Riders stop for homemade beignets during Southeast Portland Sunday Parkways in 2018. Photo by Greg Raisman, Portland Bureau of Transportation.
(April 30, 2019) Bike Month begins tomorrow with exciting programming from the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) for kids and adults looking to learn to ride for the first time, refresh their skills, meet new people or express their creativity through biking.
Get creative! Bike to Books returns for a third year
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and Multnomah County Library are celebrating Bike Month with the return of the Bike to Books design contest. Students living in Multnomah County from Pre-Kindergarten to 12th Grade are invited to design bike lane art for installation in one of the City’s bike lanes. Portland’s bike lane art, found in bike lanes and on neighborhood greenways across the city, is well known nationwide. Designs are created by crew members on their own time using leftover materials that would otherwise go to waste. Seven student-designed bike lane art installations have been placed across the city since the program’s inception in 2017.
Young people in Portland and Multnomah County can submit their own designs using the bike symbol design template. The winning art will be installed on a bike lane by one of PBOT's striping crews. Second prize winners will each receive four full-day passes to ride their bicycle at the Lumberyard Bike Park (including rental bikes and safety equipment if needed) and third prize winners will win a bike helmet from Portland-based Nutcase Helmets. Coloring pages can be picked up at all Multnomah County Library branches (click here for locations) or downloaded online. Contestants must drop-off their entry at a library branch in person, to be entered into the contest. Full contest rules are available online.
Bike Fairy visits to over 95 Portland K-8 schools
In celebration of Walk + Roll Challenge Month, the PBOT Safe Routes to Schools team is delivering “Bike Fairy” prize packets for students that bike and roll to school during the week of May 6–10. This year the Bike Fairy will visit over 95 Portland K-8 school campuses to leave notes and small prizes on bikes, skateboards, and scooters. During Bike Fairy week in 2018, a total of 1,593 prize kits were delivered across the city, spreading encouragement to new and seasoned riders and rollers.
BIKETOWN, Adaptive BIKETOWN and other bicycle riders take an inaugural ride down Better Naito in May 2018. Photo by Sarah Petersen, Portland Bureau of Transportation.
Free Ride Days on BIKETOWN and Adaptive BIKETOWN
For the 18 and over set, BIKETOWN is excited to once again make Bike Month the best month with Free Ride Days from May 9-19! Celebrate with a spin along the waterfront or a leisurely roll home in the fresh spring air. This is also the perfect time to boost your office's points in the Bike More Challenge with a Lunch Ride. Simply select Pay-As-You-Go when you sign up and we'll waive the registration fee and per minute fee so you can cruise easily through Bike To Work Day (5/17) and the Southeast Sunday Parkways (5/19).
Adaptive BIKETOWN - PBOT’s bike rental service focused on increasing bicycle access to people with disabilities – kicks off its third season on May 1. Last summer Adaptive BIKETOWN added two electric-assist foot-powered cycles through a grant from Nike. Like its sister program, Adaptive BIKETOWN rentals will provide 90 minutes of free ride time from May 9-19 for those that qualify for a TriMet Honored Citizens pass.
Free guided bike rides and classes all summer long
For adults new to cycling, new to the area, or just getting back on the bike, PBOT’s guided bike rides and skill-building classes are a great opportunity to learn in a supportive setting. Guided bike rides show you the best of Portland's neighborhoods and how to ride safely and confidently. Classes and rides are offered from May through August. All rides are loops - they start and end at the same spot – are between 6 to 11 miles round-trip, and are free and open to the public. It’s like free Bike Camp for adults! Currently scheduled rides for May include:
- Pretty Chill Cycling (PCC) Southeast Ride, Thursday, May 2, 11:00 a.m., meet at Portland Community College SE, SE Division and 82nd (quad north of library)
- Pretty Chill Cycling (PCC) Cascade Ride, Thursday, May 9, 11:00 a.m., meet at Portland Community College Cascade, N Albina Ave between Killingsworth and Jessup (quad east of Albina)
- Bridges to the Sky Ride, Saturday, May 11, 10:30 a.m., meet at Powell Park, SE Powell Blvd and 26th Ave (by the swings) – This kid-friendly ride via several bridges to the Portland Tram and "Celebrate Moms" event.
- Pretty Chill Cycling (PCC) Sylvania Ride, Thursday, May 16, 11:00 a.m., meet at Portland Community College Sylvania Main Stop, SW 49th Ave near library.
For those interested in hands-on learning, the bureau is offering a Bike Maintenance Basics Class at p:ear Bike Works, 16126 SE Stark St, on Thursday, May 9 at 6 p.m. The class covers basic bike maintenance, flat repair, and a few simple adjustments and cleaning techniques. Learn how to keep your bike running like a well-oiled machine!
Fun for the whole family at Sunday Parkways Southeast
Mark your calendars for May 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the first Sunday Parkways of 2019. Cruise along inner Southeast Portland to enjoy a delicious dose of summer time magic. This route will explore the neighborhood greenways of Ankeny, Clinton, Lincoln, Salmon, Taylor streets, visit four city parks, feature live music, marketplaces and more. While you’re at it, don’t forget to dance, grab a bite to eat and learn something new.
Resources to get you riding
Be sure to check out PBOT’s bicycling resources on the web, including Portland’s bike and walk maps, an interactive digital bike map of the City of Roses, the Portland Family Biking Guide, the Portland Biking Guide, a comprehensive list of bicycle shops in Portland as well as bicycle rentals, bicycle-related clubs and meetings, and much more.
Have a wonderful bike month, Portland!