Oregon slips to 8th in ‘Bike Friendly States’ rankings

Ride to Monmouth-15

Oregon State Parks’ Scenic Bikeway
Program wasn’t considered
in the rankings.
(Photo © J. Maus)

New ‘Bicycle Friendly State’ rankings by the League of American Bicyclists put Oregon in 8th place, a loss of three places since last year and the first time since the rankings began in 2008 that Oregon has not made the top five.

Washington retained the #1 spot for the fourth consecutive year followed by Maine, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and New Jersey. Also ranking above Oregon are Iowa and Florida.

What’s wrong with Oregon? Are we in a bike-friendly freefall? Not quite. While Oregon needs to do better to stay among the top bike states in the U.S., the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) and even the League itself say the ranking system is far from perfect.

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Event: 2011 Human Power Challenge (5/28/11)

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Event Name: 2011 Human Power Challenge
Event Start Date: 28 May 2011
Start Time: 8:00:00 AM
Web Site: http://www.ohpv.org/HPC/index.html
Event Description: Oregon Human Powered Vehicles Presents: The 12th Annual Human Power Challenge (HPC)

The event will be held on Memorial Day Weekend, May 28 & 29, 2011 at Portland International Raceway (PIR) in Portland, Oregon. This unique event has a large variety of racing formats. Rider skills and strengths will be challenged as they compete in any or all of the following:

• Individual Time Trial
• 1/8 Mile Drag Race
• Auto Cross Speed & Agility Course
• 200 Meter All Out Speed Test
• Mass Start Road Race
• Short Track Curvy Road Race

Pre-registration is encouraged – costs start at $45 for the weekend – add’l costs for add’l bikes or classes per rider. See the link for registration info. Racing is held rain or shine, both Saturday and Sunday.

The Human Power Challenge is happily more than just a race filled weekend – it has culminated into being one of the most festive social gatherings for the recumbent and HPV clan. We do like to spend lots of time chatting, while gazing at the variety of vehicles present, while telling outrageous tales. HPV racing is not the only activity featured at the Human Power Challenge. In conjunction with our event, the Electrathon America folks hold an annual race that features small electric powered aerodynamic vehicles that demonstrate the skills and talents of high school and adult pioneers of alternative transportation. These vehicles are designed to optimize electric power, capturing engineering skills that must procure an end result of both endurance and speed. This event is exciting and inspirational, “at the flick of a switch.”

Come and experience a degree of camaraderie and racing that few events have attained, or hope to. Admission is free for spectators, so come cheer your favorite racers to victory. We invite you to come and get “bent” with us, to be a part of the HUMAN POWER CHALLENGE!

More details concerning any of the exciting HPC events and general race information are available at the OHPV website http://ohpv.org/HPC/index.html then follow the links to the appropriate area of interest. Any persons or teams interested in participating in this exciting event can receive further information by sending an email to pirhumanpower[at]comcast[dot]net.

Amity police chief responds to Reach the Beach ticketing incident

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“Officers attempted to educate the riders by issuing traffic tickets since all other attempts to educate the riders have failed… It is unfortunate that such a great event and fundraiser should be tainted by such a widespread disregard for the laws.”
— Dan Brown, City of Amity Chief of Police

This past Saturday during Reach the Beach, hundreds of riders rolled through Amity, Oregon, a small town in Yamhill County about 45 miles southwest of Portland.

When many of them rolled through a stop sign without coming to a complete stop, Amity police officers began pulling them over en masse and writing out $317 citations. As we shared on Page Two this morning, one person who was ticketed sent a message to a local email list titled, “Amity Police Bully Reach The Beach.” The man who wrote that message says he objected to the ticketing because he alleges there’s no way the officer could have actually observed all the people he told to stop (because he was busy writing tickets).

Here’s an excerpt from the email:

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Reach the Beach rider fumes over mass ticketing in Amity

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The email below came from a participant in Reach the Beach, a large charity event ride that took place throughout Oregon on Saturday. I’m looking into the story now.

“There was a police operation in Amity during Reach The Beach where a cop was attempting to ticket hundreds of us for running a stop sign. His methods and tactics varied throughout the day and the group I was in got away with a warning after a lengthy detention. I did hear that some of you got tickets.

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East Burnside gets new bike lanes over I-205

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new bike lane on E Burnside over I-205-2-2

A woman enjoys the newly designated bike-only
space on E Burnside over I-205.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The City of Portland has installed new bike lanes on the East Burnside overpass of I-205. The bike lanes had previously dropped on either side of the overpass (at NE 94th and 97th).

The new lanes take advantage of a wide shoulder and PBOT has even a striped a buffered section in the center of the overpass. These new bike lanes have added importance because this is where the I-205 multi-use path jogs from one side of the interstate to the other.

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Non-profit brings ‘I ride’ campaign to bus bench ads

Bench at NE Prescott and 68th.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The Community Cycling Center is taking their “I ride” campaign to new places. The non-profit that sees bicycles as “vehicles for social change” announced today they have purchased bus bench advertisements at 15 locations in north and northeast Portland.

I spotted one of the ads yesterday on NE Prescott Street, right across the street from Harvey Scott School.

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Join us Wednesday for a NE Portland/Cully Get Together

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Cully Blvd cycle track-6

J.C. on the Cully cycle track.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Join us this Wednesday (5/25) for a social meet-up in the Cully Neighborhood. If you live or ride in this area of Northeast Portland, roll over to The Spare Room (NE 42nd and Alberta Ct.) for some great conversation, a raffle, and a chance to make connections with other people who care about bicycling in that community.

The Spare Room is right on the Going Street Bike Blvd and it’s just a mile or so from the brand new cycle track on NE Cully Blvd we reported about last week. I’d also love to hear from locals what it’s like riding in this area.

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The Monday Roundup

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In Seattle, bicycle politics are getting a little heated, though many aren’t sure why.

Here’s the bike and transportation news that caught my eye last week:

– Bike to Work Week led to a lot of positive press about bicycling last week. Here’s one woman’s story about overcoming her fear of bicycling. And there was plenty of excellent advice floating around the web for first-time bike commuters of all stripes, including drag queens.

– An inside look at how U.S. bike sharing systems are different than their European forebears and what cities will launch bike sharing in the next few years.

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Maroon GT Mountain Bike – 7 Speed 2005

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Year: 2005
Brand: GT
Model: Mountain Bike – 7 Speed
Color:Maroon
Size:Kids
Stolen in Portland, OR 97213
Stolen:2011-05-20
Stolen From: Front porch – NE 45th Ave – 97213
Neighborhood: Hollywood
Owner: Beverly Pies
OwnerEmail: rpies7777@yahoo.com
Reward: Yes $50
Description: Nice kids mountain bike maroon – 7 speed girl style good condition.
Police record with: PDX
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

Blue/Silver Specialized Sequoia Elite 2007

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Year: 2007
Brand: Specialized
Model: Sequoia Elite
Color:Blue/Silver
Size:49
Serial:P6DT10016
Stolen in Portland, OR 97216
Stolen:2011-05-22
Stolen From: My driveway.
Neighborhood: Montavilla, SE Portland
Owner: Amy Long
OwnerEmail: amy@thelongs.ws
Description: Dent in top tube and a little scraped up from 3 years of commuting.
Police record with: Portland
Police reference#: 11-152603
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike