One of the greatest challenges facing the bicycle and pedestrian field is the lack of documentation on usage and demand.
For the third year in a row, Metro is coordinating a regional effort to count the number of people biking and walking on the Portland metropolitan area's trails. The count is part of the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project's ongoing undertaking to gather accurate trail use data to help local governments and regional planners decide where and when to place new trails and respond to the needs of trail users region-wide.
Volunteers are critical to the project's success. Those interested in helping out can take part in an hour-long training session where they will learn how to use nationally standardized methods for surveying and data recording in order to ensure consistent responses and more accurate national data. Training dates/locations are available on Metro's website.
The National County/Survey days for 2010 are during the week of September 13, 2010.
There are numerous count locations throughout the Portland Metropolitan area, including Clark County.
Along with determining total trail use, volunteers will survey select users to help develop a better understanding of why people use trails, what types of trails users prefer and total trip distance. By understanding the reasons why people use trails, Metro and other agencies can make more strategic and informed decisions about new trail locations, expansion of existing trails and how to best link current trail systems.
On the evening of August 9, 2010, the Portland Acupuncture Project raised a 35-foot needle at the Gateway Green site. The artist, Adam Kuby, titled the installation "Space In-Between". The art piece will remain at this location, near the Halsey overpass, for about eight weeks.
The Portland Acupuncture Project explores the interface between art, regional planning, traditional Chinese medicine and the health of the city. Five of these acupuncture needles have been/are being placed in locations across the city to bring attention to some of the city's most challenging problems, greatest assets, and places with enormous potential.
Look for the Needle the next time you ride or walk through the site, or drive by on NE Halsey or the freeway.
Tuesday, August 10 at 6:30 pm
Curious? Want to learn more about Gateway Green? Sullivan's Gulch? Join the Portland Bureau of Transportation, ODOT and others on a ride, Tuesday evening at 6:30 (August 10th).
Bike ride through Gateway Green site and onto to several points along the proposed Sullivan's Gulch Corridor Trail. Helmets required; water recommended.
Meeting place is at Glenhaven Park, NE Siskiyou at 80th Ave.
Total Distance: 8-10 miles.
Sunday, August 15, 2010 - 10 am to 3 pm
Once again, Friends of Gateway Green will be tabling at Sunday Parkways SE. We'll be at Coronel Sommers Park, on SE 20th Ave between SE Belmont & SE Taylor. We'll be sharing space with Northwest Trail Alliance, next to the baseball diamond.
You need tp see the kids working on NWTA's skills course. It's fun to watch.
Sunday Parkways is a route of city streets open to walk, bike, roll, run, jump & skip - without having to watch out for cars! The 6-mile Southeast Portland Sunday Parkways route will have two loops, connecting Laurelhurst, Colonel Summers and Sunnyside Parks, plus the Hawthorne Street Fair. Food, music and activities are located in the parks and along the route.
Oregon Solutions staff continue to work with the Gateway Green Project Team to create the framework for a legal agreement involving several key stakeholder groups -- an agreement that will give permission to develop the site for recreational use and outline the responsibilities of each of the participating organizations. The group has been meeting regularly, and making progress each time. The enthusiasm at each meeting is exciting. But this kind of work takes time -- and patience.
In the meantime, Friends of Gateway Green will be tabling tomorrow (Sunday, June 27th) at the June Sunday Parkways event in north Portland. The display will be at Kenton Park, next to the Northwest Trail Alliance and their bicycle skills course for kids. The skills course will be set up in the infield of the baseball diamond at Kenton Park. Stop by to say "Hi".
Reminder: There will be another "guided walk" at the Gateway Green site on Saturday, July 24th. The group will walk the entire length of the site, from the Gateway Transit Center to the City of Maywood Park and back (about three miles). Meet at the Gateway MAX station at 9:00 am and return by 11:00 am.
The walk is part of the Portland Bureau of Transportation's SmartTrip program.
Portland Bureau of Transportation's SmartTrips program for 2010 includes three trips to the proposed Gateway Green site:
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Guided Walks at Gateway Green
Thursday, May 13, 6:00 pm
Saturday, July 24, 9:00 am
Meeting Place: Gateway Transit Center, across from the concession booth Check out the Gateway Green open space area between Interstates 84 and 205 and hear about the history of the wonderful little City of Maywood park as we loop though a few of its streets.Distance: 3.5 miles Time: 2 hoursTriMet lines & stops servicing the meeting place (www.TriMet.org): MAX Red, Blue & Green and various buses
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One Guided Bike Ride that includes Gateway Green
Tuesday, August 10, 6:30 pm
Location: Glenhaven Park, NE Siskiyou at 80th Ave A look into the future - two proposed bike projects on one ride! Helmets Required.Length: 1.5 hours, 8-10 miles TriMet lines serving the meeting place (www.TriMet.org): #72 Killingsworth, #24 Fremont
Jordan Norris, the Northwest Trail Alliance member who coordinated the SOLV IT event at Gateway Green on Saturday, April 17, reports the following statistics for the event.
There were 16 volunteers who removed the following from the site:
- 36 bags of trash
- 3 tires
- 12 large pieces of metal
- 2 car batteries
- 12 needles
The total estimated weight of the trash removed was 1065 pounds. We also removed ivy from several trees, plus the blackberry around the trees.
Thanks to everyone who came out!
If you have not responded yet to the four poll questions that appear, in random order, in the box in the upper left corner of the screen, NOW is the time to do so.
The poll will close on April 16, 2010.
Saturday, April 17, 2010 - 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Meeting Location: Gateway Transit Center (NE 99th, just south of Halsey St). The work site is a short walk or bicycle ride north of the transit center, via the I-205 Multi-Use Path.
SOLV IT, presented by Portland General Electric, engages volunteers in cleanup of litter and illegal dumpsites, non-native invasive plant removal, native vegetation planting, and watershed maintenance and monitoring activities.
This spring, SOLV projects will take place across the entire state of Oregon for the first time ever for the 40th Anniversary of the original Earth Day! The Gateway Green site is one of about 125 sites -- the only one in outer east Portland.
Our goal is to clean up the future site of the Gateway Green and to allow the public to see and explore the site. Activities include: Invasive Plant Removal, Litter Pickup, Trash Removal.
[NOTE: ODOT regulations specify that you MUST be at least 16-years old to participate in this event!]
Please dress for the weather. It's also important that you wear a long-sleeve shirt or jacket, long pants, work boots and leather gloves if you have them (for protection from the blackberry thorns). We'll have water available -- and hopefully light refreshments, too.
SOLV urges everyone to pre-register at SOLV IT registration page. It's okay to come, even if you haven't pre-registered with SOLV. It would be a big help, however, to have some idea how many people to expect. A quick note to Jordan Norris at jordan [at] nw-trail [dot] org or to Linda Robinson at linda [at] gatewaygreenpdx [dot] org, letting us know that you plan to be there, would be greatly appreciated.
The clean-up at this site is co-sponsored by the Northwest Trail Alliance and Friends of Gateway Green, who also wish to acknowledge the assistance provided by SOLV and ODOT.
Be sure to check the calendar from time to time. Public events have been scheduled at the site of the proposed Gateway Green project -- in April, May and July, 2010.