This Week in the Mercury
Friday, October 2, 2009
Bikes Five Steps to Make PDX the Best Bike City in the World (and Destroy Zoobomb in the Process)
Posted by Sarah Mirk on Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 4:54 PM
Five European bicycle ambassadors turned up in an unusual place yesterday: Beaverton City Hall. Metro received a grant to bring the five transportation experts from Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Lyons, Brussels and the Netherlands to Portland and its glorious suburbs to school us on how to make biking seriously mainstream transportation. Beaverton City Hall sits just off a four-lane highway, surrounded by parking lots and blocked from the road by a Noodles and Company, standing as physical proof of how far alternative transportation advocates still have to go in the Northwest.
Mayor Sam Adams and other local leaders aren't shy about their plan to make Portland the new Copenhagen, aiming to increase regular bike ridership to 20 percent of the city by 2020 (we're at about 8 percent right now). If Portland wants to hit that ambitious goal, the city and its suburbs should start taking the Europeans' advice to heart—and fast. Here's the quick hits from the ambassadors' presentations yesterday to the Beaverton crowd:
— Governments act too slowly. Get businesses to promote biking. According to Amsterdam bike ambassador Geert-Pieter Wagenmakers, employees who bike to work there have 10-12 percent less absences and they're much healthier. That helps the company save money, so they're happy to give employees $1000 every year to invest in buying a bike. "Everyone wins!" exclaimed Wagenmakers while I cried softly into my sweater. The cash-for-bikes idea blows my mind, but in Amsterdam, it's not radical. Seventeen big companies there, including U.S.-based firms like Microsoft and IBM, have signed on to reduce employee car miles traveled by 10 percent.
— Go for the children. Get bike education and safety programs into schools and then talk to parents about biking to school with their kids. As Margaux Mennesson at the Bicycle Transportation Alliance pointed out a few days ago, this is what school drop-off looks like in Amsterdam.
— Put bikes and pedestrians, not cars, at the center of urban planning. Making biking mainstream means making it swift, safe and easy. On some new roads in Amsterdam, the bike/pedestrian route is the most direct route. Cars routes get second priority and are routed around through side streets. Bikes are a no-brainer there because 85 percent of trips are faster by bike.
— Recognize that cars are deadly weapons. “Here they say bicycling is dangerous," says Copenhagen planner Niels Jensen. "In the Netherlands they say no, bicycling isn’t dangerous. The danger is cars. Car drivers need to be aware that they are in a vehicle that could kill.” Jensen says that in his country, any collision between a car and a child on a bike is deemed the drivers’ fault.
— Bikes are a cheap date. But not too cheap. Copenhagen spends 25 percent of its transportation budget on bikes. Portland spends .7 percent. THAT'S A PROBLEM. Seriously. Put your money where your big green mouth is, Portland!
Oh, also! Has anyone thought about what will happen when biking becomes mainstream culture in Portland? When biking is normal, says Jensen, all this crazy Zoobomb, bike-jousting fringey political biking culture will cease to exist. From Jensen:
"We have an anti-car culture, but they are organized against pollution. But the bikers are not against cars, no! We a have a bike club, but they are not activists. If everybody’s doing it, then you are not special anymore. If everybody eats, do you call yourself a ‘bread eater’? Nobody in the Netherlands calls themselves a biker except for the racing cyclists. The good thing is, in five or ten years, many people will bike. The bad thing is, that special culture will not exist anymore."
1
Biking will never become mainstream until it becomes safer.
Add to your list:
- Dedicated biking lanes/streets.
- Heavier taxes on cars, but some tax on bikers as well. Bikers: put your money where your mouth is. If you want to be heard, pay for it with $$$ representation.
- Tax subsidies based on living near where you work/school. This has a great impact on whether people will take a bike or not. I don't care what you propose, 99% people are not going to commute 20+ miles in the rain in December.
Add to your list:
- Dedicated biking lanes/streets.
