19 March 2009 Archives

BTA: Media fallout has put Idaho Stop effort in jeopardy

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

(Photo © J. Maus)

Karl Rohde, the BTA lobbyist who is working on a bill in Salem that would allow bicycles to treat stop signs as yields (known as the “Idaho Stop law”), tells us that the fate of the bill hangs in the balance. (The bill received its first committee hearing yesterday).

According to Rohde — who called me from Salem with this update — several legislators have informed him that HB 2690 is in jeopardy because their constituents are expressing opposition to the bill after several negative and/or inaccurate news reports have come out since yesterday. Those media stories have stoked a wave of concerned calls and emails to legislator’s offices.

Gateway Green supporters
gather at the north end of
the property during a site
visit in February.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The folks behind an effort to transform a 35-acre parcel of land between the I-84 and I-205 freeways in East Portland into an urban, off-road biking oasis called Gateway Green, will unveil a “Bicycle Concept Plan” next month.

Back in February, advocates and supporters of the project met on site to map out possibilities and brainstorm how the land could be put to best use for biking.

East Portland parks advocate and the project’s main booster, Linda Robinson, got in touch recently to announce an upcoming open house to share the “Gateway Green Bicycle Concept Plan”. Along with this concept plan, at the open house project backers will announce the newly formed Friends of Gateway Green organization and accompanying website, GatewayGreenPDX.org.

The Bike Exchange on SE Division

If you love finding good deals on vintage and classic American and Euro bike parts, you’ll be happy to hear that The Bike Exchange (4937 SE Division) is all set to host a bike swap meet this Sunday. It’s the first of five such events that shop manger Tom Daly says they’ve got planned this year.

The shop opened back in November and Daly emailed us to say, “there’s going to be a bunch of prewar cruisers and stuff, as well as a load of exotic road and mountain bike parts.”

Author Jeff Mapes (R) speaking
with the BTA’s Scott Bricker at the
2009 National Bike Summit.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Author and senior political reporter for The Oregonian, Jeff Mapes, will be at Powell’s Books tonight to talk about his new book, Pedaling Revolution.

Mapes is riding a wave of excellent reviews and buzz about his book. The influential Library Journal (which many schools and libraries base their purchasing decisions on) gave it a coveted “highly recommended” rating. Library Journal said the book is, “a deftly drawn portrait of contemporary bike culture and politics,” is that it is “readable and engaging”. But, far from being something only the staid Library Journal could love, the Willamette Week also liked it.

Below is the full, prepared text of Karl Rohde’s testimony in front of the House Transportation Committee yesterday on behalf of the Idaho Stop law. Rohde is in charge of the BTA’s government affairs and he is their lobbyist in Salem.

(For a full report from that hearing, read our story from yesterday.)

Chair Beyer and Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today in support of House Bill 2690, the “Idaho Style Stop Law”. For the record, I am Karl Rohde, Government Relations and Public Affairs for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.

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CRC opposition group launches first video

“The CRC project will degrade everything we’ve collectively invested decades creating. There are cheaper, more environmentally sound ways to do this. We aim to make the public aware of them.”
— Joe Kurmaskie

As promised, a “grassroots coalition of Portlanders and Vancouverites” has launched their first of several satirical videos mocking the current plans for a 12-lane I-5 bridge. This is the same group that has put together an impressive list of speakers and plans for an April 5th rally they are now calling the CRC Opposition and Alternatives Rally.

The video (embedded below) was released this morning along with a press release with more details about the upcoming rally in Waterfront Park.

Here’s the “Have we got a bridge to sell you!” video (YouTube link):

Here’s the latest from the grassroots group who are mounting a campaign against the 12-lane CRC bridge plans:

Bill Bradbury To Speak At CRC Opposition And Alternatives Rally

Citizen’s Coalition Schedules Rally for Noon, Sunday, April 5th Waterfront Park, Releases Satirical Video

A grassroots coalition of Portlanders and Vancouverites opposed to the current scope and direction of the Columbia River Crossing project will host an Opposition and Alternatives Rally at Waterfront Park. The event is schedued for noon, Sunday, April 5th, on the lawn of Portland’s Waterfront Park – just north of the Hawthorne bridge. Rally organizers call this the opening salvo in a sustained campaign to block funding for the project in its current form, and to offer alternatives that match the desires of a community to be fiscally responsible, address environmental challenges and tackle livability issues effecting the region.

Read more

BTA: Media fallout has put Idaho Stop effort in jeopardy

New non-profit, “Bicycle Concept Plan” in the works for Gateway Green

Bike Exchange swap meet series starts this weekend

A review of Jeff Mapes’ book, Pedaling Revolution

Full text of Karl Rohde’s Idaho Stop testimony

CRC opposition group launches first video

Press Release: Bill Bradbury to Speak at CRC Opposition and Alternatives Rally

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