Month: April 2011

Left side bikeway, BTA stance, and more on Williams Ave project

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
Conditions on Williams-4-3

A family navigates a parked car
and a cramped bike lane on Williams
north of Morris.
(Photo © J. Maus)

While you may have already read our recap of the recent open house, there are a few more things about the N Williams Ave Traffic Safety Operations Project I want to share. In the paragraphs below you’ll find a response from City Traffic Engineer Rob Burchfield about two solutions that haven’t gotten much attention and you’ll hear from Bicycle Transportation Alliance Executive Director Rob Sadowsky what he thinks about the project.

Read more

Hayden Island incident highlights confusing path access issues

It can be hard to know whether or not
the public has the legal right to
ride a bike on paths like this one
on Hayden Island.
(Photos: Marcus Griffith)

The sometimes complicated rules that govern public use of private pathways is at the heart of a recent incident between a group of people cycling and a resident of Hayden Island, community situated in the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington.

North Portland resident James Wota and two friends were out for bike ride into Vancouver when they opted to stop for lunch at Lotus Isle City Park. After lunch, they noticed some enticing paths and started to explore them on their bike.

“We got on the trail by the [Red Lion] hotel and were biking east when we got stopped by a woman who told us we couldn’t bike on the path because it was private property,” said Wota.

Read more

‘Trail Fest’ kicks off tomorrow with documentary screening

Trail Fest flyer.

The Northwest Trail Alliance is gearing up for their 2nd annual Trail Fest, a four-day event that will bring together off-road riding advocates, trail builders, and the local bike industry.

The event kicks off tomorrow night at the Hollywood Theater with a special screening of the new documentary Pedal Driven. The film, which was created in affiliation with IMBA and with cooperation from the U.S. Forest Service, takes an engaging look at the complex relationship between mountain bikers and federal land management agencies.

The NWTA’s Matthew Mangus says, while the film doesn’t highlight Portland specificallly, “It speaks well to others in the region and uses the close-by Sandy Ridge system as an example of how riders and land managers can work together towards a positive outcome.”

Watch the trailer below:

Read more

S.F. mulls speed limits, tall-bike ban on Golden Gate – UPDATED

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

There’s an interesting situation brewing in San Francisco over how to deal with bicycle traffic on the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.

Richard Masoner, a veteran blogger and citizen bike advocate based near the Bay Area, reports on a bike safety study published on April 15th by the Berkeley office of Alta Planning + Design. Here’s a snip from Masoner’s story:

While they concede that safety is not a serious issue on the Golden Gate Bridge (GGB) sidewalks, they were paid to Do Something, so Alta Planning recommends a 10 MPH bicycle speed limit at all times on the west and east sidewalks, with a 5 MPH speed limit around the towers, where space and sightlines are constrained.

The Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District (they commissioned the report) says that the study, “confirms that the Bridge sidewalks and access pathways are safe for pedestrians and bicyclists” and that, “It appears that the current design of the bicycle paths remain safe, when bicycles use that path in a responsible fashion.”

Read more

Job: Website Content Creator (Universalcycles.com)

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title: Website Content Creator
Company/Organization: Universalcycles.com

Job Summary/Functions: The primary purpose of this position is to help populate the website with products we want to carry, maintain the categorical flow of the site, and promote expanding into new categories. This becomes a very detailed process as categories change over time, model years change, and we have multiple shipping locations. Daily functions will include not only working to put up new individual products, but to also asses the overall categorical organization.

Job Skills: The candidate for this position must be familiar with computers, the world wide web, and have at least 5 years experience in the cycling industry. Attention to detail is an absolute must. The candidate should have a total, overall, knowledge of the entire cycling industry, not just one aspect of it. Candidate should be familiar with distribution channels within the industry. As the job is based from a computer, the candidate must be able to work with minimum supervision and have strong time management skills.

Hours per week: 40 hrs. Full time job. 8 1/2 hour days, with a 1/2 hour lunch during the day. We would request a 2 year commitment, as there is quite a bit of training at first.

