The Street Trust (formerly the Bicycle Transportation Alliance) is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

organization based in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The Street Trust advocates for the safety and ease of

biking Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults o ...

and riding

public transit Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

in communities. The organization does legislative work at the statewide and national levels and endorses legislation and ballot measures. It successfully lobbied Portland's mass transit company, TriMet, to accommodate

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

s on buses and prevailed in a lawsuit to uphold Oregon's Bicycle Bill. Originally incorporated as the Bicycle Transportation Alliance in 1991, the organization changed its name to The Street Trust in January 2017.

History and advocacy

The Street Trust had its origins as the Portland Area Bicycle Coalition, a volunteer group founded in 1991 after a resident was not allowed to bring his bike on board a TriMet bus. The group submitted a petition with over 5000 signatures to local authorities requesting that buses be equipped with bike racks. Following its success, the coalition incorporated as a not-for-profit organization and changed its name to the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. The organization filed a lawsuit against the city in 1993, ''Bicycle Transportation Alliance v. City of Portland''. The suit argued that bicycle provisions were required for new roadway provisions under the 1971 Oregon Bicycle Bill. The Bicycle Transportation Alliance succeeded in 1995, compelling the City of Portland to provide bike lanes on new streets in the Rose Quarter. In the case, Oregon Court of Appeals further found that the provision in the Bicycle Bill "establishes an annual spending 'floor' of one percent" which governments must spend on facilities for bicycles. Following the success, the BTA was able to influence the outcome of the measures taken by the

Portland Bureau of Transportation The Portland Bureau of Transportation (or PBOT) is the agency tasked with maintaining the city of Portland, Oregon, Portland's transportation infrastructure. Bureau staff plan, build, manage and maintain a transportation system with the goal of prov ...

through its participation in stakeholder working groups and advisory committees. In 2009, the organization lobbied in favor of allowing Idaho stops under Oregon law. By 2011, the organization had begun issuing a 'bike-friendly report card' comparing the bicycle-friendliness of Oregon cities. The report card was later expanded to apply to the entire United States. The Bicycle Transportation Alliance also supported efforts to introduce a bicycle tax in Oregon, saying that it would increase the influence of cyclists. In 2016, the BTA announced it was changing its name to The Street Trust, reflecting an expansion of its mission to encompass pedestrians and transit users as well as cyclists. At the same time, it sought a 501(c)(4) designation, which would permit it to endorse political candidates. The name change was finalized in January 2017. In 2021, The Street Trust was one of the main organization's supporting an amendment to the Oregon Bicycle Bill to improve the composition of the Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and increase funding for bicycle trails and footpaths in Oregon. The Street Trust's

bicycle boulevard A bicycle boulevard, sometimes referred to as a neighborhood greenway, neighborway, neighborhood bikeway or neighborhood byway is a type of bikeway composed of a low-speed street which has been "optimized" for bicycle traffic. Bicycle boulevard ...

s campaign is working to create a comprehensive network of low-traffic streets in order to improve safety and increase bicycle ridership. It has led other campaigns including the For Every Kid Campaign that sought dedicated funding for safe routes to school in the Metropolitan Portland region.

Leadership

Sarah Iannarone was named executive director of The Street Trust in January 2021. Rob Sadowsky served as executive director for five years before he was fired in 2017.

Programs

''Safe Routes to School'' is a collaboration with Oregon Walks that seeks to increase the number of children walking and bicycling to school. The partnership provides technical advice and assistance for Oregon communities. The Street Trust, along with Oregon Walks, received a pedestrian safety grant in 2008 from the

Oregon Department of Transportation The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Depar ...

(ODOT). The Street Trust developed a Bike Safety and Awareness Program, which conducts courses in

bicycle safety Bicycle safety is the use of road traffic safety practices to reduce risk associated with cycling. Risk can be defined as the number of incidents occurring for a given amount of cycling. Some of this subject matter is hotly debated: for example ...

in fourth through seventh-grade classrooms. The bicycle safety program is supported by ODOT. The organization donated 32 bicycles valued at about $5,000 in total to the Central Point Police Department's bicycle safety program in March 2008.

Annual events

The Street Trust sponsors the Bike More Challenge, an annual challenge to workplaces and individual cyclists to commute by bicycle to work during the month of September. According to BikePortland, a local bicycle blog, the Challenge started in 1995 and as of 2016 included over 1200 participant businesses and more than 11,000 cyclists. The Street Trust presents the annual ''Alice Awards'' (formerly Alice B. Toeclips Awards), recognizing individuals, businesses, and organizations in Oregon and southwest Washington whose work has supported the organization's mission.

References

External links