🚨 Please note: BikePortland is currently on hiatus and only publishing guest articles. Learn more here. Thank you. - Jonathan 🙏

Year: 2008

The other side of a collision

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

People who use a bicycle as their primary mode of transportation may not be familiar with the emotional impact that bike/car collisions have on folks on the other side of the windshield.

An example of this emotional toll comes from a comment left on this site a few minutes ago. The comment was left by someone who lists themselves as “Wife of truck driver” and it was left as a response to my coverage of the recent serious injury collision in Southeast Portland.

Given the tone of the comment I don’t doubt her identity.

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News signs on MAX clarify bike hook access rules

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The new sign says, “Hang bike here.
Allow cyclists access to hook.”
(Photo: Bill Alsup)

In an effort to make their bike hooks more user-friendly, TriMet has added new signage on MAX trains reminding passengers that the hook area is for bikes (not for standing in).

TriMet planner and designated bike guy Colin Maher says the new signs were installed because, “we heard that customers were having difficulty hanging their bike because another passenger was standing under the hook and refusing to move, even if they were easily able to do so.”

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Bike Beaverton

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The City of Beaverton (Portland’s neighbor to the west) and their Bicycle Advisory Committee are planning “Bike Beaverton” tomorrow night.

The event poster encourages folks to “Join your neighbors… for an evening bicycle ride through Beaverton.” The route will be a 7 mile loop starting and ending at the Beaverton City Library using low volume neighborhood streets and streets with bike lanes.

Beaverton’s Senior Transportation Planner Margaret Middleton says the even came about because the advisory committee wanted to, “invite people to ride their bikes in Beaverton.” She adds that, “The ride will be a little bit of education, of course, a lot of fun and a lot of community interaction.”

According to Middleton, they hope to make this an annual event.

It’s great to see Beaverton doing a ride like this and I hope they get a solid turnout.

You can download a PDF of the event poster and the route via the Bicycle Advisory Committee’s website.

Business blooms for gas-free gardener

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David Darby next to
his company vehicle.
(Photos/video © J. Maus)

Portlanders love their gardens, their bikes, and their Mother Earth, so it’s no wonder that David Darby’s new business has taken off.

Darby is the man behind Fossil Fuel Free Lawn and Garden Care, a bike-powered business based in Southeast Portland that he started just four months ago. Darby provides lawn care services using only hand tools and he gets to all his jobs by bike.

Last week, I met up with Darby and his co-worker Prentiss Darden at a warehouse space he rents in the Sellwood neighborhood (just south of Powell Blvd.).

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Customer Service Rep (Chris King Precision Components)

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Job Title
Customer Service Representative

Company/Organization
Chris King Precision Components

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.

This is a telephone based job with little face to face customer interaction. The ability to effectively communicate with varying levels of consumers and co-workers is a must. You will get phone calls from kids wanting stickers and distributors looking for updates on shipment status.

Bicycle industry experience is not necessary but personal excitement, experience and passion about bicycles and bicycling is. Bike shop experience is helpful but not required.

The successful applicant will be team oriented, eager to learn, enthus iastic & have a strong commitment to community, the environment & excellence in general.

How to Apply
Please furnish letter of interest & resume by e-mail to people@chrisking.com (No attachments accepted). A drug free environment & EOE. Visit our website at www.chrisking.com.

Zoobombers, freak bikes try their hand at off-road racing

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Zoobombers at the races-9.jpg

And they’re off!
(Photos/video © J. Maus)

Last night, the Zoobombers were invited out to PIR to test their mettle on the course used by the Mountain Bike Short Track Race Series.

Race Organizer Kris Schamp said he wanted them to come out because he’s always envisioned the event as a “different type of race”.

“It’s not just for the full lycra and carbon racer crowd, the short track course is really a blast for anyone,” he says, “…it just seemed a natural to get the Zoobomb crowd out there to give it a shot and at the same time blend in another component of Portland’s unique bike culture.”

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Words of wisdom from the guy on the windshield

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oregonian front page-1.jpg

For the third time in less than a week,
“Bikes vs. Cars” makes the front page.

The windshield-surfer from yesterday’s road rage incident has become something of a local celebrity.

The cell-phone video of his wild ride was replayed numerous times on the TV news last night and it was even played and discussed on NBC’s Today Show this morning. Also today, The Oregonian has put a still image from that video on the entire above-the-fold section of their newsstand edition (that makes three times in less than a week that “Bikes vs. Cars” has made the front page, yippee!).

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Essay: Road rage and the science of happiness

Graphic that accompanied the essay
in Momentum Magazine.
(Illustration by Chris Bentzen)

The always interesting Momentum Magazine (based in Vancouver, BC) has published a timely essay in their July/August issue.

Bike Rage by Charles Montgomery is a provocative look into the psychological, cultural and infrastructural origins of road rage.

Montgomery bases his insights on the research of “road rage guru” Dr. Leon James. James literally wrote the book on the subject and he says that rage on the roads is “quite predictable” due to several factors.

Here’s a snip from Montgomery’s essay,

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