Billing it as an, “event to celebrate Portland’s new ‘Green Space’,” the City of Portland’s Office of Transportation has just announced details of a press event next week that will draw attention to their first installation of a series of bike safety improvements around the city.
The event will be held at Clever Cycles (908 SE Hawthorne), just a few blocks from where the city’s first bike box went in last weekend.
In the past two years, Portland’s bicycle industry and the economic impact of our bike culture has gotten plenty of attention — from the New York Times to National Public Radio.
The business of bikes also gained clout on the local political scene when Portland’s City Council passed a resolution officially recognizing the bicycle industry and directing the Portland Development Commission to make it one of their “target industries”.
This just in from Amy Ruiz at the Portland Mercury… Mayoral candidate Sho Dozono has been stripped of public financing. Dozono is the only real challenger to Sam Adams and he has said he would drop out of the race without public funds.
A brief snippet of the ruling is below:
Presiding State Administrative Law Judge David Gerstenfeld has overturned the decision of the City Auditor to certify Mayoral Candidate Sho Dozono, making him ineligible for $161,171 in public funds to finance his campaign. At issue was a poll conducted in December 2007. In Gerstenfeld’s Final Order, the Finding of Law is that “Dozono received in-kind contributions in excess of the applicable limit for candidates seeking certification to receive public campaign financing.”
[*Updated, 11:45am: I have heard back from Olympic National Park spokesperson Barb Maynes. Her comments are now included at the end of the article.]
“This is an unnecessary exclusion of bicyclists on what is a federally funded road open to all other forms of traffic.”
–Bicycle Alliance of Washington
At the recent National Bike Summit, much excitement and optimism was in the air about the future of bicycles in America’s National Parks.
During a speech to the 500-plus attendees, Brian Wademen, Chief of Staff for the Department of the Interior (they manage national parks) said, “Don’t be shy to advocate for park access.”
It was almost two years ago when I first shared the news about a new brewpub in Southeast Portland that was taking bike-friendly to a new level. Now, thanks to the Oregonian’s bike-and-beer loving reporter John Foyston, I learned this morning that Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) is all set to open next Tuesday.
Election madness is heating up in Portland. Here’s my attempt to help keep you updated on the latest happenings…
The 5th Annual* Bunny on a Bike Ride
The “Great” Bunny Convergence
Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008, 2 pm
Join us for the 5th annual Bunny on a Bike Ride in Portland, Oregon. Bunnies on Bikes from North, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest, we are gathering for a Play-date in the Park on Easter Sunday. We’ll meet in 5 different parks and make our way to the “Great” gathering in the geographical center of Portland!
Five Starting Destinations. Meet at 2 pm:
SE: Col. Summers Park (SE Belmont & 20th)
SW: Salmon Street Fountain at Waterfront Park (SW Salmon & Naito Pkwy)
NW: Jamison Square (NW Johnson & 10th Ave)
N: Peninsula Park (at the gazebo, N Ainsworth & N Albina Ave)
NE: Grant Park (by Ramona Statue, NE 33rd Ave & US Grant Place)
PLUS: Day-time Bunny Bomb meets at 1 pm at upper level Zoo Max Station and will meet up with the SW bunnies.
Wear your ears and your tail and your park-play clothes. We’ll play and picnic rain or shine. Bring a tasty treat that bunnies like to eat to share in a potluck picnic (Don’t forget a cup, dish, and utensils!)
Playful games in the park will be a must. Bring frisbees, hula-hoops, balls and rackets, and your bunny friends.
Free. Social Pace on regular roads. Children must be with an adult. Lone riders under 8 not recommended. Also you may want to tape your name on anything you bring out.. just in case! Please note, this year the ride is NOT a loop ride, we want to leave our play-time open ended and spontaneous! If you adventure on the ride, and need help getting back, ask around or find a buddy bunny to ride with. The biking distance will vary per ride, but expect 45 min to an hour of ride time to our destination.
*This is Red Bat Press’s last year organizing the Bunny on a Bike Ride. This ride is being gifted to the community, and we all hope it will happen next year!
Please contact with any questions or concerns.
See Greg Pitters’ movie about the first Bunny on a Bike Ride in 2004.
Listen to the Bunny on a Bike song composed by Wes Kempfer of the Trash Mountain Boys
The fifth annual Bunny on a Bike Ride has become a welcome (and fun!) tradition for hundreds of Portland cyclists.
A local bag maker has created a custom set of panniers that are just as gorgeous as the bike they were made for.
As key decision points approach for the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project, chatter about how we move forward is heating up in Portland. Local media, bike and environmental groups, and Portland’s City Council are beginning to make their voices heard about the estimated $4.2 billion project.
On Monday of this week, Portland City Council held its first public work session on the CRC. As reported in a story in the Oregonian, several commissioners made it clear that they would not support a new bridge unless it was guaranteed to include light rail (and a bike facility, but that’s a foregone conclusion, unlike light rail).
The City Auditor’s office has just released neighborhood by neighborhood breakdowns of their 2007 Portland Resident Survey (I shared a preview of those results back in December).
The Portland Residents Survey is a useful tool that allows you to rate how neighborhoods stack up against each other based on a variety of specific livability issues. Over 20,000 randomly selected residents from 75 neighborhoods took part. They answered questions about everything from the quality of garbage service to how safe they felt in local parks.
Good Neighbor Pizza, NE 8th Ave and Dekum St
7:00pm
This is the Shift-social meet up. Hang out. Talk bike fun. Nuff said.