What are you doing on your bike this weekend?
If you need an idea or two, check out our Weekend Guide.
Whatever your plans are, we’d love to hear about them. Share adventures, photos, and ride reports in the comments below.
Bundle up and have a great weekend.
“…prepare yourself for bicyclophilia gone just plain NUTS!”
— from description of Veer in Victoria Film Fest program
This week at the Victoria Film Festival, film buffs from all over the world will get their first chance to see Veer, the feature-length documentary about Portland’s bike culture.
Veer producers Greg Fredette and Jason Turner arrived in Victoria today and will attend a Q & A presentation about their movie after it screens on Wednesday.
Just noticed a strange story over on KPTV.com.
On January 17th, a man was knocked off his bicycle while riding on 231st Avenue near Cornell Road (in Hillsboro) at about 2:30 pm. The police investigators say there’s “no evidence of a car”. Read more (emphasis mine):
Police said they aren’t sure what knocked a man off his bicycle, breaking his collar bone and giving him a concussion a few weeks ago.
Last night at the headquarters of the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood association, about 50 residents showed up to learn more about the City of Portland’s plans to create a bicycle boulevard on SE Spokane Street.
They got a chance to see some of the latest innovations in the city’s toolbox for creating successful bike streets that co-exist with the livability and business needs of the surrounding neighborhoods.
Earlier this month, the Mayor’s office released a storm response survey. The 15-question survey (it’s still online) asked citizens about their travel behavior during the storm and asked them to rate the city’s response.
Every mode (transit, motor vehicles, pedestrians) was considered — except bikes.
In a city that prides itself on leading the nation in bike-friendliness and aspires to be a world-class bike city, it seemed strange that bikes didn’t even warrant a mention. Sure, many people decided to leave their bikes at home instead of battling the slush, snow and ice; but many also found their bike to be a perfectly viable way to get around (especially with studded tires).
Thankfully, the Mayor’s office has acknowledged the oversight and now the city’s Bicycle Advisory Committee has drafted a bike-specific storm response survey.
[Publisher’s note: This story was written by Managing Editor Elly Blue during her recently concluded East Coast Tour.]
While I was in New York briefly, I met up with Sarah Goodyear, editor and community manager of the recently launched Livable Streets Blog Network. Billed as “the national blog network for sustainable transport, smart growth, and livable streets,” the network is the brainchild of Aaron Naparstek, editor-in-chief of StreetsBlog.org. (Both the network and StreetsBlog are part of umbrella organizaton The Open Planning Project.)
Here’s the official press release:
Walking and Biking Summit Features Town Hall Meeting on Federal Funding IdeasThird annual Eugene Walking and Biking Summit will be held at South Eugene High School Cafeteria, 400 East 19th Ave., on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Doors open at 8:30 a.m., with workshops from 1 to 3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
The Walking and Biking Summit is an opportunity for all who are interested in walking and biking to get together, celebrate successes, and plan for the future. The summit agenda includes a town hall meeting to discuss $50 million in potential funding for Eugene-Springfield walking and biking improvements. There also will be entertainment and a bike fashion show. The afternoon workshops include William Sullivan speaking on car-free recreation in Lane County. There also will be sessions on bike commuter skills, an update on Eugene’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Strategic Plan, basic bike repair, issues of accessibility, and an update on the Safe Routes to School Program. The Eugene Police Department will register bikes from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio has been invited to the town hall meeting. The meeting will focus on the area’s engagement in the national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s 2010 Campaign for Active Transportation, whose goal is to double the federal investment in trails, walking and biking. Specifically, the plan is to target these federal dollars to dozens of communities, including Eugene and Springfield. The idea is to bring $50 million in federal funds to the local area to build a complete network of safe places to walk and bike and to reduce auto-dependence. Local staff, officials, and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy need the community’s participation to make this campaign a reality.
For additional information, contact Lindsay Selser, City of Eugene Public Works, 682-5094 or lindsay.r.selser@ci.eugene.or.us. Online information about Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s campaign is available at www.railstotrails.org/2010. For more information on the Campaign for Active Transportation for the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area, go to www.lcog.org/cat. The Walking and Biking Summit web site is at www.eugene-or.gov/bicycles.
Want to be the leader of Portland’s pedestrian advocacy group? How about taking charge of development and communications for the BTA?
This week we’ve had two excellent opportunities listed on the BikePortland Job Listings.
Learn more about these positions here:
“…approaches are sometimes different, and misunderstandings likely because we are all human — regardless of whether we wear a stretchy bicycle jersey or an itchy police uniform.”
— From a public statement issued by the City Attorney’s office as part of a settlement reached in the Ainsworth Incident
Traffic citations given to two men who were ticketed for riding on NE Ainsworth Avenue back in November have been dismissed.
The case went in front of a Multnomah County traffic court judge at 1:30 pm this afternoon and, instead of arguing over who was at fault, all parties in the incident have signed onto an “Open Letter to the Community” (read it below, download here).
Reuben Vyn and Peter Welte were stopped by Officer James Pryce of the Portland Police on November 16th. Pryce said the men were impeding traffic, but Vyn and Welte, along with numerous witness accounts said otherwise. They claim Officer Pryce came within inches of them as he passed by on the narrow street and that he only turned around to cite them after one of the riders — in response to the close call — gestured and yelled at the officer.
Here’s your bike-fun filled Weekend Guide:
Saturday Fast Friday
An event including sprints, footdown, sharks and minnows, tricks, a group ride, and more. Check out PDXFixed.com for more.
4:30pm at NW 13th and Quimby
Sellwood Bridge March
A march led by residents of the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood to bring awareness to how the Sellwood Bridge Project impacts community livability. See more info here.
9:30am at Sellwood Community Center (corner of SE Spokane and 15th Ave.)
VeloNews has the story:
The Oregon Pro Cycling Classic will be a little late getting to the start line — the 500-mile, seven-day race is being postponed to 2010 after organizers were unable to secure a title sponsor and the necessary money to run the event this year.
The National Racing Calendar event had been scheduled for May 11-17, kicking off with a prologue in Portland and stage finishes in Salem, Corvallis, Timberline Lodge, Hood River and Mt. Hood Meadows before returning to Portland for a concluding circuit race.
Sellwood residents are gearing up for a march on the Sellwood Bridge this Saturday. According to one of the event’s organizers, Bradley Heintz, the goal of the march is to send a message that any bridge that is built adheres to existing planning guidelines as community livability concerns.