🚨 Please note: BikePortland is currently on hiatus and only publishing guest articles. Learn more here. Thank you. - Jonathan 🙏
The U.S. Department of Transportation reported yesterday that Americans drove 1.4 billion fewer highway miles in April of 2008 than in April of 2007. The report also said that this is the sixth consecutive month of declines and that Americans drove 400 million less miles in April than in March.
As gas prices rise, more Americans are realizing that driving a car isn’t always the best way to get around. They’re fleeing the suburbs, riding more buses and trains, and biking in record numbers.
In an effort to bring attention to the plight of polar bears, the Oregon Zoo is offering free admission this Saturday to anyone who arrives by bike.
Their second annual “Bike for Bears” event will also offer $2 valet bike parking — with all the money going toward bear conservation projects.
Bike-In Film at Plan B Cafe
Plan B, 1305 SE 8th Ave
9:00pm
Dead Baby Bikes of Seattle has a film fest that is traveling to Portland tonight. see a bunch of crazy bike films by cyclists, for cyclists, with a large dose of hell yea.
Unicycle Polo
alberta park, approximately NE22nd and NE Killingsworth (bike polo court. SE corner.)
6:30pm, ’till darkness do us part
Ride a unicycle? want to attack other unicyclers with a stick? especially other unicyclers who are about to take your ball? Well, brother, have I got the event for you!
Bring your uni. Bring your body armor and helmet. The Bastards will supply mallets, balls, and minor first aid.
Guaranteed to be a good time! We also like people who like to watch.
BikeStation Portland
Market Street Pub, 1526 S.W. 10th Take Trimet (Outside on patio. Bike parking on site. Near to Carfree Conference site.)
6:00pm – 7:00pm
Join Todd Boulanger, Chairman of Bikestation for a few beverages to discuss the status of large scale secure bike parking in Portland and the US. (How to get one for your city!) Bikestation is the USAs bike parking network with soon to be 8 bike parking hubs: Seattle, San Francisco, Berkeley, Palo Alto, Santa Barbara, Long Beach, Tempe, and DC.
Bicycle Boulevard Tour
South Park blocks outside PSU Smith Memorial Student Union, SW Harrison St and Harrison St, Washington
2:00pm – 5:00pm, ends at BTA office: 233 NW 5th Ave
Tour SE Portland’s Bicycle Boulevards and see the low traffic, family friendly routes through the neighborhood. We will tour various traffic calming and reduction features that make these streets ideal for cycling. Ride is free, flat and family friendly. Please wear a helmet!
Another stupendous slew of bike events planned for Pedalpalooza today! See the full calendar here.
Bicycle Boulevard Tour
South Park blocks outside PSU Smith Memorial Student Union, SW Harrison St and Harrison St, Washington
2:00pm – 5:00pm, ends at BTA office: 233 NW 5th Ave
Tour SE Portland’s Bicycle Boulevards and see the low traffic, family friendly routes through the neighborhood. We will tour various traffic calming and reduction features that make these streets ideal for cycling. Ride is free, flat and family friendly. Please wear a helmet!
Mocktails off the I-5 Bridge
Vancouver, NW end of the path off the I-5 bridge
3:30pm – 6:00pm
Commuter social serving virgin cocktails, finger food, advice, brochures & maps to bicyclists.
[Submitted by Emily Wilson]
Yesterday evening, just over 40 people gathered for a tour of Portland Heritage Trees in the SE (we counted off at our first tree, but for the life of me I can’t remember the number – 43? – help me out here folks…)
our first stop was a Ponticum Rhododron – bees feeding on the nectar of this plant can produce honey with a mild hallucinogenic and
laxative effect, 11 cases being documented in Istanbul in the 80’s, as the plant is native to Asia Minor – (thank you Wikipedia!) http://www.springerlink.com/content/w322484735r06208/
The rest of the tour being far more pedestrian in nature, we visited:
“You ain’t gonna get Pedalpalooza in Tulsa-frickin’-Oklahoma.”
–Tulsa resident Paul Tay, who’s currently visiting Portland
Paul Tay, from Tulsa Oklahoma, is a great example of how you can’t judge someone’s character by their style of commenting on a blog.
Some of you might recall Paul as a frequent BikePortland.org commenter that goes by the annoyingly self-promotional user name of “BikeBillboards dot blogspot dot com”. He also regularly types words in ALL CAPS (also annoying).
6 miles, 6 hours, zero traffic~!
A circular route of city streets open to walk, bike, run, jump & skip – without having to watch out for cars!
A 6 mile “temporary park”, connecting North Portland neighborhoods and residents.
A relaxed, non-competitive, FREE event featuring a variety of activities in 4 parks and along the route.
(Scroll down to see videos of similar events around the globe.)
The Portland Event
Sunday Parkways comes to Portland on Sunday, June 22, 2008.
Six miles of local streets in North Portland will be closed to traffic from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Intersections will be staffed by volunteers allowing residents to get to and from their driveways, but all are encouraged to limit their motor vehicle use during the event.
The circular route will give Portlanders a chance to get out and be active right in their own neighborhood. Participants can walk, bike, run, stroll, and roller blade along the route to activities in the parks as well as to nearby shops and businesses in the vicinity.
Why?
Sunday Parkways highlights Portland as a walkable and bikeable city. North Portland is an ideal place to start connecting neighborhoods by bringing people together with healthy activities. Health, transportation, recreation, community, environmental, and safety interests all benefit by partnering to implement Sunday Parkways.
The event will follow the international Toward Carfree Cities conference which Portland will host June 16 – 20.
Sunday Parkways also supports Portland’s effort to become the first large American city to achieve Platinum status from the League of American Bicyclists .
The Oregonian is reporting that Austin Miller’s mother, Stephanie Miller, has filed a $2 million lawsuit against TriMet in the death of her 15 year-old son.
According to the Oregonian, the lawsuit claims that the TriMet driver was, “negligent in failing to keep a proper lookout for bicycle traffic.”
On February 11, Miller was riding his bike home from school and had just re-entered the roadway of SW Farmington Road (after riding on the sidewalk of SW Murray Blvd.) when he collided with a TriMet bus and was killed.
With 840,000 motor vehicles entering into New York City’s central business district each day, New York City has its share of challenges in creating livable, safe and people-friendly streets.
But thanks to a burgeoning collaborative effort between advocates and bureacrats, New York City is in the midst of a streets renaissance.
This morning, Carfree Conference attendees got a look inside this renaissance from several leaders of the “livable streets movement”.