- Heavier taxes on cars, but some tax on bikers as well. Bikers: put your money where your mouth is. If you want to be heard, pay for it with $$$ representation.
- Tax subsidies based on living near where you work/school. This has a great impact on whether people will take a bike or not. I don't care what you propose, 99% people are not going to commute 20+ miles in the rain in December.
2
Well if it well help the absolute cessation of bike culture to have bikes all over the place then i'm for it.
3
Most of this seems like pretty commonsense stuff that we have heard before but it never hurts to hear it again.
However, the employers buying bikes for employee is very interesting.
Do you know if there is any direct tax incentive or other program in Denmark that eases this investment - especially for smaller companies.
Also, has anyone looked into what Oregon and Federal tax codes may support a local business taking on this right now?
For instance, could a bike program like this result in a Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit?
Is this or could this program like this be a central part of Employee Commute Options programs that are mandated for employers with 100 or more employees?
What federal programs, incentives, tax breaks may exist right now for a program like this?
Maybe the Merc should consider finding a tax attorney or well-versed accountant who could create a "how-to" for employers as well as self-employed folks on what bike investments, they can "write-off" right now (no new legislation required) and, perhaps, what tweaks to state and federal programs could be made to expand this access and opportunity.
However, the employers buying bikes for employee is very interesting.
Do you know if there is any direct tax incentive or other program in Denmark that eases this investment - especially for smaller companies.
Also, has anyone looked into what Oregon and Federal tax codes may support a local business taking on this right now?
For instance, could a bike program like this result in a Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit?
Is this or could this program like this be a central part of Employee Commute Options programs that are mandated for employers with 100 or more employees?
What federal programs, incentives, tax breaks may exist right now for a program like this?
Maybe the Merc should consider finding a tax attorney or well-versed accountant who could create a "how-to" for employers as well as self-employed folks on what bike investments, they can "write-off" right now (no new legislation required) and, perhaps, what tweaks to state and federal programs could be made to expand this access and opportunity.
4
Re: rise of biking and demise of bike culture.... What this European delegation is not quite aware of is that the bike culture here in Portland is waaay beyond just Zoobomb, "anti-car" activism (I haven't even seen of that lately), and jousting.
We have a mature (and growing) bike industry (manufacturers, frame builders, component makers, etc...), people making art and handmade crafts, a bike business coalition, a strategic brand and national reputation for biking (which is very valuable for a city to have), and much more.
Those things will not go anywhere no matter how mainstream biking gets.
Also, it's a sign of someone who doesn't fully understand Portland bike culture if they think that jousting and Zoobombing is all about being "anti-car" or that it exists only because of people identifying strongly with being a biker. They are social networks built around community and friendship and having fun. They are like Portland's version of book clubs or the Lions Club or something.
We have a mature (and growing) bike industry (manufacturers, frame builders, component makers, etc...), people making art and handmade crafts, a bike business coalition, a strategic brand and national reputation for biking (which is very valuable for a city to have), and much more.
Those things will not go anywhere no matter how mainstream biking gets.
Also, it's a sign of someone who doesn't fully understand Portland bike culture if they think that jousting and Zoobombing is all about being "anti-car" or that it exists only because of people identifying strongly with being a biker. They are social networks built around community and friendship and having fun. They are like Portland's version of book clubs or the Lions Club or something.
5
Make your post into an article. Let's really think outside the box. The IRS round trip cost of a car commute between 33rd and Alberta and the Nike campus is $19.20. Between East Vancouver and Intel in Hillsboro is $26.40. That is per day, and doesn't include the time and aggravation cost of being in the car.
The cost to rent a bikeable satellite office with 150 square feet per person (includes office space plus amenities), filled 20 days a month, is $15 per day at $2 per square foot per month. Scattering bikeable satellite offices where employees live is a good business.
