It’s September, which in Portland means (mostly) great weather and the Annual BTA Bike Commute Challenge. In recent years Portland has earned a reputation as the most bike friendly city in the country and according to this super cool graphic tool Oregon also boasts the highest percentage of riders amongst states. While we are proud of this notoriety, there is still work to do. Daily commute ridership sits below 7%, a far cry from the world’s most bike friendly cities, and events like the BCC can help Portland become a world-class bike city.
As a firm dedicated to pursuing sustainable solutions in every project we understand the importance of events like the Bike Commute Challenge. It’s a great opportunity to focus on bike safety awareness and highlight the benefit and ease of bike commuting. It can also serve as a kick starter for those who have never been regular bike commuters. In fact, last year one of our employees converted to bike commuting and became one of the most consistent riders throughout the year.
In 2012 we reached our goal of 100% office participation and we are out to match that in 2013! This means that each of our 39 eligible staff members will be jumping on a bike at least once this month and rolling into the office. Commutes will range from half-mile downhill rolls to half-day, 25 mile adventures (thanks to our dedicated employees all the way out in Corbett).
To help motivate our team along the way we have planned a few events, each obviously centered on the Portland staples of coffee and craft beer:
- Morning meet up at Coava Coffee
- Happy Hour Skyline Tavern Ride with Mercy Corps
- Lunch Ride to Bridgeport Brewing
- Happy Hour celebration ride to Lucky Lab NW
We’ll be posting an update of our progress along the way and hope that those of you in Portland will be riding regularly as well. With an extra boost from the Bike Commute Challenge this also promises to be a record month for our favorite (and first-in-the-US) bicycle analytic tool, the Hawthorne Bridge Bike Barometer!