Sam & Tom-

Good to see you both at the recent Bike Gallery event. In pursuing platinum for PDX, here's a high-visibility, high-impact infrastructure idea: www.biketree.com.

Putting BikeTrees at some of Portland's MAX stations (and maybe along the Downtown Mall?) would:

- increase the "capture area" of suburban MAX stations by giving cyclists (e.g. people who live w/in a mile or two of every line) a dry & secure place to store their bikes on a Biketree(s) at every MAX platform.

- Keep more bikes off of the MAX, where riders often gripe about "greasy bike chains," especially during rush hour.

- reduce the amount of MAX platform space dedicated to bike lockers. (Biketrees have a tiny footprint, but store up to 12 bikes each)

- make it easier for MAX/cyclists to commute to/from the suburbs by combining the MAX with a bike ride -- either at the beginning or at the end of their commute..

- add a piece of high-profile visual infrastrucure highlighting Portland's commitment to bicycles/bicycling.

- help extend the "bike culture" out to the suburbs.

This seems like a natural for the next round of MTIP... What do you think?