The cost to rent a bikeable satellite office with 150 square feet per person (includes office space plus amenities), filled 20 days a month, is $15 per day at $2 per square foot per month. Scattering bikeable satellite offices where employees live is a good business.
6
Two signs that of hope:
1.) The IRS has a tax write off for bicycle reimbursement. Info is available on their website.
2.) OHSU, Portland's largest employer, pays out some $50,000 in direct reimbursement to students and employers for biking.
1.) The IRS has a tax write off for bicycle reimbursement. Info is available on their website.
2.) OHSU, Portland's largest employer, pays out some $50,000 in direct reimbursement to students and employers for biking.
7
I think you mean Lyon. And why mention the Netherlands if you've already mentioned Amsterdam, or vice versa?
9
Thanks to Night Moves and whomever for the link to the Bike League info on changes to the fringe benefits classifications to include bike as of this tax year. It was informative and - as is the case with all tax code stuff - a little confusing and at times somewhat contradictory.
The limit of $20 a month is much less than the $1000 benefit ID'd for Danish employers. It is also much less than the limit for parking ($220 per month) and transit use ($115 per month).
It is nice that at least some parity for bikes is now available but it would be nice if such a tax benefit was available in the same capacity as auto use is across the board. For instance...
If you are searching for a job I believe you can write up auto expenses related to that search - how about bike use?
If you are a sole proprietor, can you purchase a bike for business use and write it off in the same manner that a car can be and can on-going expenses also be written off?
If you use your bike for work for an employer (not as a contractor), making deliveries, sales calls, whatever... if you are using a car you can write off these "non reimbursed expenses" based on direct cost or mileage, what about using a bike?
And so on...
Adding on to R, I would also love to see some "outside the box" thinking and guidance on how to make the existing tax structure "work" for small businesses, self-employed folks, job seekers, and so on (state and federal taxes for all of these).
The limit of $20 a month is much less than the $1000 benefit ID'd for Danish employers. It is also much less than the limit for parking ($220 per month) and transit use ($115 per month).
It is nice that at least some parity for bikes is now available but it would be nice if such a tax benefit was available in the same capacity as auto use is across the board. For instance...
If you are searching for a job I believe you can write up auto expenses related to that search - how about bike use?
If you are a sole proprietor, can you purchase a bike for business use and write it off in the same manner that a car can be and can on-going expenses also be written off?
If you use your bike for work for an employer (not as a contractor), making deliveries, sales calls, whatever... if you are using a car you can write off these "non reimbursed expenses" based on direct cost or mileage, what about using a bike?
And so on...
Adding on to R, I would also love to see some "outside the box" thinking and guidance on how to make the existing tax structure "work" for small businesses, self-employed folks, job seekers, and so on (state and federal taxes for all of these).
10
I had a great time reading around your post as I read it extensively. I am looking forward to hearing more from you.
Regards,
Gold
Regards,
Gold
11
"Bikers: put your money where your mouth is. If you want to be heard, pay for it with $$$ representation."
There are still people in Portland who are not aware that cyclists subsidize motorists???
As an employed taxpayer who also pays rent to a landlord some of which is for property taxes, I pay for at least half of the transportation infrastructure which does not include highways and freeways (which I almost never bike on). Note that fuel taxes are mostly dedicated to highways/freeways, and the money paid for auto registration barely covers the cost to admister the infrastructure for issuing licenses (DMV offices and their personnel). In return, about 1% of that money is spent on things like bike racks and bike lanes.
Much of my money paid through taxes is spent on parking garages, parking lots, parking strips (many streets would be 1/2 as wide without space to park cars), freeway overpasses/underpasses, not to mention that health care is more expensive due to illnesses caused by auto pollution.
Try an Internet search sometime for "who pays for roads" and educate yourself.
There are still people in Portland who are not aware that cyclists subsidize motorists???
