Rural roads like this one could be developed for industrial use.(Photo: Kevin Van Dyke)

Beaverton resident, race promoter, and bike advocate Kris Schamp has joined a grassroots effort to save 34,000 acres of rural farmland from industrial and residential development in Washington County.
Schamp, owner of Portland Racing and communications director of Northwest Trail Alliance, has organized [...]

After years of encouragement from advocates and citizen activists, the City of Tigard says they plan to establish an official Bicycle Advisory Committee.
During a phone call, City of Tigard transportation project engineer Mike McCarthy told us the decision to form the committee comes as part of a larger effort. McCarthy said the Bike Advisory [...]

Downtown Tigard. Red lines show streets impacted by amendments to planning code.View Map

On June 23th, Tigard City Council voted unanimously in favor of planning code amendments that remove the city's requirement to have bike lanes on specific downtown streets. Along with that decision, they also voted on a code amendment that allows them to put [...]

A view of the Fanno Creek Trail in Tigard.(Photo © J. Maus)

The City of Tigard is gearing up for their first-ever trail user count and survey. The counting effort will take place over five days in September and volunteers are needed.
According to City of Tigard planner Duane Roberts, a manual count and a user [...]

"Paving that section of abandoned rail would go a long way to making it easier for residents of that part of Tigard to get into downtown."-- KT, from a comment on our story last week

On Tuesday, the Tigard City Council approved a resolution that would allow them to assume responsibility for an abandoned railroad line [...]

"Interim trail use will provide a broad range of community benefits, including:... giving the downtown an economic stimulus by providing a new off-street transportation route to downtown businesses of all kinds..."-- from a resolution to create a new rail-trail in Tigard

On Tuesday, June 9th, Tigard City Council will vote on whether or not they [...]

Jim "K'Tesh" Parsons is always looking out to make your ride (or walk) safer and more enjoyable.-Slideshow Below-(Photos © J. Maus)

It wasn't long into a full day tour through Beaverton and Tigard that Jim "K'Tesh" Parsons needed to stop and get to work. We were riding on the path adjacent to Highway 26, just [...]

PedalSecure is a new, nationwide company based in Beaverton (just a few miles west of Portland) that offers comprehensive roadside assistance specifically for bicycle riders.
For as little as $9.95 per month, PedalSecure offers "peace of mind" that you will be taken care of during your ride; whether you lose your U-lock key, need a free [...]

A 21-year-old student enrolled in the International School of Portland Community College (Rock Creek Campus) has died from injuries sustained in a collision with a Ford Ranger pickup-truck last Tuesday.
According to an email sent to staff at the college, Roy Tze from Hong Kong died yesterday evening at Emanuel Hospital after an "unsuccessful operation".
The Hillsboro [...]

The ride began with a roll through downtown Hillsboro.Video report belowPhoto Gallery(Photos © J. Maus)

With crowds much larger than organizers expected, the first annual Tour de Parks, held yesterday in Hillsboro, was a smashing success.
My family and I made the trek out West (thanks to the MAX) for our first foray into the [...]

From The City of Tualatin (emphasis mine):
"On Tuesday August 12, 2008 at 6:39pm, Tualatin Police and Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue responded to a report of an assault between 3 males on SW Boones Ferry Rd and SW Ibach Street. Several citizens called 911 reporting that 2 men, in a truck, were beating a man [...]

The City of Beaverton (Portland's neighbor to the west) and their Bicycle Advisory Committee are planning "Bike Beaverton" tomorrow night.
The event poster encourages folks to "Join your neighbors... for an evening bicycle ride through Beaverton." The route will be a 7 mile loop starting and ending at the Beaverton City Library using low volume [...]

(Photo © J. Maus)

Residents of Portland, Beaverton and six other Oregon cities will take to the streets on their bicycles tomorrow as part of the annual Ride of Silence.
They'll join nearly 300 cities worldwide taking part in the event which seeks to raise awareness of bicycles on the road by remembering those who [...]

The Beaverton Police Department's Public Information Officer Sgt. Paul Wandell says a statement about bike safety printed in a city newsletter has been "blown out of proportion."
The advice -- that bicyclists should, "walk your bike across busy intersections and streets" -- was printed as a bike safety tip and it has touched a nerve among [...]

Cover of the newsletter.

"Public Safety" is the theme of a special edition of the City of Beaverton's Your City newsletter (Beaverton is about 7 miles southwest of Portland).
When BikePortland reader Alan Bennett read through it he was shocked to see that under the heading of, Riding Safe: Bicycle Tips, it was recommended that when biking, [...]

"Signing any sidewalk as a bicycle path increases the likelihood of tort settlements even years later."--FHWA Course on Bicycle and Transportation Planning

The recent tragedy in Beaverton leaves many unanswered questions.
Among them is whether or not Washington County contributed to a dangerous situation by designating a sidewalk as the bike route -- a practice [...]

Approximate crash location. Click for Google Map.

KATU has the story of a collision last Friday in Hillsboro that resulted in the death of 47 year-old Hillsboro resident Kerry Alfred Teufel.
Here's what they reported:
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Graphic from "And we Bike" website.Click to enlarge

As part of a new bike safety campaign, a coalition of advocates in Washington County is planning a memorial ride for Timothy O'Donnell this weekend.
O'Donnell was struck and killed by a car on a rural Washington County road last June.
On Saturday (9/22), the Portland Velo riding club [...]

(Photo: Jonathan Maus)

The death of 66 year-old Timothy O'Donnell last June in Washington County continues to spark activism over safety concerns on rural roads.
The tragedy helped shine a light on bike safety during the last legislative session in Salem and was a key ingredient in the passage of the Vulnerable Roadway Users Bill. His [...]

Over the weekend, the discussion over enforcement against bicycles in North Plains continued both in the comments of my post from Friday and on the OBRA email list.
Among the reactions was a comment by North Plains Police Chief Scott Whitehead. Whitehead wrote in to clarify his position on the situation:
"It seems that several people [...]