17 March 2008 Archives

Pedicab partnership will bolster local business

Local pedicab operator, Rose Pedals Pedicabs, adds to its fleet with new partnership.

Casey Martell in action.
(Photo © J. Maus)

A recent pedicab partnership will result in many more of the three-wheeled vehicles on Portland’s downtown streets.

Local pedicab operator Rose Pedals Pedicabs has joined forces with Bellingham, Washington-based Cascadia Cabs. Rose Pedals owner Casey Martell says that last week he received 12 brand new cabs and plans to add more in the coming months.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

The Pornography of the Bicycle;
now available nationwide.

You’ve probably already heard of Portland’s Naked Bike Ride — an annual tradition that has grown in recent years to become one of the largest such rides in the world. But in addition to that (and several other, smaller naked rides that have cropped up recently), there’s another part of Portland’s sans-clothing cycling culture you might not be aware of yet — bike porn.

Yes, whether you approve or not, bicycle pornography has its fans. The man on top of the genre — the charismatic and quirky Phil ‘Reverend Phil” Sano — has embarked on another tour that will expose his distinct brand of bike love to audiences up and down the East Coast and across the country’s midsection.

Traffic Division Captain Larry O’Dea.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The City of Portland’s campaign to remake several intersections with colored bike boxes and bike lanes is made up of much more than just markings on the pavement. Along with the new markings comes a significant change to the law; at all intersections slated to receive a bike box, right turns on red are now illegal. Motor vehicles must also stop prior to the bike box when the light is red.

In addition to a bike box advertising campaign (who hasn’t seen one of the new billboards?), PDOT has coordinated with the Police Bureau on an enforcement strategy to complement their outreach and education efforts.

I asked Traffic Division Captain Larry O’Dea to share a bit about their strategy.

This morning, in well-timed nod to St. Patrick’s Day, City of Portland crews finished the installation of the green bike box and bike lane at SE Hawthorne and 7th. They also installed new permanent signs adjacent to the intersection warning motorists to yield to bikes in the green lane and reminding them of “No Turn on Red”.

The box is large, highly visible and offers quite a welcome mat for cyclists. The box is 14 feet deep and the green stretches across an entire standard-width lane and the adjacent bike lane.

Bike Walk Vote, which bills itself as “the political arm of the Portland area’s bicycling and walking movement”, has announced several more endorsements. This is their second round of choices, back in January they endorsed Chris Smith and Jeff Bissonnette.

For Portland City Council, they have chosen to endorse Jim Middaugh and Randy Leonard. In the mayoral race, the nod goes to (not surprisingly) Sam Adams. Here’s the full press release:

City Council candidate Jim Middaugh (foreground) chats up the crowd inside Roots Brewing at the BikePortland Social Hour.
Council hopeful Chris Smith is in black on the left.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Pedicab partnership will bolster local business

Portland’s sultry cycling export spreads to East Coast

Police plan bike box enforcement strategy

Portland’s first green bike box is now complete

Bike Walk Vote releases more endorsements

Social Hour recap: A Council candidate two-fer

Latest Headlines

Dispatch from hiatus and update on the future

Reminder: No riding through River View Cemetery during Memorial Day Weekend

Guest Article: Demand a pause on PBOT’s SW Alder decision

Guest Opinion: The bike beat lives on in all of us

From the Archives

The 10 busiest bicycling spots in Portland