Williams Ave businesses plan bike commuter thank you event

In stark contrast to some downtown businesses who have made it clear to the Bureau of Transportation that they have reservations about the value of bicycling, a long list of businesses on N. Williams Avenue want to let the city know that they understand bicycling is great for their bottom line.

Local bike part and accessory company Portland Design Works (PDW) has organized Rider Appreciation Day. The event will take place next Wednesday (7/11) from 4:00 to – 6:00 pm. According to a statement, PDW says the event is being done to “offer a token of gratitude” to the many people who ride up Williams Avenue on their daily commute.

PDW co-founder Erik Olson said, “We watch people ride their bicycles through our neighborhood every day and we were looking for a way to connect with them and say thanks for going by bike.” Olson’s company is located just a half block off of Williams on Hancock. “Bicycles mean business to our neighborhood.”

During the event on Wednesday, PDW will team up with 20 other businesses located along the N Williams corridor to host rest stops where gifts of thanks and other incentives for bicycling will be handed out. A list of participating businesses will be handed at the corner of Williams and Hancock, where people can also enter for a chance to win a set of PDW bike lights.

Here’s the list of Williams Avenue-based businesses that are participating in the event:

  • Elemental Fitness Lab
  • RH Brown
  • Planet X
  • Metropolis Cycle Repair
  • Corsa Concepts
  • The Waypost
  • Abraham Fixes Bikes
  • Sugar Wheelworks
  • Sweetpea Bicycles
  • Tinymeat
  • Cha! Cha! Cha!
  • Ristretto Roasters
  • 5th Quadrant
  • Hopworks Bike Bar
  • United Bicycle Institute
  • Queen Bee Creations

It’s great to see businesses proactively supporting bicycling. We need more of this in Portland!

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, contact me via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a paying subscriber.

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Zaphod
12 years ago

I’ll make a point to show up and likely buy things along with enjoying the gifts.

Andrew N
Andrew N
12 years ago

Let’s not forget that Cha Cha Cha was one of the businesses most vehemently against removal of either a parking lane OR auto lane on Williams. Given the bronze-level design that PBOT ended up adopting for the avenue, this Appreciation Day should be done more to offer condolences rather than “a token of gratitude”.

are
are
12 years ago
Reply to  Andrew N

“most vehemently against” is a bit strong. they showed up at SAC meetings and they expressed concerns. under the “bronze level” design proposed, they will in fact have only one functioning travel lane in front of their store. they support this particular event.

Scott
Scott
12 years ago

Tight. Add to the list of things that are annoying on my commute home for 7/11:
-Oblivious cyclists swerving everywhere for goodie bags.

Lois
Lois
12 years ago
Reply to  Scott

Really? Someone tries to do something nice and your reaction is that it will just slow you down and get in your way? Sounds like you could do with a little more niceness in your life before returning to your bunker. Being nice to each other is a good thing. Try it, you might like it.

Scott
Scott
12 years ago
Reply to  Lois

Yeah! Also, let’s all get trophies even if we lost!

Please explain to me, Lois, why you think you deserve a pat on the back for cycling.

Yes, people swerving for goodie bags is annoying, so are suburbanites milling aimlessly around Alberta on last Thursday desperately wanting have their mind blown. I will avoid both completely.

Have fun feeling important!

maxadders
maxadders
12 years ago
Reply to  Scott

AMEN!

Carl
Carl
12 years ago
Reply to  Scott

Spoken like someone who’s never tried to convince a business district that bicycling is a good thing. Bravo.

A.K.
A.K.
12 years ago
Reply to  Carl

Ah, the manic zeitgeist of the BikePortland posters.

“Whaaaaaaa, no one pays any attention to us and only prioritizes cars! It’s not fair!”

“Whaaaaaaa, they are making some sort of event to highlight bicycling and it that might impact my commute!”

Scott
Scott
12 years ago
Reply to  A.K.

I never whine about cars being prioritized. All the money is in cars, money is your vote, so in the American system it makes perfect sense to me.

