Riding on SE 52nd Ave., along the route once slated for a major freeway and which is now planned to become part of the 50s Bikeway.
(Photo © J. Maus)

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— This article was written by Portlander Steve Gutmann. He works for the Portland Sustainability Institute and formerly worked for EcoSecurities and Flexcar.

(Photo © J. Maus)

On September 29th, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation that will — for the first time — allow individuals in California to have their personal cars become car-sharing vehicles without invalidating their personal auto insurance. This legislation clears the way for “peer to peer,” (P2P) or personal vehicle car-sharing in California, and a similar effort is underway here in Oregon. This could dramatically accelerate the already rapid growth of car-sharing nationwide.

But why should you (a bike-riding audience) care? (more...)

[Longtime BikePortland reader John Beaston recently completed a bike tour with some friends along the Oregon Coast. I asked him to share a few photos and a brief recap about what they did along the way. Please note: Since this ride combined bicycling and beer drinking, I asked Beaston to explain how they made sure there was no pedaling under the influence. He said they had a designated support van the entire way and all brewery stops were scheduled at dinner, so no riding was done after imbibing.]

The group at Seaside.
John Beaston is second from right.

Back in 2002, a friend and I did the Oregon Coast Bike Route. After we got home we told all of our beer buddies about what a great experience it was; a pitcher later and we had concocted the 2010 Oregon Coast Brewery to Brewery Bike Tour -- a 7-day, van-supported jaunt from Astoria to Brookings taking in the scenery and stopping at all seven coastal breweries.

We just returned and here's a combo beer and road report...

Breweries (see full list below)
The good: Those seven breweries are creating some fantastic beers. Ft George Brewing in Astoria and Wakonda Brewing in Florence were our favorites places. Wakonda's Imperial Pilsner was our standout beer.
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The article below was written by reader Paul Manson in response to my recent story on how construction at the E Burnside/12th/Sandy intersection is impacting the bicycling experience on SE Ankeny, a nearby bike boulevard street.

Paul is an environmental and sustainability consultant and also serves as a volunteer on the Sullivan's Gulch Trail Committee and as an alternate citizen representative for Multnomah County on the Metro Policy Advisory Committee.

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[The following article was written by new executive director of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, Rob Sadowsky.]

I was excited to read the various 'Big Ideas' submitted to BikePortland, even my favorite -- the giant slide down Mt. Hood. To make a significant dent in bicycling mode share in Portland, and in the region, we need not only big bold infrastructure ideas, but we need to take significant steps to limiting the convenience of driving a car. (more...)

[Publisher's note: In a story last week I hoped out loud that City of Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) would seize the opportunity to re-stripe Williams Avenue north of Broadway with a wider bike lane. The road is currently torn up for a repave, so what better time to try and eke out an extra foot or two for bikes? PBOT got in touch with me after reading that story and requested to write a guest article about the situation. I agreed and I've published the piece in its entirety below. I've put some of the most important bits in bold.]

Williams is currently torn up.
When it gets re-striped, the bike lane
will likely be one foot wider.
(Photo © J. Maus)

A BikePortland headline from May 27 asked, “Williams Ave getting repaved: Can we get a wider bike lane?” We are writing today with an answer: Yes. And not only can Portlanders get a wider bike lane on North Williams, but they probably will get one in the next month and may get something better in the next year. (more...)

Sarah Gilbert
(Photo: Amy McMullen)

[This article was written by Portland resident Sarah Gilbert, a professional writer who blogs at AOL's Daily Finance, CafeMama.com, and many other places. She's also known as the woman who got a local food chain to open up their drive-thrus to bicycles. When not writing, Gilbert is tending to her three young boys, whom she pedals around on her Xtracycle-equipped Electra Townie with a "One Less Minivan" sticker on it.]

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If Phil Goff had his way, his "Greenway Esplanade" concept would have transformed the Morrison Bridge into a biking and walking oasis. It didn't quite turn out that way.
(Concept drawing by Phil Goff)

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Russ Willis
(Photo © Elly Blue)

Before moving to Portland and ditching his car, Russ Willis was a founding board member of the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation. Russ is the author of the blog, Taking the Lane and this is his first editorial for BikePortland. This is the third article in a three-part series on The Bicycle Insurance Gap. See all three articles here.

Not very long ago, when I used to drive a car, I carried liability insurance against the possibility that I might injure or kill someone. (more...)

In the world of print, most bicycle-themed publications are novice-level — they tell you how to fix your bike or guide you through gaining skills and confidence to ride in traffic. Then there's the other end of the spectrum — the ivory tower of transportation theory.

That's why I have to bless Boneshaker's scrappy heart and 104 information-packed pages for filling the much needed void between these two genres.

This small volume communicates on a level for those who just want to ride their bikes and then talk about it afterwards. It fully lives up to its subtitle, "A Bicycling Almanac." (more...)

[This article was written by contributor Aaron Tarfman.]

On Saturday I went out to be a part of the Friends of Trees planting event along the I-205 path. The staging area was near the top of the hill by SE Alder St & SE 94th Ave.

I've volunteered with this group several times before and I appreciate the work that they do. I was also a little disturbed by some comments about the event made on BikePortland, and it was my hope to make a more positive impression. I don't always have success with showing people the wisdom of human powered transportation, but it was worth bringing the trailer out to give it a try. (more...)

