No gridlock. No emissions. No gas. Plus they're cheaper and they're good for your health. By most measures, bikes are a more efficient form of transportation than cars. Portland is a great city for riding your bike, but that didn't happen by magic. It's taken years of teamwork by the Portland Bureau of Transportation, TriMet, advocates, and folks like Timo Forsberg. For the last 20 years, he's worked on all types of bike projects for the City: Sunday Parkways, bike fairs, bike maps, and bike workshops. He also leads bike rides around Portland and has pedaled almost all 400 miles of the City's network of bike lanes. We caught up with him last week to find out more.
What is transportation demand management? I honestly don't understand that. There's a lot of ways to manage our transportation system. One way is to focus on the supply. Traditionally that meant building bigger roads and wider freeways. But with roads, when you increase the supply, you also generate more demand. So another way is to manage the demand -- encourage people to use more efficient forms of transportation than cars.
Like bikes? Like bikes. Bikes reduce congestion. Bikes reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Bikes reduce emissions, which is better for the air and the climate. And you're getting some exercise.
How do you encourage bike use? We do a lot of things. Sunday Parkways is an idea we borrowed from Bogota, Colombia. We close some streets to traffic, and open them for people so they can ride, walk, play, or just reimagine streets as something besides a place for vehicles. Streets are the biggest asset that the City manages, and we recognize that there's more you can do with them than just move cars back and forth. We want people to rekindle the joy of riding bikes with your family and friends.
Isn't biking something that either you love it or you hate it? OK, some people are never going to ride. And some people are completely fearless, and they'll ride whether there's a bike lane or not. But a lot of people are in the middle. They're interested, but they have concerns. Those are the ones we're trying to reach.
How? We hold workshops on basic bike maintenance. Because if you get a flat and you don't know how to repair it, you're not going to ride again until you have the time and energy to take it to a shop. But if you know how to fix a flat, you can get rolling right away. Another thing is the chain falling off the ring. Happens all the time. It helps to know how to get it back on.
Is there more? Yes, we hold bike fairs five or six times a year to help people do a basic bike check, basic maintenance, and learn-to-ride coaching. That can be a powerful experience.
What do you mean? Last week we did a bike fair where a woman came with her kids. We coached the kids to ride. Then it turned out the mom had never learned to ride, so my colleague coached her. And she was tearing up a little, because of the sensation -- it's like flying -- it's kind of magical -- it's an amazing feeling. So when we get a chance to help with that, it means a lot. Riding a bike is something you carry with you for life.
So bikes are part of your life? Yes. I learned relatively late. I was like 7 or 8, maybe older. But I always loved it. I played guitar in a band called the Trash Mountain Boys. We wrote a lot of songs about biking. I volunteered for cycling groups like the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (now the Street Trust) and Shift. We started Breakfast on the Bridges, serving coffee and treats to cyclists, which was just featured on NPR. That's how I met my wife!
I understand you were around for the first Naked Bike Ride? As far as I know, the first organized naked bike ride was in 2002, during the Bike Summer festival. We had some folks from Vancouver, BC, who said they were going to do this ride. They had like, 20 people join them. I wasn't quite ready. The next year we did it again and it was 25 to 35, and then it grew and grew and now it's like 10,000 or whatever.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. It was fun. See you on the bridges!