Month: July 2008
Jobs of the Week
Here are several fantastic job opportunities that were listed this week on the BikePortland Job Listings.
See below for more information (and good luck if you apply):
- Transportation Options Specialist – City of Portland Office of Transportation
- Sales and Service – Bike n’ Hike
- IT Support Specialist – Alta Planning + Design
- Customer Service Rep – Chris King Precision Components
Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge
The Alpenrose Challenge is an exciting three-day competition bringing an international group of elite compeitiors who will compete for over $12,000 is cash. Racers from Australia, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Canada and the United States will rub shoulders in intense action. Events include the keirin, points race, miss & out, 5 and 10 mile, match sprints, madison, pursuits and kilo.
See Event Website for more info and schedules.
Hitting the road with The Sprockettes
From a performance
in June of 2006.
(Photos © J. Maus)
in June of 2006.
(Photos © J. Maus)
For long-time readers of this site, my fondness for The Sprockettes is well known. I’ve covered them for over three years now, snapping hundreds (thousands?) of photos of them in action at performances around town.
Since the first time I saw them dance, I was captivated — not just by their grooves and moves, but by their energy, creativity, and by the way they chose to express their love of bikes.
I’m still one of their biggest fans — especially now that my wife Juli is a member of the crew.
DIY bike theft prevention: ‘The Honeybike Project’
If you really don’t like bike thieves, check out this step-by-step how-to posted to Instructables (video below)…
“With a $40 pay-as-you-go cell phone, stun gun, and some basic electronic components, you can teach bike thieves a lesson and, hopefully, foster a small social change through individual action…”
Updated: Sign in construction area admonishes bicyclists
[Updated 7/16, 2:40pm -7/17, 3:00pm — see below]
(Photos © J. Maus)
A new traffic sign at the northeast corner of SE Water and SE Caruthers offers a stern reminder for those who pass by on two wheels:
“BICYCLISTS MUST FOLLOW STOP SIGNS AND TRAFFIC DIRECTIONS!”
The area (just south of OMSI) is currently the site of two major construction projects — the MLK Viaduct renovation being managed by ODOT and the East Side Big Pipe project managed by the City of Portland.
According to ODOT spokesperson Mike Mason, they had nothing to do with it.
New BTA campaign will aim to ‘foster a culture of awareness’
(Photo © J. Maus)
The BTA is working to solidify plans for a new educational campaign focused not just on people who ride, but all users of the roadway.
The campaign, dubbed Eye to Eye … a lot is riding on it, is still in the formational stages, but initial campaign materials describe it as,
“A safety campaign targeted at all road users… To foster a culture of awareness and respect on our shared paths and roadways… To make the streets of our communities safer for everyone.”
The other side of a collision
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.
News signs on MAX clarify bike hook access rules
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.”
Thinking out loud about road rage on OPB
The media onslaught inspired by the recent headline–grabbing road rage incidents in Portland continues.
Even Oregon Public Broadcasting’s daily Think Out Loud program decided to spend a few minutes of their show today talking about it.
Bike Beaverton
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.