On Jan. 12, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a small coalition of Oregon universities a $3.5 million grant for research on alternative transportation.
Portland State was one of the universities included, as were the University of Oregon and the Oregon Institute of Technology. The grant was administered by the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC), which is based here at PSU.
“In five years, OTREC has advanced the state of research on topics such as the connections between transportation and land use; intelligent transportation systems; and bicycle, pedestrian and transit infrastructure,” OTREC Director Jennifer Dill said. “This award recognizes that work while allowing us to focus deeper on pressing national problems.”
Research and educational programs under the grant will focus on improving health and safety for all users, increasing the efficiency and understanding of cycling, walking and transit, making the best use of data, performance measures and analytical tools.
The grant will also help boost PSU’s reputation for integrating sustainability and livability into transportation research and education on a national level. Projects under the grant will be awarded on a competitive level and will begin this coming fall.
This grant could not have come at a better time. According to the Oregon Health and Science University’s 2011 Bike Program survey, 2011 was a banner year for Portland cycling. Portland already boasts a positive reputation as being a very bike-friendly city. The Bridge City was voted the second-most cycle-friendly city in the U.S. by Virgin Vacations in 2010.
Knowing that more and more people are choosing cycling as their alternative form of transportation will not only help the environment, but individual health and finances as well. Cycling is one of the best forms of “alternative” transportation out there, and with this new grant to study alternate forms of transportation, Portland will surely be on its way to becoming even more cycle-friendly than it already is.
OHSU stated in their Bike Program survey that the number of students and staff commuting to work via bicycle has grown exponentially. PSU also saw a growth spurt in the number of staff and students making their way to campus on bicycles.
“We don’t know if the surveys have been made public, but 2011 was the best year PSU has seen for students and staff riding bikes to commute,” said Clint Culpepper, supervisor at the PSU Bike Hub.
Culpepper was pleased with the grants PSU had received, and agreed that cycling was a positive option in alternative forms of transportation. He stated that cycling was good for a number of reasons, including cost (because who can afford to drive to school in this city?), health benefits and environmental reasons.
“All the reasons people give to riding a bike to school are positive,” said Culpepper.
If the health and environmental benefits are not enough to sway the cycling skeptics, they should remember that some companies offer cash incentives to employees who commute to work via bicycle or other alternative transportation.
The King Cycle Group, parent company of Chris King Precision Components and Cielo Cycles, recently gave its employees a cumulative 216 days in paid time off just for riding their bikes to work. The company also offers many other incentives to its employees for cycling to work. Oh, the benefits!
Currently the City of Portland Parks and Recreation bureau is in the beginning stages of a new 10-mile bike trail. This project, called the North Portland Greenway Trail Alignment Project, will take an estimated 14 months. Once complete, the non-motorized path will extend the Northern end of the East bank Esplanade to the Columbia River.
This project, which was originally proposed more than six years ago, was brought into reality through multiple public meetings hosted by Portland residents.
While this project was not supported by the grants PSU recently received, it serves as a reminder that through advocacy and community support, we can work together to make Portland a greener, more sustainable and bike-friendly city.
Bikes are awesome, plain and simple. While other forms of alternative transportation need to be taken into account as well, cycling is making big waves all over the world. The benefits to your health and wallet are nearly endless, plus exercise releases endorphins throughout your body. Endorphins make you happy, therefore riding a bike will make your body smile.
For those who are new to cycling, fear not! For PSU students, the PSU Bike Hub serves as a bike repair shop as well as a good place to get started with your new hobby/lifestyle. The Bike Hub provides bike servicing, instructions to aid self-service repairs, friendly bike technicians willing to answer even the most elementary questions and various other cycling-related information and items.
Bikeportland.org is also a wonderful resource. This website provides bike-related news, an events calendar, a forum for stolen bikes, where to shop and many other resources perfect for the seasoned cyclist or the novice.
The grants received by PSU are the first step to creating more innovative, sustainable and bike-friendly city. Advocacy, cycle-awareness and community support will aid in this.
We only get one life to live; why would we want to spend it driving a car?