visit the project website.
