The Dalles Mayor Steve Lawrence is moving ahead with his plan to make the town more bicycle friendly as another avenue of furthering economic development.
“We are just going to push bikes as much as we can in every way,” he said.
Toward that end, Lawrence has formed an Ad Hoc Bike Committee that is being overseen by Daniel Hunter, administrative fellow for the city.
Other city staff serving on the committee include Dale McCabe, engineer, and Nick Kraemer, associate planner.
Brent Larson, a city police officer, is seated on the panel, along with Jon Chavers from The Dalles Main Street program, and Andy Knight-Gaige from The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce.
Citizens stepping forward to serve are: Patricia Neighbor, Michael Held, Clay Smith and Sara Geonczy.
The first meeting of the advisory group is Tuesday, March 17, at 7 a.m. in city hall.
Hunter said officers for the committee will be voted in at the inaugural meeting. He said members will gather on the third Tuesday of each month at the same time until they have completed their task, which is:
• Review the bicycle plan prepared in 1993 and make recommendations for change.
• Assist with an update of the Transportation System Plan that was last amended in 2006.
The committee will look toward adding bike lanes to some existing streets and making sure construction of new roadways accommodates bikers.
“What they are doing will provide information to future planners about where they should and should not put bike lanes in when improvements are made,” said Hunter.
He said a technical committee will also be working with The Dalles Planning Commission on the TSP update that is expected to take about one year to complete.
That work, said Hunter, will be done in coordination with the city public works department and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Lawrence envisions the city not only making it easier for bikes to get through town, but encouraging jamborees and arranging for more expensive bikes to be stored while their owners shop and dine in the local area.
Travel Oregon estimates that bicycle-related tourism contributes $400 million annually into the state’s economy. Lawrence wants as much of that money as possible coming to The Dalles. He said Hood River got the windsurfer trade and The Dalles should take the lead with bikes.
He is consulting with ODOT about getting a local rest area to provide riders and other recreationists with restrooms and water.
Matthew Klebes, director of The Dalles Main Street program, is working with Hunter to write a grant application that will inspire Cycle Oregon to cover the cost of bike racks, which are estimated at about $400 each.
Klebes believes it is important for The Dalles to provide racks as basic amenities if the town is going to focus on bicycle tourism. He said having racks will protect the base of many street lights that have been scratched by having bike chains wrapped around them.
In 2016, a bike path is supposed to link Troutdale to The Dalles and Lawrence wants the town ready for more riders.
He said it is likely that more competitions will be set up for cyclists, which will bring more tourists to the gorge.
Last September, Cycle Oregon brought 2,000 riders into Wasco County and Lawrence wants to see more events like this in the gorge.
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