🚨 Please note that BikePortland slows down during this time of year as I have family in town and just need a break! Please don't expect typical volume of news stories and content. I'll be back in regular form after the new year. Thanks. - Jonathan 🙏

Month: June 2012

PBOT experiments with ‘intelligent’ new indicator light

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
Signal aids and innovation-8

One smart light.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

One unsung area where Portland is doing some very cool stuff for bicycling is with traffic signals and “ITS” — which stands for Intelligent Transportation Systems. The field of ITS encompasses all sorts of high-tech ways to make our streets smarter. From sensing vehicle patterns with RFID, to software that manages complex signal systems.

Around Portland, some of the most innovative examples of traffic engineering fall under this category. ITS is how PBOT managed to improve bike access on the NE 12th overcrossing without upsetting nearby freight-dependent businesses. It’s also how they dealt with the notorious right hooks on Broadway at Williams (with bike-only signals).

Read more

Blue Motobecane Type: Crossbike 20–

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 20–
Brand: Motobecane
Model: Type: Crossbike
Color:Blue
Size:60-62cm
Stolen in Portland, OR
Stolen:2012-06-20
Stolen From: Stolen from NW 9th and NW Couch, directly outside of Blitz Sports Pub downtown.
Owner: Corey Troiani
OwnerEmail: Hydritis@gmail.com
Reward: Serious honor and peace of mind for owner
Description: Blue gloss aluminum frame with black carbon fork. Shimano parts. Two handle brakes with Shimano gear shifters that click inward. Drop handlebars. Has two additional brakes closer to steering head. Foam black handle bar tape. Might have a red zip tie on front left handlebar. Mounts in front and back for lights. 18 speed. Black plastic saddles on pedals. Black tires with medium cross-bike thickness and off-road tread. Very new appearance.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 12-53147
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Black, red, gray Giant Avail 3 2010

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2010
Brand: Giant
Model: Avail 3
Color:Black, red, gray
Size:small
Serial:GQ0E1507
Stolen in Portland, OR 97215
Stolen:2012-06-16
Stolen From: Garage area at 8005 SE Morrison St, Portland, OR 97215, Near Montavilla downtown neighborhood
Neighborhood: Montavilla
Owner: Christine Kendrick
OwnerEmail: kendrick.christine@gmail.com
Description: Giant Woman’s road bike model Avail 3, Size Small, black handle bar tape kind of coming apart, black base with red and gray lettering. Rear bike rack with light attached and also front light if still attached.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 12-153791
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

black Raleigh

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: n/a
Brand: Raleigh
Model: n/a
Color:black
Size:22in
Serial: y5f2539l
Stolen in Portland, OR 97213
Stolen:2012-06-18
Stolen From: Milepost 5 Studios: 850 NE 81st Ave.
Neighborhood: Montavilla
Owner: Will Elder
OwnerEmail: will.r.elder@gmail.com
Reward: yes
Description: Single speed/fixie with 2 brakes, vintage Raleigh frame painted black, metal parts, black plastic fenders, wide handlebars, a sticker that says “PICA,” and an empty strap-clip for a front light.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: n/a
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

White Specialized (Women’s) Vita 2012

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2012
Brand: Specialized (Women’s)
Model: Vita
Color:White
Size:Small
Serial:WSBC60294273G
Photo: http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/8573/52132737935317298881215.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97209
Stolen:2012-06-18
Stolen From: The Gerding Theater at the Armory on NW 11th and Couch
Neighborhood: Pearl District
Owner: Iris Fraser
OwnerEmail: i.fraser01@gmail.com
Reward: $400
Description: Women’s Specialized bike ideal for a 5’3" person. 24 gears, white handles and seat, did not have fenders when stolen
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

It’s over: Committee votes to adopt revised PBOT plans for N Williams Ave

City Traffic Engineer Rob Burchfield had
some explaining to do.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

It’s finally over. Seriously. I mean it this time.

After 17 months of meetings and open houses, the stakeholder advisory committee (SAC) for the N Williams Traffic Operations Safety Project finished their work yesterday with the adoption of plans that will transform Williams Ave. from Weidler to Killingsworth.

