Month: May 2005

Real cyclists wear fishnets

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

I thought the Portland cycling fashionistas and hipsters would enjoy this article from the Guardian, a UK newspaper. It’s been making its way around cycling websites. Here’s an excerpt:

“I find that wearing fishnets on a bike significantly reduces your chances of being killed. Not because everyone wants to protect your fabulous legs, just because people notice you’re there, if only because they’re thinking, “What’s that idiot doing in fishnets? She’ll only catch them on her gear set.” Drivers who’ve noticed you rarely try deliberately to kill you.”

Learn to race bikes at PIR!

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

The Monday Night Bike Race Series over at PIR (Porltand Int’l Raceway) is in its 18th year. Because of the wide-open course and sweeping turns, it’s a perfect place to get your first experience racing in a pack. They also make mentors and experienced racers available for questions and advice…if you’ve been thinking about jumping into competitive road racing, you can’t go wrong. I might even drag my desk-jockey self over there tomorrow night for a few laps.

The series is put on by Lakeside Bicycles.
There’s a $12 entry fee to race ($1 discount for not driving!)
Here’s a schedule.
And they’ve even got a website with all the info.

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Bicycle Facilities

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

The folks over at the BTA will like this one. An interesting tool for getting a quick estimate on how much a certain bike facility would cost. (from Velorution)

From the homepage:

How much do bicycle facilities cost? Can we quantify their benefits? In what cases do estimates of benefits outweigh costs?

If your community is considering building a new bicycle facility you can use this tool to estimate costs, the demand in terms of new cyclists, and measured economic benefits (e.g., time savings, increased livability, decreased health costs, a more enjoyable ride, decreased pollution).

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Bicycle Facilities

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

The folks over at the BTA will like this one. An interesting tool for getting a quick estimate on how much a certain bike facility would cost. (from Velorution)

From the homepage:

How much do bicycle facilities cost? Can we quantify their benefits? In what cases do estimates of benefits outweigh costs?

If your community is considering building a new bicycle facility you can use this tool to estimate costs, the demand in terms of new cyclists, and measured economic benefits (e.g., time savings, increased livability, decreased health costs, a more enjoyable ride, decreased pollution).

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Bicycle Facilities

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

The folks over at the BTA will like this one. An interesting tool for getting a quick estimate on how much a certain bike facility would cost. (from Velorution)

From the homepage:

How much do bicycle facilities cost? Can we quantify their benefits? In what cases do estimates of benefits outweigh costs?

If your community is considering building a new bicycle facility you can use this tool to estimate costs, the demand in terms of new cyclists, and measured economic benefits (e.g., time savings, increased livability, decreased health costs, a more enjoyable ride, decreased pollution).

Marine Dr. and PDX get more bike-friendly

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Last week I posted some bad news regarding how the new St. Johns Bridge isn’t looking too good on the bike-friendly scale. But at the same meeting I learned about the bridge I also heard Portland bike-czar Roger Geller present his plans to make some exciting bike accessibility improvements to Marine Drive. Playing with some serious grant money, Roger and his crew will work to create a seamless and safe pedaling experience on Marine Drive from Kelly Point Park along the Columbia all the way to the Gresham border.

In other news…
On a tip from the Oregonian’s Jonathan Nicholas…PDX Airport and the Port of Portland are teaming up to increase bike and ped access to the airport. According to the official press release (PDF):

Once completed, the improvements will provide a convenient bicycle and pedestrian path between the airport, Cascade Station, and regional bike paths and roadways. Facilities for locking bikes are already in place at the airport. However, the project will also install a new secured bike parking area for airport workers at the north end of the lower roadway near Concourse E. Additional work, in coordination with the City of Portland, will improve sidewalks and crosswalks and install bike lanes along a portion of Northeast 82nd Avenue between Northeast Alderwood Road and Northeast Air Cargo Road.

Sounds great to me. Now, which ambitious bikey entrepreneur will start a pedal-powered airport shuttle service!

Learn bike law…or get muddy

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Two tempting events tonight. First, the BTA is hosting bike lawyer Ray Thomas at their downtown office for a legal clinic. Or, if you’d rather get muddy on your mountain bike, join the Portland United Mountain Pedalers (AKA PUMP) for a spirited jaunt through Forest Park. Details below…

BTA’S LEGAL CLINIC
Tonight at 6pm, BTA office, 717 SW 12th Ave
Join BTA staff and Portland bike lawyer Ray Thomas for an evening of delving into Oregon law as it applies to cyclists. With more than 20 years of experience working with cyclists in sticky situations, Ray’s knowledge about the ins and outs of the law will help you to understand your rights, responsibilities and resources as a cyclist.
Please RSVP to: info@bta4bikes.org or 503.226.0676 x10.

PUMP RIDE IN FOREST PARK
Meet at the Thurman Gate, 5:30 sharp. All skill levels welcome, no one gets left behind!

Cyclists get shafted on St. Johns Bridge

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

While attending Tuesday’s meeting of the Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee I learned that ODOT has decided to give the St. Johns Bridge 2 lanes in each direction instead of a bike-friendly alternative suggested by traffic-flow consultants and local bicycle planners. With 2 lanes in each direction, there is not adequate room for bicycles.

At issue is whether or not accommodating bicycle traffic would hurt the freight capacity of the bridge. This issue was explored in a comprehensive study that showed putting 4 lanes on the bridge would not increase freight capacity. However, despite the findings of the study, it seems ODOT has made a decision that shows a complete disregard for cyclists and will make crossing the St. Johns Bridge by bike much more dangerous.

When will truckers realize that if more people were on bikes they could move their freight around much more quickly?!

Now, all that’s left is to fight for making the sidewalk (which is not going to be wide enough for bikes either) and the traffic lane as safe as possible for bikes.

I guess we’ll have to be satisfied with a bit of paint in the lane and a sign…gee, I feel safer already.

Ride around Portland and beyond

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Two great sites to help find your way…

Just came across this site with 5 classic rides in and around Portland; Sauvie Island, Springwater Corridor/Eastbank Esplanade, Mount Tabor & Rocky Butte, Blue Lake, and West Hills.  Here’s the link:

Experience Oregon – Five Great Bike Rides in Portland [from Kathy Belge, Oregon.com]

This next site is new and pretty exciting…it’s the Ride Oregon Wiki.

What’s a wiki? (good question). A wiki is a website that anyone can edit and add to. This means the Ride Oregon Wiki is constantly growing as riders add their favorite rides and add comments to existing routes. Also, if you’re savvy to RSS you can even subscribe to the feed and have new routes automatically sent to your reader. Very cool.

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