June 2008 Archives

Cirque du Cycling!

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Come one, come all!

The circus is coming to Mississippi Avenue.

Cirque du Cycling, presented by Laughing Planet Café, is part circus, part bike street race and a benefit for Self Enhancement, Inc.

The whole event kicks off at 4:00 with a free three mile family ride to Peninsula Park. There is also a bike parade (advance registration required) featuring all sorts of wild sculptural bikes: tall bikes, choppers, swing bikes and more.

There’s live music all afternoon, plenty of entertainment to watch and an evening criterium street race with a two-way racing right down the middle of Mississippi Avenue.

Come relax in the beer garden, bring your bike, settle into your lawn chair, peruse the shops of Mississippi Avenue and numerous exhibitors and be prepared to be awed by spectacular bicycle tricks and riding feats.

Pedalpalooza Kickoff Parade

Shift’s Pedalpalooza Kickoff Parade

Jamison Square, NW 10th and Johnson Take Trimet
6:15pm, Arrive early to decorate your bike

Kick it off! Bring out the bike love on a costumed, decorated, escorted Bike Parade.

Man on a bike is tackled, then tasered by Portland Police

Photo from the scene at SE 7th and Alder
last night.
(Photo: Ian Stude)

A Portland man says he was tackled, pushed off his bike, and then tasered repeatedly by a Portland Police officer in Southeast Portland last night.

The Portland Police Bureau, in a written statement about the incident, say that Phil Sano (a.k.a. “Rev Phil”) did not have a front light on his bicycle and that he refused to stop when officers requested.

The incident occurred around 9:30pm on SE 7th Street, just north of SE Morrison Ave. Phil Sano says he was riding along and felt cold, so he went to zip up his jacket. Then, in an email he sent me just hours after the incident, he wrote,

Bamboo Trailer Builder Elden Clarke-1-3.jpg

A bamboo trailer built in North Portland by
Elden Clark (notice the bottle-capped screw heads).
(Photos © J. Maus unless otherwise noted)

North Portland resident Elden Clark hopes to turn his love for building bamboo bicycle trailers into a business.

I first spotted Clark’s work on a flyer he’d posted outside of a bike shop. Then yesterday, as I rode home through the Boise-Eliot neighborhood, I saw a bamboo trailer and stopped to check it out. No one was around, so I rang my bike bell and sure enough, out walked the man from the flyer.

Riders test a new bike lane configuration
through the Rose Quarter Transit Center.
(Photos © J. Maus)

This morning I stopped by TriMet’s test of new bike access options through the Rose Quarter Transit Center this morning.

When I rolled up I was greeted by City of Portland bike coordinator Roger Geller and TriMet’s manager of capital projects Young Park. They offered a more detailed explanation of their concepts for safely and efficiently moving bikes through the Transit Center (bikes are currently prohibited from the area).

“We will urge City Council not to write a blank check for a project that doesn’t meet the criteria we believe any new bridge should meet.”
–Planning Commission member Catherine Ciarlo

The nine-member Portland Planning Commission met last night to draw up their recommendations to Portland City Council on the $4.2 billion Columbia River Crossing project. City Council — one of eight agencies with veto power over the project — is set to vote on the project July 9th.

In a letter drafted by the Commission that is being sent to Mayor Potter and the Council, the Planning Commission says that while they believe a replacement bridge is necessary for safety, seismic, congestion mitigation and freight movement, they also have “serious concerns about the bridge design we have seen to date, and how it would impact the Portland metro area.”

(Photo © J. Maus)

TriMet has just released the results of their Bikes on MAX survey that they launched in August of last year.

In the Executive Summary of the survey, TriMet points to the trends of growth in both MAX and bike ridership in Portland. They say those trends have, “resulted in an increasing number of bike-on-light rail trips” (I previously covered that issue in my story, TriMet grapples with bike capacity issues, from May 29th).

“Everything riders do to be safe makes it easier for attorneys to protect their rights against insurance companies and in court.”
–Lawyer Scott Kocher

As part of their Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program, the Oregon State Bar is offering a seminar titled, Bicycle Law and Injury Prevention for Advocates and Riders.

The seminar will be offered at their Tigard headquarters tomorrow and will be presented by lawyers Richard Vangelisti, Scott Kocher and Mark Ginsberg. According to Kocher, Oregon attorneys are required to complete a certain number of hours of CLE programs to maintain their bar licenses.

Chris King Precision Components is a company that has built its reputation on going above and beyond.

From the first headset he made back in 1976, Chris King has proven that he sets his own standards and then keeps pushing them higher. But what many people don’t know about this privately held company is that King’s high standards go far beyond his products.

Their holistic approach to sustainability touches every aspect of their business — from their products to their people.

Take for instance the company’s approach to encouraging bike commuting. Chris King Precision Components has what might be the most comprehensive and aggressive encouragement program in the country.

This guided bike ride will depart Metro Regional Center at 600 NE Grand Ave at 4:30pm.

Route maps and brochures will be provided. We will loosely follow the future trail route down the river to Swan Island and on to Metro’s property at Willamette Cove. This ride is part of Metro Parks & Greenspaces Connecting Green 2008 Summer (walking and bicycle) Trail Tours.

To register – or for more information – contact Robert Spurlock at robert.spurlock [at] oregonmetro.gov or (503) 757-1083.

BTA issues position statement on CRC project

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) has just issued a press release stating their latest position on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) of the Columbia River Crossing project.

In the statement, the BTA says that “after extensive internal discussions and conversations with supporters and opponents” of the project, they feel that a new bridge is needed but that their support, “has essential conditions.”

In a respectful and poignant outdoor ceremony, St. Mary’s Cathedral in Northwest Portland held their first-ever Blessing of the Bikes on Sunday.

The service opened with a hymn and continued with a series of prayers and intercessions meant to recognize and celebrate the contribution of cyclists to the community.

A large wooden cross was carried out into the courtyard and a bicycle was placed atop a table at the base of the cross. A small, yet sincere crowd of about 40 or so people had gathered under blue skies to hear the rites and take heed of the blessing.

Cirque du Cycling!

Pedalpalooza Kickoff Parade

Man on a bike is tackled, then tasered by Portland Police

Want sustainable transportation? How about a bamboo bike trailer?

A closer look at TriMet’s Rose Quarter bike access test

Planning Commission to City Council: “We have serious concerns” about CRC project

TriMet releases Bikes on MAX survey

Oregon State Bar seminar will take on bicycle law

Time in the saddle means time off work for local company

Connecting Green Trail Tour

BTA issues position statement on CRC project

Bells ring in Portland’s first Blessing of the Bikes

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From the Archives

With six kids and no car, this mom does it all by bike