I would prefer to be forgotten about and marginalized while knowing that I was responsible for myself any day as opposed to being some sort of step child who has to be appeased with cheesy promises of future infrastructure and a “we are working on it” attitude.

Nothing that has been added to cycling infrastructure in Oregon was asked for, pushed for, or welcomed by me.

My posts refelct that.

Carl
Carl
12 years ago
Reply to  Scott

“Nothing that has been added to cycling infrastructure in Oregon was asked for, pushed for, or welcomed by me.” With MLK Blvd mere blocks away, why would someone who doesn’t welcome cycling infrastructure (or events like this one) choose to ride on the city’s busiest bike route?

Scott
Scott
12 years ago
Reply to  Carl

MLK is my preferred route.

Carl
Carl
12 years ago
Reply to  Carl

Scott
MLK is my preferred route.
Recommended 0

Phew! I fixed your first post for you: “Tight. Add to the list of things that are annoying five blocks west of my commute home for 7/11…”

Scott
Scott
12 years ago
Reply to  Carl

People are good for business. On bike or in car.

Mickey
Mickey
12 years ago
Reply to  Scott

Don’t you realize that every time you ride your bike you are giving humanity a gift, and anyhow, I thought everyone got a gold star whenever they rode in or out of the yuppie hive.

Scott
Scott
12 years ago
Reply to  Lois

PS. This isn’t someone being nice, this is some businesses advertising. There is a big difference.

ron
ron
12 years ago
Reply to  Scott

Yes, what ever will you do to avoid the danger of a slight annoyance on 7/11? It’s not like you can plan ahead and take another route to avoid the horrible throng of swerving cyclists.

Scott
Scott
12 years ago
Reply to  ron

In the same post/sentence that I wrote “swerving” is “I will avoid completely”.

Racer X
Racer X
12 years ago

Plan a counter protest at Cha Cha Cha then! [Robin…to the Batmobile!]

Ted Buehler
Ted Buehler
12 years ago

Cool!

Gregg
12 years ago

I look forward to supporting each of these businesses.

Joe
Joe
12 years ago

So RAD! I just love events like this

maxadders
maxadders
12 years ago

No thanks. Their collective efforts made things worse for cyclists using Williams.

are
are
12 years ago
Reply to  maxadders

i am not wild about the proposed redesign, but not much could be “worse” than what is in place right now.

maxadders
maxadders
12 years ago
Reply to  are

I’d rather have a bike lane that makes sense. I’d rather deal with leapfrogging busses and a few blocks of “door zone” than the mess they approved. At least the current setup is made more tolerable by keeping a level head and not acting like a cat 6 showoff; the new setup actively places riders in conflict with vehicle traffic. Could not disagree with you more– the changes are not an improvement.

are
are
12 years ago
Reply to  maxadders

i was careful not to claim the proposed changes are an improvement, though i think the case can be made that reducing most of williams to a single travel lane is an improvement almost no matter what else you do. my point was the existing configuration, with a pretend bike lane striped through door zones, is very, very bad.

i do not have a problem leapfrogging buses, and i do wish they had not moved the bike lane to the left. i would have preferred to see the striped bike lane removed and replaced with sharrows and enough signals installed to bring speeds down below twenty. but that was not the direction anyone, least of all PBoT, was likely to go.

Scott
Scott
12 years ago
Reply to  are

In design or in the ire it draws cyclist from cars? Ca a green box or a redesigned bike lane tame road rage? I bet in the weeks following the redesign cyclists will experience road rage two fold.

Jake
12 years ago

I like it. It is advertising for businesses along Williams. But that’s the point of being a business, attracting customers. And cyclist are awesome customers! I’ll be there.
(Alberta shops next to do this???)

Scott
Scott
12 years ago
Reply to  Jake

No. They put signs up not to ride on Alberta. Remember? There are no shops on the greenway on which you are supposed to ride.

Now do as your told and everything will be fine.

PorterStout
PorterStout
12 years ago

Showing business that cyclists mean business perhaps increases their interest in / reduces their resistance to future cycling infrastructure upgrades. I think it’s a good idea to show support. And not be grumbly about it.

jered
jered
12 years ago

also 7/11 is free Slurpee, so don’t forget to stop by your local 7/11 for your free Slurpee – FREE STUFF EVERYWHERE!

