Month: September 2005

Portland Police to distribute bike lights, safety brochures

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Taking a cue from Shift’s highly successful “Get Lit” program*, Portland Police will soon be distributing free bike lights to visibility-challenged cyclists.

In addition, volunteers from Shift and traffic safety specialists from The City of Portland Office of Transportation have worked with the police on a bike safety brochure they will hand out along with the lights. Stay tuned for more details and an official statement from city officials.

This is a great example of what’s possible when community groups, the city, and the police all come together for a common goal of making our streets safer!

*A little background: Shift’s “Get Lit” program has given out free lights to thousands of cyclists and was recently featured in the Oregonian.

Bike theft: What should we do about it?

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Anyone that’s ridden a bike for at least a few years has had to confront the feeling. You know, that sinking pit in your stomach when you realize someone has taken your beloved bike.

I noticed a recent post on Craigslist about how local bike thieves are starting to run amok. They’re getting more and more brazen and some local cyclists feel helpless. Turns out the guy that made that post, is the same guy who got his bike stolen (they cut his U-Lock!) in broad daylight at the Chunkathalon with hundreds of people milling around.

So what can cyclists do?

Should we take the law into our own hands and start doing vigilante-style sting operations?

Is is moral/ethical to lure unsuspecting thieves into staged traps then beat them to a pulp apprehend them until authorities arrive?

What have your experiences been with reporting stolen bikes to the police?

What are some other ways we as a community can deal with this problem?

PSU hosts track event at Alpenrose

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This Saturday, the Portland State University cycling club is hosting the Collegiate Track Regionals at Alpenrose Velodrome. The event starts with a “Good Morning” clinic for anyone new to the track. There’s a free potluck at noon and the racing goes on throughout the afternoon.

The race director is none other than the blues harmonica-playin’, founder of B.I.K.E., John Benenate so you know it will be a good time. And word on the street is that some of John’s “kids” will be on hand for autographs.

So enjoy a day out at the track and support starving collegiate cyclists!

[Click image to view event flyer PDF.]

trackflyersm

Sam Adams makes another good move

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pedalpalooza05 Transportation Geeks Ride

That Sam Adams guy really knows how to pick a good team. He has just added none other than bike fun dynamo Elicia Cardenas to his staff. It’s a smart move by Sam because Elicia is the type of person you want with you, not against you. She’s sharp as a tack, sits on all sorts of important committees, works for the BTA and is a great asset to the community.

Here’s a photo of Elicia I dug up from the archives. It shows her in a “bike box” while leading the Transportation Geeks Ride during this year’s Pedalpalooza.

Bike stolen at Chunkathalon – Recovered!

[UPDATE! This bike has been recovered! Read about it here]

Amid the chaotic merriment of the recent Chunkathalon, some guy got this really nice bike stolen. I saw him make the sad announcement at the event and he’s pretty broken up about it. He’s even put up this website to help find it. Here are the details:

“On or around 5 P.M. thieves used some sort of tool to cut through my Kryptonite brand u-lock. They took the bike, an attached helmet, and the bulk of the u-lock. All that was left was a straight chunk of the U, cut just at the start of the curve. The bike had been locked to a utility pole support wire. There were plenty of other bikes locked up in the vicinity and people were milling around. Chunkathon was taking place about 1.5 blocks away. Large reward for information leading to safe recovery. “

Come on BikePortland readers, let’s help this guy find his bike. If you’ve got any info call Nick @ 503.819.6324 or email nick[a]emilive.com.

desalvo_stolen

823-SAFE success story

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Two visitors recently commented that the signal at N. Broadway and Larrabee was too short to make it across the intersection on time. Then, the ever-present Jessica Roberts (from the BTA) urged them to call 823-SAFE to get the signal timing changed.

