Mother Nature’s polar vibe makes it hard to believe, but next week is May – and May is National Bike Month!

May has been National Bike Month since 1956 and since 1992 Portlanders have received a free breakfast on a specified day during Bike to Work Week.

The tradition continues on Tuesday, May 17^th from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Friendly PBOT staffers will be there to serve you coffee, doughnuts, bagels, eggs in a nest and fresh fruit.

Many bike commuters have been created during Bike to Work Week, so if you’ve been thinking about giving bike commuting a try or have a co-worker you’ve been encouraging to do the same, now is the time to begin getting ready. You can order free bike maps and receive a free bike route plan here.

Stay tuned to Commuter Central for other Bike Month events.

This post comes from guest SR2S blogger Timo Forsberg,
who leads the Portland By Cycle rides for Transportation Options.

The joys of Spring!  Tulips blooming, trees blossoming, and the days are warming.  These are some of the things I notice on my daily trip from the Roseway neighborhood to work downtown.

I've also been seeing kids running (o.k, some were walking) around the school block for the past few months - hardy  souls during those chilly, rainy days of February and March.  Recently I've also seen more and more students biking to school as I bike toward work. 

One other thing I noticed the other morning that made sense of all this activity was a sign over the doors of Roseway Heights School.

Of course! May is coming - it's Walk & Bike Challenge Month. 

I'm glad to see that my neighborhood is bringing a strong presence to the upcoming Challenge.  I heard from Michelle Zobeck, one of the parent volunteers on the Walk Bike & Run Challenge committee, that Roseway Heights had earned the Golden Sneaker award previously and they've got their sights set on snagging another one this year.

So while my job is to encourage everyone, big & small, young and old, from all parts of the city, to walk, bike, and roll I have to say I'm especially proud of my neighborhood school.  Good luck to them, and to all the schools around Portland - may you step up to the Challenge proudly!

Folding Bikes in Transportation Presentation: May 3^rd at Metro 

Metro Regional Offices

Room 370 A/B

600 NE Grand Avenue

Noon – 1:00 p.m.

Transit and bicycles make good commute partners. If it’s too far to walk to the nearest bus or train stop, biking is a great way to make transit work for more of your trips.

One of the bike-to-transit challenges is limited capacity on buses and trains for bicycles. Each bus can only hold two bikes and if you’re traveling during rush hour the MAX can be really crowded. Park and ride is a great solution. Sunset Transit Center has a secure, card-activated bike cage and Gresham Transit Center Beaverton Transit Center will soon have cages too.

A bike-transit tool that works everywhere is the folding bike. Some models take as little as 15 seconds to fold and their small size means you can take them on transit regardless of whether there’s rack space.

Watch this video to get a sense of how fast some models can be folded up:

Join Metro Regional Travel Options and Bigfish Folding Bikes representatives for a presentation on folding bikes in transportation.

Want to learn more? Read some folding bikes reviews, watch this Drive Less Save More folding bike video, or better yet, visit Portland bike stores that carry folding bikes.

Photo courtesy of Jango Bicycles. 

SmartTrips North-Northeast Preview Series

For all that is wonderful about bicycling in Portland, more than two-thirds of Portland cyclists are men.

The SmartTrips Women on Bikes program provides a fun and comfortable environment for women to begin bicycling or to enjoy biking with other ladies, SmartTrips includes a Women on Bikes program.

The program provides both free clinics and rides. They discuss a variety of topics including basic riding skills, fitting your bike for your body, bicyclists' rights and responsibilities, and route planning. There are also clinics with hands-on training on basic maintenance and flat tire repair.