As we expand our focus to include all facets of active transportation, we’ll be adding to this list over time. For now, here are some of the primary initiatives and projects that have their roots in the Oregon Bike Summit.
A long-time effort to offer a separate license-plate option that would raise awareness of cyclists and pedestrians – and raise funds for programs promoting active transportation, the Share The Road plate debuted at the beginning of 2008. This plate can be ordered at any time – not just at renewal – and costs just $10, with proceeds going to the BTA and the Cycle Oregon Fund. The Oregon DMV recently sold the 10,000th Share The Road plate – which makes it the most popular group plate ever!
At the first Bike Summit in 2006, the idea that received the largest consensus was that Oregon should have a website devoted to the intersection of cycling and tourism. With a cooperative effort from many parties, including Travel Oregon, Cycle Oregon and Oregon State Parks, www.RideOregonRide.com became a reality in 2009. It currently catalogs nearly 400 trails and road routes throughout the state, lists hundreds of cycling-related events on its calendar each year, and provides links to a plethora of resources that both tourists and residents can use to explore our state by bike.
Based on the popular idea of scenic byways, Oregon’s cycling community decided to inaugurate the nation’s first Scenic Bikeways program. The cooperative effort between Cycle Oregon, Travel Oregon and the Oregon Dept. of Transportation kicked off in 2005 with the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway, a peaceful meander from Champoeg State Park in the north to Armitage Park outside Eugene in the south, the bikeway includes maps, signage and other resources to help riders explore this pastoral stretch of agricultural bounty. The program is currently expanding, with a round of eight new Scenic Bikeways due to be mapped, signed and promoted in 2011.
