Month: November 2008

Mark your calendars for BikeCraft IV!

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
BikeCraft III-14.jpg

A scene from last year’s event.
(Photo: J. Maus)

BikeCraft, the bike-lovers gift bazaar that showcases local, handmade, bike-themed arts, crafts, fashion, and more, is coming next month.

BikeCraft IV will be held on Wednesday, December 10th at Roots Organic Brewing (on SE 7th, just south of Hawthorne) from 5:30pm until late. The location is right off the Hawthorne bikeway so you can stop in on your way home from work!

If you’ve never been to BikeCraft, it’s always a great night to get your hands on fantastic things you just can’t get anywhere else. Last year at BikeCraft we had locally-made “Smittens” bike gloves, bike-themed clocks, original stencil paintings by Tiago DeJerk, earthenware plates with bike motifs, bike-part furniture, messenger bags, cycling caps, t-shirts, zines, patches, stickers, and more! And everything is made by hand in Portland.

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Lance in France at Wordstock

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Cover of Lance in France by
Ashley Maceachern.

Lance Armstrong is coming to the Wordstock Festival.

Well, OK, not really. But Lance fans (especially little ones) still have a reason to get excited about Wordstock.

That’s because local author Ashley Maceachern tells us she’ll be a featured author. Ashley is a friend of Lance’s and a former Nike executive who has written Lance in France, a children’s book (with fun illustrations by Michelle Barbera) that follows Lance through the adventures of the Tour de France.

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California says yes to high-speed rail

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

52% of California voters said yes to a proposition that helps fund a $45 billion “bullet train” between Orange County in the south to the San Francisco Bay Area.

This was a closely watched vote by transportation advocates nationwide because, if built, it will be the first project of its kind in America.

While driving (alone) down to a conference in Eugene a few weeks ago, I wondered why there was no such service from Portland to points south. Amtrak’s got their Cascade Corridor, but at 2.5 hours (if it’s on time) and $26.00 for a ticket, it’s hardly a competitive option.

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Bike-share pioneers come full circle with Pacific University rental program

One of the Pacific ReCycles bikes.
(Photo: Pacific University)

Back in 1994, the Northeast Portland-based Community Cycling Center helped get Portland’s infamous Yellow Bikes program off the ground. The CCC donated bikes to kick-off the program and later became an official co-sponsor.

The Yellow Bike program only lasted for about a year before the bikes vanished and it became nothing more than a piece of urban history. Now, the CCC is backing a program that is similar in spirit, but much different in execution.

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Sadik-Khan mentioned as possible Obama pick

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

With expectations that president-elect Obama might pick his cabinet in the next few weeks, we’re following his pick for Transportation Secretary very closely.

Previously, we reported early rumors that Obama was considering former City of Portland transportation commissioner and now U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer or Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar (whose arguably the most important and revered politician to the national bike movement).

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Thoughts on Amanda Fritz, our newest City Commissioner

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
Amanda Fritz-1.jpg

Amanda Fritz
(Photo J. Maus)

With 70% of the vote, Amanda Fritz, a neighborhood activist and Registered Nurse, has been elected to Portland City Council.

Ms. Fritz, who lost a bid for Commissioner in 2006, won a decisive victory over Charles Lewis and she is the first non-incumbent to win a council seat using Portland’s public campaign funding system.

Fritz seems likely to be a very capable and effective commissioner. She’s very detail-oriented, has a lot of experience on local issues, and she listens and actively tries to engage all perspectives.

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PCC student dies from injuries one week after collision [Updated]

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

A 21-year-old student enrolled in the International School of Portland Community College (Rock Creek Campus) has died from injuries sustained in a collision with a Ford Ranger pickup-truck last Tuesday.

According to an email sent to staff at the college, Roy Tze from Hong Kong died yesterday evening at Emanuel Hospital after an “unsuccessful operation”.

The Hillsboro Argus reported the collision on Friday and said that according to preliminary investigations, Tze

“apparently missed a stoplight while headed westbound on Quatama Road at 7:05 a.m. when he entered the intersection with Northwest 205th Avenue against a red light.

Hillsboro’s Jay Humphrey, 58, was driving his truck southbound on 205th at about 35 mph.

According to witnesses, the bike had no light. Tze was wearing headphones and dark clothing, but no helmet. No citations were issued.

Advocates hope new plan will spur improvements in Southwest

Cover of Bicycle Facilities Strategy to
Reach Platinum Status in Southwest Portland.

A major effort to bring the quality of biking in Southwest Portland up to the standards of the rest of the city has finally landed on PDOT’s desk.

SWTrails — a subcommittee of the Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. — has submitted a 65-page plan to PDOT titled, Bicycle Facilities Strategy to Reach Platinum Status in Southwest Portland.

According to Keith Liden, a citizen activist who spearheaded the effort and who also sits on PDOT’s Bicycle Advisory Committee (by day he’s a professional planner with Parsons Brinckerhoff), the plan is the culmination of a one-and-a-half year effort that included community rides, a formal route selection and evaluation process, and two public open houses.

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From the Archives

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