Scott
Scott
12 years ago

Carl

ScottMLK is my preferred route.Recommended 0

Phew! I fixed your first post for you: “Tight. Add to the list of things that are annoying five blocks west of my commute home for 7/11…”

Recommended 0

Thanks.

Scott
Scott
12 years ago

Carl
Spoken like someone who’s never tried to convince a business district that bicycling is a good thing. Bravo.

Recommended 3

Businesses should attract customers with quality products and good customer service. Not bread crumb trails and cajoling.

kerry
kerry
12 years ago

Scott. Are you adamantly opposed to bike share increasing? Do you think that cycling should be the sole province of daredevils and messengers?

If not, please be advised that your contempt for anyone slower, more cautious, or less skilled than yourself who might want some facilities is giving that impression.

For myself, I plan to spend a little money on 7/11 (among other days) to make it abundantly clear that persons on bikes are an important part of these businesses’ customer base. Over time they’ll see that it’s in their self interest to support the safety & convenience of their customers. I’m likely to spend more money in retail if I’m not a sticky red spot on the pavement out front.

spare_wheel
12 years ago
Reply to  kerry

oh, please. where did scott say that he had “contempt for anyone slower, more cautious, or less skilled”?

i also do not need ANY of the bike infrastructure that has been built in pdx. in fact, i find much of it to be annoying and even unsafe. and while i support increasing mode share via infrastructure, i can understand scott’s attitude. in pdx, fast and skilled cyclists are at best marginalized and at worst treated with hostility. throw us a few sharrows and more of us will fall in line.

Scott
Scott
12 years ago
Reply to  kerry

I have no contempt for slow and safe cyclists. I have contempt for the stop gap and poorly planned “safety” infrastructure.

kerry
kerry
12 years ago
Reply to  Scott

Okay, so I was being snotty. I think that you, and SpareWheel, should be welcomed and encouraged to haul tail down MLK. It’s not cool for you to be relegated to a poorly paved, slower greenway. At the same time, I will never do that (MLK), and I need alternatives. As you say, I need safe rational alternatives, not crap that pretends to make me safe. To me, your opposition to the crap infrastructure reads as “we (all cyclists!) don’t need any infrastructure!” which is patently untrue. I feell like you’re telling riders “man up and ride”…and I’m not just referring to this thread, but overall. So if your message is to The System to do it better and leave the bold riders to their own devices, I think we agree.

Apologies for being irritable. I’ll blame my neighbors for blowing stuff up for the last week and keeping me awake.

Scott
Scott
12 years ago

To clarify my point, MLK will be my preffered route for that day.

While I do not feel like bike lanes make me any safer, the best route to my area is Williams. It has fewer chances to stop and a grade that is easy to spin.

While I am no fan of what governments offer the serfs, I am not a route idiot.

Jaime
Jaime
12 years ago

spare_wheel
oh, please. where did scott say that he had “contempt for anyone slower, more cautious, or less skilled”?
i also do not need ANY of the bike infrastructure that has been built in pdx. in fact, i find much of it to be annoying and even unsafe. and while i support increasing mode share via infrastructure, i can understand scott’s attitude. in pdx, fast and skilled cyclists are at best marginalized and at worst treated with hostility. throw us a few sharrows and more of us will fall in line.
Recommended 1

I second the unsafe part, I recently experienced my first “dooring” riding up the bike lane on Broadway to PSU; I have to avoid getting creamed coming off the Hawthorne Bridge into downtown (or deal with the cacophony of the Waterfront) and fear the right hook every block of the bright green lane on Eastbound Hawthorne while being “raged” against or passed dangerously close when asserting my vehicle status and taking a lane on plain old roads or share-ways.

The more bike lanes there are, the less cars put up with bikes on roads but the bike routes are often unsafe. NE Couch comes to mind as I place I will NEVER use the bike lane. What a waste of money. We pay taxes too.

Smedley
Smedley
12 years ago

Yay! I just won 5% my next purchase at Queen Bee!