At opus:creative in Portland, Oregon, 13 of their 31 employees ride their bikes to work.
Outside of opus:creative, bike commuter numbers are exploding throughout Portland, as profiled recently in an Associated Press article that credited cycling — and the City of Portland’s emphasis on livable urban design that encourages such activities — for helping keep Oregon’s adult obesity rate stagnant, while other U.S. states continue to climb steadily. The obesity statistics come from a study conducted by an organization called Trust for America’s Health; Michael Earls, co-author of the study, describes the relationship between urban design and fitness: “If a city or town is built in such a way that it forces residents to drive long distances instead of walking or cycling, then physical activity becomes something that has to be planned rather than an activity which can be woven into the fabric of everyday life.”
Bike Portland is a great bicycling blog and it lists several other local bicycling blogs, all of which points to just how pervasive the riding ethos is in Puddletown.
And for those who must drive, Darrell Plant says there is biodiesel for sale at Jay’s Garage, on the corner of SE 7th Ave. and Morrison St.