Trick or Vote by bike!

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People's Ride

Help scare up some votes this Friday
(threats with a bloody chainsaw not advised).
(Photo © J. Maus)

Looking for another excuse to pedal around the city wearing your Halloween costume?

Want to help remind folks to vote and help distribute (non-partisan) voter guides?

Why not Trick or Vote by bike!?

Trick or Vote is a massive, non-partisan, nationwide get-out-the-vote effort happening in cities all over the country on Halloween night (10/31). The Portland edition has two canvasses, both starting at Audio Cinema (226 SE Madison). After the canvasses, the party starts back at Audio Cinema at 8:00 pm.

More info at TrickorVote.org.

And remember, the only really scary thing about an election is not voting!

Hillsboro crash sends man to the hospital

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The Oregonian has the story (emphasis mine):

A 21-year-old bicyclist was hospitalized early this morning after colliding with a pickup truck passing through an intersection, authorities said.

The 7:05 a.m. crash affected rush-hour traffic for three hours. Authorities did not release the identities of the cyclist or driver.

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Events will re-visit ghosts of freeways past

This defunct freeway ramp serves
as a reminder of Portland’s freeway-fighting past.
(Photo:
John Russell)

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
–philosopher George Santayana

Much of the why Portland is a city where bikes, pedestrians, and transit can flourish, is because we have taken a stand against freeways. Two events coming up in November will educate a new generation about Portland’s proud history of freeway fighting and removal.

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Palin wannabees and Team Tron; slideshow from a costumed Crusade weekend

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Team Tron (complete with discs) sought to
eliminate any riders without costumes.
– Slideshow Below –
(Photos by Jose Sandoval)

Last weekend, the Cross Crusade race series held their annual Halloween weekend.

For two days, Crusaders raced and romped around the Clatsop County Fairgrounds in Astoria fueled by beer and a hunger for fun that knows no bounds.

This is local racer and photographer Jose “Brujo” Sandoval’s first season following the Cross Crusade and he said he’s, “never experienced anything quite like this weekend.”

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Emergency repairs will close Hawthorne Bridge tomorrow

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just another day on Hawthorne

Closed from 9-4 tomorrow.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Multnomah County has just announced that the Hawthorne Bridge will be closed to all users tomorrow (10/28) from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

According to Mike Pullen in the Public Affairs Office, the county needs to close the bridge to all users to repair a damaged, one-inch diameter wire cable that was discovered as being “nearly severed” on Sunday.

The county recommends using other river crossings (like the Burnside, Morrison, Marquam or Ross Island bridges) during the repair.

According to PDOT, bicycles accounted for 18% of all trips taken across on the Hawthorne Bridge in 2007 and today it serves well over 6,000 average daily bike trips.

Kulongoski unveils climate change agenda: Where do bikes fit in?

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Kulongoski speaking at an event
in Portland back in April.
(Photo © J. Maus)

At a press conference this morning in Portland, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski unveiled more details about the ambitious climate change agenda he’ll pursue in the 2009 legislative session.

The Portland Tribune reports that Kulongoski says climate change is, “the most important environmental and economic issue of our time.”

What will the governor do to address climate change?

The agenda he unveiled (PDF download here) included four sections: Greenhouse Gas Reductions; Energy Conservation and Efficiency; Renewable Energy; and — the section that is of most interest to us — Sustainable Transportation.

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Management Trainee (Bike Gallery)

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Job Title
Management training program

Company/Organization
Bike Gallery

Job Description
The Bike Gallery is currently accepting applications for our Management Training Program. This program is intended to facilitate a process of educating participants on all aspects of Bike Gallery operations through tutorials and direct contact with senior managers within the organization.

This program averages six weeks in duration. Participants who sucessfully complete the program will be awarded a position on the Bike Gallery retail management team. All participants are paid a wage comensurate with junior management status, while the training is being delivered.

