City of Eugene Transportation Options Monthly E-Newsletter
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou
Help Improve Breakfast at the Bike Bridges next Summer!
Got Ideas? Let’s hear them! Take this quick survey and let us know what you think!
Local Events
LiveMove Speaker Series: Livable Streets and Neighborhood Greenways
Tuesday Feb. 7th 6.30pm – 8.30pm
The Barn Light East, 545 E 8th ave.
Paul’s Bicycle Way of Life
Bike School: Tuesdays OR Wednesdays Jan 24 – March 1
Gravel 101: Sundays 10a-12p Jan 22 – March 10
Bike Movie Nights: Sundays 5p-7p Jan. 22 – March 19
ZWIFT Clinic: Monday Jan. 30 6p-8p
Flat Fix February: Mondays 6p-8p in February
UO Bike Program Events
February 9, 2017, 5-7 PM: Hubs & Kisses Craft Night:
February 11, 8am-2pm: Service Project: Friends of Trees Plant by Bike.
February 23, 6-8pm. Bike-In Movie Night:
NARP Rail Advocates Gather March 4th
Join a Wetland Wander with WREN at Willow Creek Natural Area
Saturday, February 18th, Kidical Mass Ride!
Community News
Mill Race Path Opens in Springfield
Willamalane Park and Recreation District in Springfield is pleased to announce the completion of the Mill Race Path. The project features three miles of a paved bicycle and walking path along the historic millrace, plus trailheads at Jasper Road and the Booth-Kelly site on South Fifth Street. The path connects the downtown area to the 4-mile Middle Fork Path, and also offers a practical opportunity for bicycle commuters to make their way across town. It passes through urban and industrial areas, pastoral fields and riparian woodlands. The gentle grade is accessible to people of all ability levels, with a 10-foot-wide paved surface for the full length of the path.
Restoration of the millrace waterway itself has been a high priority for Springfield leaders for decades, and has ecological, scenic and recreational value for the community. Working closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the city of Springfield began restoration of the millrace in 2009 by creating a new inlet at Clearwater Park. This was followed by re-creating the millrace with a meandering channel, removal of the mill pond and dam and planting of native trees and shrubs. Trees removed as part of the pathway project were re-used in the millrace for habitat creation and restoration by ODF&W.
The Mill Race Path has been a collaborative project among the members of TEAM Springfield, which comprises Willamalane Park and Recreation District, the city of Springfield, Springfield Public Schools and Springfield Utility Board.
Turn Commute Time into Me Time: Attend a Vanpool Formation Workshop
Point2point at Lane Transit District and Valley Vanpool will be holding Vanpool Information Workshops for long distance commuters traveling to or from the Eugene – Springfield area. Commuters are invited to attend a workshop to learn more about their vanpooling options with the purpose of forming new routes.
A commuter vanpool serves between five and fifteen commuters on an organized route and the cost of participating in a vanpool ranges from $90 – $170 monthly depending on the size of van, mileage, subsidy, fuel, and occupancy. To be cost effective, vanpools should travel at least 30 miles round trip daily.
Commuters find that vanpooling allows them to relax, read, work, or even sleep instead of fighting traffic on the way to work.
Thursday, February 9, 2017
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
PeaceHealth RiverBend Annex
Shasta Room
123 International Way
Springfield
Saturday, February 11, 2017
10:00 am – 11:30 am
PeaceHealth RiverBend Annex
Shasta Room
123 International Way
Springfield
There will be food and prizes at each event. RSVP by emailing vanpool@ltd.org or calling 541.682.6183.
Valley VanPool is a collaboration of Cascades West Council of Governments, Cherriots Rideshare of Salem Keizer Transit, and Point2point at Lane Transit District. For more information on all vanpool routes, please visit ValleyVanPool.info.
EUGfun Call to Artists!
City of Eugene Cultural Services produces and co-produces over 50 free community events under the EUGfun brand each year. We are looking for talent for events such as Eugene Sunday Streets, Fiesta Cultural, All Hallows’ Eugene, Light Up Downtown, pARTy on the Plaza, concerts in the Park, and more! These events provide accessible opportunities for community members to connect, create, and be entertained throughout our beautiful city. Performances are high-quality, reflect the diversity of our community, and are appropriate for audiences of all ages. EUGfun accepts all genres of performing arts, including music, dance, comedy, spoken-word, multimedia, and more, as well as live or interactive visual art.
