Understanding Barriers to Bicycling
Have you noticed who rides bicycles in your community? Have you noticed who doesn’t?
In early 2009 the Community Cycling Center recognized that, despite the cost savings and health benefits of bicycling, many people cannot or do not choose bicycles to get around — particularly among communities of color.
We want to understand why. So we have been meeting leaders and learning about organizations in our area to understand community health issues and discuss the role that bicycles might play.
Project Publications
New: Bikes for All event summary (August 2010)
Download the Understanding Barriers to Bicycling Interim Report (June 2010)
For background information about existing literature regarding communities of color and transportation, read the Transportation Literature Review. For background on lessons learned in the community health field read the Community Health Literature Review. (2009)
Download the Understanding Barriers to Bicycling project overview. (2009)
Reading and Media List
Communities of Color in Multnomah County: an unsettling profile: This report is a MUST READ.
Local Color: Local Color is the story of black Oregonians and their struggle for equality told by the people who lived the history.
State of Black Oregon: This report contains a stark inventory of statistics that show a persistent gap in living standards between black and white Oregonians, a gap that is growing wider as a result of the current economic downturn.
Making the Invisible Visible: A document reflecting on and celebrating Portland’s Native American Community.
Counter Culture: A series of what the author calls “immigrant stories,” set in Portland’s cafes and lunch counters.
Boise Stories: An oral history project based on interviews between youth and elders in Portland’s Boise-Eliot neighborhood.
Do you have other recommendations for our reading and media list? Please send them to Alison.
Press Releases
Understanding Barriers in the news
“Is our bike scene too white? Local non-profit tackles the issue” BikePortland. October 29, 2009.
“How a local non-profit is breaking down biking’s color barrier” BikePortland. April 19, 2010.
“Bicycle Race Nonprofit Investigates the Portland Bike Scene’s Racial Gap” The Portland Mercury. November 17, 2009.
“Community Cycling Center Makes Effort to Break Down Minority Biking Barriers” The Skanner. May 3, 2010.
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This project is possible because of the generous support of Metro. We also thank our project team, Kristin Lensen Consulting and Lynn Weigand from the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation.