[Update Fri 2:15 PM: The Bike/Ped Plan Vision Ride is postponed one day until Sunday July 19 at 12:45 PM in Bukolt Park near the skate park.

The forecast for Saturday hasn’t changed much from what I saw yesterday when I wrote the original post – still an uncomfortably high chance of rain and thunderstorms. Sunday’s forecast still shows negligible chance of rain and temperatures in the high 70’s. So this update confirms the ride is postponed until Sunday. See you then.]

This weekend, Poky Pedalers have an opportunity to learn about the Portage County Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan that was adopted by the county two years ago. Implementation of this plan will improve biking and walking conditions both within the city of Stevens Point and throughout the rural areas of Portage County.

The Portage County Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan is our source for sharing Bike Fun this weekend

The Bike/Ped Plan Vision Ride is an 11-mile loop bicycle ride on calm streets and non-motorized paths that will visit over a dozen locations within the city of Stevens Point where the plan makes recommendations. Poky Pedalers will not only have the chance to envision the improved biking and walking environments, but you will also learn about numerous innovative bike and walk infrastructure treatments that are currently improving bicycling and walking in other cities around the US.

The Bike/Ped Plan Vision Ride is scheduled for Saturday July 18 at 12:45 PM in Bukolt Park near the skate park. Let me mention here (and elaborate later) that the weather for Saturday has an uncomfortably high chance of rain and thunderstorms. For this reason, it is very likely that the Bike/Ped Plan Vision Ride will be postponed until the following day, Sunday July 19, at 12:45 PM meeting in the same location. Read below to learn how to stay informed on whether this postponement will actually take place.

Bike Boxes are just one of the many innovative infrastructure treatments you’ll learn about on the Bike/Ped Plan Vision Ride (photo credit: BikePortland)

Our route will go through attractive neighborhoods as usual, but the content of our stops will be significantly more wonky than typical Poky Pedals. There will be a lot of information about bike and walk infrastructure presented, summarized in an 8-page booklet that will be handed out at the start.

Coupled with our usual poky pace of around 6-8 MPH, we are likely to spend over 3 hours on our route, probably more like 3 1/2 hours. This includes time for a rest/snack stop about halfway through. Poky Pedalers who cannot participate for this entire duration are welcome to join us for as long as you wish before splitting off.

The county bike/ped plan is mentioned in local media from time to time. This is a great opportunity to become more informed about what it is all about. The full plan document is over 400 pages long, and we will only be able to touch on a small fraction of its content. Nevertheless, Poky Pedalers will come away with a pretty good idea about the benefits of implementing the plan.

The Bike/Ped Plan Vision Ride is free, no signups are necessary, and all Poky Pedalers are welcome.

As for the weekend weather forecast, Saturday afternoon calls for a 50% chance of rain and thunderstorms. Almost a quarter-inch of rain is predicted over the duration of our Poky Pedal. Besides the stormy weather, conditions are supposed to be hot and humid, with temperatures approaching 90 degrees. Considering that we will be out for over 3 hours, this forecast is of great concern.

Sunday, on the other hand, has a negligible chance of rain with a high in the upper 70’s. Contrasting this pleasant forecast for Sunday to the ominous one for Saturday, it makes a great deal of sense to postpone our Poky Pedal until Sunday, the announced rain date.

I’ll keep a close eye on the weather forecast. In the event the forecast for Saturday changes substantially for the better, then we’ll stick to the original Saturday schedule. I’ll wait until Friday early afternoon to make a decision, but assuming the forecast is similar to what it is now (Thursday late afternoon), I expect to postpone until Sunday.

I’ll update this blog post and my Twitter feed to keep Poky Pedalers informed about the weekend weather and the decision to postpone until Sunday. So please check back from time to time to confirm when the Bike/Ped Plan Vision Ride will take place.

This educational flavor of Bike Fun will provide a ton of information that should be of interest to Poky Pedalers. If you want better biking and walking near where you live, this will be an opportunity to learn about specific infrastructure treatments that you can request from your elected officials. I’m looking forward to introducing Poky Pedalers to the Portage County Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan this weekend.