Month: April 2007
Catching up with Ayleen Crotty of Filmed by Bike
File photo: 4/11/07
You can’t go to far in Portland’s bike scene without running into Ayleen Crotty. She’s the spirit behind such beloved institutions as the Midnight Mystery Rides, the KBOO Bike Show, the Multnomah County Bike Fair and more.
And after this weekend she’ll be best known for her role in creating and promoting Filmed by Bike. Now in it’s fifth year, the fest has become a mainstay of the local scene and is gaining notoriety acclaim beyond Portland’s borders.
I caught up with Ayleen yesterday at her house in northeast Portland’s Woodlawn neighborhood, just before she biked off for an interview on OPB Radio.
Memorial sign bill passes committee
UPDATE (4/12, 9:50am): According to a commenter, this bill did not pass committee yesterday. It was only considered and was not voted on yet. I picked up the story from an OPB story that ran with the headline, “House Committee Approves Cyclist Memorial Signs Bill.” I regret the error and will keep you posted on developments (*see latest update below).
OPB reports that House Bill 3020, which generated some surprising feedback on this site last week, passed the House Transportation Committe in Salem yesterday.
TriMet GM says cyclists should walk across some tracks
Two weeks ago, I shared the story of Sharon Fekety. She crashed her bike while attempting to cross a pair of MAX train tracks at I-205 and W Burnside, which resulted in her left arm being fractured in three places.
Do thieves loosen staple racks to get bikes?
The other day I noticed something strange when I went to park my bike on the corner of NW 23rd and Kearney (just in front of the toy store). The bolts that attach the rack into the concrete had been loosened and the rack wobbled back and forth (see photos below).
Enforcement action at Ladds Circle
I just got a tip from a reader that the Portland Police Bureau has set up an enforcement sting at Ladds Circle in southeast Portland.
The tipster said lots of cyclists were getting “scooped up” on their morning commute for not coming to a complete stop before entering the circle.
Consider this advance warning if you’re headed in that direction.
And if you’re reading this with a ticket in your pocket, let us know what happened.
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UPDATE: (9:15am) According to witnesses, as many as six motorcycle cops are working this area. One of them told a cyclist that this sting was in response to several complaints in the neighborhood.
Stolen K2 Lithium 2
full suspension, disc brakes front & back, clipless pedals
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Stolen Trek Session 7 2006
Heavy duty, long travel, dual suspension mountain bike.
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TriMet bus driver gets candid about stress, cyclists
Buses and bicycles are both forms of “alternative” transportation, but that’s about the extent of what we have in common. There is an uneasy truce between us on the streets and our tenuous relationship tends to ebb and flow between cooperation and complaints.
The size difference of our vehicles combined with the need for us to share the same space on the road, is a recipe for frustration and stress on both sides.
Stolen cannondale cyclocross ultimo 3
Brand new road bike, kobby tires. Weighs about as much as a paper envelope.
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Portland’s “Platinum” Bicycle Master Plan gets rolling
Portland bike insiders are wondering how we can go beyond the confines of U.S. standards for bike-friendliness and begin to adopt infrastructure and policies already in use in places like Amsterdam and Copenhagen.
But before Portland can become a world-class bicycling city, we must first have a plan to get there.