Page 30 RAIN Summer 1996 Volume XV, Number 1 The highly effective bike advocacy group, •~!!'D!!Io. Bicycle Transportation Alliance has ~ broadened its focus from the Portland ., area to all of Oregon. Their store front office is located in this beautiful, old downtown building (see photo at left, an imitation of a famous building in Philadelphia) at 1117 SW Washington between 11th and 12th in Portland, Oregon. BTA's accomplishments: n Helped get bikes on all the Portland buses as of February 1995 by getting 5,000 signatures and working with the transit agency, Tri-Met. n Organized a group of volunteers to monitor governmental transportation-related projects and plans. They keep bicycle access and safety on the transport agenda. n Worked to gain better access for bicyclists and pedestrians on the Willamette River bridges. These bridges link the city together. $1 million was spent last summer for improvements. n After two years of pursuing alternatives, successfully sued the City of Portland. The city must now comply with Oregon's 22-year-old Bicycle Bill requiring that all new roads have bikeways and footpaths. n Established the Bicycle Parking Enhancement Program, along with the Association for Portland Progress and the City of Portland, to upgrade employee and customer bicycle parking at ten major Portland employment centers. n Ensured that the extension of the West Side Light Rail would include a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over US26 Sunset Transit Center. n Furnished secure bicycle parking for special events such as Bike Fest, the NW Brewers Festival, Waterfront Blues Festival, The Bite, Rose Festival Air Show, etc. n Started the Bicycle Registry and Recovery Program for members' bicycles and helps Portland Police recover lost or stolen bicycles. n Began a Bike-to-School & Back program where kids are escorted while bicycling to and from school. n Increased membership in BTA from 300 to 600. n Created an awesome color poster that shows the large amount of space cars take up on the street compared to bikes. Photo at left shows 1/6th of the poster. $15/each. BTA membership is $20 for a regular-membership, $35 for a household, $40 for professionals, $50 for membership and at-shirt (m, lrg, X-lrg in olive or yellow, front BTA wheel, back reflective "ONE LESS CAR"). Send to POB 9072, Portland, Oregon 97207. For volunteering, call (503) 2260676, fax 226-0498, web address: http://www. teleport. com/ -bta4bike. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9-Spm.
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