bike bill

In November 1970, Portland State University English Professor Sam Oakland organized a mass bike ride of over 400 cyclists from Portland to Salem to convince the Oregon State Legislature to adopt ORS 366.514, also known as the “Bicycle Bill.” This bill called for pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure to be built as part of roadways across the state. Sparked by Professor Oakland’s efforts, the bill became a law in 1971. As a result, Oregon has some of the most bicycle and pedestrian friendly towns and cities in the nation. This installation honors these efforts to improve the quality of Oregon’s built environment for all of its citizens.

Bike Bill was created as part of ‘The Art of Loving Oregon’ program to commemorate the Oregon Environmental Council’s 50th anniversary and their important legislative accomplishments during that period.

The figure of a bicycle rider moving through space is rendered by a grid of pipes marking the limits of a field of vectors passing through the person and their machine. The design explores the digital scanning of objects, and the sampling of geometric data to create an abstract, digitally controlled representation of a dynamic event.


Project Team:
Jerry Abdie, KPFF (w)
PSU Students Jonathon Brearly, Griffin Lutz, and Kip Olkowski


Fabrication:
Art & Design Works, Western Iron Works

Sponsors:
Cycle Oregon, Biketown, Portland Design Works, Showers Pass, Kaiser Permanente, Portland State University Transportation & Parking Services, and Travel Oregon.