Publisher's note: Despite a recent BTA survey showing that 90% of respondents own a car, many people are finding that living without one (or several) is not only possible but enjoyable. Even the New York Times has noticed that in America, people are falling out of love with cars.

On that note, here's a review of a very highly recommended book about how to take the carfree (or just car-light) plunge. It was originally published by Elisa Munoz on her Birmingham, Alabama-based blog Bike Skirt, and has been republished here with her permission. We're looking forward to publishing more reviews from Munoz in the future.

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Marion Rice and daughter Gleneden

[Publisher's note: This article is by our Family Biking columnist Marion Rice. Marion's last two columns have been about biking while pregnant. Today she talks about negotiating a first bike purchase with your child.]

Starting at about 10 years old, I can remember going everywhere on my bike with my group of friends on the weekend. We would pack lunches and take off for points unknown. Of course we would have to bring a dime or two to call home and check in with our parents during the day. Sometimes we would call to beg for a ride home after having biked a good 20 miles away. (more...)

[Welcome to the first article in our new Bike Home section. Marion Rice, our family biking columnist, will be sharing her finds and tips about all things related to bike-friendly living spaces. She'll be on the hunt for the best backyard bike sheds, bike-friendly homes for sale, bike yard art, and other fun stuff. If you have tips or suggestions for Marion, get in touch at marion[at]bikeportland[dot]org. -- Jonathan]

New resident Steve Gitchell and
developer Ted Watson.
(Photo: Dan Liu)

When Northwest Portland real estate developer Ted Watson embarked on a remodel of the Gallery Condominiums at NW 21st and Johnson, he knew bike amenities were a must.

"I know my market and I wanted to satisfy my market. I wanted to make it easy for my owners to get around," he said. According to Ted, it was a "no-brainer" to make sure the plans included bike storage and other bike-friendly features.

Watson himself lives in West Linn. He drives most of the way into the city, but he prefers to bike between his various downtown projects to avoid the hassle of finding parking. (more...)

[Editor's note: The story below, written our Family Biking columnist Marion Rice, is a follow-up to a story we published on February 2nd. That story introduced you to Portlander Angela Koch and posed the question: Should you ride while pregnant?]

Angela Koch, 32 weeks pregnant,
pedals happily along SE Ash Street.
(Photos © Dan Liu)

Angela Koch is now 32 weeks pregnant, and she's still biking around the streets of Portland with a smile on her face. Her belly is significantly bigger now than it was back in February when I first wrote about her, and she's still doing great.

Sure, at the end of a long day she's tired, and there are a few aches and pains (darn sciatica) -- but nothing that keeps her off her bike. (more...)

[This article was written by Erin Greeson. You might remember her in-depth examination of the bike messenger industry.]

"Century" Steve Nelson
(1960 ~ 2009)

On the evening of Tuesday, April 14, Team Beer lost a beloved teammate, "Century" Steve Nelson after a battle with illness and a stream of hospital visits from friends and teammates.

Steve succumbed precisely in time to join his beloved Team Beer in spirit. As the call came and news was shared, heads bowed in quiet grief and meditation, and glasses were raised to quietly salute a teammate whose smile, wisdom and support would be sorely missed but never forgotten. (more...)

Tori Bortman
(Photos © J. Maus)

Editor's Note: This article was written by guest author Tori Bortman. Tori is very active in the local bike scene. She's a co-host of the KBOO Bike Show, a promoter of bike polo and women-only alleycats, and she's the proprietor of her own bike mechanic training business, Gracie's Wrench (which we reported about two years ago and was featured in The Oregonian this past Sunday).

Today she shares a few tips about how to coax your battered bike (and psyche) out of the winter doldrums and into the sunshine ahead!

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With its calm streets, SE Lincoln is a popular bikeway.
That is, until you get past SE 50th.
(Photos by Spencer Boomhower)

The bike boulevard on Harrison and Lincoln Streets between SE 12th and SE 60th Avenues is one the most popular in Portland, and with good reason: it offers a pleasant ride in a straight shot from Ladd's Addition all the way up to Mount Tabor.

Like most bike boulevards in town, the Lincoln Street route slows and minimizes automotive traffic with selective use of automotive diversions, traffic-calming devices and bicycle cut-throughs. The result is a stretch of road that makes cyclists feel safer and more welcome than they might elsewhere on the streets of Portland.

Until, that is, Lincoln crosses 50th Avenue, into the ten-block stretch that continues up to 60th. Suddenly Lincoln starts to seem less like a bike boulevard, and more like a standard Portland street. There's faster-moving automotive traffic, and more of it. (more...)

Chris Smith

[This article was written by Chris Smith. Chris is a multi-modal transportation advocate who writes regularly on PortlandTransport.com. In the late 1990s he helped win neighborhood approval of the NW Bikeways plan that established the bicycle network in NW Portland and the Pearl District. He currently serves as chair of the Streetcar Citizens Advisory Committee and on the board of Portland Streetcar, Inc.]

A City of Bikes and Streetcars

I’ve enjoyed Libby Tucker’s two part series on bikes and streetcars in Portland (Part One - Part Two). It’s a very accurate portrait of the history of interactions between bikes and streetcars in our city. (more...)

Christopher Heaps

The article below was written by Christopher Heaps. Heaps is a Sellwood resident who rides his bike daily to his job as a lawyer with Stoel Rives in downtown Portland.

In the article below, Heaps shares his thoughts on why he thinks Portland should adopt a new safe passing ordinance.

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