Month: May 2012

A look back at a look ahead: Portland’s bikeway evolution

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Please note: I’ve posted an updated version of this animation that is much more detailed.

Portland’s paltry network of bike-specific
infrastructure, circa 1980. See how it has evolved below.

Portland’s bike network was not built overnight. Most of our bike-specific infrastructure was built in the mid to late 1990s, but it really started in the early ’80s. About seven years ago (before many of you even knew about BikePortland), I stitched together an animation showing how Portland’s bike network has evolved.

Yesterday, something on Twitter sparked my memory of the animation, so I shared it again. Given how it has spread overnight, I figured many folks might be interested in seeing it again (or for the first time). The animation shows the spread of bike-specific infrastructure in Portland from 1980 through 2005 (and then into the future) in five year increments. Check it out:

Read more

Today is the day: Vote

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

To all of our readers in Portland and Oregon (which is just over half of our audience by the way), your ballots are due by 8:00 pm tonight. There really is no good reason to sit this one out, so if you haven’t mailed in your ballot yet, check out BallotDrop.org for a location near you.

In Portland, we’ve got a tight race for Mayor that could very likely be decided by who shows up. The most recent OPB poll shows that Charlie Hales has surged into the lead with 32% of the vote, Jefferson Smith getting 24%, and Eileen Brady dropping seven percentage points in just one month to come in third with 16%. Remember, a candidate must get over 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff in November.

Read more

red and white specialized s works 2005

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2005
Brand: specialized
Model: s works
Color:red and white
Size:size 58
Serial:A31202719
Stolen in Portland, OR 97202
Stolen:2012-05-14
Stolen From: Beer mongers at the corner of se 12th and division.
Owner: carlos saldana
OwnerEmail: chuckjsaldana@yahoo.com
Reward: 200.00
Description: Red white specialized s-works, has black with yellow lettering kona fork, silver sks fenders, silver mavic ksyrium sl wheels, black fizik arione dura ace compontents.
Police record with: portland pd
Police reference#: 12-41189
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Red Raleigh Hybrid 21 Speed 2001

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2001
Brand: Raleigh
Model: Hybrid 21 Speed
Color:Red
Size:Womens
Stolen in Portland, OR 97211
Stolen:2012-05-12
Stolen From: It was stolen from Grant Park. It was locked up in front of the Pool entrance. Last seen Fri eve 5/11/12.
Neighborhood: Grant Park
Owner: katrina stoner
OwnerEmail: ckjctstoner@gmail.com
Reward: 50
Description: Does not have original seat. More narrow “BIKE” brand seat. The chain is rusty.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Blue Soma Smoothie ES 2010

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2010
Brand: Soma
Model: Smoothie ES
Color:Blue
Size:54 cm
Serial:TJT9D00246
Stolen in Portland, OR 97211
Stolen:2012-05-14
Stolen From: Stolen from the rack in front of the Grand Central Bakery offices on 2249 NW York St.
Neighborhood: Industrial Northwest
Owner: Claire Randall
OwnerEmail: c.randall@grandcentralbaking.com
Reward: $100
Description: Reward available. Deep pretty blue with white Soma logo. Black handle bar tape and black rear rack.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 12-152962
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Over 28,000 turn out for first Sunday Parkways of the year

Sunday Parkways - Northeast -14-2

NE Simpson Street in the Cully neighborhood has never seen bike traffic like this before!
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Sunday Parkways got off to a great start yesterday as throngs of Portlanders enjoyed the warm sun and rolled through eight miles of carfree northeast neighborhoods.

Read more

Women step up, speak up at inaugural CycloFemme ride

Cyclofemme ride-11

Janis McDonald pumps up the Cyclofemme
crowd prior to the ride.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

CycloFemme — a global ride to honor, celebrate, and empower women — rolled through Northeast Portland during Sunday Parkways yesterday. Women of all shapes, sizes, ages and ethnicities met at Woodlawn Park, attached blue balloons to their bikes, attached “Women on Wheels” sashes over their skirts and dresses, got a souvenir CycloFemme tattoo and listened to an inspiring welcome by City of Portland staffer Janis McDonald:

“We are here to honor the women of yesterday who fought for our equality; to celebrate the women of today who make bicycling more mainstream in Portland; and to empower the women of tomorrow to take our momentum and make bicycling accessible to every woman and girls.”

Read more

Photos, first impressions of new sharrows on St Johns Bridge

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
sharrows on St Johns Bridge-9

ODOT installed 16 sharrows on the
St Johns Bridge Saturday.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

On Saturday night, the Oregon Department of Transportation installed sharrows and new signs on the St. Johns Bridge. Their “St. Johns Bridge Safety Awareness Project” was done in order to, “encourage motorists to be aware that the bridge and roadway is a shared facility and that bicyclists may opt to travel on the roadway.”

They have placed eight sharrows in each direction, as well as adding two new “Bicycles on Roadway” signs mid-span. They also moved an existing sign at the westbound entry to a more visible location because it was partially blocked by a speed sign.

I rolled out to see everything myself this morning. My impression is that, while it’s nice to see ODOT acknowledge the bike access problems on this bridge, these sharrows and signs do not make this a more pleasant place to ride. Then again, that was not ODOT’s mission. As the name of the project implies, the new markings and signs will only increase awareness that people have the legal right to ride bicycles on the bridge. That’s helpful, but it’s a far cry from what should be the ultimate goal — to make the bridge a more viable (and less stressful) option for people on bicycles.

Read more

Portland 2nd to Minneapolis in new ‘Bike Score’ rankings

Walk Score, a group that has earned widespread respect for its walkability rankings of cities and individual addresses across America, have launched Bike Score. The folks at Bike Score have released a ranking of 10 major U.S. cities and Portland came in second behind Minneapolis.

Bike Score calculates the bikeability of a location on a 0-100 point ranking based on a mix of factors including availability of bike lanes, trails, and other types of bike-friendly infrastructure, as well as “hilliness of the area,” connectivity, and the number of people who bike. To get the city ranking, they plug in the Bike Score algorithm block-by-block and weigh the scores with population density. Learn more about the methodology here.

Read more

Grey/Black Trek 4500 2007

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2007
Brand: Trek
Model: 4500
Color:Grey/Black
Size:24″
Serial: WTU094C0250C
Stolen in Portland, OR 97213
Stolen:2012-05-13
Stolen From: Sidewalk in front of Beaumont Hardware on NE 43rd and Fremont.
Neighborhood: Beaumont/Wilshire
Owner: Randy ODonnell
OwnerEmail: randyodo@gmail.com
Reward: $50
Description: Grey Trek mountain bike frame with road/hybrid tires. Good condition, had lights on front and back. Has several reflective stickers on the frame.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: submitted online – no number yet
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Latest Headlines

Saturday’s ‘Cutty Cap Challenge’ offers prizes and an excuse to explore

PBOT survey asks Portlanders to rank pro-cycling taglines

I have a nemesis in my neighborhood. It’s whoever keeps putting these signs up.

Portland City Councilor gave up $75,000 of his own office budget for safer streets

From the Archives

The good, the bad, and the ugly on the Oregon Coast Bike Route