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PDOT’s secret SmartTrips Command Center.File photo

Yesterday, after a brief struggle with motorized transport units in downtown Portland, I was able to gain access to PDOT’s secret Command Center for their SmartTrips Southeast Bike Delivery Operation Squad (SSBDOS).
Before being carted away by security guards, I was able to snap [...]

PDOT’s Transportation Options Division specializes in individualized marketing programs that help make it easy for Portlanders to choose to walk, bike, or take transit.

Each year, they take one section of the city and do an outreach and education blitz that includes free gifts, workshops, events, incentives, and more. They’re currently focusing on southeast Portland [...]

Shoes await alterationin the Mountain Soles shop.File photo: 4/6/07

Just off the busy cycling routes of Hawthorne Boulevard and Ladd Circle in southeast Portland, modern-day cobbler Matt Menely and his staff at Mountain Soles are hard at work keeping cyclist’s expensive gear in tip-top shape.
At first glance, the shop may not seem like it has [...]

Tori Bortman of Gracie’s Wrench.File photo: 4/20/07

When it comes to bike repair and maintenance, I’m one of those people who knows just enough to mess things up. So last night, one other student and I joined Tori Bortman in the basement of her home in north Portland to learn the secrets of bike repair [...]

Cynthia Chilton, the woman behind tomorrow’s Traffic SafeTea event, sent me an interesting map the other day. It comes from the City of Portland and shows the location of all the reported bicycle crashes in the Portland metro area from 1995-2004.
Here’s the map:

“Bicycle Crashes with Injuries and Fatalities: 1995-2004″Map courtesy City of Portland: Download [...]

The Community Cycling Center has gone global. Thanks to staff mechanic Rich Walker, the venerable, Northeast Portland-based non-profit is now offering select parts and accessories on eBay.
Check it out via their new website.

Communications Director Alison Hill says,

Screenshot of a current auction.

“It’s a great way for us to showcase some of the parts and accessories [...]

The City of Portland’s Office of Transportation wants to “make your downtown trips easier, healthier, and less expensive.”

Download PDF here

Their SmartTrips Downtown program is racheting up and I just came across this nifty pledge form (download PDF version).
SmartTrips is an individualized marketing program that “lets employees who work in downtown Portland choose customized [...]

Screen grab of CCC’s new site

Northeast Portland-based non-profit, the Community Cycling Center, has launched a new website.
The site is much friendlier to navigate than the old one (which had become quite a behemoth over the years) and they’re using Wordpress (just like BikePortland) to make it all happen. Hosting is being donated by EasyStreet [...]

Wednesday was the inaugural session of the new Share the Road Safety Class. This new class can be completed in lieu of paying fines for certain bicycle, pedestrian and motor vehicle infractions.
BikePortland reader Lev Tsypin, who runs Level Online Strategy, was in that first class and wrote up an account of his experiences (edited [...]

A group of Portland State University students are working on a project to document Portland’s bicycle history. The effort is being led by Scott Cohen, a Capstone instructor who teaches courses on bicycles and transportation issues in Portland.
Capstone projects are an undergraduate requirement at PSU where students must work as a group on a [...]

[Photo: Ben Salzberg]

Ben Salzberg, a local computer expert and guitarist for bikey band the Trash Mountain Boys, has finally shared his secret knowledge of how to make rear-view cycling mirrors out of a spoke and a beer cap.
He calls them “beer-view” mirrors and has published detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to make them on the [...]

Back in June, I wrote about a new traffic citation diversion class that would be offered to bicyclists. Then in October, the man behind the class — Multnomah County Judge Pro Tem Christopher Larsen — shared more details about the class with the Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee.

Since that time, a diverse group of experts [...]

[Kyrstin wants to call her new business,Sprocket Smoothies.]

I first met Kyrstin Westwind at a Share the Road rally in Beaverton back in September. We shared a ride home on the MAX and her spirit and enthusiasm for biking left a lasting impression.
She shared the challenges and triumphs of being a carfree single [...]

Reader Isaac Harris just sent in word that Bishops Barbershop (3724 SE Hawthorne) is now offering a discount for hearty winter cyclists.
Show up with proof that you rode and you’ll get 10% off (or $2) your haircut and “our infinite respect” says store manager Crystal Eppinger. She adds that the deal may not fly [...]

["Heed the Moronic Dictum" by C.H.U.N.K. 666 and "Go By Bicycle #3" are part of the Library's new zine collection.]

During a recent visit to the library I noticed a they are now offering a nice collection of zines. Among them (there are 154 in total) are many on the subject of bicycles, and [...]

