Tomorrow, rain or shine, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) is turning it’s monthly Kidical Mass ride into a fun and family-friendly rally for a worthy cause: adequate funding for Safe Routes to School and bike boulevards.

Here are all the details:

Please join us at 5:30 pm this Friday, March 20, for Kidical Mass: Safe Routes to City Hall. This ride is more important than ever since we will convene on City Hall for cocoa, treats and a little chat about why Safer Routes to School and bicycle boulevards are so very important – and we hope the Mayor and City Council will be listening!

Kidical Mass / Safe Routes to City Hall ride
Friday, March 20th
Gather at 5:30 pm, ride at 6:00 pm, we should be at City Hall around 6:30pm
Two starting locations: North Park Blocks Playground (NW Park and Davis) and Sunnyside School (SE 34th and Yamhill)
One ending location: City Hall (1221 SW 4th Ave) for hot cocoa
Already downtown? Walk over and meet us there after 6:30 pm

In case you haven’t heard, in the 2009-10 Portland Bureau of Transportation draft budget Safe Routes to Schools outreach and education is reduced. The draft budget also doesn’t include funds to build out 15 miles of bike boulevards, as the Mayor announced in his 100 Day List, though we hear from PBOT that they are working to find some of the $300,000 that is needed.

When times are tough and families have less disposable income, it is more important than ever to give them cheaper options than driving to school. Safe Routes to Schools helps reduce traffic congestion, increases safety around schools, and reaches thousands of Portland drivers and cyclists and improves their skills and consideration on the road. In a nutshell, Safe Routes to Schools and bike boulevards are important for our entire community.

The draft budget scenario makes a statement that we don’t think the City means to make: that children’s health and safety is not a top priority, that safe and quiet bike streets are not integral to building a strong community, and that we’re not a Platinum bike city after all. We think that’s a mistake.

If you want to see more bike boulevards and more families on bikes in Portland, please join us on Friday, and invite your friends (of any age) too. RSVP (to angela [at]bta4bikes[dot]org) so we know how much cocoa to bring.

This is a family friendly event. The ride is slow and fully law-abiding.

Hot cocoa, treats and safe streets to ride on… I can’t imagine my 4-year old daughter saying no to that. See you tomorrow!