This is just a fun little community thing happening this week to support running errands by bicycle.
SE Clinton Street is Portland’s original bicycle boulevard (now called neighborhood greenways), established all the way back when my brother was born in 1985. (Alex, it’s as old as you are, ya damn fogey!!;) Though recently it’s been beleaguered by car traffic, in part because of extensive traffic-blocking construction on Division Street just a few blocks away, it’s still a widely-used bike route to bring people to and from downtown Portland.
(plus, it has fun bikey artwork along its length:)
Since it’s turning 30 this year, there are a wide variety of festivities planned, and this upcoming “bike to shop” challenge is one of them. If you happen to live, work, play, shop, or wander near SE Clinton Street, stop your bike by one of the participating businesses between May 17 and May 21 and get fun discounts to thank you for your choice of transportation.
And yes, I’m posting this even though I hate buying things and generally think incentives to buy more stuff are dumb. If you need to buy something anyway (or if a professional bike-fitting could do you good), try to do it between the 17th and 21st, and thank the businesses involved for being bike-friendly:)
There are also other Clinton-celebrating festivities planned for the rest of the month — check the schedule printed on BikePortland.
Happy 30th birthday, Clinton Street! :)