July 2012 Archives

Mini-van driver gets traffic citation in recent Hwy 101 collision

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

The Oregon State Police have just announced that 78-year-old Wanda Cortese has been issued a citation for her involvement in a collision with a woman riding a bicycle on Highway 101 south of Cannon Beach last week.

35-year-old Christeen Osborn, a well-known surgeon from Hood River, was riding on the shoulder of the highway prior to being struck by Cortese. The OSP investigated the collision and has cited Cortese under ORS 811.370, “Failure to Drive within Lane”. The violation is a class B traffic violation and the fine is set at $260. According to the OSP, Osborn remains in critical condition at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland.

Everywhere you look, PBOT is making neighborhood
streets safer. In this photo, people use the new
crossing treatment at N. Concord and Rosa Parks.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

It’s hard to overstate the importance of the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s neighborhood greenway program. The combination of considerable expertise in, and dedication to, neighborhood traffic safety from veteran staffers and engineers, and the $1 million (or so) annual budget thanks to Mayor Sam Adams, has resulted in a burgeoning and connected network of neighborhood greenways (a.k.a. their previous name of bike boulevards) that just keep getting better and better.

As I ride around, I’ve noticed the progress in almost every quadrant of the city; from new crossing treatments in outer southeast to speed bumps right outside my front door in north Portland. According to PBOT, they’ve got nine projects that are either currently under construction or just recently completed.

Below are just a few signs of progress I’ve come across recently…

Oregon Active Transportation Summit-35-2

PBOT Director Tom Miller at the Oregon
Active Transportation Summit in
April 2012.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The TucsonVelo.com bike blog is reporting that current Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Tom Miller applied for a job to lead the City of Tucson, Arizona’s transportation department. According to publisher Michael McKisson, Miller beat out all the other candidates and was initially offered the position, but city officials rescinded the offer and have now selected another candidate.

Here’s more from McKisson:

Tucson has a new transportation director, but only after rescinding an offer to Portland’s head of transportation… Michael Graham, the City of Tucson’s public information officer, confirmed yesterday that the position was originally offered on contingency to Portland’s transportation director Tom Miller. Graham said the city reevaluated the situation and determined that Cole would be a better fit for the position.

Brand: Specialized
Model: Hard Rock sport
Color:Black
Size:Med
Serial: P6KF25191
Stolen in Salem, OR 9730
Stolen:2012-07-13
Owner: Chris Forsythe
OwnerEmail: Cmforsythe@hotmail.com
Description: Black specialized hard rock sport
Police reference#: 12-19772
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Portland Biz Journal editorial: “Bicycling serves as economic tool”

A reader just made me aware of a recent editorial in the Portland Business Journal that deserves wider attention.

Given the fact that there remain some powerful business interests who feel that Portland’s inevitable march toward better bike access on our roads is at odds with their bottom lines, the PBJ editorial board stood up and blew that idea out of the water. (This is especially great to see from the PBJ because when the Bike Plan for 2030 passed in February 2010, I called them out for a misleading poll.)

In a piece titled “Bicycling serves as economic tool” that appeared in the July 6th edition, the paper makes a compelling argument for why bikes are not only good for business, they’re key to Portland’s economic future. The article is behind a paywall, but a reader was nice enough to send me the hard copy so I can share more of it with you.

Sherifa Roach, inside an old school bus,
which is home to her new bike repair shop.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

There’s a new bike repair shop that’s open for business just a half-block off the busy N Williams Avenue bike corridor. Sherifa Roach, a nearby resident, recent United Bicycle Institute graduate and veteran volunteer at local bike shops, has opened Black Bird Bicycle Repair at 104 N. Failing Street (between Williams and Vancouver).

I’d heard from a few sources that someone was operating a bike shop out of an old school bus, so I swung by yesterday for a closer look. Sure enough, there was Sherifa, giving away bags of popcorn as part of the RAD event, and smiling in her apron in front of a big purple bus parked in the alleyway behind her. She was proud to give me a tour of the inside (which I found surprisingly roomy).

