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My story about Senator Floyd Prozanski’s intention to expand Oregon’s mandatory helmet law has gained steam. It was sent out on the AP newswire this morning and outlets across the state have picked it up.
I’ve done several media interviews about it today, and while doing some background reading, I came across an interesting story from Eugene.
Oregon state Senator Jason Atkinson (R-Central Point) — an avid cyclist and a regular supporter of bike-related legislation in Salem — was accidently shot in the knee yesterday evening.
According to a story in the Medford Mail-Tribune, the accident happened when Atkinson began working on a friend’s bike:
Locally owned and operated Stumptown Printers has decided to donate all proceeds of their series of limited edition bike posters to local non-profit groups and a fund that raises money for bike safety programs.
One of the posters features the stencil of Brett Jarolimek that was first painted on a wall near the intersection of N. Interstate and Greeley where he lost his life back in October of last year (the painting was later removed by ODOT).
Proceeds from sales of the Jarolimek poster ($4 each) will go directly toward the Brett Jarolimek Memorial Fund.
An invite-only conference at the Portland Art Museum today and tomorrow is looking at the future of sustainable transportation and urban design in American cities.
Dubbed Meeting of the Minds, the event is, “designed to bring together leaders from multiple sectors and geographies to share ideas, learn from each other, and shape the agenda for creating more sustainable cities.”
The program host is Gail Achterman, Chair of the Oregon Transportation Commission and a keynote address this morning titled, Transportation at the Crossroads was given by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski.
Two weeks ago, Southeast Portland resident Karl Hugo was gravely injured when he rode through the intersection of SE 50th and Lincoln Street and collided with a truck.
After the crash, Hugo was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit at the OHSU where he arrived in a coma, with one collapsed lung and severe brain trauma.
ECT Slow & Easy “Trees of Reed College” Ride
Sponsored by the Community Exchange Cycle Touring Club. We leave no
riders behind.
The beautiful campus of Reed College, with Reed Lake it it’s center,
is home to over 1000 trees and features over 100 different species
from around the world. Every single tree has been carefully mapped,
out making it easy to find examples of any particular specie of tree.
Ideal for young riders and their parents, children being towed in
trailers, or anybody else looking for a ride set at a more relaxed
pace, this ride will be routed using streets with bike lanes and/or
minimal automotive traffic. The short but steep climb up Steele St to
the Reed College campus may be too difficult for some beginning riders
so those few blocks may be walked. We leave nobody behind!
When: Saturday, Aug 2, 2008
Time: Assemble 11:00 am, Depart 11:10 am
Start & End Point: Madison Plaza (underneat east side of Hawthorne Bridge)
Distance: 10 miles
Pace: Easy – pace set at speed of slowest rider
Expected Duration: 2-3 hours
Forecast: 76 degrees, clouds giving way to sun
Route: will be posted soon if I can figure out how to use Bikely.com
For those wanting a longer ride, the ECT Bike to Berry Ride out to
Sauvie Island will be leaving from the same starting point at 10:00
am. With the Berry Ride on Saturday and the Hottest Day of the Year
Ride scheduled on Sunday, I expect our turnout to be low so we will
have lots of time and flexibility for exploring the trees of Reed
College.
Ride Leader and contact information: Severt Lawyer,
wsevert(at)gmail(dot)com, 503-234-7778
ECT is a non-profit organization promoting peace and cultural exchange
through bicycle touring and bike school operation. We are registered
with the State of Oregon and we are applying for our 501(c)3 status
with IRS. Upon receipt of our non-profit status, your donations will
be tax deductible with a retroactive effectivity date of 3/29/2007 –
our incorporation date.
Your participation, volunteering, and donations are much appreciated.
Our website: www.ExchangeCycleTours.org
Also on YahooGroups: ExchangeCycleTours
A special event will close the south sidewalk/bikeway of the Hawthorne Bridge from 6am to 7pm this Saturday (8/2). See full details in press release from Multnomah County below:
Red Bull event to close Hawthorne Bridge sidewalk and traffic lane on Saturday
The south sidewalk of the Hawthorne Bridge and an eastbound traffic lane will be closed from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm this Saturday, August 2 to accommodate the Red Bull Flugtag event. The event takes place from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm on the west side of the Willamette River between the Hawthorne Bridge and RiverPlace.
The bridge sidewalk closure will allow a viewing area to be created for the event, in which teams launch non-powered flying machines from a barge in the Willamette River on the south side of the bridge. One traffic lane will remain open in both directions, as well as the north sidewalk, during the event. The closure will not impact river traffic.
Multnomah County maintains the Hawthorne Bridge and more than 300 miles of roads and bridges.
Platinum Award Party
Portland City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Ave
Thursday, August 7, 2008
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Free and open to the public
The National Bike Bill is headed to a vote in the Senate Committee on Commerce Science, and Transportation this Thursday (7/31) and the League of American Bicyclists is asking its members to take action.
The bill (House Congressional Resolution 305) was introduced by Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) back in February and passed a House vote in May.
The City of Portland has just announced their plans to celebrate the recent designation of Portland as a Platinum-level bicycle friendly community.
The event will be held at City Hall this next Thursday (8/7).
