House passes safe passing legislation

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[Updated 6/14/07, 7:51pm]
[Updated 6/15/07, 1:15pm]

A bill that seemed to come out of nowhere (I didn’t know about it until I read the Statesman Journal this morning) and that started out having nothing to do with bicycle safety, has passed the House, and is set to become Oregon’s first safe passing legislation that specifically protects bicyclists.

Senate Bill 108, will amend the Oregon Revised Statute that deals with following too closely (ORS 811.485) to include several stipulations about how a motor vehicle is required to pass a bicyclist. The bill avoids the three-foot passing distance that has been adopted by other states and instead defines a ‘safe distance’ as,

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Oregonian says cyclists are “treated like roadkill” in Oregon

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A forceful editorial in today’s Oregonian gives a much needed push to the Vulnerable Roadway Users bill (H.B. 3314), which is (hopefully) just days from a final Senate vote.

The article is bluntly titled, “Bad drivers, dead bicyclists,” and it opens with this line:

“Let’s save for another time the argument about reckless bicyclists, the crazies who blow through stop signs, ride the wrong way and act like they own the road. Timothy O’Donnell wasn’t one of those cyclists.”

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Rocky Butte Sunset Picnic and Party

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@ NE Klickitat & NE 11th (Irving Park entrance at west end of Klickitat)

ride may end at rocky butte or irving park???

ride to rocky butte to enjoy the sunset and panorama view of portland and the gorge! potluck style snacking, drinking. and dance party!! bring bike lights and a helmet.

Savannah, savannahteller at yahoo daht comm

Recycle a Bicycle

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@ 1700 NE Alberta St. (The Community Cycling Center)

Learn more about your bike by taking apart some of ours! The Community Cycling Center receives donated bikes to benefit programs for low-income children and adults. Bike that we cannot use are taken apart; we harvest usable parts and responsibly dispose of the rest.

We provide the tools and an introduction to the night. Anyone under 18 must have a waiver signed by a parent or guardian. *Closed-Toed shoes required*

Neal Armstrong, Volunteer at CommunityCyclingCenter daht oh are gee, www.CommunityCyclingCenter.org/, 503-546-8864

Little Beirut Tour

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@ SW Park & Salmon St (South Park Blocks)

George HW Bush coined the term Little Beirut during a visit here in 1990. This ride will tour Portland’s notorious urban riot locations past and present. However, no babies will be pepper-sprayed on this ride.
Cody Cougar Bikencamp

Road Witch Ride

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@ SE 17th & Taylor (Col. Summers Park at the pavilion)
6:30pm

for this ride, think Move X Bike meets Carfree streets. we’re taking a living room and, vendors providing, a backyard on the road and to a few parking spaces near you. have trailer? bring your favorite chair (we’ll have a few, too). pretty potted plant? bring it! just yoiu and your bike? marvelous! let’s reinvent parking together!
Road Witches are creative solutions for traffic calming:
http://www.wormworks.com/roadwitch/pages/trialcontents.htm
there could be a Road Witch standing, invisible, at your scariest intersection or most fearful zebra stripe.

Steph Routh & Michael Jones, steph.routh at gmail daht comm, www.pedalpaddle.blogspot.com

Bicycle Master Plan Public Forum

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@ 5210 N. Kerby Ave. (Jefferson High School Cafeteria)

Platinum Bicycle Master Plan Public Forum- N/NE-

Come let city transportation staff know where you ride, what needs to be fixed, and your dreams for a platinum bicycling city. This will be one of three public forums, this one focused on North and Northeast Portland.
bicyclemasterplan[at]pdxtrans.org

Bicycle Master Plan Update Team, www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=154117

A bamboo bike, hand made in Portland

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Pedalpalooza 07 - Grant Petersen Ride

Bamboo meets carbon fiber
on this locally made frame.
(File photo)

One of the best things about Pedalpalooza is that you never know who (or what) you’ll run into on a ride.

A few days ago I met up with the Grant Petersen-style Ride (Grant Petersen is the personality behind Rivendell Bicycle Works).

This ride was devoted to, “lugged-steel steeds with a taste for tweed, shellac, cork, and francophile tires.” There were Bridgestones, Rivendells, a Waterford. Some gorgeous bikes (photo gallery here). But none of them caught my eye as much as this bamboo beauty.

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Report: Pornography of the Bicycle

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[This Pedalpalooza ride report is from Reverend Phil.]


Packed with porn! It was all over the streets and into the theater, a capactity showing of Pornography of the Bicycle.

Soon to be married, though not any less offensive Alberta Clown House astounded folks with their fashion foibles; Jaclyn Pryor gave some Love Courier service and Jasun Wurster inspired transparency in the office before the movies even started!

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Cops search for PDOT bike thief

Detectives from the Central Precinct are looking for a brazen bike thief. The man below was caught on security cameras in front of the City of Portland Building wielding a set of bolt cutters in hopes of stealing a bike. When the security guard showed up, he made a hasty retreat.

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Report: Taco Ride

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[This Pedalpalooza ride report is from Ben Salzberg.]

Name of Ride: Taco Ride
Leader: Ben
Date: 6-12-2007
Start time: 18:00
Duration: 21:00
Approx. Distance: 4 miles
Number of riders: 60
Synopsis of ride:

A huge crowd of hungry taco eaters descended like locusts on all my favorite inner SE taco trucks, devouring everything in their paths. We left in waves from truck to truck, with little or no organization or leadership, driven purely by taco-craving. Many hundreds of tacos were consumed.

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