Over half of EUGfun events happen in the summer. Applications must be submitted by February 17, 2017 to be considered for our 2017 event season which runs approximately May-September. We will hold onto submitted applications for fall and winter programming. Summer applicants will be notified of selection by March 17, 2017. The EUGfun production team may keep your application on file for approximately one year for booking off-season performances.
Please visit http://www.eugfun.org for more information.
Community asked to continue using caution in local parks and natural areas
City of Eugene Parks and Open Space asks the community to continue using caution around trees when visiting local parks and trails. Please be aware that many tree hazards remain, including high hanging limbs that could fall.
While crews have completed work on more on more than 1,400 trees in parks and right-of-way to-date, many hazards remain. In fact, tree scouts have identified an additional 1,340 trees with some type of hazard that needs to be addressed. More than 500 of these trees are in parks or around trails. And, scouts estimate than an additional 200 trees could be added to the list by the time they complete their assessments. The process of addressing these hazardous trees could take months due to the extent of the damage and challenging access in many of our parks and trail areas. Thanks for your patience and for staying alert.
Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates Urges Stable Funding
Passenger rail advocates propose new funding mechanisms for passenger rail for the 2017 Legislature. In a letter to the Legislature, the Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates (AORTA) endorses:
- Carbon tax. AORTA supports a carbon tax to fund ALL modes of transportation, fairer than the gas tax and meeting 21st century environmental and infrastructure needs.
Dedicating railroad diesel-fuel tax to rail improvements that help both freight and passenger service. This extends Oregon’s highway-funding model to rail. - Dedicating part of the room tax to passenger rail/public transit. This tax is intended to promote tourism; already, Oregon City and Oakridge tourism officials promote rail to help expand or develop bicycle tourism.
- Rural connectivity. Support for existing and expanded rural services that connect to passenger rail.
Full text of the letter is at: http://www.aortarail.org/images/uploads/OreLegTransLetter.pdfhttp://www.aortarail.org/images/uploads/OreLegTransLetter.pdf.
Springfield BPAC Provides Lights to Egan Warming Center Guests
The City of Springfield Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee has a programming sub-committee that identified the need to increase access to lights to increase the visibility and safety of people walking and biking in winter. The first light giveaway event was held in January and provided Springfield Egan Warming Center guests with lights for their bicycles as they checked them in. The BPAC looks forward to partnering with other Springfield community organizations more in the future to provide lights to people who need them.
EPD Says Good Locking Practices Helps Deter Bicycle Theft!
The Eugene Police Department is pleased to report a 32.60% decrease in bicycle theft for 2016! EPD’s hope, is that good locking practices, along with incorporating the “Bait Bike” message into the registration decal, will make bicycle thieves think twice and further reduce bicycle theft in Eugene for 2017!
Following the steps below can decrease your chances of becoming a victim of theft:
- Register your bike for free with EPD (if you are a resident of Eugene) at http://www.eugene-or.gov/bikeregistration. University of Oregon students should register their bicycle with the U of O Department of Parking & Transportation at https://parking.uoregon.edu/content/bicycling and registration with them is required for all bikes on campus. For all others, various National bike registries are available, such as bikeindex.org or Project 529. Like EPD & U of O, they’re free, convenient and easy to use. Only one registration per bicycle is necessary, so there is no need to register with EPD if you already registered your bike with U of O or a National registry.
- Park your bike in a well-lit, high travel secure location.
- Don’t leave your bike unsecure, even for a minute.
- Lock your bike with a quality U-bolt style lock.
- Don’t leave ANYTHING on your bike that is easily removed.
- Report any suspicious behavior, such as people loitering around bicycles and buildings.
If you feel threatened, immediately call police at 9-1-1.
Non-emergency Calls: (541) 682-5111
Crime Prevention Tips: (541) 682-5137
Mechanics Corner:
Winter Cycling, what’s not to Love?!
