Steve Novick
District 3
What is your experience with off-road cycling? Do you have a favorite trail to ride?
I don’t ride a bike either on-road or off-road. I tried to learn when I was a kid, and I kept falling off. I could try to learn now, but as a one-armed guy I’m really worried I could break my right arm and be fully incapacitated. I’ve been a strong advocate for bicycling because I think people who can and do ride benefit our whole community.
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 appreciate that the Master Plan seeks to balance opportunities to access off-road trails close to home with an emphasis on conservation, ecological stewardship, and good trail etiquette that respects the needs of all trail users. The recommendations for District 3, including at Mt. Tabor Park and Colonel Summers Park, seem reasonable. My biggest caution is that the City’s continuing budget challenges, especially if they are combined with a national recession, will limit opportunities for investment to make the plans a reality.
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?
I support NWTA’s work to make off-road cycling more accessible and hope that the organization has a productive working relationship with City leadership and staff.
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?
Given the financial constraints the Parks Bureau operates under, I hesitate to say I would prioritize any investments without better understanding which other investments I would de-prioritize. I would be happy to engage in a conversation about why the ORCMP recommendations for Forest Park should take precedence over other competing ideas.