Applicants with a cross section of the following qualifications will be considered:

* A High School Diploma
* A minimum of 5 years in (any aspect of) the bicycle industry
* A demonstrated aptitude for management and leadership
* A strong work ethic as demonstrated through letters of reference or direct observation
* A stated commitment to the Bike Gallery, it’s business practices, mission, vision and values

Applicants with these additional qualifications will be given preference:

* Experience as a senior manager or small business owner
* Management experience in bicycle retail
* Management experience in other industries
* a college degree
* Verifiable and relavent business education, including, but not limited to:

    – Management and leadership
    – Human Resource Management
    – Accounting, finance or economics
    – Logistics or supply chain management

* Industry or trade specific training, including, but not limited to:

    -Bicycle repair and maintenance
    – APICS training or certification
    – Inventory management training

How to Apply
Send a letter of application clearly stating why you feel you should be considered for enrollment in this program, along with two letters of reference to Daniel Mc Ginnis at: daniel@bikegallery.com

Application interviews are being scheduled for mid November.

Presentation: The Mt. Hood Freeway and the Preservation of SE Portland

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[via the Foster-Powell Blog]

This looks like a very interesting presentation:

The Mt. Hood Freeway and the Preservation of Southeast Portland
Saturday, November 8
Architectural Heritage Center
701 SE Grand Avenue
10 AM – noon
General Public: $18 Members: $13

The story of the once-planned but never constructed Mount Hood Freeway has attained legendary status as a tale of grass-roots efforts by citizens to preserve their Portland neighborhoods.

Join urban planner Richard Ross and our own education manager/historian Val Ballestrem for a look back at the post-World War II era of freeway building in Portland, a time society became oriented around the automobile. How did Portland change from a bicycle and streetcar city in the early 20th century to a Freeway City by mid-century? Where did the idea come from that freeways could solve our traffic woes? And why did the freeway antagonists prevail in this case?

Learn how changing times and laws empowered freeway opponents and political leaders alike, leading to new transportation options including light rail, the revitalization of downtown and the preservation of several southeast Portland neighborhoods that stood in the swath of the planned freeway.

Pre-registration is encouraged – here online or call the AHC at 503 231-7264.

Visit the Architechutral Heritage Center’s website for a complete list of all the fascinating presentations they offer.

Video: Portland’s bike scene on ‘Cultural Odyssey’ around the world

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Suli Yu, with Voice of America,
has finished his story on Portland’s
bike scene.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Back in July, I mentioned that Suli Yu, a video journalist from the Chinese branch of the Voice of America was shooting a piece about Portland’s bike scene.

Mr. Yu’s story will be broadcast on a weekly news magazine show called Cultural Odyssey and will be shown in every major hotel in China, translated into 44 languages and shown via satellite in cities around the world.

Mr. Yu just emailed me the link to the show on YouTube.

It’s in Chinese, but the interviews (with Mayor-elect Adams (he says he’s going for 20-25% bike mode share), planner Mia Birk, yours truly, the BTA’s Emily Gardner, framebuilder Andy Newlands, Clever Cycles mechanic Sara Stout, and many more!) are in English. Check it out:

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Jonathan Nicholas, bike scene pundit and the spirit of Cycle Oregon, leaves The Oregonian

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Cycle Oregon day 1 into Heppner

Jonathan Nicholas, seen here in
Heppner, Oregon during the 2006
Cycle Oregon.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Jonathan Nicholas, the author and journalist who is considered the soul of Cycle Oregon and who has shared his insider observations on Portland’s bike scene for over two decades, has decided to take a buy-out offer from The Oregonian and will leave the staff position he has held there since 1982.

His decision was first reported by Byron Beck of the Willamette Week on Friday and I’ve confirmed the news with Nicholas this morning.

In an email today, Nicholas wrote that he’ll leave the paper after the November 4th election. When I asked him what it was like covering bike issues then and now he wrote:

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