Month: October 2008

The ‘Tour de Ladd’; Portland’s first bike-a-thon

Tour de Ladd-12.jpg

Eager to ride.
-Watch video below-
(Photos © J. Maus)

This morning, despite a steady stream of rain, hundreds of Abernethy Elementary School kids took part in a new spin on the the traditional walk-a-thon fundraiser; they did a bike-a-thon.

Dubbed the Tour de Ladd, organizers of the event closed a loop of streets adjacent to the Southeast Portland school (hence the name) so the kids could pedal around the neighborhood and enjoy the blooming roses and carfree streets.

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Bike Republic development deal falls through

The existing building, created
by John Yeon, has architectural significance.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Negotiations between a private developer and the Portland Parks bureau that would have created a new bike services facility and cafe at the former Tom McCalls restaurant site in Waterfront Park, have ended.

The Oregonian reported a few hours ago that negotiations between Bike Republic — a company founded by Ken Nichols to create full-service bike commuter facilities — and the bureau have “fallen apart”.

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Weasel Alert: Republican organization says biking, walking is a “wacky” idea

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

[via Treehugger and EarthFirst.]

Riding bikes; a “wacky idea”.

In honor of Rep. Earl Blumenauer’s call to “hold the weasels accountable” and taking a cue from the League of American Bicyclist’s “Trash Talk” campaign, here’s a political attack ad (watch below) from Pennsylvania that is simply shocking.

The National Republican Congressional Committee is running an ad against Kathy Dahlkemper of Pennsylvania (she’s leading a close race against Republican incumbent Phil English) that points out her “wacky” ideas. Among them are the appalling fact (sacrasm) that she says one way out of our energy mess is to walk and bike more.

After pointing that out, the narrator in the ad says sarcastically, “Hmmmm… why don’t we use dog sleds too.”

Watch the ad below…

Corvallis man killed in log truck crash

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Here’s the story from the Corvallis Gazette Times:

“A bicyclist was struck and killed by a log truck at about 7:45 a.m. today on Chapel Drive, just east of the 13th Street intersection. Edward Paul Bomber, 48, of Corvallis, died at the scene.”

According to a reader who tipped me off about the story, Ed was a “good friend to many” and was also the co-owner of Northwest MultiSports, a triathlon shop located in Corvallis.

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House passes bailout bill; bike commuter tax benefit becomes law

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
Blumenauer unveils Gas Price Relief Act-2.jpg

Blumenauer at the unveiling of his
Gas Price Relief Act, one of many
pieces of legislation that included
a bike commuter tax break
over the years.
(Photo: J. Maus)

What a long, strange trip it’s been for Congressman Earl Blumenauer and his Bike Commuter Act.

The House Democrat is a former City Commissioner of Transportation in Portland (1987-96) and he was at the helm during Portland’s Golden Age of biking — a time when we laid down much of our bikeway network infrastructure that is now the envy of many cities.

Blumenauer carried his commitment to biking into the halls of Congress and has worked the system relentlessly to pass bike-friendly legislation like the bike commuter tax benefit. Calling it a “matter of equity”, his idea is simple; give bike commuters the same respect and recognition in the tax code already given to folks that drive and take public transit.

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A small victory in the war of perception

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

The BTA’s Government Affairs Director Karl Rohde and I have something in common; we can’t stand the outdated perception (held by all too many legislators and decision makers) that bikes are simply a means of recreation and that funding bike infrastructure is some sort of frivolous, non-essential expenditure.

Mr. Rohde is on a crusade of sorts to rid politicians of that notion. Part of the legislative package he’ll fight for in Salem next session will be a resolution that tries to re-frame “bike funding” and “bike trails” as “non-motorized transportation funding” and “non-motorized transportation corridors” respectively.

Another front in his campaign is simple propaganda.

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Bike-mounted State Trooper pedals down reckless driver

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Here’s an unusual bike story that just landed in my inbox from the Oregon State Police.

“The incident happened Wednesday, October 1st, in Salem at about 1:00 p.m. when OSP Trooper Perry Rhoades was patrolling the Capitol Mall area on a bicycle and spotted a 1997 Ford four-door drive recklessly near the State Capitol building nearly striking pedestrians in a crosswalk on Court Street near Winter Street.

Trooper Rhoades caught up with the car and made several attempts to get the driver to stop, including riding alongside the driver’s door and ordering the female driver to stop. The driver, identified as SUZANNE L. FUTRELL, age 44, from Dallas, refused to stop and yelled through her rolled up window she didn’t do anything wrong.

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UPDATED: Senate sweetens bailout bill with Bike Commuter Act

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

[See below for updates: Hint, Blumenauer is saying he won’t support the bailout package.]

“The (bailout) bill now includes a… tax benefit for bicycle commuting sought by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat, also a “no” vote on Monday.”
— from an article in the Baltimore Sun

Hoping to garner votes from House members who previously voted “no” on the $700 billion financial bailout package, the U.S. Senate has added several sweeteners to the bill (now known as the “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008”).

Among those enhancements (according to this article in the Baltimore Sun) is the Bike Commuter Act, a piece of legislation championed by Rep. Earl Blumenauer for many years. Blumenauer voted “no” on the bailout on Monday and the move by the Senate is being done in hopes to turn that into a “yes”.

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Latest Headlines

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From the Archives

Opinion: If we’re serious about cycling, let’s get serious about cycling infrastructure