Commute Options recently participated in an E-Bike Safety Assembly at Pacific Crest Middle School in partnership with school administration, Dave Burger, whose son Trenton lost his life in an e-bike crash in 2023, a local trauma surgeon, and local law enforcement. The assembly covered bike safety tips including helmet fitting, yielding to other users on shared use paths, and how to be a predictable bike rider by using hand signals and riding with the flow of traffic. In addition, Dave Burger shared the story of his son Trenton and a local trauma surgeon, Ben Murphy, shared information about ..read more

Bike and pedestrian education is in full swing! We have braved the cold temperatures so far with our bike safety classes and are looking forward to warmer weather this spring to practice our new skills. Our bike and pedestrian safety education programs are part of our Safe Routes to School Program, which works to reduce barriers to students walking and rolling to school by making walking and rolling safe, fun, and convenient for students. In our bike safety classes, 4th and 5th graders in the Bend La Pine School District learn tips and tricks to keep them safe while riding their bikes around ..read more

2023 was an expansive year for the vanpool program! There are currently 31 vans running through Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties. These 31 vans are transporting 176 passengers and covering 1,600,000 passenger miles/year. This means 1,185,000 less miles driven, approx. 44,000 single occupancy car trips eliminated and approx. 900,000 CO2 emissions reduced (lbs) per year.  For those not familiar with vanpool, Vanpool is very similar to carpooling – the only difference is the vehicle is provided! It’s a prearranged group of 4–13 people sharing a ride to and from wor ..read more

2023 was an incredible year for us at Commute Options. Here are a few highlights from a great year!  Safe Routes to School Safe Routes to School is one of Commute Options’ foundational programs and is part of a national network of providers bringing walking and biking education and encouragement to students. This year we increased participation by 50% from last year in the Spring Walk and Roll Challenge, International Walk to School Day, Ruby Bridges Walk to school day and SRTS Educational programming in 6 elementary schools.   Vanpool This year we grew our vanpool program ..read more

Join us on September 6th  from 5-6:30 pm to talk E-Bike law with Chris Thomas, an attorney based in Portland and a leading expert in E-Bike Law. An opportunity to clear up the gray areas around Oregons E-bike Laws and get up to speed on how to safely navigate the growing trend of Electric Micro Mobility! Register for the webinar here Interested in learning more about e-bike safety before the webinar? Check out our free online E-bike Safety Course here.  The post E-Bike Webinar with Chris Thomas appeared first on Commute Options ..read more

The first day of school is right around the corner, making it the perfect time to start planning your students route to school! This year consider walking or biking to school! Why? Educates the community about the benefits of walking and rolling to and from school. Improves transportation for all students, parents, and teachers. Reduces the number of driving trips to and from schools to improve air quality and congestion. Identifies supporters in schools to build the program and coordinate activities. Educates youth on how to safely use the system when they are walking and rolling. Enhances ..read more

E-Bike Voucher Program Recap Our E-Bike Voucher program wrapped up in June, and was a huge success! The program was made possible by a Pacific Power E-Mobility Grant received by the City of Bend. 75 qualified participants  received a $2,000 instant rebate to be used toward the purchase of an e-bike. After completing an application, qualified applicants were then chosen from a lottery and received an e-bike instant rebate to be used at a partners bike show. We had over 600 residents submit applications for the program. These individuals were low income and for many the e-bike has provid ..read more

This summer Cascade East Transit has launched their Transit to trails shuttle program, connecting people from Bend up the Cascade Lakes Highway for summer recreation! The shuttle runs Wednesday – Sunday and makes stops along Century drive up to Mt. Bachelor’s West village lot.  The summer shuttle offers new opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy Mt Bachelor’s summer amenities such as the mountain bike park, zipline, frisbee golf, hiking trails, scenic chairlift rides, and the resort’s food and beverages.Having a car-free travel option for our community members to visit Mt ..read more

Summer is here! This means longer days, warmer weather and busier roads as people come from all over to see what Central and Eastern Oregon have to offer!  With so many events and activities happening, using your bike to commute can help you save time, money and frsutration finding parking and navigating through traffic. Before you set out make sure you have everything you need to be safe, have fun and get where you need to go!   Water– Make sure you and everyone you are with has enough water to stay hydrated in the hotter temperatues. Sun protection – Sunscreen, sunglasse ..read more

On May 30th Commute Options co-hosted the first Walk and Rollabout event with the Central Oregon Coalition for Access (COCA), the City of Bend, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and Cascades East Transit. The event included a tour of two roundabouts and one protected street crossing in Bend, followed by discussion with communitiy memebers who are blind and disabled about the challeneges moving through different features of our current roadway system.  A huge thank you to all the elected officials, decision makers, traffic engineers, and interested community members w ..read more