Last week’s Business Journal has a guest column by Bart Eberwein, suggesting that we could generate additional tourism dollars by promoting Oregon as THE cycling state. Here’s part of the vision:
Fly into Portland where you are met by a bicycle concierge who helps you assemble your bikes, answers questions about routes, etc., and off you go.
A network of clearly signed, long, winding roads, criss-crossing Oregon. And just about every time you are feeling hungry, there’s a bicycle friendly ice cream store, and when you’re tired, a B&B.
Come cycle Oregon.
4 responses to “Another Link from Cycling to the Economy”
I dig it. :)
There are still way too many gaps in Portland’s bike network for this to fly…too many abrupt ends to bike lanes, unsignalized crossings of arterials, and poor signage.
Bikeways…please do not call them Boulevards…are barely visible to the first time rider, experienced or otherwise, with the occasional directional sign and pavement spots.
These need to be beefed up and celebrated.
Last, too many bicyclists are being run down and killed by neglectful motorists while the Portland Police Bureau worries about bicyclists coasting thru stop signs.
Portland strives to be Platinum, but is barely Copper to this everyday rider.
More like tin…
with the rest of the country at ‘lead’
“And just about every time you are feeling hungry, there’s a bicycle friendly ice cream store, and when you’re tired, a B&B.
Some mini-campgrounds, specifically for cyclists, perhaps adjacent to state parks or on off-highway trails, could be a relatively inexpensive project. After all, about half of the space in the typical camping area is utilized by motor traffic, so a bicyclists’ camp could be more compact and have features specifically for that recreation.
The Trail of the Couer D’Alenes in Idaho was reclaimed from a 72 mi.railroad ROW:http://friendsofcdatrails.org/CdA_Trail/photo_trail04.html