Month: February 2009
Cycle Oregon will cycle into California in ’09
Here’s the official word from Cycle Oregon about their 2009 routes:
“The Mythical State of Jefferson” and “Cycle Oregon University”
Week Ride route crosses Southern Oregon and delves into Northern California; Weekend Ride will be based at Western Oregon University in Monmouth
PORTLAND, Ore. – Feb. 5, 2009 – Cycle Oregon announced at its annual Kickoff Party today the Week Ride and Weekend Ride routes for its annual bicycle tours of Oregon’s back roads and small communities: the mythical “State of Jefferson” for the 22nd version of the longer tour, and the area surrounding Monmouth for the weekend event.
In a multimedia presentation before more than 1,000 people at the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike campus outside Portland, ride founder Jonathan Nicholas announced the routes, along with the recipient of the Cycle Oregon Fund’s $50,000 Signature Grant for 2009 – Oregon’s Department of Parks and Recreation, for their continuing efforts to create an official network of State Scenic Bikeways.
Senate amendment would strip bike funding from stimulus bill; Blumenauer responds
Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) introduced an amendment last night that would prohibit funding of “bicycle routes” and paths from the economic stimulus package that’s working its way through Capitol Hill right now.
According to staffers in Representative Earl Blumenauer’s office who are following the bill closely, Sen. DeMint’s amendment was supported in a speech by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Veer premiere packs them in: A report from Victoria
Veer, a feature length documentary film that focuses on Portland bike culture, made it’s world premiere at the Victoria Film Festival last week. The screening was the first time the film had been seen outside of Portland.
Victoria resident Lauren Warbeck was at the premiere. She wrote via email that so many people showed up that many were turned away and a second screening was added. Warbeck added that the crowd was energetic and that there was “a lot of interaction with the film”. “People laughed a lot…They LOVED the zoobomb and the tallbikes. The whole theatre cheered and clapped when the bicycle bill got passed. Basically, the whole theatre was pretty amped and inspired.”
In-Depth: Where bikes and streetcar collide (Part Two)
[This is the second (and final) part of our In-Depth report by Libby Tucker on how bikes fit into Portland’s streetcar plans. Read the first installment here.]
Yesterday, we left off with a discussion about bikeway and streetcar track design in the Pearl District. Mia Birk, a former bike coordinator for the City of Portland and now a consultant on Portland’s streetcar plans, continues our story…
routed up onto the sidewalk
to get around the streetcar
platform. (Photos © J. Maus)
The Lovejoy design (see photo at right) creates a “very uncomfortable situation for most bicyclists,” added Birk. “It feels really weird to go up on the sidewalk and blast through a pedestrian zone, and when you’re on the street you have to cross tracks at a bad angle.”
This time, Alta (the planning firm where Birk is a principal) has completely redesigned the Pearl District’s bike facilities in the area surrounding the streetcar tracks, starting with the removal of the bike lane on Lovejoy. Instead, the streetcar plan would convert Lovejoy and Northrup into a one-way couplet for cars and reroute bike traffic onto a bike boulevard along Northwest Marshall. The cobblestone street would be smoothed out to accommodate bikes and would include new bike signals and bike boxes along the route.
Job of the Week
If you’re looking to work at a bike shop in Portland, a great opportunity was just listed on the BikePortland Job Listings.
Learn more about it here:
- Salesperson/Mechanic — Veloce Bicycles
Salesperson/Mechanic (Veloce Bicycles)
Job Title
Salesperson/ Mechanic
Company/Organization
Veloce Bicycles
Job Description
Seasonal part time position for an experienced bicycle salesperson/ mechanic. Position is predominantly sales, as such mechanical aptitude is a definite plus although not a deal breaker. Expect 20+ hours per week throughout the summer and into fall.
How to Apply
E-mail resumes to info@velocebicycles.com. Please include the text “Sales Position” in the subject.
Finally! New Morrison Bridge bikeway coming soon
improvements on Morrison Bridge.
(Currently, there is only a 5-foot sidewalk.)
An estimated $3.2 million project to improve the bike and pedestrian facilities on the Morrison Bridge — that was first identified in 1994 (yes, 1994) — is finally set for construction.
Today I confirmed with Multnomah County (they own the bridge) spokesman Michael Pullen that the contractor on the project has just received “a notice to proceed” with construction. Pullen says signs about the project should go up next month, construction will begin in March, and the entire project should be completed by the end of this year.
A look at bikes in Portland’s federal legislative agenda
“The development of this type of network will dramatically boost bicycle use beyond the City’s nationally-leading levels. The benefits to the City of bicycle use are dramatic.”
— an excerpt from the city’s request for federal funding bike boulevards
The City of Portland’s Office of Government Relations recently released their 2009 Federal Legislative Priorities.
The 25-page document (download PDF here), prepared for the mayor and City Council by the Director of the Office of Government Relations Dan Bates, outlines the city’s requests for funding of a number of projects and programs including transportation infrastructure.
Bikes are mentioned in the document several times. Here’s a quick rundown:
Press Release: Policy leaders to choose Sellwood Bridge plan
The latest Sellwood Bridge project news (browse our previous coverage):
Policy leaders to choose Sellwood Bridge plan
The Policy Advisory Group for the Sellwood Bridge Project will meet on Friday, February 6 at 3:00 pm in the boardroom of the Multnomah Building at 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd. to choose a locally preferred alternative. The decision is a major step in a planning project that began in 2006. The meeting is open to the public and will include time for public comment.
In-Depth: Where bikes and streetcar collide (Part One)
[Publisher’s note: This article is by BikePortland’s In-Depth reporter Libby Tucker. Tucker is a freelance journalist whose stories have been published by the Associated Press, MSNBC.com, The Oregonian, and others. She was most recently a staff writer for the Daily Journal of Commerce where she covered transportation, construction and energy. She is also the author of the blog, Naked Energy and is a regular contributor to the NYTimes.com blog, Green Inc. This will be a two-part story (read Part Two here).]
(Photos © J. Maus)