🚨 Please note: BikePortland is currently on hiatus and only publishing guest articles. Learn more here. Thank you. - Jonathan 🙏
“…prepare yourself for bicyclophilia gone just plain NUTS!”
— from description of Veer in Victoria Film Fest program
This week at the Victoria Film Festival, film buffs from all over the world will get their first chance to see Veer, the feature-length documentary about Portland’s bike culture.
Veer producers Greg Fredette and Jason Turner arrived in Victoria today and will attend a Q & A presentation about their movie after it screens on Wednesday.
Just noticed a strange story over on KPTV.com.
On January 17th, a man was knocked off his bicycle while riding on 231st Avenue near Cornell Road (in Hillsboro) at about 2:30 pm. The police investigators say there’s “no evidence of a car”. Read more (emphasis mine):
Police said they aren’t sure what knocked a man off his bicycle, breaking his collar bone and giving him a concussion a few weeks ago.
Last night at the headquarters of the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood association, about 50 residents showed up to learn more about the City of Portland’s plans to create a bicycle boulevard on SE Spokane Street.
They got a chance to see some of the latest innovations in the city’s toolbox for creating successful bike streets that co-exist with the livability and business needs of the surrounding neighborhoods.
Earlier this month, the Mayor’s office released a storm response survey. The 15-question survey (it’s still online) asked citizens about their travel behavior during the storm and asked them to rate the city’s response.
Every mode (transit, motor vehicles, pedestrians) was considered — except bikes.
In a city that prides itself on leading the nation in bike-friendliness and aspires to be a world-class bike city, it seemed strange that bikes didn’t even warrant a mention. Sure, many people decided to leave their bikes at home instead of battling the slush, snow and ice; but many also found their bike to be a perfectly viable way to get around (especially with studded tires).
Thankfully, the Mayor’s office has acknowledged the oversight and now the city’s Bicycle Advisory Committee has drafted a bike-specific storm response survey.
[Publisher’s note: This story was written by Managing Editor Elly Blue during her recently concluded East Coast Tour.]
While I was in New York briefly, I met up with Sarah Goodyear, editor and community manager of the recently launched Livable Streets Blog Network. Billed as “the national blog network for sustainable transport, smart growth, and livable streets,” the network is the brainchild of Aaron Naparstek, editor-in-chief of StreetsBlog.org. (Both the network and StreetsBlog are part of umbrella organizaton The Open Planning Project.)
Here’s the official press release:
Walking and Biking Summit Features Town Hall Meeting on Federal Funding IdeasThird annual Eugene Walking and Biking Summit will be held at South Eugene High School Cafeteria, 400 East 19th Ave., on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Doors open at 8:30 a.m., with workshops from 1 to 3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
The Walking and Biking Summit is an opportunity for all who are interested in walking and biking to get together, celebrate successes, and plan for the future. The summit agenda includes a town hall meeting to discuss $50 million in potential funding for Eugene-Springfield walking and biking improvements. There also will be entertainment and a bike fashion show. The afternoon workshops include William Sullivan speaking on car-free recreation in Lane County. There also will be sessions on bike commuter skills, an update on Eugene’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Strategic Plan, basic bike repair, issues of accessibility, and an update on the Safe Routes to School Program. The Eugene Police Department will register bikes from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio has been invited to the town hall meeting. The meeting will focus on the area’s engagement in the national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s 2010 Campaign for Active Transportation, whose goal is to double the federal investment in trails, walking and biking. Specifically, the plan is to target these federal dollars to dozens of communities, including Eugene and Springfield. The idea is to bring $50 million in federal funds to the local area to build a complete network of safe places to walk and bike and to reduce auto-dependence. Local staff, officials, and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy need the community’s participation to make this campaign a reality.
For additional information, contact Lindsay Selser, City of Eugene Public Works, 682-5094 or lindsay.r.selser@ci.eugene.or.us. Online information about Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s campaign is available at www.railstotrails.org/2010. For more information on the Campaign for Active Transportation for the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area, go to www.lcog.org/cat. The Walking and Biking Summit web site is at www.eugene-or.gov/bicycles.
Want to be the leader of Portland’s pedestrian advocacy group? How about taking charge of development and communications for the BTA?
This week we’ve had two excellent opportunities listed on the BikePortland Job Listings.
Learn more about these positions here: