May 2011 Archives

Bike Law 101: The law of the lanes

If it’s there, you should be too.
(Photo © J. Maus)

If you’re concerned about your personal safety mixing it up with motorized traffic, your fears are not without merit. American roads are made for something powerful, weighty and full of horsepower. Stepping foot or pushing pedal upon them can indeed be daunting.

The tendency for the timid may be to ride on the sidewalk where things feel safer. Although permitted by law and seemingly intuitive, this is a big mistake. Because you are off-road, you are out of the line of sight for drivers and your risk of a collision goes way up (especially going in the opposition direction of adjacent traffic).

On a bicycle, you are safest when you are visible, following standard driving practices and behaving predictably as you ride. This is where bike lanes come in. Bike lanes are engineered to help facilitate predictability and act as a visual cue to separate bikes and cars.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Event Name: Cycle the Well Field
Event Start Date: 4 June 2011
Start Time: 8:45:00 AM
Web Site: http://www.columbiaslough.org
Event Description: Bring your bike and your friends for a free tour of Portland’s groundwater system! Experts from the Portland Water Bureau will lead this 16-mile trip on easy terrain. Learn about the operation and history of Portland’s underground drinking water system, which supplements the city’s main supply from the Bull Run and serves as an emergency source. Helmets required; light refreshments provided, ends at 1:30pm. Hosted by the Portland Water Bureau, the Columbia Slough Watershed Council, and Aloft Portland Airport at Cascade Station. Pre-registration required at www.columbiaslough.org or 503-281-1132.

blue Novara Veloce 1995

Year: 1995
Brand: Novara
Model: Veloce
Color:blue
Size:156cm
Stolen in Portland, OR 97239
Stolen:2011-05-10
Stolen From: OHSU center for health and healing, 3300 sw bond ave, portland or
Neighborhood: south waterfront
Owner: tyler risom
OwnerEmail: tyler.risom@gmail.com
Reward: 50
Description: Blue novara veloce with BRIGHT blue tires, bright white/blue speckle handlebars, wtb saddle, black plastic pedals, red light on back
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: OHSU 2011-000305
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Beloved Portland Police officer Robert Pickett moves on

Pickett accepting his Alice
Award in 2009.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Robert Pickett, a Portland police officer who has endeared himself to many in our community, has accepted a position with the U.S. State Department. Pickett, who announced the news minutes ago at the City of Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting, will report for training for his new position in Washington D.C. on May 23rd.

Pickett, 38, will become a Foreign Service Officer and will soon be stationed at a yet-to-be-named U.S. embassy. Pickett will train to become a “Consular Officer,” whom the State Department website says are, “Strategic thinkers and crisis managers who protect U.S. citizens and interests abroad.”

Event Name: Kick Off to Bike to Work Week!
Event Start Date: 14 May 2011
Start Time: 1:30:00 PM
Web Site: http://www.facebook.com/veloclothes
Event Description: Come join us to kick off National Bike to Work Week!

Veloclothes is having our first annual Bike to Work Week Celebration in style!

Stock up on cycling apparel (road, mountain and children’s) with huge savings, have fun AND help a worthy cause in the cycling community!

Saturday, May 14th from 1:30pm-4:00pm

Veloclothes parking lot: 5630 NE MLK Blvd., Portland OR 97211

(Behind the Cricket Wireless Store)

~Live music from The Sale, www.thesalemusic.info

~Test ride the best commuter bikes around! Strida Folding Bikes!

~Your chance to win a FREE Strida Folding Bike!!!! www.stridafoldingbike.com

~Help raise money for local non-profit Wrench Raiders (Engaging a Culture, Bicycle Advocacy, Building Community) www.wrenchraiders.net

~Free coffee from Starbucks

~HUGE SAVINGS!! 15%-50% off ALL cycling apparel and gear! www.veloclothes.com

e-mail or call for directions or questions:
asia.brown[at]veloclothes[dot]com
503.288.6430

Holladay St project: From carfree to… compromised?

Already half-way taken up by a MAX line,
a few parking spaces is all that stands between
an excellent east-west bikeway on Holladay.
(Photos © J. Maus)

If you’ve been paying attention you know that the City of Portland is coming up against considerable opposition in their quest to make even modest improvements to bicycle access in the Lloyd District.

We’ve detailed the opposition leveled at the City by the Central Eastside Industrial Council over the re-allocation of space on NE 12th Avenue. Now opposition has also reared its head on NE Holladay Street, where the the proposal to remove 33 on-street parking spaces faces opposition that could derail the entire project.

