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Year: 2008

Weekend Open Thread: Riding in the Rain Edition

Bike Move for Ernie

I’ll be helping a friend with a
rainy bike move today.
(Photo © J. Maus)

What are your plans for this rainy weekend?

I’m planning on some quality time at home, catching up on laundry and other projects.

But this morning I’m going to venture out in the rain with my trailer and panniers for a bike move. Emily Wilson, veteran bike movee (hers was the first official Move By Bike event in Portland, and she’s never looked back). You might think that moving someone’s earthly belongings by bike in the rain wouldn’t be a whole lot of fun — but wow, would you ever be wrong.

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Notice: Comment period begins for Sellwood Bridge project

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I’ll have a full story about this on the Front Page on Monday, but this is a very important step in the process so I wanted to share the announcement below with you ASAP.

Public comment period begins for Sellwood Bridge alternatives study

Multnomah County is accepting public comments on a study of five build alternatives and a no build option for the Sellwood Bridge. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) compares impacts of the alternatives in areas such as cost, residential and business relocations, bridge closure periods, traffic flow, and flexibility for future travel needs. The public can comment on the study and share their preferred alternative via an online survey from November 7 through December 22. Public input will factor into the selection of a locally preferred alternative in early 2009. Citizens have a number of ways to learn about and comment on the alternatives study:

  • Where to find the Draft EIS: The 450-page document and a 38-page executive summary are available:

    • — Online at www.sellwoodbridge.org
    — At Multnomah County and Clackamas County branch libraries (reference desk)

  • How to provide comments: Comments received during the official comment period (November 7 to December 22) will be responded to in the Final EIS.

    • — Online: At www.sellwoodbridge.org
    — In Writing: Written comments should be mailed to Sellwood Bridge Project, 2020 SE 4th Ave., Portland, OR 97201. Comment forms are also available at community briefings and the public hearing (described below).
    — Open house/public hearing: An open house will be held on Wednesday, December 10 from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at OMSI, 1945 SE Water Ave., with a formal public hearing from 7 pm to 8:30 pm. Written and oral comments will be taken at the open house and hearing.
    — Take the online survey: An online survey is available at www.sellwoodbridge.org through December 22. The short survey is an informal poll to gauge community preferences on the alternatives. Survey comments are not included in the Final EIS.

  • Attend a community briefing: Four identical one-hour briefings will share highlights of the draft EIS findings. If you cannot attend a briefing, watch a video of the presentation at www.sellwoodbridge.org. Briefings are:

    • — November 10 at 6 pm and 7:15 pm at the Multnomah Building Boardroom, 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
    — November 13 at 6 pm and 7:15 pm at Oaks Park Dance Pavilion, 7100 SE Oaks Park Way

    The purpose of the current project is to identify a long-term solution to repair or replace the 82-year-old Sellwood Bridge.

    # # #

    Urge Obama to keep his transportation promises

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    Transportation for America, a national advocacy group working to hasten a paradigm shift in how the federal government approaches transportation infrastructure decisions, wants you tell President-elect Obama to make good on promises made during his campaign.

    Here’s the text of the sample letter:

    Dear President-elect Obama:

    First of all…Congratulations! Your election, and results from down-ballot votes around the country, represents a resounding call for a new direction.

    The Transportation for America campaign, representing more than 100 organizations and thousands of energized citizens around the country, salutes you. And we join you in seeking infrastructure investment that will stimulate the economy now and lay the groundwork for a clean-energy future that is less dependent on oil.

    Read more

    Your guide to the wool revolution

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    Elly and her all-wool outfit-2

    This is my most comfortable winter
    biking outfit: wool tights, a wool
    skirt, and a wool top.
    (Photo � J. Maus)

    As the urban cycling revolution continues, more people than ever are using bikes to take their kids to school, haul groceries, or go out for a night on the the town.

    Thankfully, a quick scan of fashion in the bike lane reveals that the percentage of performance-minded clothing you see out there has declined.

    Synthetic apparel, while awesome for some pursuits, isn’t always comfortable, classy, or good for the environment. Synthetics can also be expensive and they’re not always very durable. Cotton quickly becomes soggy if it’s raining or hot, and polyesters are a nightmare.

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    “This is just pathetic”; a bereaved mom says enough is enough

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    Last night I had one of those comments that reminds me why I’ve devoted so much of my life to this site.

    It came from “Nick’s mom”. Nick is Nick Moreno, a 17-year-old boy who died in the ICU on October 29th, one day after he was struck by a car while trying to cross McLoughlin Blvd. on his bike (read more about Nick in this Oregonian story).

    Read her comment below:

    A week before this Nick came home with injuries from head to toe because he had been run off the road by a car. Nick ended up being thrown off his bike. The driver didn’t even stop. Nick ended up in the ER because we thought he had a broken ankle. Nick’s friends told me being run off the road by vehicles happens all the time to them.

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    PDOT reveals latest counts: Bikes are now 20% of all Hawthorne Bridge traffic

    Bike traffic in Portland-9.jpg

    Bike traffic in Portland has tripled since 2001.
    (Photo © J. Maus)

    I gave you a little sneak peek last week, but now PDOT has released their full, 29-page, 2008 Bicycle Count Report (download the 11MB PDF here). In general, biking is way up all over the city. That’s not exactly earth-shattering, but some of the numbers and findings are quite interesting.

    I don’t have time to get into many details, but below are the highlights.

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    Mark your calendars for BikeCraft IV!

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    BikeCraft III-14.jpg

    A scene from last year’s event.
    (Photo: J. Maus)

    BikeCraft, the bike-lover’s gift bazaar that showcases local, handmade, bike-themed arts, crafts, fashion, and more, is coming next month.

    BikeCraft IV will be held on Wednesday, December 10th at Roots Organic Brewing (on SE 7th, just south of Hawthorne) from 5:30pm until late. The location is right off the Hawthorne bikeway so you can stop in on your way home from work!

    If you’ve never been to BikeCraft, it’s always a great night to get your hands on fantastic things you just can’t get anywhere else. Last year at BikeCraft we had locally-made “Smittens” bike gloves, bike-themed clocks, original stencil paintings by Tiago DeJerk, earthenware plates with bike motifs, bike-part furniture, messenger bags, cycling caps, t-shirts, zines, patches, stickers, and more! And everything is made by hand in Portland.

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    Lance in France at Wordstock

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    Cover of Lance in France by
    Ashley Maceachern.

    Lance Armstrong is coming to the Wordstock Festival.

    Well, OK, not really. But Lance fans (especially little ones) still have a reason to get excited about Wordstock.

    That’s because local author Ashley Maceachern tells us she’ll be a featured author. Ashley is a friend of Lance’s and a former Nike executive who has written Lance in France, a children’s book (with fun illustrations by Michelle Barbera) that follows Lance through the adventures of the Tour de France.

    Read more

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