PBOT Partnership Spotlight!
The Portland Bureau of Transportation(PBOT) and the Community Cycling Center have been close collaborators, programmatic partners and friends for many years. PBOT’s work to expand access to transportation options and improve the experience of traveling around Portland aligns with our values as a non-profit dedicated to dismantling barriers to cycling. That alignment has created a long term collaborative relationship that is over 10 years old. This year the partnership continues with PBOT’s generous sponsorship of our programs and events. Take a read below to learn more about some of the work they help make happen!
In 2010, we began working with a group of Hacienda CDC residents to organize events and programs to promote bicycling. This group of organizers called themselves Andando en Bicicletas en Cully (ABC), which translates to “Riding Bikes in Cully.” Now known as Andando en Bicicletas y Caminando, the major focus of their work is to create community by hosting bike rides, advocating for bicycle storage and safe routes to school, and providing basic bicycle maintenance and training to friends and neighbors.
During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic our emergency program Food Pantry Delivery by Bike would not have been possible without ABC. Members assembled food packages each week. The program delivered 7,510 unique deliveries to households facing food insecurity! This year, ABC is looking forward to a lot more community bike events! Just to name a few, they will be facilitating: Learn to Ride workshops, forming a walking group and Sunday Parkways group rides with Bike Loud.
Our STEM Education Bicycle Mechanics program, created in 2015, continues to grow this year with the inclusion of Alliance High School at Meek. In addition to Meek we work with students at Helensview and Rosemary Anderson High Schools. Our STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) program is designed to give students an opportunity to advance their learning through hands-on lessons that have applicability in real-world employment settings.
The schools we partner with for this program all focus on job training and credit recovery for low-income youth and students of color experiencing barriers to success in traditional educational environments. The level of technical expertise needed for trades jobs like bicycle mechanics continues to increase. Our goal with programs like STEM is that our students can gain skill sets that expand their career pathways and access to economic opportunities.
In addition to our programs PBOT also sponsors our well loved community events. Creating spaces for the bike community to gather and celebrate is an important part of our work. We strive to create inclusive experiences for everyone to share some bike joy together!
Every summer, we bring upwards of 150 riders together to solve riddles all across the city for our Bike Scavenger Hunt. Designed with many different types of riders in mind, all are welcome to participate. Thanks to PBOT’s support, we are able to offer free registration to any BIPOC rider who may need the barrier to entry reduced. The ride ends with an afterparty to celebrate and learn about the Community Cycling Center.
Every year, we gather more than 100 transportation and bicycle wonks to compete for the esteemed title of Transportation Trivia Champion! For more than 10 years, this beloved event continues to attract Portland transportation leaders, planners, and policy makers. Stay tuned as to how you can join this event as we get closer to the new year!
Please join us in extending a grateful thank you to PBOT and their steadfast support of our mission. We can’t wait to see what our continued collaboration brings in the future! 