One of them took her advice and here’s what happened:

“Just wanted to let everyone know that I called the 503-823-SAFE number today in regards to the intersecton at N Broadway and Larrabee and Todd Rosenbaum with the city called back within a couple hours. He apparently rides the same route and was familiar with the problem. He told me that he went ahead and changed the timing of the light from 5 seconds to 10 seconds. Hey look, sometimes the “city that works” actually does work! Props to the city of Portland for being so responsive. “

As a reminder, here’s what you can call 823-SAFE about:

  • Intersection safety (pavement markings, signals, stop signs)
  • Pedestrian & bicycle safety (crosswalks, bike lanes, ramps, sidewalks)
  • School safety (crossing, education, safe routes, school drop-offs)
  • Speeding (enforcement, speed zones, traffic calming)
  • Visibility (lighting, pruning, signage)
  • Parking (limited parking/no parking)

And a few other numbers you should program into your cell phone:

  • 503-823-CYCL for bike lane/path maintenance, bike maps & cycling information, and bike rack installation request
    OR call the maintenance dispatch line (24-hr) to request sweeping directly: 503-823-1700
  • 503-823-BUMP for pavement repair & potholes
  • 503-823-5195 for parking enforcement
  • 503-962-7644 for TriMet info on bikes & buses/MAX

Bike data charts are posted

I’ve just posted some interesting charts from the City of Portland Office of Transportation on my new “Bike Safety” page if you’re into that sort of thing.

Here are the titles of the charts:

  • “Combined Traffic over Four Main Portland Bicycle Bridges Juxtaposed with Bicycle Crashes”
  • “Portland Bicycle Use, Crashes, & Bikeways”
  • “Average Daily Bicycle Traffic: 4 Main Willamette River Bicycle Bridges”
  • “Combined Traffic over Four Main Portland Bicycle Bridges Juxtaposed with Bikeway Miles”

Visit the Bike Safety page to see them all…and don’t forget to vote on the Bike Safety poll while you’re there.

bridges_crash_rate


Toyota helps keep eyes on the road

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In light of several recent fatal car/bike incidents I thought this little news story was eerily coincidental. Perhaps technology can play a role in making our streets safer.

    Toyota Computer Makes You Watch the Road

    TOKYO (AP) – Japanese automaker Toyota has developed a safety technology that it says will keep the driver’s eyes on the road. An image-processing computer system developed by Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) and a Toyota affiliate uses a camera near the steering wheel to detect when the driver stops looking straight ahead.

    The system flashes a light on the dashboard display and emits a beeping noise when the eyes start to wander. If the driver still doesn’t respond, brakes kick in, Toyota said Tuesday. The feature will be offered in Lexus luxury models set to be sold in Japan in spring next year. Toyota won’t comment on whether it will be offered in models sold abroad, company spokeswoman Keiko Nakajima said.

    Research shows that most accidents happen because the driver isn’t paying attention, according to Toyota.

We’ll take any help we can get at this point…but I wish they’d spend their resources on driver safety education instead.

Bike Commute Challenge is on!

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Pedalpalooza 05 - Hash RideIf you rode your bike downtown this morning you might have noticed even more bikes on the streets than usual. Why? Because the BTA’s 1oth Annual Bike Commute Challenge has brought hundreds of Portlanders out of their cars and onto their bikes. This event gets local companies competing against each other to see who can log the most bike commuting miles in the month of September.

It’s free and any company can register. There are prizes for companies and individual riders (in case you work with a bunch of stiffs). There’s really no reason not to enter, because you’re probably riding to work already.

Don’t let the 500 workplaces that have already registered have all the fun! It’s not to late to register your company and start keeping track of your rides. Good luck!

Jonathan Nicholas to take over “Bike Fun” blog

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Cycle Oregon/Scenic Bikeway ride[Update: Jonathan Nicholas will only be a temporary blogger. OregonLive.com is still looking for a permanent replacement.]

Many of you might remember, that before I launched this site, I did the “Bike Fun” blog on OregonLive.com. Since my departure, they’ve been looking for a replacement. Well apparently they’ve found their man and it’s none other than esteemed columnist for The Oregonian and President of Cycle Oregon, Jonathan Nicholas.

Hopefully Jonathan will blog from the road of the upcoming “Discover Cycle Oregon” ride. That’d be cool. Welcome to the blogging world Jonathan!

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