As an employed taxpayer who also pays rent to a landlord some of which is for property taxes, I pay for at least half of the transportation infrastructure which does not include highways and freeways (which I almost never bike on). Note that fuel taxes are mostly dedicated to highways/freeways, and the money paid for auto registration barely covers the cost to admister the infrastructure for issuing licenses (DMV offices and their personnel). In return, about 1% of that money is spent on things like bike racks and bike lanes.
Much of my money paid through taxes is spent on parking garages, parking lots, parking strips (many streets would be 1/2 as wide without space to park cars), freeway overpasses/underpasses, not to mention that health care is more expensive due to illnesses caused by auto pollution.
Try an Internet search sometime for "who pays for roads" and educate yourself.
13
What Jonathan was getting at. Zoobomb is one tiny fragment of the "wacky bike culture" in Portland. it's about riding bikes down a big hill-- something that's not going to change, unless mainstream cycling somehow reduces the effects of gravity.
And you'd be surprised how many portland bike events aren't just gutter punk drum circles-- show up to a few and you'll find plenty of dorky squares with day jobs.
Yes, really, some of us are just riding our bikes. It doesn't always have to be "direct action" against "the man" or whatever.
And you'd be surprised how many portland bike events aren't just gutter punk drum circles-- show up to a few and you'll find plenty of dorky squares with day jobs.
Yes, really, some of us are just riding our bikes. It doesn't always have to be "direct action" against "the man" or whatever.
16
"They are social networks built around community and friendship and having fun."
Most of the dangerous behavior I see comes from helmetless and lgihtless slackers who identify with those social networks. And Mr. Maus, thanks for turning your site into a resource for wealthy trustafarians who buy custom built bikes. I ride my bike to save money not to impress the shallow hipsters and slacker "creatives" that infest this city.
Most of the dangerous behavior I see comes from helmetless and lgihtless slackers who identify with those social networks. And Mr. Maus, thanks for turning your site into a resource for wealthy trustafarians who buy custom built bikes. I ride my bike to save money not to impress the shallow hipsters and slacker "creatives" that infest this city.
17
Hey ?pqM,
Biking is already pretty darn safe. Safer than driving. It's not safety that needs to be improved, it's people's perception of safety that needs to be improved. If they don't already believe that cycling is safe, then halving the fatality / injury rates isn't going to change that.
Organic Brian,
Renters don't just pay part of property taxes, in many cases they pay all of them. Any landlord who owns more than one property is collecting the full amount of property taxes from tenant rent - otherwise that property is costing him or her money instead of making it.
General Comment: Portland's bike culture won't go away just because Portland ends up with a 20%, 40%, or even 60% mode share. Portland's bike culture is rooted in 80s punk, Portland's small size and homey atmosphere, closely-knit neighborhoods, remnants of 70s hippie culture, organic foods, DIY, and a hundred other factors. It's not anti-car, it's pro bike, pro-local, pro-sustainability, and giving back to the community. Shift (Breakfast on the Bridges, Pedalpalooza) isn't going away, neither is Zoobomb, nor the Sprockettes, nor the Dropouts and their collective associated people and groups. These aspects of Portland's bike culture revolve around the people and their friends, and those relationships aren't going to suddenly change because a bunch of other people suddenly decide to start biking.
Portland is weird, and from all indications, it's going to remain so for a long, long time.
Biking is already pretty darn safe. Safer than driving. It's not safety that needs to be improved, it's people's perception of safety that needs to be improved. If they don't already believe that cycling is safe, then halving the fatality / injury rates isn't going to change that.
Organic Brian,
Renters don't just pay part of property taxes, in many cases they pay all of them. Any landlord who owns more than one property is collecting the full amount of property taxes from tenant rent - otherwise that property is costing him or her money instead of making it.
