April 2007 Archives

Help identify potential bicycle boulevard streets

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Bicycle Boulevards, like this one on NE
Tillamook, are safer for families.
File photo: 3/31/07

As part of a course on Community Development, a group of Portland State University students are helping the BTA plan a bicycle boulevard network in north and northeast Portland.

They’ve developed a short survey to identify streets that might be candidates for development into bicycle boulevards. According to one of the project leaders,

“This input will constitute the rough data, as we will take piecemeal stretches of bike-friendly roads and connect them together in a network plan.”

Janis McDonald at the Alice Awards.
File photo: 3/10/07

Three years ago, Janis McDonald had a dream; to get more women on bikes. That passion led to the creation of PDOT’s Women on Bikes program, which McDonald has spearheaded at her day job in the Transportation Options division of the Office of Transportation.

That program has been a great success, but McDonald knows there is even more work to be done. That’s why she, along with Barb Grover of the Bike Gallery and Alison Hill of the Community Cycling Center, recently organized a meeting to discuss how they can break down to barriers to cycling for women.

Black, HAD a blue cable lock. Bottle carriage on frame, travel pouch under seat. Attatchment for front light.

More Info on Finetoothcog

Cops shift Critical Mass patrol duties

Police presence at a Portland Critical Mass
ride in August 2005.
File photo: 8/26/05

The Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division will no longer be in charge of Portland’s Critical Mass ride.

Seeking to remove a layer of management, the Bureau has decided to give the duty of patrolling the monthly ride to Southeast Precinct Lieutenant Bob Heimbach.

Doug Ollerenshaw on a
ride around Sauvie Island.
File photo: 2/23/06

Northwest Portland resident and professional racer Doug Ollerenshaw finished second in today’s opening stage of the Tour de Georgia. The event is one of the premier races in North America and draws top competitors from around the world.

Ollerenshaw is riding for the Health Net Pro Cycling Team (presented by Maxxis).

Last year started out rough for “Doug O” when he fractured his hip in an early season race in Belgium. Later in the year, a gnarly crash in Australia landed his rear-end in the newspaper.

Bicycle SafeTea Action

Washington County Commissioner gets bike stolen from MAX

Washington County
Commisioner
Dick Schouten.
Photo: Wash. Co.

Last November, Washington County Commissioner Dick Schouten boarded the Blue Line MAX train at the Hatfield Government Center in Hillsboro. He hung his bike on a hook, sat down, and dozed off for just a few stops.

By the time he opened his eyes, his bike was gone.

Schouten filed a police report and has obtained photos of the thief in action from TriMet security cameras. He can identify the perpetrator (he remembers seeing him on the train) but so far there are no leads in the case.

“We can’t leave this conference and go back to our silos.”
–Tom Jefferson, husband of the late Jane Higdon, in a speech at the Oregon Bicycle Summit.

Tom Jefferson, a soft-spoken and thoughtful cyclist from Eugene, was the final speaker at the Oregon Bicycle Summit. Jefferson is the husband of the late Jane Higdon, who was killed while riding her bicycle in Eugene last summer.

Jefferson gave us an update on efforts to honor Higdon’s death and he urged us to work together and “speak the same language” to make Oregon a safer place for bicycles,

Portland’s “Step it Up Ride” was
part of a nationwide demonstration.
Photo: Aaron Tarfman

Bike Season has officially started in Portland. This past weekend was full of interesting and fun bike events for nearly every type of cyclist.

Friday night kicked off with Filmed by Bike. I couldn’t make it this year so I’d love to hear from some of you how it went.

Iris Riggs at the
Oregon Bicycle Summit.
File photo: 4/14/07

Important news from the Oregon Bicycle Summit…

Iris Riggs (in photo) is Oregon’s first ever Bicycle Recreation Coordinator. She was hired last summer by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to help communities develop bicycle recreation resources, promote bicycle tourism, and more.

According to the BTA, the job was created after the, “culmination of years of work by the biking community.”

Andy Newlands, the man behind the recently founded Oregon Bicycle Constructors Association has announced the first annual Oregon Handmade Bike Show.

The event will be invitation-only and is set for November 10, 2007 and it will be held at the Multnomah Athletic Club in the Goose Hollow area of southwest Portland. Newlands says he pitched the idea to the MAC’s Cycling Committee and it was, “well received”. He hopes to get framebuilders from around the state to exhibit their work at the show.

Help identify potential bicycle boulevard streets

Women meet to tackle cycling’s gender divide

Stolen Trek Antelope

Cops shift Critical Mass patrol duties

Portlander takes second at Tour de Georgia

Milwaukie Bike Map Open House

Bicycle SafeTea Action

Washington County Commissioner gets bike stolen from MAX

Oregon Bicycle Summit ends on poignant note

Weekend recap: It’s Bike Season in Portland

State Bicycle Recreation position faces cut

Oregon Handmade Bike Show coming in November

Latest Headlines

Portland bike thief sentenced to four years in prison

An homage to Portland’s bikeway network signs

Exciting progress on Willamette Blvd project

Jobs of the Week: Bike Clark County, Metropolis, Cycle Portland, and more

From the Archives

With six kids and no car, this mom does it all by bike