The majority of the design has already been agreed on; but unfinished business remained on one section — from Fargo to Fremont — that turned unexpectedly contentious at an open house last month.

Read more

Black Raleigh Sport Road Bike 2009

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2009
Brand: Raleigh
Model: Sport Road Bike
Color:Black
Size:56
Serial: U8YY30266
Stolen in Portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2012-06-19
Stolen From: Duplex near SE 16th Ave and Alder St. Taken from front porch where it was locked up.
Neighborhood: Buckman
Owner: Hannah Marre
OwnerEmail: hannah.marre@gmail.com
Reward: $75 and baked goods
Description: Black road bike with yellow tape on handle bars. Bike lights were attached. It has small red and yellow stripes detailed on the frame.
Police record with: Portland PD
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

black specialized p2 2012

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2012
Brand: specialized
Model: p2
Color:black
Size:large
Serial: wsbc6020095656
Photo: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=379406345406973&set=a.379406342073640.107322.100000128318643&type=3&theater
Stolen in Portland, OR 97266
Stolen:2012-06-19
Stolen From: se 92nd and harold, near foster
Neighborhood: lents
Owner: Ron Shafer
OwnerEmail: rs_cycles@yahoo.com
Description: anodized purple spank bars
anodized green deity pedals
lime green odi ruffian grips

please call Ron 707-774-1876 if found or seen.
Police record with: portland pd
Police reference#: 12-52834
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Don’t say it never happens: One woman’s story of a ‘hit-and-ride’

“I literally was just speechless with my jaw dropped as he rode away.”
— Elisabeth Bowers

Last week I got an email from Portland resident Elisabeth Bowers. She was involved in a hit-and-run on and wanted me to know about it. That part isn’t strange. I get a fair amount of emails like that every month. What was different about Elisabeth’s situation is that she was in a car and the person who hit her was on a bike. She called it a “hit-and-ride”.

Here’s her story:

Read more

On SW Broadway bikeway, a solution for LIFT vehicle access

It’s been an issue ever since the protected bike lane (a.k.a. cycle track) on SW Broadway went in: How to improve access for TriMet LIFT Paratransit Program vehicles that need direct access to the curb in order to drop off and pick up people with disabilities, while not blocking the flow of bike traffic.

In its current configuration, the bike lane on SW Broadway near Portland State University is curbside and the auto parking lane is in the street. This was done to create a protective buffer between people on bikes and people in moving auto traffic. The problem is, LIFT vehicles need to extend a ramp so that riders with wheelchairs can roll directly onto the sidewalk.

When the SW Broadway bikeway first opened, vans parked at the curb. Some people on bikes were perturbed by the blockage of the lane, which forced them to either stop and wait, or squeeze between the LIFT vehicles and parked cars. “TriMet has come under criticism by a vocal minority of cyclists for blocking the cycle track,” reads a PSU document about the new plan.

Read more

Black Scott Speedster 2011

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2011
Brand: Scott
Model: Speedster
Color:Black
Size:62cm
Serial: GY9G8904
Photo: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7250/6977525152_9e320cd28f_z.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR
Stolen:2012-06-17
Stolen From: It was stolen from SW Washington street between 3rd and 4th. It was parked in
front of java man coffee shop and the Avis car rental shop.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Owner: Niles Lienhart
OwnerEmail: lienhart@gmail.com
Reward: Hugs, and the satisfaction of knowing you helped someone get their bike back.
Description: The bike has green and black tires, white handlebar tape, a rack on the back, and a noseless seat. It also has a computer mounted on the handlebars. Photo is of me on the bike
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 12-153735
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Latest Headlines

Five rides to roll in the new year

Video: Good bike infrastructure vs bad drivers

Merry Christmas! Portland’s upgraded automated speed cameras are ticketing drivers once again

Monday Roundup: Golden gravel route, too bad for Rad, Uber is sad, and more

From the Archives

Portland’s invisible machine: Behind the scenes at the World Naked Bike Ride