Despite being dominated by cars and offering no dedicated bike access, many Portlanders choose to ride on NE Sandy Blvd. for the same reasons people like to drive on it — because it’s the most direct and efficient route into the Hollywood District and downtown.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Chris Smith

[This article is written by Chris Smith. Smith is a former City Council candidate and current City of Portland Planning Commissioner with a long list of transportation activism palmarès.]

“Many of the economic interests at the table are simply unwilling to agree (or sincerely unable to believe) that we can grow the Central City economy without growing the vehicle miles traveled (VMT).”

A little over a year ago Portland City Council adopted the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 with much fanfare. And since that time we’ve had both highs and lows. On the positive side, we’ve seen some very solid expansions in the Neighborhood Greenway network and development of a cycletrack in the Cully neighborhood.

On the less happy side, as Jonathan has editorialized, we’re finding strong resistance to proposed bike facilities that increase safety or capacity at the expense of taking a bit of pavement away from motor vehicles.

Wasn’t the master plan supposed to (excuse the pun) pave the way for this? Let’s go back to the plan and check. Here’s a critical item from the implementation strategy (p. 116 if you have your copy handy):

Year: 2010
Brand: Jamis
Model: Commuter 2
Color:Silver Gray
Size:16.5
Serial:U83K02955
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/62705644@N06/sets/72157626565485895/
Stolen in Porland, OR 97212
Stolen:2011-05-10
Stolen From: Stolen from garage – and I usually put a u-lock on it but forgot to on this occasion. Drat!
Neighborhood: Irvington area near NE 15th Ave. and Knott Street
Owner: Richard Latta
OwnerEmail: rllatta@gmail.com
Reward: No reward – not a high end purchase really.
Description: Silver color
May still have red electrical tape on rear rack in various places and on top tube
8 speed indexed shifter
Has arc shaped handlebar with Ergon GP1 grips
There were two plastic handlebar mounts for headlights.
Rear rack is Planet Bike Eco Rack – Silver/metal
Rear rack has plastic mount for rear light
Seat is sort of a purplish with brown trim
Has two Vittoria Randonneur tires 700×32 (I think the size is right)
Had a 1/2" thick keeper cable on rear rack (see pictures)
Had Planet bike mud flap on front fender
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 11-152361
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Biking and the school bond measure

Beach Elem. School encourages biking and walking-3

The Portland Public School district is in the final weeks of pushing for a bond measure and levy that seeks to raise $548 million through increased property taxes. The money would be used to rebuild, renovate, and improve nearly 100 schools throughout Portland.

What does this have to do with bicycling?

Not only are neighborhood schools, biking, and the urban environment linked in important ways, the PPS bond measure offers a much more tangible benefit for our communities: If passed, the bond would set aside $5 million to be spent on transportation improvements administered by the City’s Safe Routes to School program.

Sunset’s new location.
(Photo: Sunset Cycles)

Citing steady sales growth, Sunset Cycles owner Roger Colwell announced today that he plans to open a second shop in June.

Colwell has owned Sunset Cycles, which is in the Bethany area of unincorporated Washington County just west of Portland city limits, since 2003. The shop boasts a perfect location, with miles of rural roads in one direction and the challenging climbs of the West Hills in the other.

Portland-area U.S. House Representative Earl Blumenauer will unveil his “Commuter Relief Act” at a luncheon on May 18th. The legislation would make it easier to bike and take transit to work by improving existing federal policy that prioritizes driving alone over other modes.

Calling it a “matter of equity,” Blumenauer has worked for years to make it easier for employers to encourage non single-occupancy motor-vehicle commutes. Back in October 2008, his bike commuter tax benefit finally passed. It was a good first step; but it is anemic (offering just $20 a month for bicycling) and unnecessarily opaque (read a FAQ about it here).

Now, Blumenauer is working on a host of new provisions that would reward existing bike commuters and, hopefully, encourage others to give it a try.

Bike Law 101: The law of the lanes

Event: Cycle the Well Field (6/4/11)

blue Novara Veloce 1995

Beloved Portland Police officer Robert Pickett moves on

Event: Kick Off to Bike to Work Week (5/14/11)

Holladay St project: From carfree to… compromised?

For some, riding on Sandy Blvd is a risk worth taking

Guest Article: Bikes and the transportation policy debate

Silver Gray Jamis Commuter 2 2010

Biking and the school bond measure

Sunset Cycles to expand with second store in Beaverton

Rep. Blumenauer to unveil ‘Commuter Relief Act’ in Portland

Latest Headlines

Diverter removal plan paused as City leaders huddle

Two more Portland City Councilors oppose diverter removal

One dead and four hospitalized after driver loses control in northeast Portland

Weekend Event Guide: Bridge Pedal, art in the bike lane, Prince, and more

From the Archives

What five people say about living outside along the Springwater path