Biking in Bend

I count 22 bikes in the space of two car parking spots. I strongly agree here as we have more than enough capacity. We just need to make alternatives to cars the desirable choice

Urban design takes a lot of time and planning. A great city can be made average and a poorly designed city can be made wonderful given the proper time and resources.

When I visited Rome a lot of the sidewalks were like this. It's crazy how a city heralded for its culture and urban design had transformed so much of the city to be a car sewer. The best parts were the historically preserved areas as they were still designed for people.

We treat public transit like a charity that needs to provide a bare minimum service for the less fortunate rather than the incredibly convenient and cost effective mode of transportation it is. A good network is good for everyone and those who can just pay a little more

There have been dozens of times where I have actively sought out using the bus to go places like the store or gym and every time it's way more effort and time than it's worth. I would happily pay a sizable fare if it meant I could rely on the system and it picked up anywhere near my neighborhood.

Surely they can't all be paid protesters

Creativity and fun in the face of adversity. The people of Bend make it the best place to live. Lots more photos in the thread.

Central Oregon showed up big for the No Kings Protest

Guest column: It's time to reform the property tax system We should reward full-time residents and landlords who rent long-term by giving them property tax discounts, the author writes.

As a voter, you should ask yourself two important questions about political candidates:

- Do they have a concrete policy, or are they simply asking you to "trust me"?

- Do they have a proven track record, or are they only reaching out because they want something?

bendbulletin.com/2025/10/17/g...

It's cool that there were several streets that were closed off for construction but still opened the bike lanes. Great vid.

Just got back from a trip to Texas where I lived for 7 years. Some things I miss, but man the entire state is completely swallowed by highways. I used to think they were efficient, but now its sad to see. Like a school a 1 mile from homes but separated by a 4 lane highway making walking impossible.

Week Without Driving Sep 29th – Oct 5th, 2025 - An experience created for everyone to learn firsthand about barriers and challenges for nondrivers. Join, support, or become a host.

Today is the start of Week Without Driving. From now through Oct 5, challenge yourself: walk, bike, or ride transit instead of driving. You will learn a lot more about your community and some of the barriers that exist for non-drivers.

weekwithoutdriving.org

Great to see the work @davidwelton.bsky.social and @bendyimby.bsky.social have been doing for a while to get more small-scale commercial into neighborhoods be recognized in the Bulletin as a solution to a common criticism for how communities are developed.

A path leads to a covered bike rack with students visible in the distance. A grassy area is on the left with trees. A tan building is on the right. A boy walks next to a bike. Cars in a parking lot are visible on the left side.

City Council heard from a crossing guard at Bear Creek Elementary that in 2020 he saw an 15 kids on avg walking or biking to school.

Today they are up to 75 and talking about needing a bigger bike rack. Every one of those kids arrives more ready to learn.

This is what progress looks like!

Next meetup:

Ian and @jheylin.bsky.social just got back from @yimbytown.bsky.social in New Haven, and are going to lead a discussion about what they learned, who they met and what's happening in other places. Should be really interesting!

September 24, 5:30 PM on, Wildwood Bar and Grill

I also recommend these monthly recaps by City Council that are equally as important and brief. This one featuring everyone's favorite @amendez.bsky.social

youtu.be/NAZfZRayvOY

YouTube video by KTVZ News September 11th Ask the Mayor Bend

These weekly Q&A's with @melaniekebler.bsky.social and @ktvznews.bsky.social are incredibly important. They are short, topical, and always provide new information like the city's housing dashboard that I just learned existed.

Video: youtu.be/0NwSLxE5t78

Dashboard: housingdata.bendoregon.gov

Yeah exactly! I was going for a more "premium" price as most EVs are a higher end product, but you bring up a good point that there are some amazing mid-range e bikes that a credit like this would almost entirely cover.

This is awesome. $1,800 covers 50%+ of the cost of an ebike. The $2,500 Oregon EV credit covers ~0.5% of the cost of a car.

EVs are better than gas but promoting human scale design and more financially sensible transportation options are better than cars. Not a government program, but it could be.

I wouldn't expect something like this to be built for a decade plus, but I guess the main question is when do we start thinking about it. Dedicated lines spur more development/confidence in long term growth than a bus. Not to say that I don't also want the bus system expanded 🚌

Completely agree with both of your points. Much easier said than done, especially now with higher expectations around safety and environmental impact than 100+ years ago. I would love to see this idea included in cost/benefit analyses for new developments/roads though.

These cities built their lines before cars became dominant, but their population density shows now is the perfect time for Bend to invest. A dedicated tram line would dramatically reduce the reliance on cars to popular destinations, especially with newer UGB expansions widening the city.

When will Bend get its first tram or streetcar?

Here’s when other U.S. cities launched their first electric routes and their then populations:

Phoenix - 1893 - 5,500
LA - 1885 - 11,183
Miami - 1920 - 29,571
Houston - 1895 - 35,000
Portland - 1889 - 46,385
Denver - 1886 - 90,000

Bend: 106,926

Dang, only 13% of that goal was permitted for, not even built. 50,000ish homes a year from 2019-2025 is crazy low for how much of a shortage there is.

Why bikes? Why slower speeds? Why not just add lanes everywhere?

This is it👇🏻 Bend is 2/3 of the way to a full 12 months without a single fatality on a public roadway. Just two years ago we had 7.

Zero is the goal.