Winter can be a cold and miserable time to be out and about, especially with the snow and ice we’ve experienced already this winter. Believe it or not, your bike feels the same way about winter. BUT, you can keep your trusty steed working properly throughout the winter, and make yourself a little more safe and comfortable as well! Although many, let’s look at 3 ways to do just that:
First
Fenders are your bicycles best friend, other than you of course. There is little more effective at keeping you and your bike protected than installing fenders. Muck and grime from wet winter roads is flung from your tires, onto the moving parts of your bike. You know, those important parts for shifting and braking. Fenders block this attack on your bike’s moving parts, and significantly help keep them clean and functioning properly. A good quality set of fenders that fits most styles of bicycle will cost between $30-$50 from your local bike shop. Let’s break down that price. If Eugene gets 5 months of steady rain and you use your fenders for only 5 months, for that $50 set of fenders you will pay $10 per month or 33 pennies a day for a mud free rear end and dry (or almost dry) shoes!
Second
Tired of walking out of the grocery store in the pouring rain, only to hop back on a soggy seat as you swiftly pedal home? Me too. Or at least I was. Take an extra produce bag from the grocery store and stick it underneath your seat, between the rails. Your rump will thank you. Or, you can purchase a sturdy plastic or canvas cover from your local bike shop for under $15.
Lastly
On those wet and potentially slippery mornings, dropping the pressure of your tires, just slightly, allows a little bit more of your tire to touch the road, giving you more traction in wet or icy conditions.It’s still a good idea to use caution when turning or going down hill. Look out for those sewer grates and man hole covers! Those are especially slick when it’s wet out.10 psi lower than your normal tire pressure is recommended, but don’t go too low. A tire with very low pressure is more likely to get a pinch flat! Check the side wall of your tire for the maximum high and low pressure.
Keep active and safe the remainder of this winter season! To learn more about winter riding visit: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/winter.html
Local Events
Speaker Series: Livable Streets and Neighborhood Greenways
Tuesday Feb. 7th 6.30pm – 8.30pm
The Barn Light East, 545 E 8th ave.
Livable streets and tactical urbanism are two ways of making our cities work for us. Join us for an evening with Greg Raisman to learn how tactical urbanism and liveable streets make streets work for all of us. Greg Raisman works for City of Portland’s Bureau of Transportation in engineering and community engagement. He has been recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association for his public service and was instrumental in creating Portland’s famous intersection paintings.
Bicycle Way of Life Bike School:
Tuesdays OR Wednesdays Jan 24 – March 1
Gravel 101: Sundays 10a-12p Jan 22 – March 10
Bike Movie Nights: Sundays 5p-7p Jan. 22 – March 19
Flat Fix February: Mondays 6p-8p in February
visit https://bicycleway.com/community-outreach/ to find out more!
UO Bike Program Events
February 9, 2017, 5-7 PM: Hubs & Kisses Craft Night: Design silly and beautiful gifts, valentines and other artwork using recycled bike parts and materials donated by UO Zero Waste. Your honey is sure to wheelie love what you craft for them! FREE event.
February 11, 8am-2pm: Service Project: Friends of Trees Plant by Bike. Are you a friend of trees? Join the OP and Friends of Trees in planting native species along Eugene’s streets. Bring your own bike or rent from the UO Bike Program. Sign up on line at outdoorprogram.uoregon.edu. FREE.
February 23, 6-8pm: Bike-In Movie Night: Bike brigade with your friends to the OP Barn to enjoy refreshments, kick back in comfy rafts, and watch a theater-style showing of the bike courier action movie Premium Rush. FREE!
visit https://outdoorprogram.uoregon.edu/bikes to find out more!
NARP RAIL ADVOCATES GATHER MARCH 4
Oregon hosts a regional meeting of the National Association of Railroad Passengers on Saturday, March 4, at Portland Union Station. Rail advocates will meet to share expertise and discuss the latest progress and challenges in passenger rail. Go to http://www.aortarail.org for updates as meeting details are finalized.
Join a Wetland Wander with WREN at Willow Creek Natural Area
WREN Wanders are casual walks through various West Eugene Wetlands sites each second Tuesday of every month. These exciting opportunities are FREE to the public and provide observation, education and inspiration in our surrounding natural spaces. WREN staff and volunteers will guide this walk. Participants should bring water and wear muck boots. WREN will provide binoculars. For more information on WREN and Wetland Wanders please visit http://wewwild.blogspot.com/.