Salary: This job starts at 40k. After 6 months, as training is done, there is an increase to 45K. If the candidate can proceed, becoming more valuable with more skills, we will move them up to 50K from there. Slight cost of living increases are also provided as the years fluctuate. The compensation for this position has been designed for someone possessing the skills mentioned above.

Additional benefits: Health insurance (Kaiser, right now) and 2 weeks vacation time.

Opportunities for growth: There are plenty of opportunities over time for growth. Eventually, we will have an entire staff devoted to Website administration. We will need to expand into other categories in the cycling industry, and even other industries over time.

How to Apply: Please send resume to mike(at)universalcycles(dot)com

Light Blue/Red Univega Viva Sport/Supra Sport 1980

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 1980
Brand: Univega
Model: Viva Sport/Supra Sport
Color:Light Blue/Red
Stolen in Portland, OR 97216
Stolen:2011-04-05
Stolen From: The backyard of our house on 112th and Division
Neighborhood: Upper SE
Owner: Kyle Christy
OwnerEmail: Zarncar@gmail.com
Reward: $100
Description: 2 Univega bikes stolen around 2 weeks ago, just found out today. First is a Viva Sport metalicy blue color, purple cloth handlebar wraps, black brake handles located on the horizontal part of the handlebar. One of those foam seats. When it was stolen it had an oregon sticker with the green heart on it on the frame near the pedals. The second is a red Supra Sport (I believe), with yellow cork handlebar wraps, (unfortunately it was virtually all stock so no distinguishing features)
Police record with: T11002746.

Oregon House committee amends CRC bill

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

House Joint Memorial 22, a bill in the Oregon legislature that some feared would have sent a strong message to the federal government in support of the controversial Columbia River Crossing project, made it out of committee yesterday; but the version that was voted on is much different than the original.

As we reported last month, the original version of HJM 22 urged the federal government to fund the controversial project. The bill was far from objective and, in addition to urging federal investment, it characterized the project as a “comprehensive solution” that was needed to “expand capacity” of I-5 between Oregon and Washington.

Read more

Photos: ‘Ronde’ ride and Filmed by Bike

Two big events happened over the weekend: the Filmed by Bike festival and the De Ronde ride. I’ve tracked down photos of each to give you a taste of what you missed — or to help you relive the fun. Check them out below the jump…

Read more

ODOT expresses “disappointment” in AASHTO guidelines stance

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

“I want to express my disappointment at AASHTO’s recent comments… Oregon takes bicycling and walking very seriously.”
— Matthew Garrett, Director of ODOT

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has responded to a recent policy stance by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) that some fear would weaken federal guidelines that exist to make sure transportation projects include bicycling and walking facilities.

On Friday, we reported that the League of American Bicyclists had put out a national advocacy alert alleging that AASHTO’s Executive Director John Horsley was attempting to dilute federal bicycling and walking guidelines. League Director Andy Clarke said AASHTO’s stance was “misguided.”

ODOT Director Matthew Garrett wrote Horsley a letter yesterday, echoing the League’s concerns. Here’s an excerpt from that letter (PDF here):

Read more

‘PDX by Bike’ and a trike for Wrench Raiders: Two projects worth supporting

Two great local projects.

Portland is full of creative people doing exciting things to make our community better. There are two projects/fundraising campaigns in particular that deserve more attention and support.

The first is a campaign by Wrench Raiders to raise money for a new trike. Wrench Raiders is the nascent non-profit we profiled back in January that is fixing bikes — and building community — for Portland’s homeless.

Read more

Latest Headlines

Monday Roundup: Protected intersections, fast e-scooters, and more

Local shop launches mutual aid program to help keep riders on the road

City will build new paved path into Kelley Point Park

Weekend Event Guide: Larch Mountain, BMX Day, and more

From the Archives

Opinion: If we’re serious about cycling, let’s get serious about cycling infrastructure