Coca-Cola will match donations to Gateway Green crowdfunding campaign

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The campaign announced a $10,000 donation
from Kaiser Permanente just last week.
(Photo: Friends of Gateway Green)

The campaign to raise $100,000 in public donations to design and plan the Gateway Green bike park just got some big news: Coca-Cola has pledged a $25,000 matching grant. Not only that, but Mayor Charlie Hales is set to proclaim tomorrow, October 1st, “Build Gateway Green Day.”

All this comes with just one week left in the crowdfunding campaign that began earlier this month. So far, backers have donated over $68,000 en route to the $100,000 goal. The money will be used to create shovel-ready design plans that will turn the 38-acre parcel in east Portland into a city park with off-road biking as the main focus.

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ODOT region 1 manager lays out Barbur road diet position in letter to Commissioner Novick

High Crash Corridors campaign launch-4

ODOT Region 1 Manager Jason Tell.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The most powerful Oregon Department of Transportation employee in the area, Region 1 Manager Jason Tell, has now officially weighed in on the debate about a road diet on SW Barbur Blvd. Over the weekend, we obtained a letter (PDF) Tell sent to City of Portland Transportation Commissioner Steve Novick on Wednesday that details Tell’s current thinking about the idea.

The letter was dated September 25th and it was cc’d to the SW Corridor Plan Steering Committee, ODOT Director Matt Garrett, Oregon Transportation Commission Chair Pat Egan, and Governor Kitzhaber’s Transportation Policy Advisor Karmen Fore. This letter marks a significant step in awareness of the road diet with the powers that be within ODOT and among our state’s transportation decision makers.

So let’s look at what Tell wrote. First, some context…

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Grey Novarra

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Brand: Novarra
Color:Grey
Size:Men’s large
Stolen in Portland, OR 97217
Stolen:2013-09-26
Stolen From: Trillium Charter School
Neighborhood: Overlook
Owner: Kieran Connolly
OwnerEmail: kieran(A T)trilliumcharterschool.org
Description: Grey Novarra bike, with black fenders, black handle bar tape, community cycling center sticker on the cross bar. U-lock is attached to rack on back of the bike. Mounted headlight.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Yellow Schwinn Heavy duti 2000?

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Year: 2000?
Brand: Schwinn
Model: Heavy duti
Color:Yellow
Size:Cruiser
Serial: Dunno
Stolen in Portland, OR 97266
Stolen:2013-09-26
Stolen From: In front of the delta cafe
Neighborhood: Woodstock
Owner: Steve Reno
OwnerEmail: 100socks(AT)gmail.com
Reward: If I could….
Description: Big yellow humper with Judy in marker after the heavy duti on frame. No chain guard. New grips with red anodized ends black front rim newer brushed rear rim with smooth tire front has original knobbie.
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

Get Legal with Ray Thomas: The skinny on sidewalk riding

Weidler detour on sidewalk-6

Learn the laws about sidewalk riding.
(Photos © J Maus/BikePortland)

People that bike, walk (or roll, in the case of wheelchair and electric scooter users) share sidewalks every day, and the combination of modes can cause conflict and confusion. Oregon law, however, is very clear on right-of-way and the legal conduct required when you are bicycling on the sidewalk.

Legal clarity aside, the devil is in the details.

One problem is that bicycle operators travel much faster than walkers and require considerably greater distance to turn and stop. When bicycle traffic is constricted, such as on bridges and other multi-use paths, the inevitable congestion magnifies the impact of the small steering or control mistakes that lead to occasional collisions.

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Gold/Blue KHS Olympian 1980’s

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Year: 1980’s
Brand: KHS
Model: Olympian
Color:Gold/Blue
Size:55cm
Photo: http://smoopysbicycles.com/images/khsoly.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97213
Stolen:2013-09-29
Stolen From: 2537 NE 56th Ave, Portland, OR 97213
Neighborhood: Hollywood
Owner: Hannah Carlton
OwnerEmail: hannahflynncarlton( atsign )gmail.com
Reward: $100
Description: This was a vintage 1980’s KHS Olympian frame. Gold/Champagne colored with blue striping. Dark blue cables, straight-type handlebars, front and back light, multi-speed.
Police record with: T13009921
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

