Streetfilms, the video-journalism arm of the New York City-based Livable Streets Network, has published a film that focuses on Portland’s signature bike parking treatments: bike oases and bike corrals.
The film features PDOT staffer Greg Raisman (who was behind Portland’s first-ever corral at N. Shaver and Mississippi), Belmont-area business owner Bill Stites (he makes very cool utility trikes), and Richard Satnick, co-owner of Laughing Planet Cafe.
Satnick — who spearheaded the creation of June’s successful Cirque du Cycling event in the Mississippi neighborhood and whose cafe will be a part of the new Bike Republic plans — says in the video (below) that the on-street bike corrals have been a boon to his business; “If it were up to me there’d be nothing but bikes on this side of the street.”
Check out the film:
— For more on Portland bike oases, see the story, Hawthorne bike oasis no longer an illusion (6/6/07).
PDX does it again… Let\’s keep showing the rest of the country that it\’s not impossible to use bikes as viable, eco-friendly, transportation.
This video is on point. Almost makes me want to park my bike more than ride it. It\’s a good reminder of what a bubble we live in as far a transportation infrastructure. Thanks for the reminder.
Luckyyyyy
I want Greg Raisman\’s t-shirt! Bike to the Future — I love it!
Oh! I am SO HAPPY there will be a Laughing Planet downtown at the Waterfront! There is no good food anywhere in the financial district to be had.
Burritos and bikes.. aaah, a match made in heaven!
A business owner who wants to remove all the car parking? I\’m impressed!
Paris has parking like this for pedal and motor cycles all over the city.
Those corrals are awesome, and they are heavily used. More would be better.
can we get PDOT to move the bike oasis at 20th and Hawthorne over to the North side of the street?
Well-done video!
Greg Raisman makes a real key point when he states that the corrals – by allowing cyclists to park on the asphalt – are a real equalizer, giving the people the sense that whether they are driving a car or riding a bike, their community/city respects them equally.
In some way I wished that our cities (and the BTA) would direct more energy on the many inequalities that still exist on our public roadways, making cyclists often feel like second class citizens. M
y biggest pet peeve are the many traffic lights I come across on a daily basis that don\’t get tripped by a bicycle, forcing me either to illegally proceed through a red light (which is what I assume most cars would do if a traffic light doesn\’t function) or cross over to the sidewalk to push the ped crossing button (not always safe or easy when you are already positioned in the left turn lane). We know the technology is there, but still we accept that many intersections (especially in the suburbs) are not adequately detect bicycles, further ostering that feel that we actually don\’t belong on these streets.
OK need to start proofreading my comments before hitting the Submit button… make that last sentence:
We know the technology is there, but still we accept that many intersections (especially in the suburbs) don\’t adequately detect bicycles, further fostering that feel that we actually don\’t belong on these streets.