PORTLAND,Ore.– Mayor Sam Adams and his fellow Portland City Commissioners approved a contract 4-0 today between the city’s Transportation Bureau and Alta Bicycle Share for the private sector company to begin fundraising for a system of up to 750 bicycles for public use.

“I’m very excited to say that America’s most bike-friendly city is now one step closer to offering a bike share system that’s convenient, affordable and sustainable. Alta has developed an ambitious plan and will bear the burden of fundraising to cover costs. I’m proud to have a homegrown company doing this work and confident the private sector will be successful in making this system a reality,” Mayor Sam Adams said. “Bike share is a game-changer for bicycling in Portland.”

Bike share systems let people check out bicycles to ride from one point in the city to another for a small fee. In cities across the globe, bike share systems have proven popular and successful by giving residents and visitors a fast, inexpensive and easy transportation option.

People use bike share to get to work, run errands, connect to mass transit, visit friends and family or enjoy a city as a tourist.

Alta Bicycle Share designs, deploys, and manages bicycle share programs and systems worldwide. The company currently operates bike share systems in Washington, D.C., Boston, Chattanooga, Tenn., and Melbourne, Australia, and is preparing to launch bike share in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and Vancouver, Canada. Alta’s headquarters are in Portland.

Bike share is operating in 28 US cities. This year’s trip statistics demonstrate that when scaled appropriately, bike share can act as an extension of the public transit network, providing connections to work, school, commerce and entertainment.

Learn more: www.pdxBikeShare.com

As the nights get longer, TriMet’s Night Stop program makes wintertime travel safe and convenient.

During the winter months, TriMet bus operators can stop to let you off anywhere along the route outside of Downtown and the Lloyd District.

Just ask your bus operator a block or two ahead of your destination whether she or he can let you off at a non-designated stop location. If the operator believes it can be done safely, they will stop at your requested location.

Whether it’s morning or night, winter makes it difficult to be seen. When waiting at the bus stop, TriMet offers these tips:

• Wave as the bus approaches.
• Use a reflector, safety strobe light, small flashlight or cell phone display light to alert the operator as the bus approaches. Some mobile devices and apps have a strobe or light feature for this purpose.
• Please, DO NOT shine lights in operators’ eyes.

Over 50 shops and restaurants this Thursday will provide downtown commuters a reason to stay late with special events and special deals. Known as Holidate, this event provides enticements to cross items off your holiday shopping list.

All events and specials are valid on Thursday between 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Transportation companies are joining in the fun:

If you use Zipcar this Thursday, park in the 10^th and Yamhill SmartPark, then visit the Zipcar office across the street (739 S.W. 10^th Avenue) and you’ll get half off your rates; a free hour of parking at SmartPark; and a discounted dinner pass for Lardo, Ping, Gruner or Oven & Shaker.

Pedal Bike Tours recently began adding bike repair services. Stop by their 133 SW 2^nd Avenue shop for a free bike cleaning, Hot Lips pizza, warm drinks and beer.

There are many things to love about this time of year – the lights, the food, the time off.

But there are also the headaches – traffic, parking, the extra calories to burn.  If you’re traveling out of town this season, consider your options:

Getting to PDX International Airport:

TriMet’s Red Line MAX will take you to the airport for a mere $2.50.  No parking worries, no getting stuck on the freeway, and light rail drops you right at the terminal.  Weekday arrivals at the airport run from 4:44 a.m. to 11:08 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays until 11:22 p.m.!

Ride your bike to the airport and park for free.  There are several routes for getting there – two of them are featured here.  Enjoy the bike path leading up to the terminal, which you can access from the Marine Drive bike path or 82^nd Ave.  PDX has bike racks at the south and north ends of the terminal building.  Check out this map to plan your approach (you can click for detailed maps and photos). 

Or, take Amtrak: 

Shrink your carbon footprint and expand your legroom.  A great option for families with kids who like to wander, you can roam the train while you roam the countryside.  The sleeper car, while pricey, includes 3 meals a day.  And the Yellow Line or Green Line MAX will take you right to Union Station.

Enjoy your holidays, and tell Grandma hi for us!

In October and November, 2012, the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) rolled out a new design for the bike lanes on SW Stark and Oak Streets.  PBOT painted the entire bike lane green to reduce lane confusion, maintain vehicle separation, and enhance the streetscape.

Bike lanes were originally added to SW Stark and Oak Streets in late 2009.  A Portland State University study from 2010 found that people driving and bicycling preferred the vehicle separation the original bike lanes provided. PBOT analysis, however, showed vehicle operators in the wrong travel lane or confused on how to proceed through intersections and parking lanes.  In response, PBOT staff moved forward with the new design.

As part of the new design, staff worked with several companies to develop a color and paint texture that was safe, effective, and durable.  After notifying businesses in the SW Stark and Oak corridor about the project, painting began in October and finished in November.  PBOT’s Maintenance Operations group conducted the painting opportunistically during dry weather and avoided street closures during the project.

In addition to painting the bike lane, PBOT worked with retailers along SW Stark and Oak to promote walking and biking to nearby businesses.  Eight Portland businesses participated by offering special discounts to shoppers as part of the project.

PBOT staff plans to monitor SW Stark and Oak Streets to ensure the new design is working well for all road users. 

SW Stark St Green Lane, photo courtesy Jonathan Maus / BikePortland.org