Here it is folks, your weekend Pedalpalooza lineup.
Peruse the list below with your Saturday morning coffee and head out for two full days of bike fun the likes of which have never been seen.
Whether you like to roller skate, race tandems, build and ride chariots, splash in fountains, rage like a zombie, Zoobomb for 100 miles, swing both ways, or camp with your bike — there is something for you.
Check out the full schedule below and don’t forget to share your ride reports and adventures in the comments… see you out there!
Sunday Parkways — the City of Portland’s first-ever, large-scale carfree event — is all set for this Sunday (6/22) from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.
PDOT’s Transportation Options division first unveiled their plans for the event nearly one year ago. Since then, they’ve executed a comprehensive and strategic plan to make sure the event is a success. They’ve met with hundreds of neighborhood groups, they’ve had meetings with leaders of churches along the route, and they’ve lined up a myriad of performers, live music, food, and other activities to keep things interesting.
Yesterday, after the final day of programs at the Carfree Conference, I took a ride on the riverfront with Gil Penalosa (we were joined by Ian Stude, transportation options coordinator at Portland State University).
Penalosa was Bogota, Colombia’s parks commissioner when that city underwent a massive urban transformation and he is now sought worldwide for his expertise on how to create vibrant and successful public spaces. He has also observed the bikeways and urban design of many cities throughout the world (for more, read this bio).
We rode from PSU, over the Hawthorne Bridge, then north on the Eastbank Esplanade to the Steel Bridge.
“I find it amazing that there is so much conflict between bicyclists and pedestrians. We should be best friends.”
Penalosa — dressed in a coat and slacks — rode at a snail’s pace, snapping photos and stopping to observe things along the way.
As we rode, he directed a steady stream of questions at Ian Stude and I. It was as if he was trying to create a mental inventory, going down a checklist of things that would help him better understand the context of bicycling and public spaces in our city.
He wanted to know: if congestion on the Hawthorne and Esplanade paths was an issue (it is), when the Esplanade was built, why it was so narrow, if we allow drive-thrus (he said some cities have banned them), what kind of mayor Sam Adams will be, what the bike mode share is at PSU, whether or not the students get a parking subsidy, were homeless people a problem, was bike theft a problem, and so on.
At the end of our ride, I asked him about his impressions of the Eastbank Esplanade and about the perils of mixing bikes and pedestrians on such a high-volume facility.
Bicycling Magazine and Shimano have teamed up once again on their BikeTown program.
Portland is one of five U.S. cities chosen to participate and yesterday was the kickoff of the event at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland.
At the event, 30 Portlanders who won an essay contest were presented with their new Trek Lime bikes (using Shimano’s Coasting component group).
The Oregonian’s Stuart Tomlinson was there and he shot this great video report:
Another day of exciting Pedalpalooza ride choices.
Tonight is the debut of Portland’s Kidical Mass and the reprise of one of last year’s coolest Pedalpalooza rides, the Sexy Cyclist Ride. You might also want to check out the Worst of Portland ride, and see the seedy underbelly of Portland’s vaunted bikeway network.
Below is a list of today’s events (see the full calendar here):
Bike Lunch
Waterfront park, SW Pine St and Naito Pkwy
12:15pm – 1:15pm, Every Friday
Make friends with bikey people on your lunch break.
At waterfront park near battleship Oregon mast
Now What? What to do When the Bike Path Ends.
Citybikes Annex, SE 8th Ave and Ankeny St Take Trimet (by cob bench/kiosks)
2:00pm – 5:00pm, depart at 2:15
Zen and the art of finding pleasant bike routes on neighborhood side streets, especially when the bike path alongside car, bus & truck traffic ends abruptly. Ride will end at Salmon Street Springs at 5:00 pm in time to hook up with “The Worst of Portland Ride” (unless noone wants to).
“I seriously disagree with… taking an entire neighborhood and denying them the use of their cars, which I think is an evil thing to do to people, even if just for one Sunday.” –talk show host Lars Larson
In the interview (mp3 below) Ms. Sinnott provides a textbook example on how to handle someone with a pro-car mentality who is opposed to the ideas and concepts that define the livable streets and carfree movements.
Below is an excellent career opportunity with one of the top bike shops in Portland. It was listed this week on the BikePortland Job Listings. Check out all the details in the link below (and good luck if you apply!):