General Comment: Portland's bike culture won't go away just because Portland ends up with a 20%, 40%, or even 60% mode share. Portland's bike culture is rooted in 80s punk, Portland's small size and homey atmosphere, closely-knit neighborhoods, remnants of 70s hippie culture, organic foods, DIY, and a hundred other factors. It's not anti-car, it's pro bike, pro-local, pro-sustainability, and giving back to the community. Shift (Breakfast on the Bridges, Pedalpalooza) isn't going away, neither is Zoobomb, nor the Sprockettes, nor the Dropouts and their collective associated people and groups. These aspects of Portland's bike culture revolve around the people and their friends, and those relationships aren't going to suddenly change because a bunch of other people suddenly decide to start biking.
Portland is weird, and from all indications, it's going to remain so for a long, long time.
18
I think that our bike culture will not disappear any more than "car culture" -- all those classic car events, single-marque clubs, weird sub-genre groups (lowriders, hot-rodders, chromers, etc) did when automobiles took over as the mainstream mode of transit. These Europeans just don't understand how we obsess about our stuff here. Maybe the point is that there will be a lot more people who routinely bike to get around and don't participate in all that, and that's all well and good, but there will always be the crazies, at least in Portland.
19
Mirk misses the point a bit on the freak/fun bike scene as it correlates to regular cycling. I believe, because cycling is this city is not very 'cool' or much of a subculture at this point, that Portland breeds next level freaky, fun bike stuff. As regular bike commuting becomes more the norm, we'll see even more outlandish stuff because the space to be crazy has been co-opted by moms and little kids. That's actually a really good thing, but when you take into context our fun bike scene compared to other cities U.S., it actually debunks the idea put forth in this article.
20
my 2 cents: that any niche of bike culture here will continue to thrive, no matter how big biking gets, the more people getting on bikes doesnt mean its not cool anymore, it seams to mean that its evan cooler in a bigger way, theres alot of things people do to do first, and then when everyone catches on they drop it.
but everyone i know who rides a bike does it for multiple very rational and fun reasons. and people like being part of a community, they only downside i can see is when it becomes even cooler then it is now, there will be the irresponsible riders making all bikers seam like assholes. zoobomb is not a political statement, neither is jousting or the festivities, the only ideas strongly upheld in zoobomb is LOTS OF FUN.
but everyone i know who rides a bike does it for multiple very rational and fun reasons. and people like being part of a community, they only downside i can see is when it becomes even cooler then it is now, there will be the irresponsible riders making all bikers seam like assholes. zoobomb is not a political statement, neither is jousting or the festivities, the only ideas strongly upheld in zoobomb is LOTS OF FUN.
21
sarah mirk: If you wrote this blog-post, think before you speak about matters you have no knowledge of ie. Zoobomb! and Bike-Jousting. Have you not seen the PERMANENT ZOOBOMB PILE next to American Apparel where SW 13th Ave, SW Stark, and W Burnside all come together?
Thank you very much to Sam Adams and The King Of Zoobomb and the entirety of the Zoocrew that made it happen!
We're never going to go away.
portland isn't weird by the way, it's just as fucking normal as any other city. it has buildings, culture, bars and people.
Thank you very much to Sam Adams and The King Of Zoobomb and the entirety of the Zoocrew that made it happen!
We're never going to go away.
portland isn't weird by the way, it's just as fucking normal as any other city. it has buildings, culture, bars and people.
23
Strange idea--bike culture will "die" when bikes are everywhere.
Did car culture die when cars became omnipresent?
Lack of bike culture in Europe (despite the omnipresence of bikes) is due to the fact that Europeans still cannot understand all the implications of cycling. They see it as purely practical, nothing more. In a word, their consciousness needs expanding, and this will happen, thanks to the influence of the Americans.
Many American cyclists, surpirisingly, are ahead of the curve on this one.
Did car culture die when cars became omnipresent?
Lack of bike culture in Europe (despite the omnipresence of bikes) is due to the fact that Europeans still cannot understand all the implications of cycling. They see it as purely practical, nothing more. In a word, their consciousness needs expanding, and this will happen, thanks to the influence of the Americans.
Many American cyclists, surpirisingly, are ahead of the curve on this one.
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