Cycle of Change » Biking
Cycle of Change: Biking
“I want to move the needle by advocating for a complete bicycle network serving the Eugene-Springfield area, not in 50 years but in 5 years.”
The CoC Biking working group meets on the 4th Monday of each month at 1:30 pm.
To get involved, subscribe to the coc-bike@best-oregon.org Google Group:
Projects
Currently, the CoC Biking group is undertaking a few efforts:
- Bicycle network
- Bicycle encouragement
- Bicycle counts
Bicycle network
Assess existing routes to learn how well these support safe, practical, and comfortable bicycling and where there are needs for improvements or additions.
- Visit existing routes, looking, snapping photos, and taking notes.
- Optionally, use AARP’s Bike Audit Toolkit.
- Optionally, reference LiveMove’s Tactical Urbanism for the kinds of modest improvements that could be made.
- Partner with affected neighborhoods.
- Report findings to the larger Cycle of Change and decide what next steps, if any, are warranted.
- When appropriate, communicate with the responsible jurisdiction.
Bicycle encouragement
If we build it, will they ride? The end goal isn’t to have a great bicycle network. Rather it is to see more people riding, having fun, getting exercise, reducing congestion on our streets, lowering energy use, and combatting air pollution.
Bicycle counts
According to The League of American Bicyclists, “No matter why or how you decide to collect bike counts, it is an important part of the bike advocacy process. Having reliable, consistent data will help to tell a story, reflect what is actually going on in a community, and can help to make informed decisions backed by data.”
More specifically, a counter will help show both taxpayers and City leaders how well the City’s protected bikeways are working to recruit the “interested, but concerned” cyclists. In addition, a counter could provide real data to track progress toward Eugene’s climate goal of tripling bike trips. A counter might also give cyclists the sense that riding a bike makes them part of a community of cyclists. If there is an artistic component of a bike counter, it can express the joy of riding a bike, and link cycling to Eugene’s vibrant arts community.
- Explore installing an automated bicycle counter in a prominent location, e.g., the intersection of two protected bikeways at East 13th Avenue and High Street in Eugene.
- Consider the possibility of mounting a bicycle counter on a sculpture.
- Research technologies and costs.
- Research potential grants and other sources of funding.
- When appropriate, communicate with the responsible jurisdiction.
External links
Information, plans & committees
- City of Eugene
- Bike
- Bicycle Friendly Community Report Card (League of American Bicyclists, 2024)
- Move EUG: Active Transportation Strategy
- Complete Street Design Standards
- Vision Zero
- 2035 Transportation System Plan (2017)
- Active Transportation Committee (ATC)
- City of Springfield
- Lane County
- Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT)
- Oregon Bicycling Manual (ODOT, 2021)
- Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan (ODOT, 2016)
- The Bicyclist’s Survival Guide (ODOT, 2013)
- Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (OBPAC)
- Improving Safety for Walking, Biking, and Rolling (USDOT)
- Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety (FHWA)
Bike audits and studies
- Bike Audit Toolkit (AARP)
- BikeAble™ (Rails to Trails Conservancy)
- Reconnecting Milwaukee: A BikeAble™ Study of Opportunity, Equity and Connectivity
Neighborhood greenways
- Neighborhood Greenways 2.0 (UO LiveMove, June 2023)
- Alder Street Neighborhood Greenway (City of Eugene, OR)
- Neighborhood Greenway Projects (City of Portland, OR)
- Healthy Streets (City of Seattle, WA)
Tactical urbanism
- Tactical Urbanism (UO LiveMove, June 2024)
- Street Plans
- Community-Led Placemaking Program Information & Application (City of Baltimore, MD)
- Community Led Traffic Calming Demonstration Program (City of Fort Wayne, IN)
Bike encouragement
- Walking and Cycling Encouragement (TDM Encyclopedia, Victoria Transport Policy Institute)
- Participation and encouragement (Queensland Government)
- Bicycle riding encouragement guide (14-page PDF)
- How can I encourage more people to ride? (Love To Ride)
- Encouraging Bicycling & Sustainable Transport (International Bicycle Fund)
Bike counters
- Innovation in Bicycle and Pedestrian Counts: A Review of Emerging Technology (Alta Planning + Design)
- Bicycle Counts (City of Portland, OR)
- Bike Counters (City of Seattle, WA)
Further reading
- A Blueprint for Better Bike Lanes (Bloomberg CityLab, 1/10/25)
- NACTO Launches New Urban Bikeway Design Guide for the Next Generation of Innovative Cycling Infrastructure (NACTO, 1/7/25)
- How to Design a Bikeway (Aaron Kuehn, BikePortland, 9/25–27/24)
- Eugene approves 55 bike, pedestrian, and safety projects (KLCC, 10/27/23)
- 55 new walking, biking projects coming to Eugene through road bond (Register-Guard, 10/26/23)
- Free Publication: How to Do a Community ‘Bike Audit’ (League of American Bicyclists, 10/11/23)
- Encouraging Cycling (i am traffic, 1/12/23)
- How PeopleForBikes Encourages Staff to Ride More (PeopleForBikes, 1/10/23)
- Webinar Replay: Encouraging And Measuring Bicycle Use In A Changing Landscape (League of American Bicyclists, 12/22/22)
- Making Bikes Count With Bike Counts (League of American Bicyclists, 6/21/22)
- Level of Traffic Stress — What it Means for Building Better Bike Networks (Alta Planning + Design at Medium, 8/10/17)
- Building Complete and Connected Networks (Alta Planning + Design at Medium, 8/10/17)
- Improving our Communities for Active Transportation Requires Change (Alta Planning + Design at Medium, 8/8/17)
See also
Related information from BEST:
Last updated 3/24/25.