The Swan Island Transportation Management Association brings together area employers and regional agencies to expand transit service, improve pedestrian and bicycle access, and increase rideshare opportunities for employees Continue reading
Comments Off
Posted in Swan Island TMA
Content courtesy of ITegrity Solutions
Hopped on the smart phone bandwagon yet? If so, smart phone apps have been popping up right and left that can make your daily life much much simpler (or complicated, depending on whether you really need 13 apps to help you figure out your dinner).
When it comes to demystifying how to get to work or anywhere, for that matter, smart phones have changed the commuting landscape.
Lucky for you, our friends at Portland Afoot have done their homework and reviewed 5 prominent TriMet apps for smart phones, demonstrating parity in their nod to apps for both the ubiquitous iPhone as well as its brethren. Check it out HERE
Photo courtesy of TriMet
Bussing it after hours? Biking in the driving rain? We wintertime commuters in the northern latitudes can finally herald the passing of the shortest day of the year (December 21st) and the calendar’s slow inch toward daylight. But we’re not there yet. This is the Pacific Northwest after all. We fear there could be more rain…and more darkness.
But don’t despair! We gathered a number of helpful tips to cheer up your commute. Check out the following links to ensure your trip is not only safe but comfortable. And remember, leave that car behind and you’ll head into the New Year healthier, richer, and, well, more relaxed!
Have you been wishing your entire commuting life that someone would invent a simple ride matching service? Your dreams have been answered: it’s called Drive Less Connect.
Reduce the stress of your commute, make new friendships and reduce air pollution and traffic congestion all in one go with Oregon’s new online ride matching tool. The equivalent of Match.com but for people looking to partner up to share the ride for work and play, Drive Less Connect registration is quick and simple.
Once registered, you can start using your account immediately. All information is kept confidential and you get to control how your personal information is shared.
What’s more, it’s flexible– Drive Less Connect enables anything from the one-time trip to the ongoing ride share arrangement. And the more folks who register, the better the pool of commuters.
Among the cool features:
With the help of local transportation options partners throughout Oregon, Washington and Idaho, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) officially launched the tri-state ride share tool December 5th to an eager audience. Why such anticipation? Transportation experts predict that Drive Less Connect will be a dream come true for many…
Questions? Need Assistance? Please contact Sarah Angell at 503.745.6523/sitma@teleport.com
You may have caught the buzz already but if not, check this out– TriMet has trotted out the latest tool to make your commute easier: an open-source multi-modal trip planner, making itself ahead of the game as the first of its kind developed by any U.S. transit agency. This trip planner allows you to specify your preference for a bike ride and even indicate whether you want the safest route or the flattest route. Combine bike and bus for the fastest and most efficient trip.
Other features include:
Try the new tool and use it to plan your next adventure or just a better route to work: Test the new regional trip planner Continue reading
Metro recently highlighted what happened when Andy Williams, Daimler employee cum bike commuting poster child, found himself with a broken car several years ago: he turned to his bike. Now, his 25-mile daily commute saves him more than $2,500 a year in car-related expenses and has gotten him in the best shape of his life. Read Metro’s complete story, “My car made me do it” here.
Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) began survey and preliminary work on the new Waud Bluff Trail in North Portland during late September 2011. Construction efforts on this long-anticipated project are now ramping up. PP&R invited the media and public to a construction kickoff celebration on Tuesday, November 15 at 3:30pm.
Speakers at the event included City Parks Commissioner Nick Fish; Meeky Blizzard, aide to Congressman Earl Blumenauer; Lenny Anderson, Executive Director of the Swan Island Business Association; and Francie Royce of npGreenway.
The project’s location is on North Willamette Boulevard and North Harvard Street, near the southeast corner of the University of Portland where a steep bluff rises over Swan Island. Colf Construction has been contracted to complete the project. Work is scheduled to be finished in late summer/early fall 2012.
This highly beneficial project will provide a vital link between North Willamette Boulevard and Swan Island and its numerous businesses. Upon the project’s completion, commuters and other trail users Continue reading
We invite you to join medical experts and active transportation advocates, Dr. Phil Wu and Dr. Tom Syltebo of Kaiser Permanente, for an inspirational and informative discussion on how using travel options, such as walking, biking and taking transit to get to work, positively impacts employees’ health and employers’ bottom line.
Hear striking national health statistics, learn about the financial impact of
active transportation for employers and employees, and gather ideas on how your company can promote a healthy, active workforce.
This free event will be held Wednesday, Nov. 9 from 11 a.m. to noon at Daimler Trucks North America Corporate Conference Center at 4555 N. Channel Avenue, Portland. Parking is available in front of the building; follow the signs through the courtyard. Refreshments and snacks provided. Arrive early to find a seat. Please RSVP to Sarah Angell at srhangell@gmail.com.
The 2011 September Bike Commute Challenge is here, ergo it is thee month to be jolly. But first a bit of background before we count the ways to embrace this event.
The BCC is a free, month-long, city-wide competition to see who can bike to work most, and arguably is one of the most beloved events put on by Continue reading
Windy and loud? Sometimes and perhaps. Impossible? Hardly! Check this out: the City of Vancouver estimates that more than 200 cyclists ride across the I-5 Bridge between Portland and Vancouver every day. And thanks to Metro’s “Crossing the I-5 Bridge” quick video tutorial, all the the cyclists out there still wondering how to cross and whether it is safe will realize that yes it is. Moreover, it can be fun.
The short video provides directions and eliminates confusion with clear explanations, such as where to use crosswalks at traffic signals on Hayden Island. Hosted by experienced rider, Kathryn Sofich, the video will make you feel like you are in the rider’s seat.
http://www.cityofvancouver.us/upload/contents/738/InterstateBridgeMap.pdf
Resources courtesy of Metro
Veteran bike commuters and new-comer cyclists alike– what’s not to like about a goofy event to remind us of the elemental pleasure of biking? This Sunday from 11am-4pm, the City of Portland will turn a stretch of its North Portland streets over to bicyclists for the North Portland Sunday Parkways. Come explore some of the neighborhoods adjacent to Swan Island–without car traffic. Don’t have a bike? Pedal Bike Tours, 503.243.2453 will rent one to you! 
Described by PBOT’s Transportation Options Division, the North Portland Sunday Parkways is “A 2-way route of city streets open to walk, bike, roll, run, jump and skip – without having to watch out for cars!”
Posted in Active Transportation, Bike/Walk, Events
Get real-time bus departures from the North Anchor & Channel TriMet bus stop for lines 72 & 85. 