maroon-ish TREK alpha 2000 2001

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Year: 2001
Brand: TREK
Model: alpha 2000
Color:maroon-ish
Size:47cm i think
Stolen in Portland, OR 97217
Stolen:2013-09-30
Stolen From: jantzen beach Rv park on hayden island in portland oregon
Neighborhood: hayden island
Owner: Benjamin Magoun
OwnerEmail: bmagoun(at sign)gmail.com
Reward: $150
Description: it has a carbon fiber fork, specialized armadillo tires relatively new bonterager seat. two water bottle chages, a sharpie drawing of the USA on the downtube. extra spokes taped to the rack on the back. a couple of pennsylvania bike shop stickers on the rack too.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

black pake 2008

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Year: 2008
Brand: pake
Color:black
Size:womens
Stolen in Portland, OR 97203
Stolen:2013-09-19
Stolen From: bike and trailer were stolen from in front of New Seasons on Interstate.
Neighborhood: Interstate-North/Northeast
Owner: jenn fantasia
OwnerEmail: linus.charlieb(AT)gmail.com
Reward: yes
Description: tan seat, tan handle grips, black womens step through frame. Had a silver wire basket on the handle bars and when stolen had a homemade trailer attached-trailer: made from rainbow colored kids bike frames with a blueish colored plastic storage container bolted to the frame. Hard to miss. It is highly likely it was stolen just for the trailer and the bike is/was ditched somewhere.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 13 79320
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Portlanders pedal through the storm

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Rain rider

Undeterred.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Portland was pelted with a serious storm this weekend. High winds and heavy rainfall lasted throughout all of Saturday and Sunday and while forecasters say the worst is over, this morning’s commute was far from a cakewalk.

But like always when the weather turns tough, there are still a lot of Portlanders who will bike right through it. I headed out with my camera this morning to capture some of the action.

Sideways rain hammered the bike commuters I saw this morning in north and downtown Portland. Yet while the number of riders was down significantly from an average weekday, there was still a relatively steady stream of people on bikes. In addition to rain and wind, they had to dodge fallen tree limbs, curbside lakes, and all manner of debris on the road.

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The Monday Roundup: The Affordable Bike Act, BRT, bike share baby, and more

Two women and big bike adventure… in 1944!

Welcome to Monday! News Editor Michael Andersen is back after his week-long bike tour and we’ve got some great stories planned for this week. For now, check out the best stories we came across last week…

The Lure of the Open Road is a fantastic bike tour travelogue based on the “wartime wanderings” of Doris Roy and Thelma Popp. The two women packed up their bikes in 1944 and pedaled into a magnificent adventure.

– Rapha recently set up a retail shop in Manhattan and, in a related move, their blog featured an interview with the executive director of Transportation Alternatives, Paul Steely White. It’s well worth a read. Here’s my favorite quote: “As bike advocates, we are a one note band, and they know our song. With myriad and diverse allies you can create the symphony that makes politicians get off their duff and dance.”

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Light gray Trek Soho 2009

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Year: 2009
Brand: Trek
Model: Soho
Color:Light gray
Size:25″
Serial: WTU097C0736E
Stolen in Portland, OR
Stolen:2013-09-27
Stolen From: On South side of NE Broadway outside the Broadway Medical clinic, 4212 NE Broadway.
Neighborhood: Hollywood
Owner: Byrne Lovell
OwnerEmail: byrne(A T)lovell.org
Reward: $75
Description: Light gray frame and fenders. Generator front hub (aftermarket). Red saddle. Black luggage rack. Belt drive. Bontrager rear tire, Continental front tire; both have reflective strips. 2 black panniers were on the bike when it was stolen.
Police record with: Portland
Police reference#: T13009804
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

gunmetal grey Trek 300 elance 1986

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Year: 1986
Brand: Trek
Model: 300 elance
Color:gunmetal grey
Size:53cm
Stolen in Portland, OR 97209
Stolen:2013-09-26
Stolen From: 18th Ave between Everett and Flanders.
Neighborhood: border of the pearl
Owner: Richard Winters
OwnerEmail: the.r.e.winters( atsign )gmail.com
Reward: coffee and baked goods.
Description: This trek 300 was converted to a fixie years ago and has a flip flop fix/fix hub on a black Vuelta wheel. The fork is a raleigh fork painted black from what was maroon. The front wheel does not match the rear and is a silver grey. The bars are silver track style with grey upper grips, orange lower grips, and a black near-the-stem mounted brake lever. The stem is peeling at the top and is origin 8. It had black planet bike fenders on it when it was stolen. The chain is orange. The bottom bracket is cartridge instead of ball bearings. The seat post is seized inside the rusted inner frame. The saddle is black and says kashimax on the back. The frame has a scrape on the right side and the rear wheel has some deep scrapes in it as well.
Police record with: Portland PD
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike