NYT Profiles Portland's "Bicycle Evangelist"

The New York Times today featured a nice profile of Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer, who represents the Congressional district that encompasses Portland.

In the article, "A Bicycle Evangelist With The Wind Now At His Back," Blumenauer talks about the new clout his Congressional Bicycle Caucus is finding itself with now that current events have made cycling more popular.

From the Times:

Long regarded in some quarters as quixotic, the caucus has come into its own as hard times, climate concerns, gyrating gas prices and worries about fitness turn people away from their cars and toward their bikes.

“We have been flogging this bicycle thing for 20 years,” said Mr. Blumenauer, a Democrat. “All of a sudden it’s hot.”

But Mr. Blumenauer’s goals are larger than putting Americans on two wheels. He seeks to create what he calls a more sustainable society, including wiser use of energy, farming that improves the land rather than degrades it, an end to taxpayer subsidies for unwise development — and a transportation infrastructure that looks beyond the car.

Read the rest of the article HERE.