2 June 2008 Archives

Fatal bike/car crash in downtown Eugene

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Victim’s name is still not known…here’s the latest from The Register-Guard newspaper:

A Eugene bicyclist was killed Monday when he was hit by a car in a downtown intersection.

Police said the 27-year-old man was making a left turn onto eastbound 13th Avenue from southbound Willamette Street about 3:45 p.m. when he was hit by a car headed north through the intersection on Willamette.

Witnesses said the bicyclist smashed into the car’s windshield and his bicycle was thrown about 20 feet in the air. He was pushed through the intersection, thrown over the car and landed on the roadway in front of a busy FedEx/Kinkos.

Witnesses and police said the man was not wearing a helmet.

His name was not immediately released. Police were working to notify his family of his death.

Read more in Tuesday’s Register-Guard.

Portland rates among safest in teen driver survey

(Photo: Drive Safety)

According to the Centers for Disease Control, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teenagers — accounting for over 6,000 fatalities per year and 36% of all deaths in that age group.

As someone who relies on the care and skill of all drivers I share the road with, those numbers are a bit disconcerting.

Rev. Phil Sano — man, myth,
bike pornographer.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Portland’s famed film provocateur, Reverend Phil Sano (aka Revphil), is at it again.

On June 13th at the Clinton Street Theater, he’ll debut Bike Porn 2: bikexploitation. He just posted a preview which you can watch here (I would embed the video but…umm…I decided not to. Watch it and I think you’ll understand why (warning: not safe for work)).

It’s been just about one year since Revphil first steamed things up with his swanky, cycling-inspired cinematic soirees. After that raunchy debut, Revphil took his Bike Porn on the road and now bike lovers across North America will never look at their bikes quite the same way again.

PDOT’s list of food vendors and activities.
Download (PDF)

On Sunday June 22, the City of Portland will transform a six-mile loop of streets in North Portland into a temporary park. From 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, people will be free to reclaim their streets without fear of high-speed motor vehicle traffic.

The event is called Sunday Parkways and it’s Portland’s first-ever attempt to mimic the highly successful “ciclovia” events that take place in Bogota Colombia (as well as many other cities around the world). On Sunday’s in Bogota, 70 miles of streets are transformed from high-speed motor vehicle thoroughfares to pedestrian plazas and millions of people come out to play.

“If the Governor can get on a bicycle and ride this summer it is a symbol to the rest of us… we all have to change.”
— Gov. Kulongoski

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski rode a bike to work this morning. Afterward, he delivered a brief speech in his office where he said he was trying to “send a message to every citizen in this state.”

The Oregonian published a video (watch it below) of the ride and his speech.

2544167456_35724f906c_o — i put the Yuba Mundo through a little test over the weekend… I picked up a 70lb bag of chicken feed and two large and awkward wooden screen doors.

Big bag of chicken feed? No problem.
But two wooden screen doors?
(Photos © J. Maus)

On Saturday, I decided to put the Yuba Mundo through a few paces.

When he dropped it off last week, local Mundo man Jeremy Towsey-French said the bike excels at carrying awkward loads. With that in mind, I decided to use it to pick up a few things I needed around the house — two large wooden screen doors and a 50-pound bag of chicken feed.

TriMet is installing new tracks on the Steel Bridge for the MAX Green Line. The construction started on June 1st and will last through August 30.

Bus, MAX, and auto traffic on the bridge will be affected but bike and pedestrian access will be maintained.

Here’s the official service alert from TriMet.

Slideshow: Voodoo Doughnut Parade

On Friday, a massive parade of Portlanders helped Voodoo Doughnut celebrate their new store opening. And, not surprisingly, many of them showed up on bikes.

Among the crowd was an eclectic and interesting mix of people and vehicles — from roller derby girls to a fleet of hearses. Even Mayor Potter and his wife showed up and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

One friend said that someone stopped in traffic, waiting for the procession to go by, asked “What is this? A peace march?”, to which the reply was, “No, it’s for the opening of a doughnut shop!” Only in Portland.

In an effort to “create the best park system in the world,” Metro is zeroing in on trails.

They’ve formed a Blue Ribbon Committee of regional leaders who are tasked with figuring out how to fund and develop new trails and connect and improve existing ones. Part of that effort is a series of five Trail Tours.

The first tour in the series is on Wednesday, June 11 and it will focus on the North Portland Greenway Trail (map below).

Fatal bike/car crash in downtown Eugene

Portland rates among safest in teen driver survey

Bike Porn returns to Portland — are you ready?

Sunday Parkways update: Volunteers needed and performer/vendor highlights

Governor bikes to work: “We all have to change”

Putting the Yuba Mundo to work

Steel Bridge bike/ped path open during MAX construction

Slideshow: Voodoo Doughnut Parade

Metro ‘Trail Tour’ will explore North Portland Greenway

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