A Google Earth view of the Tour of West Portland route. The ride follows a 45-mile route over the region’s steepest hills and is said to be “horribly hard.”.
Year: 2008
Shift noted in new book on “The rise of the bicycle in American public life”
Shift gets noticed in new book.
Read full excerpt below.
Read full excerpt below.
In his new book, Pedal Power: The Quiet Rise of the Bicycle in American Public Life, DePaul University political science professor J. Harry Wray devotes three-and-a-half pages to local bike fun activist group, Shift.
In a chapter titled, Pushing the Envelope: Populist Politics, Shift is noted for working, “on the cultural side of bike consciousness.” To illustrate his point, Wray writes about several Shift-inspired events and phenomenon including Pedalpalooza, Move by Bike, Midnight Mystery Rides, Breakfast on the Bridges (which has recently expanded to Salem), and more.
Spend the morning with Sam Adams
A still from Sam Adams: Man on the Go.
(Watch it below).
(Watch it below).
If you haven’t seen Commissioner Sam Adams’ mayoral campaign video, you should.
I’m not one to regurgitate political propaganda, but I think this video/campaign ad is worth a few minutes of your time (you can watch it below). It’s a great mix of documentary-style filmmaking (I know you’ve been wanting to see Sam shave) and footage of a politician in action.
Jobs of the Week
If you’re in the hunt for a great local bike job, look no further. Below is a list of opportunities that have come through the BikePortland Job Listings this week:
- Customer Service Representative – Chris King Precision Components
- Sales and Service Positions – The Bike Gallery
- Office Manager – Community Cycling Center
- Document Production Specialist – Alta Planning
- Customer Service/Sales – Waterfront Bicycle Rentals
Customer Service Rep (Chris King Precision Components)
Job Title
Customer Service Representative
Company/Organization
Chris King Precision Components – website
Job Description
Chris King Precision Components™, manufacturer of bicycle components, is seeking qualified applicants for a Customer Service Representative for dealer sales. Must have a proven track record of 2 years sales experience, order entry experience, strong computer skills, and basic math skills. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and excellent telephone etiquette are required.
Updated: Police Bureau denies information request for citizen initiated citation process
[Note: I’ve updated the post (at 3:45pm) to include a response from the Deputy City Attorney.]
The denial.
Click to enlarge, (240k, jpg)
Click to enlarge, (240k, jpg)
The Records Division of the Portland Police Bureau has denied a request for information made by lawyer Christopher Heaps in an ongoing effort to utilize an Oregon statute to file “citizen initiated citations,” in a series of recent traffic collisions.
Claiming that they made a mistake in releasing information about Lisa Wheeler that led to her no-contest plea in the case where she was at fault for hitting cyclist Siobhan Doyle but did not receive a citation at the scene, the Records Division has now denied a similar request for information made by Heaps in a separate case.
Bike rental bidder brings Paris to Portland
Roue Libre bikes in action.
(Photo: LibraryBikes.org)
(Photo: LibraryBikes.org)
Portland is currently considering three bids to develop a bike-sharing and rental system in downtown similar to one that has become a major success in Paris.
The three companies who are still in the running to provide the service are global media giant Clear Channel, the Portland Bike Company (I detailed their plans back in November), and Library Bikes, a former non-profit based in Arcata, California.
Blumenauer introduces the “National Bike Bill”
Rep. Blumenauer at last year’s
National Bike Summit. (Kozo
Shimano is in the background).
(Photo © J. Maus)
National Bike Summit. (Kozo
Shimano is in the background).
(Photo © J. Maus)
In advance of next week’s National Bike Summit, this morning Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced House Congressional Resolution 305, “Recognizing the importance of bicycling in transportation and recreation.”
Blumenauer refers to the resolution as the “National Bike Bill” (read full text below).
Co-sponsored by Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN), the resolution has also been made one of the four key priorities that will get the backing of hundreds of advocates across the country when the League of American Bicyclists hosts the National Bike Summit in Washington DC next week.
What a difference $24 million would make
I came across an interesting graphic at a meeting this morning that helped put into perspective how much is at stake in making sure we pass the Safe, Sound, and Green Streets funding proposal.
The proposal — which is currently getting revamped prior to being put on the November ballot — includes (at this point) $24 million to fund 114 miles of low-traffic, “bicycle boulevard” streets.
Just how that money would impact our city is hard to conceptualize until you see the graphic below…
BTA unveils Bicycle Boulevard Toolkit
Screenshot from BTA website.
Continuing their campaign to push for a comprehensive network of low-traffic neighborhood streets in Portland, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) has unveiled their Bicycle Boulevard Toolkit.
The toolkit intends to educate communities on the why, what, and how of bike boulevards and includes a robust set of resources all in one convenient place. Their website now includes special sections on several key components of creating good bike boulevards including; auto speed reduction, auto traffic reduction, crossing busy streets, and boulevard signage and markings. Each section includes photos, costs and a description of why the method is used.
Columnist: 2008 the year of the bicycle?
(Photo © J. Maus)
A few days from the start of the National Bike Summit in Washington DC, nationally syndicated columnist Neil Peirce wonders whether 2008 is the Year of the Bicycle.
In his most recent column, slated for national publication Sunday (3/2), Peirce writes that this might be “Bicycling’s best year since the start of the auto age.”
Among a “crescendo of trends and developments” Peirce uses as evidence are the rising price of oil, “bike-for-hire stations” that have taken off in Paris and other European cities (and are on their way to the U.S.), bike boulevards, and a “complete streets” movement that Peirce says “is gaining traction nationwide.”
