The streets of Washington DC, Chicago, and New York City will get better for bikes thanks to new laws.
Riding on SW Broadway in downtown Portland.
(Photos © J. Maus)
(Photos © J. Maus)
Year: 2008
More signs of bike-friendly council candidates
Local election season is heating up. One welcome trend of the campaigns, that will be fun to keep an eye on, is how/if the candidates try to out bike-friendly one another.
Fritz’s press release.
Midnight Mystery Ride
MIDNIGHT MYSTERY RIDE 21+
Meet at A Roadside Attraction, 1000 SE 12th Ave, Portland Take Trimet (SE 12th & Yamhill)
11:45pm, At Midnight we ride!
Please come inside! Do not linger outside. Please respect the bar give them your patronage, or come back at 11:55pm.
In doing so, you also respect MMRs desire to be like ninjas and tread lightly by not lingering in a group outside. Thanks for your understanding.
Team Midnight, Team Midnight
Bike Lunch (every Friday)
BIKE LUNCH
Backspace, 115 NW 5th Ave, Portland Take Trimet (I usually bring a bike helmet with a 3 leafed clover on it to help newcomers find the right table)
12:15pm – 1:15pm, Every Friday
Make friends with bikey people on your lunch break. 12:15PM Friday’s at Backspace coffee shop (they sell a mostly vegan menu, and Stumptown coffee).
Daniel Patrick Johnson (teknotus), teknotus at gmail daht comm, 503-409-1735 [forum]
Press Release: Team Oregon looking for new members
This just in from locally based racing/riding club Team Oregon:
Looking to learn about bicycle racing and want a group to ride with? Team Oregon is looking to expand its roster 2008
Team Oregon, a local cycling team, is looking to continue its growth and is always accepting new members. The team was established in 1988, and has had a long track record in Oregon racing. The roster of the team has included all levels of cycling talent from national champions to entry level and recreational riders looking to just have a good group to ride with.
Mayoral Debate: Adams and Dozono at PSU
Portland State, the Portland Business Alliance, and the Portland Tribune are hosting the first mayoral debate of the 2008 election season. Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams is scheduled to face off against Sho Dozono Thursday, March 20, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Smith Union Ballroom.
Lawrence Wallack, dean of College of Urban and Public Affairs, will moderate, and a chosen panel will ask questions on transportation, economic development, and public safety. The debate is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Jesse Cornett at 5-5040 or cornett@pdx.edu.
Chicago passes slew of bike safety ordinances
Chicago’s City Council has passed new laws that are intended to send a serious message to motorists about operating safely around bicycles.
Mayor Richard Daley told the Chicago Tribune, “We are committed to making Chicago the most bicycle-friendly city in the country, and safety is a very critical part of the plan.”
Let’s talk bikes: Social Hour is tomorrow
[Note: Be forewarned, bike parking is very scarce at Roots Brewing (hopefully that will change soon).]
Last time I was at Roots was
for Sam Adams’ mayoral
announcement event.
(Photo © J. Maus)
for Sam Adams’ mayoral
announcement event.
(Photo © J. Maus)
I hope some of you will join us for drinks and conversation at the BikePortland Social Hour coming to Roots Brewing (SE 7th and Hawthorne) tomorrow (Friday) from 6-7:00ish.
Roots co-owner Craig Nichols has kindly reserved some tables for us (and space for our bags, rain gear, helmets, etc..) and City Council candidate Jim Middaugh is all set to be there.
By the way, Jim has racked up some major endorsements recently. Some say there’s a good chance he’ll be one of our future commissioners and this will be a great opportunity to meet him in a relaxed setting. Then, once you’ve met him, you can call yourself an official member of the all-powerful “bike lobby”.
Spending on bikes: We get what we pay for
A comparison of bikeway spending and resulting bike use shows that Portland is way behind in opening up its pocketbook to pedaling.
Along with the rising profile of bike boxes, bike boulevards, bike trails, and bikes in general in Portland will come an increased scrutiny on how that infrastructure is paid for. Skeptics (or just plain enemies) of the non-motorized transportation revolution are sure to use the financial question as a way to try and stop the rising tide of bike spending and encouragement in Portland.
Mountain bike club celebrates 20 years of riding, advocacy
The Portland United Mountain Pedalers (PUMP) have been maintaining and riding mountain bike trails in and around Portland for 20 years.
PUMP members in their natural habitat.
(Photos © J. Maus)
(Photos © J. Maus)
Twenty years ago, at the cusp of the mountain biking boom, Portlander Theo Patterson spoke up to make sure knobby tires weren’t banned from Forest Park — an expansive natural area adjacent to downtown Portland and one of the largest urban parks in the country.
Council approves funding boost for parks, trails
The Springwater Corridor Trail
is a Portland Parks facility.
(Photo © J. Maus)
is a Portland Parks facility.
(Photo © J. Maus)
Yesterday, the Portland City Council voted unanimously to adopt a new “system development charge” (SDC) package that will raise roughly $240 million for parks, bike/ped trails, and natural areas over the next 12 years.
SDCs are one-time fees assessed on new development (commercial and residential) to cover a portion of the cost required to build specific types of public infrastructure required as a result of the development.
Local parks advocates laud the support for this financing package and say the money is needed to help implement their Parks 2020 Vision.
Lecture: Author, Columnist Neal Peirce
Neal Peirce
Author and Washington Post columnist
Thursday, March 13
Location: The Governor Hotel, 614 SW 11th Ave, Heritage Ballroom. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Dinner at 7:15 PM; presentation at 8:00 PM.
Neal Peirce is a foremost writer, among American journalists, on metropolitan regions – their political and economic dynamics, their emerging national and global roles. Known widely as a lecturer on regional, urban, federal system and community development issues, Peirce has been a familiar figure before civic, business, academic, and professional groups nationally. He has appeared on Meet the Press, The Today Show, National Public Radio, and local media across the country.
In 1975, Peirce began – and continues today – the United States’ first national column focused on state and local government themes, syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group. His 10-book series on America’s states and regions culminated in The Book of America: Inside 50 States Today (W.W. Norton, 1983). His more recent books were Citistates: How Urban America Can Prosper in a Competitive World and Breakthroughs: Recreating The American City.
Ticket pricing for the Neal Peirce Dinner Lecture
On-line registration for Neal Peirce lecture is now closed.
Tickets for this lecture may be
purchased at the door on a
space available basis for $25.
Doors open at 6:30 PM.