Portland Bicycling Goes Platinum

"Portland has a lot to offer bicyclists.

Amenities include: Bike lanes, blue bike lanes, sharrows -- "shared-lane marking," in Portland bicycle-speak -- and green bike boxes being painted this spring at about a dozen intersections.

On Tuesday morning, this bike-proud city celebrated an honor that recognizes its efforts to better accommodate bicyclists: the coveted Platinum designation as a bike-friendly environment.

League of American Bicyclists bestowed Portland as the first major metro area to earn the designation.

'We have accomplished in Portland,' Scott Bricker of Bicycle Transportation Alliance said, 'a tremendous amount in the 18 years that bicycling really has been a focus of the city. And we're still trying to catch the next big wave. Currently, I think we're at base camp. Base platinum. It's like the single-degree black belt.'"