17 December 2008 Archives

Obama makes pick for Transpo. Secretary (it’s not who you think it is)

Introducing Ray LaHood, your
next Transportation Secretary.

On Friday, President Elect Obama is expected to make the formal announcement that Ray LaHood, a retiring seven-term Republican congressman from Peoria Illinois, will be his Transportation Secretary.

LaHood is a long-time friend of Obama and has worked closely in the past with Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Back in May, we (and others) speculated that maybe former Portland City Commissioner and now Congressman Earl Blumenauer would get the nod. That rumor evaporated pretty quickly, but then New York City’s shining transportation star Janette Sadik-Khan became the hot rumor. Other names on the short list included biking’s political founding father, Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Apparently it takes much more than a freak snowstorm to prevent Portlanders for participating an alleycat race.

Last Sunday, local fixed-gear aficionado Jennifer Carroll organized an alleycat to coincide with the Portland premiere of the urban biking/stunt film Macaframa.

A rider enjoys the rare piece
of singletrack in Forest Park.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Frank Selker is like many people in Portland who wish there was more opportunity for mountain biking on singletrack trails in Forest Park.

The issue has been batted around by a number of individuals and groups over the past two decades. But so far, not much has improved for those who crave the experience of riding narrow trails.

Currently, the all-powerful Forest Park Natural Resources Management Plan (adopted by city council in 1995) states that mountain bikes are only allowed on “trails” (roads really) that are at least eight feet wide.

Here’s the latest press release about the storm from PDOT (also available online):

City Encourages Commuters to Take Transit Thursday
Expect variable conditions

The City of Portland advises commuters to expect variable road conditions throughout the day Thursday and therefore to take transit. If you have to drive, pre-fit and carry chains in your vehicle. According to the National Weather Service, the system that arrived today may bring more precipitation and freezing temperatures through tonight, the Thursday morning commute, and the evening commute. Portlanders could wake to freezing rain or snow, with snow showers expected throughout the day.

Read more

Time to get the studs out, and keep on riding

“The probability is that you will get your money’s worth over the life of the tire. Probably in less than three seasons. Maybe even less than this season.”
– Portlander Daniel Johnson on whether or not you should buy studded tires

With snow and ice a reality for at least a few more days, and with many Portlanders still choosing to go by bike, it’s time to give studded tires a closer look. They require a bit of investment (about $50 a piece for the good ones, or you can make them yourself), but as we’ll find out, one local bike expert says they’re well worth it over the long haul.

Back in January 2007, we took a look at using zipties around your rim/tire for better traction. It’s cheap and simple, but it ~~only works for fixed-gear bikes~~ doesn’t work if you have rim brakes and plastic zipties don’t evoke the same level of confidence over ice as sharp, spikey things like studs (nor do they sound as good in a Blade Runner sort of way).

I thought it would be helpful to refresh my call for feedback on what the riding conditions are like throughout the Portland metro area this morning.

I’m still undecided if I’ll ride down to the Central Eastside today (from North Portland) because I don’t want to get caught if/when things ice over.

To kick things off, here’s a comment from “shawn” that came in a few minutes ago:

Screenshot of Cychosis iPhone app.

42-year old Kenton resident Ron Forrester has created a new iPhone application (“app”) that lets you record and keep an ongoing statistical journal of your routes, mileage, and more.

The app is called Cychosis and Forrester says he’s already had sales from all over the world (interest has been especially high from the UK, Australia, and Germany).

Forrester — who only started biking everyday about three years ago and now logs about 8,000 km a year — is a software developer at a startup in downtown Portland by day and has spent several months “working late into the night” on this project.

Obama makes pick for Transpo. Secretary (it’s not who you think it is)

Macaframa Alleycat report and slideshow

A new plan for MTB access in Forest Park

PDOT: Commuters should take transit on Thursday

Time to get the studs out, and keep on riding

Open thread for snow/ice riding conditions

Portlander creates iPhone app for logging rides

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