Taylor Griggs with Bike Portland reports in
Channel: Active Towns
Date: 2023-02-24

In this episode, we get a firsthand account and reflections from BikePortland.org staff writer Taylor Griggs, who just returned from a month in Europe. 

We cover protected and separated cycle lanes, advisory bike lanes, also known as edge lane roads, and fietsstraten, also known as priority bike streets. We also discuss adding pop-up parks and bringing a bit of fun into our public spaces as well as the bike bus trend, with her visit to Barcelona to profile the Bici-bus, which happens every day. We also give a shout-out to Megan Ramey, who leads a bike train in Hood River, OR, and Sam Balto, who leads a bike bus in Portland, OR.

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Taylor's BikePortland.org articles: https://bikeportland.org/author/taylorgriggsbp1
- BikePortland.org: https://bikeportland.org/
- My Edge Lane Road episode: https://youtu.be/4gzHL9KzFPQ
- My episode with Sam Balto on the Bike Bus: https://youtu.be/S9twSCBYZu0
- My episode with Megan Ramey: https://youtu.be/f20qkKua1Bo
- My episode with Cathy Tuttle: https://youtu.be/Mo8Jcl6P8mI

Video timeline/chapters:
0:00:00 Cold Open
0:01:06 Start of interview
0:05:52 Advisory Bike Lane article
0:09:58 Trip Reflections article
0:14:32 Little things matter
0:16:06 What it feels like back in PDX
0:19:33 Shared streets
0:20:28 Comfort in closeness
0:21:46 Bumpy start in Paris
0:23:45 Paris reflections
0:26:20 Open streets
0:27:20 Bike Bus in Barcelona
0:30:16 All Ages & Abilities
0:31:54 Teen girls riding
0:34:20 Pop-up public space 
0:39:35 Accessibility of urbanism
0:42:32 Bridging barriers
0:46:28 Shift: Portland bike scene
0:49:11 Normalizing riding
0:53:15 Surprises
0:56:55 Closing

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Credits: Video and audio production by John Simmerman

Music via Epidemic Sound: https://bit.ly/3rFLErD

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live: https://bit.ly/3rwsUup
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite: https://bit.ly/35DBDDU

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Background: 
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them. 

Thanks once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023