Eric Zimmerman
District 4
What is your experience with off-road cycling? Do you have a favorite trail to ride?
I’ve never done it.
The Off-road Cycling Master Plan (ORCMP) was published by the City in 2023 after a robust public process. It found that Portland suffers from a severe lack of opportunities for off-road cycling despite Portland’s cycling reputation. Are you committed to advancing the goals of the ORCMP in your district? Why or why not? Off-Road Cycling Master Plan for reference: https://www.portland.gov/bps/planning/off-road-cycling/documents
I’m open to what is possible but as an area of recreation I don’t know a lot about I’ll need assitance and understanding to make the best decisions about how this overlays with our public areas and what has prevented previous work.
NWTA is a City of Portland partner with a proven track record in building, restoring, and maintaining high-quality, sustainable trails for multiple user groups, in addition to providing cycling and stewardship programming for Portlanders. To what degree would you help strengthen and promote partnerships with groups like NWTA to support City staff and improve our public parks?
Generally I think volunteer and partner groups are the foundation for much of the success of our parks, trails, and recreation assets in Portland. I am always open to furthering our partnerships. Volunteers are delivering in ways the City has not been able to and they are keeping many beloved parts of the community functioning.
For over 40 years, the City of Portland has blocked all efforts to provide meaningful multi-use trail access in Forest Park. Now, the City’s ORCMP (page 72) has a number of recommendations for Forest Park that bring environmentally sustainable multi-use trails online and follow the Forest Park Natural Resources Management Plan process. Are you willing to make sustainable off-road cycling trail improvements a priority to improve trailhead congestion, environmental concerns and access for all Portlanders to Forest Park?
I’m generally open to the idea.