Paul Adkins and family (notice the kids in the trailer!) in Eugene.
(Photo courtesy Paul Adkins)
(Photo courtesy Paul Adkins)
Month: April 2008
State’s top health officials say drive less, walk and ride more
State Epidemiologist Mel Kohn
at a Walk and Bike to School
event in 2006.
(Photo © J. Maus)
at a Walk and Bike to School
event in 2006.
(Photo © J. Maus)
Two of the state’s top health officials are calling for Oregonians to get out of their cars — not just to save the planet, but to save themselves.
Oregon’s top doc, State Epidemiologist Mel Kohn, and Lillian Shirley, director of the Multnomah County Health Department, were both mentioned in an Oregonian article today about their efforts to make public health a larger part of the climate change dialogue.
Kohn told Oregonian reporter Don Colburn that, “If we get people out of their cars, not only do we reduce pollution, but we also get them walking.”
Don’t bike to the grocery store? Oregonian says you’re a sinner
Going by bike; it’d be a sin not to.
(Photo © J. Maus)
(Photo © J. Maus)
In yet another sign of biking’s ascent into the mainstream, not biking was on a list of “distinctly Oregon sins” published by the Oregonian on Saturday.
In an article that appeared on the front page of the O’s Living section, reporter Nancy Haught decided to follow the Vatican’s lead and add a few new sins to the official list of Seven Deadly Sins.
Along with “drinking instant coffee” and “refusing to sort your recyclables” was a bike-related sin that caught my eye. According to Haught, in Oregon, “Not commuting to work, shuttling kids, schlepping groceries or transporting furniture on a bike” is a sin.
U.S. Surgeon General will ride in Portland Wednesday
Kids line up for a bike safety class at
Prescott Elementary in Northeast Portland.
(Photo © J. Maus)
Prescott Elementary in Northeast Portland.
(Photo © J. Maus)
Acting U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Steven K. Galson will be in North Portland on Wednesday (April 9) to promote the Department of Health and Human Services’ Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention Initiative and to recognize the work of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA).
Mixing bikes and transit: BTA launches survey
Bikes navigate streetcar tracks
near South Waterfront.
(Photos © J. Maus)
near South Waterfront.
(Photos © J. Maus)
With Portland’s streetcar plans heating up, and a recent TriMet bus/bike collision that claimed the life of a Beaverton boy, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) wants to know more about your experiences and comfort level when biking around transit.
The BTA, in partnership with the Lloyd District Transportation Management Association’s Bike Committee, launched a survey this morning to learn more about biking conditions in the metro area specifically around bus routes and streetcar/MAX tracks.
Eye-catching graffiti encourages ‘Public Transport’
In the past few days, several readers have contacted me about some interesting graffiti near the Hollywood Transit Center in Northeast Portland (image below).
Somehow, a determined and bike-loving artist/vandal managed to scrawl three bicycles and the words “Public Transport” on the barricade that separates traffic on Interstate 84.
Pain, rain, mark second annual Tour of West Portland
A ride that was organized to pay homage to a legendary bike race in Belgium, has now become a legend of its own.
Follow-up: Suspect pleads guilty in Northeast assault-and-run case
Rodney Arreguin has pled guilty
to numerous charges,
including assault of a woman
on a bike in Northeast Portland.
to numerous charges,
including assault of a woman
on a bike in Northeast Portland.
Back in December, Katie Hughes was riding her bike in Northeast Portland when a man in a car drove up beside her, pushed her to the ground, robbed her, threatened to kill her, and then sped away.
The suspect, Rodney Arreguin, was implicated in a string of similar brazen robberies and assaults over a two-day span and was arrested by the Portland Police a day later.
Now, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office informs me that Mr. Arreguin has pled guilty to five counts of robbery, attempted kidnapping, felony hit-and-run, assault, and reckless driving.
Summit attendees outline priorities, next steps
Kristin Dahl with Travel Oregon
facilitated a session on recreation.
(Photos © J. Maus)
facilitated a session on recreation.
(Photos © J. Maus)
As I mentioned in my previous story, participants in today’s Oregon Bike Summit broke off into brainstorming sessions today that were focused around three topics: transportation, recreation, and industry.
Their mission? To determine the top five priorities for action in each of them. In lieu of retyping them all, below are the slides that a representative from each group presented during a discussion among the entire summit:
Sessions help turn ideas into action
Groups brainstormed and discussed
priorities for action.
(Photos © J. Maus)
priorities for action.
(Photos © J. Maus)
The real heavy-lifting of the Oregon Bike Summit happens in the break-out sessions.
This morning the 200 nearly attendees selected from four topical sessions. Then, after a lunch that featured an overview of the national Safe Routes to Schools program and a keynote from Gail Achterman (Chair of the Oregon Transportation Commission), they broke out into legislative and action-oriented sessions.
Mountain bikers go face-to-face with issues
PUMP’s Roger Louton — talking with Oregon State
Parks Trails Coordinator Rocky Houston
— used the Summit to get some answers about
a trail building project he’s involved in.
(Photos © J. Maus)
Parks Trails Coordinator Rocky Houston
— used the Summit to get some answers about
a trail building project he’s involved in.
(Photos © J. Maus)
One of the most important functions of the Oregon Bike Summit is an opportunity for advocates to meet with key partners and decision makers face-to-face.
Between workshop sessions, I noticed a lively discussion going on and I stuck around to see what it was about.
The meeting was between several mountain bike advocacy groups and Oregon State Parks’ trails czar Rocky Houston. The group was discussing their ongoing collaboration to build a mountain bike trail system in Stub Stewart State Park — the newly opened, 1,600 acre state park located 31 miles west of Portland.