🚨 Please note: BikePortland is currently on hiatus and only publishing guest posts. Learn more here. And please join us at our 20th Anniversary and Beer Collab Release Party on May 13th 🎉 Thank you. - Jonathan 🙏
More and more local businesses are eschewing the utilitarian and mundane City-issue bike racks and opting instead for a more artistic version. There are a lot of reasons this might be happening: Perhaps it’s a way stand out in the crowd (now that bike parking is no longer a novelty); or maybe it’s a way to do some clever branding.
Whatever the reason. I like it.
Who says vehicle parking has to be all function and no form? Here are a few examples I’ve seen around town recently:
The Transportation Options Division within the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) recently announced the routes and dates of four of the five Sunday Parkways events planned for this summer.
The September edition of the event remains the “Mystery Sunday Parkways.” PBOT has announced a date, but they’ve remained tight-lipped about further details.
Tonight from 6:30-8:30pm at the White Stag Building (70 NW Couch St) is the 4th Annual Transportation Safety Summit. Hosted by Mayor Sam Adams, this event will be an excellent opportunity to learn and to share your insights and concerns with the leaders of PBOT, ODOT, the Portland Police Bureau, and others.
The Summit comes at a time of a lot of news and momentum around traffic safety (back in January I wondered out loud whether 2010 would be the Year of Transportation Safety in Portland).
– China is forging ahead in building high speed rails for sleek, fast trains, while the Obama administration warns of the US falling behind.
– What if every time there was a crash involving a car and someone on foot or on a bike, the person behind the wheel of the 2,000 pound machine were held automatically liable? Some countries already work that way.
– A glimpse into the complex world of where highway subsidies come from and why they are becoming increasingly unaffordable.
The seventh annual Mini Bike Winter ruled the streets of Portland this past weekend. Hosted by Zoobomb, the event showcased one of Portland’s distinct brands of bike fun.
Year: 1970ish
Brand: schwinn
Model: caliente
Color:blue
Photo: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/ajnels1/bike.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97213
Stolen:2010-02-15
Stolen From: 82nd and Powell
Neighborhood: Montavilla (of course…)
Owner: Aaron Nelson
OwnerEmail: aaronnelson83@gmail.com
Reward: can’t afford one. but i still want my bike back!!!
Description: It’s blue. It says “caliente” on the bar thingy in the middle. It has those cheap lights from REI velcro’ed on the front and back.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
Year: 2005
Brand: LeMond
Model: Blue Sky SL
Color:Silver/Black
Size:med
Serial: ITK4020338
Stolen in Portland, OR 97202
Stolen:2010-02-12
Stolen From: out of a garage at corner of Se 16th and Malden.
Neighborhood: Sellwood/Moreland
Owner: Eric Miller
OwnerEmail: chasingmoose@gmail.com
Reward: $200
Description: black handlebar tape, one handlebar tube cover missing, spd pedals, Bontrager rims, trail-a-bike attachment on seatpost, chariot trailer attachment on rear skewer.
Police record with: CN 10-012385
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
Author, columnist and “adventure cyclist” Willie Weir recently rolled through Portland. While here he soaked up our bike culture, interviewed locals, and snapped some fantastic photographs. The result was a feature article in Adventure Cycling magazine and a nifty audio slideshow that shows Portland through the eyes of an experienced traveler and unabashed bike lover.
Since Sunday is Valentine’s Day and many of us are still feeling the bike love following yesterday’s historic adoption of the Bike Plan, I thought I’d share Willie’s video. Watch, Portland: What’s to Love?, below…
February 12, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT:
Kay Dannen
Portland Streetcar Inc.
503-478-6404BICYCLE ADVISORYN Broadway/Weidler: Benton to Williams (Sewer work) – continuing the week of February 15, 2010 through March 5, 2010:
- Westbound bike lane will be closed at times both during the day and night. Westbound bikes will be detoured at Wheeler one block north to Dixon and back to Broadway at Benton.
- Eastbound bike traffic on N Broadway/Weidler, from Benton to Williams, will be re-routed onto the sidewalk from 7AM to 4 PM. Bikes must yield to pedestrians on the sidewalk.
- Crews will generally work on one half of the road at a time on one street at a time (Weidler or Broadway).
N Broadway: Victoria to Williams (Water work) – Starting the week of February 15, 2010:
- Monday 2/15 – the bike lane and right travel lane will be closed from 10AM-1PM to sawcut for a water line. Bikes must ride in the vehicle travel lane for this three hour period.
- Wed (2/17) and Thurs (2/18) – The bike lane and two travel lanes will be closed at night on Broadway between Victoria and Williams. Lanes will be closed starting at 8PM and continue into the morning commute for these two days. All lanes will be open by 8AM. Bikes must ride in the vehicle travel lane. No work is expected on Tues and Fri nights due to the Blazer games.
N Larrabee: North of N Broadway (Rail welding work) – Continuing the week of February 15, 2010 through February 19, 2010:
- Cyclists should use caution as the southbound bike lane will merge into traffic
NE 7th: Weidler to NE Oregon (Sewer work): Starting in late February 2010:
- Sewer work will alternate from the east and west sides of the street and will typically occur one block at a time. Either a flagger will be present or the work will require closing parts of the street and detouring cyclists around the construction zone. More details related to bike impacts (and timeline) will be provided as they are known. Sewer work is expected to occur from late February through June 25, 2010.
- Water work is expected to occur from June 4-June 21, 2010. Track work is expected to occur in Feb-June 2011
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Visit Portland Streetcar for more information at www.portlandstreetcar.org.
These dates are subject to change depending on construction or weather conditions.
Below are the faces and names of just a few of the people who have worked hard for over three years to develop the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 — the best bike plan in America.
It has been a long road to get here, and without the dedication of our advo-crats in the Portland Building it would not be as stellar as it is. There are obviously many, many more people that helped make this plan great. To everyone who was a part of this effort: Thank you.
In case you’re curious about the “finance task force” I’ve mentioned several times in my recent 2030 Bike Plan coverage, I now have more details.
According to the City Council resolution passed yesterday, the official name of the group with be the “Sustainable Transportation Finance Task Force.” The group will be corralled by the Bureaus of Transportation, Planning and Sustainability, Environmental Services, Parks & Recreation and the Portland Development Commission. Their aim will be to:
“… form a finance task force to identify and pursue multiple strategies to increase funding for sustainable transportation and bicycle transportation; and promote the implementation of the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030…”