Commissioner Lori Stegmann led a group bike ride along the Willamette River in Portland on Monday to kick off National Bike to Work Week and celebrate May as National Bike Month.
“I had so much fun riding across the beautiful Tillikum Bridge and seeing the city from a bike. I forget sometimes what an incredible place Portland is — so nice to see people out walking, jogging and biking,” Commissioner Stegmann said.
The group traveled along the Eastbank Esplanade and South Waterfront, over Tilikum Crossing, and across the Steel and Hawthorne bridges. Bike Month, celebrated in communities across the country, is a chance to highlight the benefits of bicycling and to encourage more people to travel by bike.
Commissioner Stegmann plans to continue these rides throughout the summer and along routes further east to raise awareness about the lack of infrastructure to support biking in East Portland and East Multnomah County. For instance, BIKETOWN's bright orange bikes — free through May 31 for rides under 90 minutes — are more accessible to people living and working in Portland city's central.
Multnomah County employees also are recognizing Bike Month by participating in the Bike More Challenge, led by the Office of Sustainability. Last year, the County’s team members cycled and logged more than 22,000 miles during the Challenge.
Following Monday’s ride, Commissioner Stegmann thanked the Office of Sustainability and Street Trust, an organization that promotes bicycle use and improved bicycling conditions throughout the state.
“Not only did they teach us some rules of the road, but they kept us safe and helped many of us feel more confident to ride,” Stegmann said.
If you want to learn more about bicycle and pedestrian laws, attend a free, hour-long "Rules of the Road" clinic, facilitated by The Street Trust on Monday, June 11 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at REI, 1405 NW Johnson St., Portland. This event is open to the public.