Month: January 2007

Legislative update and my day in Salem

There seems to be a lot of interest in the community about the bike-related legislation going on in Salem this year. I’ve been doing my best to stay in touch with all of it and I will write about developments as they come in. Here’s what I know so far.

Alice Awards party

BTA Policy Director Scott Bricker is
the best-dressed advocate in town.

The BTA
You can read what the BTA is working on and see some discussion about it on their blog. They also have a very helpful page with links and articles about how statewide legislation works. I’ve also heard they will be creating a new page on their site to monitor all the progress and developments of this year’s session.

I’ve been in touch with BTA Policy guy Scott Bricker who’s been working hard in Salem. This coming Wednesday I’ll join him for a full day of meetings and get a crash course on lobbying from a real pro. I’m really looking forward to the trip!

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Don’t forget to nominate your bike heroes

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The BTA wants to spread the word that January 20th is the deadline for Alice Award nominations,

“Has an individual, business, government agency or community group you know provided inspiration to cyclists, made biking safer or easier, or helped make bikes a part of the fabric of your community? Nominate that person for an Alice Award!”

Check out who’s already been nominated and submit your nominations online.

The gala event will take place on March 10th.

Filmed by Bike jury, poster revealed

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Filmed by Bike is Portland’s very own, homegrown bike film fest that gets bigger and better every year. The lady behind the action is Ayleen Crotty. She has just announced the esteemed jury that will help select this year’s films:

  • Allan Folz – Shift, Breakfast on the Bridges
  • Caroline Colon – .83 Seattle
  • Janis McDonald – Women on Bikes, PDOT
  • Ken Nakamura – Axles of Evil, PUMA
  • Natalie Ramsland – Sweetpea Bicycles
  • Randy Wakerlin – Film Instructor

Read more

NAHBS and Portland return to the table

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Framebuilders gathering

[Don Walker, during his
visit to Portland last October.]

After the possibility of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show coming to Portland fizzled out back in October, now comes word from Don Walker that he is once again considering bringing his popular show here in 2008.

He’s scheduled to discuss details of the event in a conference call next week with officials from the Portland Oregon Visitors Association, the Oregon Convention Center, the Portland Development Commission, and Commissioner Sam’s office.

Walker visited Portland last October and told me he was nearly 100% ready to bring his show here. Then out of nowhere came the big Eurobike announcement and Walker — feeling a bit blindsided by what he considers a competing show — instantly retreated.

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Meet two local illumination experts

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Many cyclists in and around Portland are aware of the survival imperative of being visible while riding at night. But there are two guys I’ve come across recently who take it to a whole new level.

[Tomas and his lights.]
Photo: Tomas

A few days ago I discovered the blog of local cyclist Tomas Quinones. I’ve met Tomas once or twice, but had no idea he was a bike light expert until I stumbled across this post where he tries all eight of his various lights on his helmet at once.

Read more about Tomas’s adventures in illumination and his impressions of various lights in this post.

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Industry mag highlights King’s green approach

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[Another beautiful Chris King product.]

Local bicycle component manufacturer Chris King Precision Components is highlighted as one of five “Green Giants” in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News magazine’s current issue. The issue focuses on bike companies who go the extra mile to be nice to the planet.

Chris King makes all of their headsets, hubs and other products almost entirely in their own facility, which is practically unheard of in any manufacturing industry. They have done more to minimize the environmental impact of their business than any company I have ever come across.

One of the programs they’re known for is how they deal with their metal scrap (see photo). Enter the puck, as explained in Bicycle Retailer,

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Portland roads safer for cyclists in 2006

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I don’t have the complete breakdown of traffic crash and fatality stats for 2006 yet, but from what I’ve gleaned so far the numbers show an encouraging downward trend.

Here are some factoids to think about:

  • There were zero bike fatalities in 2006. That’s down from four in 2005.
  • There were 28 total traffic fatalities in 2006, down from 33 in 2005, and 47 for 2003.
  • The Traffic Division made 1,524 DUII arrests in 2006 compared with 1,244 in 2005.
  • The Traffic Divsion investigated 1,629 collisions (both bike and car) in 2006 compared with 738 in 2005.

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Stolen Univega Road Bike

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Back in April this bike was stolen from 3rd/Alder. A Bikeportlander found it on Craig’s list 6 months later. It has since been spotted locked up in Portland. The Craiglist listing made it sound obviously stolen with an anonymous email and all calls returned from a payphone with the bike costing $59. The bike is a 70s Univega road bike frame with mismatching blue front fork. The tires don’t match each other and the frame had some stickers on it that were removed in the Craigslist photo. It had a long stem on it and drop bars.

More Info on Finetoothcog

Updated map of downtown’s covered bike parking

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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 do?

Well, I just noticed that PDOT has recently updated their map of all the covered bike parking spots downtown.

Check out the map. Your bike will love you for it.

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From the Archives

The good, the bad, and the ugly on the Oregon Coast Bike Route