Nominate a Scenic Bikeway

[Shane Rhodes]

Via Oregon Parks & Recreation Dept.:

Oregon Scenic Bikeways program has released a handbook for local
proponents to nominate routes for designation as a state Scenic Bikeway.

Oregon bicycle riders can now nominate their favorite routes for
consideration as State Scenic Bikeways.

Such designated bikeways would follow roads and bicycle paths that
connect riders with outstanding scenic, historic and natural settings.
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) will accept
nominations through Jan. 31, 2010, and annually from Nov. 1-Jan. 31
thereafter.

Anyone can propose a route for designation according to Oregon
Administrative Rule guidelines. The program is designed as a grassroots
effort. Nominations will need to come from local proponents. The locals
would also work on promotion of the bikeway. 

An Oregon Scenic Bikeways handbook now online at
www.oregonscenicbikeways.org gives a step-by-step designation process
and provides instructions and forms for nominators. The nominations will
be considered by the Oregon Scenic Bikeway Committee, an advisory group
that will recommend scenic bikeway designations to the OPRD director.
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission must give final approvals.

The committee will be looking for proposed routes that offer the total
experience of sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feelings of landscapes
that you can have traveling at the pace of a bicycle.

The Oregon program is the first state government-sanctioned scenic
bikeway designation process in the nation. The program is a partnership
between Cycle Oregon, Travel Oregon, the Oregon Department of
Transportation and OPRD.

The Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway, which was developed as a 2005
pilot project by the partnership, serves as a prototype for the program.
The Willamette Valley route has been officially recognized as Oregon’s
first state scenic bikeway.

The handbook is (found online at: http://www.oregonscenicbikeways.org/OPRD/PARKS/BIKE/docs/2009_SB_handbook.pdf )


Alexandra Phillips
Bicycle Recreation Coordinator
Oregon Parks & Recreation Department
www.oregonscenicbikeways.org
725 Summer Street NE, Ste. C
Salem, OR 97301-0792
phone: (503)986-0631
cell phone: (503) 480-9092
fax: (503) 986-0792

[Paul Adkins]

You are invited to attend an informational session regarding Scenic
Byways and Scenic Bikeways at the Lane County Public Service Building.

Lane County, Travel Lane County, City of Junction City, City of
Creswell, and City of Cottage Grove are partnering to apply for a
Scenic Byway and Scenic Bikeway designation along Territorial
Highway. Territorial Highway is not only know for the beautiful
countryside with which it travels through, but it also has historic
significance in that it parallels the Applegate Trail and has many
historic cemeteries in the vicinity. Territorial Highway also has a
large concentration of wineries.

Lane County is hosting an information session regarding Scenic Byways
and Scenic Bikeways on November 23, 2009 from 1pm to 5pm at the Lane
Council of Governments Building in the Buford Conference Room (5th
floor – 859 Willamette Street in Eugene). Representatives from ODOT
and OPRD will be present to conduct presentations and answer questions
about the two processes.

Following the presentations, Lane County will facilitate a 30 minute
discussion regarding next steps for the Scenic Byway/Bikeway process
as it applies to the Territorial Highway application. To successfully
complete the Scenic Byway and Bikeway programs, it is critical to have
stakeholder support. You are being invited to this event because you
have been identified as a key stakeholder in this process. We hope
that you can attend this informational session and participate in the
application and designation process for a Scenic Byway and Bikeway
along Territorial Highway.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP by November 17th to:

Sarah Mizejewski
Lane County Community & Economic Development
Sarah.Mi...@co.lane.or.us