Since so many of wonderful, smart, and eminently-employable folks visit this site every day, I frequently get contacted by HR people wanting to post job announcements.
They rarely warrant their own post, and I’ve never had a good place to put them…until now.
Behold, the new BikePortland Job Listings.
So here’s the deal. If your [...]

The Stolen Bike Listings just took a nice step up. Michael Jones, the man behind Finetoothcog, just completed one of the main features we planned since we joined forces back in June.
He has combined stolen bike location data with Google Maps to provide a nifty view of where bikes get nabbed.

[View the map on [...]

[AJ Steffani of Cycology Mobile Bike Repair.]Photo: AJ Steffani

Southeast Portland resident AJ Steffani has launched Cycologoy Mobile Bike Repair, a new bike shop that comes to you.
AJ offers quick, “on the spot” bike repair throughout the Portland metro area.
Also a great photographer, AJ moved to town about two years ago (from [...]

[Cheaper and lighter than chains.] Photo by Todd Boulanger

Having trouble getting a grip on all that compacted snow and ice? Here’s a super-cheap DIY solution sent in by City of Vancouver transportation planner Todd Boulanger (and originally commented on by Ian…thanks guys!):

Directions:

Zip tie every other rim section between spokes (range: 1 per 3 spokes [...]

[Detail of covered bike parking map.]

Due to the behemoth Portland Bus Mall reconstruction project, downtown traffic is snarled and gnarled all over the place.
For smart Portlanders this is a perfect time to consider biking into work. But no one wants to leave their bike out in the wet and cold…so what to [...]

I’m finally done with my new links page! It doesn’t look much different than the old one, but it is much more organized, has lots of new links, and most importantly it’s easier for me to update. Check it out:
Portland Bike Links

Besides being a very useful resource when you’re looking for a new [...]

In case you’re still searching for the perfect gift for the bike lover in your life, here are some awesome, locally-made, bikey gift ideas.
BikePortland.org Postcard Set

[One of five postcardsin my set.]

Spread the beauty of bikes in Portland with one of my postcard sets. Each set comes with five postcards that have been printed on [...]

[Jeff Bernards, founderof "Get Lit"]

Jeff Bernards’ “Get Lit” program continues to inspire other cities to give out free lights to cyclists.
A few weeks ago, I shared the news that a similar program has cropped up in Missoula, Montana. Now, the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA) have adopted a similar program they call [...]

[Shared Route logo.]

Ever wanted to get up to Seattle with your bike? Everyone knows about Amtrak, but trains are slow and why not try something new?
Jacob Rosenblum recently told me about his new service called Shared Route — a “biodiesel passenger shuttle between Portland, Olympia, and Seattle” which was covered in the Willamette Week [...]

A traffic signal technician at PDOT just released a really cool document titled, “Vehicle Detection: Or, Getting a Green Light on a Bicycle at an Intersection.”
Here’s an excerpt from the, “How we mark for bicycle detection” section:

“Whenever we receive a request to mark an approach for bicycle detection, our electricians use a bicycle to [...]

A group of Portland cyclists have created a new safety information card as part of a campaign to educate motorists about bicycles and increase traffic safety. The new cards will debut tomorrow night at BikeCraft.

[Front (larger version here)]

[Back (larger version here)]

“So far I think the only money spent on this project was for the [...]

The Southeast Portland-based Community Exchange Cycle Touring Club has been very busy since they got started back in February.
One of their programs is a mechanic certification class and they’ve recently published part of their Mechanic Apprenticeship Curriculum online.
Check out these amazing, step-by-step, thoroughly photographed and annotated instructions for several basic bike [...]

Just a reminder that the Portland Bike Forums are a great place to ask for advice, share your experiences, or just get something off your chest. If you don’t usually wander over that way, you should check them out.
There’s an active community of people sharing information and discussing all sorts of interesting things, from [...]

[Circuit Court JudgeChristopher Larsen]

Last week, I attended a meeting of PDOT’s Community and Schools Traffic Safety Partnership (CSTSP) Coordination Council and got an update on Portland’s effort to be the first city to offer a traffic law violation diversion class to bicyclists and pedestrians.
Back in June I reported on the progress of this new class [...]

[The morning commute]

Everyone knows about carpooling, but what about a bikepool?
Transportation activist and BikePortland.org contributor Elly Blue thought it would be fun to start one, so for the last three Monday mornings she has invited folks to join her on her morning commute from Southeast Portland into downtown.
Elly says she thought it would [...]