14 August 2009 Archives

Purple Bridgestone MB-1 ? 1994?

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 1994?
Brand: Bridgestone
Model: MB-1 ?
Color:Purple
Size:44cc?
Stolen in Portland, OR 97212
Stolen:2009-08-14
Stolen From: Front porch of home NE 9th ave Btwn Brazee and Knott.
Neighborhood: Irvington
Owner: Jay Hoover
OwnerEmail: jay.elaine@gmail.com
Description: Newly refurbished with a orange-colored back rim and plastic foot clips and a customized rack.
Police record with: Portland Police
Police reference#: 0972520
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

Burgerville: Bikes now welcome in all drive-thrus

Burgerville: Fresh, Local, Sustainable
… and now bike-able!

Chalk it up as another big win for citizen activism.

Portland writer and self-described “family biking evangelist” Sarah Gilbert’s account of being denied service in the drive-thru of a local Burgerville restaurant while on her bicycle (which was then picked up by local media and Twittered all over the place) has led the company to announce a new policy.

The 39 location Burgerville chain announced today that people on bicycles are now allowed to order and pick up food through the drive-thru (which they now also refer to as a “cycle-thru”!). The company — whose major marketing hook is its earth-friendly practices — is billing this as their “latest sustainability innovation”.

“… bridge planners must examine the bicycle-pedestrian plans very closely to see how costs could be shaved… The core purpose of the project has been and, we predict, will remain getting trains, cars and trucks across the river more quickly.”

The Oregonian Editorial Board published an editorial piece today that calls the funding of a bicycle and pedestrian facility on the new I-5 bridge into question.

In the editorial, The Oregonian states their skepticism about projections of how many people will cross the bridge by bike and foot, saying the numbers being produced by project staff “deserve very close scrutiny because of another figure looming over the project: $100 million.”

(Just for perspective, $100 million is about 2% of the total cost of the project, which is estimated at upwards of $4.2 billion.)

The Oregonian points out that as CRC staffers look for places to cut spending, the bike/ped facility should not be spared the axe. They write:

On Tuesday, we shared the story of a local bike shop that created its own, Portland-style version of the Obama Administration’s Cash for Clunkers program. In a nutshell, Southeast Portland’s Joe Bike will accept an old, clunker bike, donate it to charity, and then give customers a discount on purchase of a new bike.

Now, Joe Bike owner Joe Doebele has extended the program to include car donations.

Doebele has worked out a special a deal with the American Lung Association and car-sharing company Zipcar. Here’s how it works:

Donate your old car to the American Lung Association. The ALA will tow your car (running or not) for free, and you’ll also get the tax deduction.

There’s a lot of buzz around town for the City of Portland’s third Sunday Parkways event this weekend. PBOT and scores of volunteers will create a nine-mile, people-powered festival through Southeast Portland that is sure to draw thousands to the streets. Adding to the fun this Sunday is a performance by the Ginger Ninjas, a bike-powered band led by Xtracycle co-founder Kipchoge Spencer.

The two-loop Sunday Parkways route will go through Buckman, Kerns, Laurelhurst, Richmond, and Sunnyside neibghborhoods. One of the loops is a relatively flat, and the other, more challenging one tackles Portland’s famous urban volcano, Mt. Tabor.

Austin Coleman pulling a
“downside whip” during practice
yesterday.
(Photo: Dew Tour)

[This article was written by our BMX correspondent Brendan Vail. Brendan is a promoter of local BMX events and the proprietor of Your-Inn.com.]

It’s that time of year again when the nation’s top BMX riders come to Portland to compete and add their color to the local bike scene. The Wendy’s Invitational/Dew Tour began Thursday and runs through Sunday at the Rose Quarter. The traveling tour started in 2005 and features the nation’s top competitors in BMX riding (as well as skateboarding, and freestyle motocross).

There are three BMX events at the Dew Tour; BMX Vert, BMX Dirt, and BMX Park.

In BMX Vert, top pros such as Jamie Bestwick and Chad Kagy compete against one another on a 12 foot tall half-pipe ramp performing a variety of aerial tricks.

Purple Bridgestone MB-1 ? 1994?

Burgerville: Bikes now welcome in all drive-thrus

Oregonian editorial questions spending on CRC bike/ped path

Bike shop’s Cash for Clunkers program now includes car trade-in

Sunday Parkways, Bicycle Music Festival comes to Southeast this weekend

BMX stars roll into Portland with Dew Tour

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