Sherifa pointed out how her partner had completely remodeled the inside of the bus. He wired it up with new electrical outlets, built wooden work benches, installed new lighting, added some security bars for the windows, and built a ramp off the rear door so people can roll their bikes right on up.

Still from TriMet WES video.

TriMet is trying to get the word out about safety when it comes to WES Commuter Rail trains and conflicts between buses and bikes. As part of a summer safety campaign that kicked off Monday, the agency has released five videos showing close calls between people crossing tracks in front of WES trains. They have also sent out a new, in-depth training bulletin to all bus drivers that is focused specifically on bicycling.

One of the videos shows a person on a bicycle crossing the path of an 80-ton WES train that’s a mere 60 feet away. According to TriMet, WES trains traveling 55 mph take about a half-mile to come to a stop. The incident with the bicycle rider happened on September 15th near SW Scholls Ferry Road in Beaverton. Here’s the video:

Businesses on Williams Ave. made it
clear yesterday: They love bikes!
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Tired of reading headlines about local business owners and associations coming out in opposition to bike access improvements, the folks at Portland Design Works wanted to change the narrative. They knew that on N. Williams Avenue, there are numerous businesses that love all the bike traffic on their street. To demonstrate the support for cycling on N. Williams, they organized an event called Rider Appreciation Day (RAD).

During yesterday evening’s commute, 22 businesses on Williams rolled out the red carpet for people on bikes. They offered gifts, discounts, food, drinks, and even live music — all simply to show Portland that there’s at least one street where businesses love bikes and the people who ride them.

Officers look for a serial number before loading a stolen
bike into a truck in Old Town this morning.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The Portland Police Bureau served a search warrant early this morning in Old Town and among the confiscated property was 18 stolen bicycles. The bust happened at 211 NW 3rd Avenue. I was able to snap several photos of the bikes before they left the scene (see if you spot your bike below).

According to a PPB statement, the search warrant is part of an ongoing Federal drug trafficking investigation being conducted by the Metro Gang Task Force. Several arrests were made this morning.

According to Officer Terry Colbert, whom I spoke to at the scene. This is just one of several recent busts where the police have confiscated multiple stolen bikes. A recent sweep of a homeless camp near the Hawthorne Bridge and Eastbank Esplanade (near the Vera Katz statue) resulted in 20 stolen bikes in what the PPB believes was a mini chop-shop operation.

Year: 2012
Brand: TREK
Model: 3500
Color:13IN
Size:PLATINUM
Serial: SWTU057C7638G
Stolen in PORTLAND, OR 97213
Stolen:2012-07-12
Stolen From: NE 38TH & NE BROADWAY IN FRONT OF NE COMMUNITY CENTER
Neighborhood: HOLLYWOOD
Owner: DANA HOGAN
OwnerEmail: DANAHOGAN83@GMAIL.COM
Description: FRONT BONTRAGER TILE, PLAIN BACK TIRE
Police record with: PORTLAND POLICE
Police reference#: 12-60242
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

white Motobecane Single Speed 2010

Year: 2010
Brand: Motobecane
Model: Single Speed
Color:white
Size:700 cm
Photo: http://img802.imageshack.us/img802/9854/bikeow.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97210
Stolen:2012-07-10
Stolen From: Was stolen from the basement of my house on NW 21st and Everett
Owner: Jordan Dilts
OwnerEmail: dintares@aol.com
Reward: 200
Description: Everything is white on this custom sigle speed with white deep dish wheels
Police record with: Portland PD
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Caught in the middle, PBOT tries to hammer out design compromise on NE Multnomah project

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is trying to broker a compromise between real estate owners and developers in the Lloyd District and concerned citizens who want high-quality bicycle access on NE Multnomah Street. When staffers brought the latest plans for the Multnomah Street (NE) Main Street Pilot Project to the monthly meeting of the PBOT Bicycle Advisory Committee last night, several committee members expressed skepticism and objections to the philosophical underpinnings of the project, saying that PBOT was giving away too much in terms of bike access in order to meet the Lloyd TMA’s demands for auto parking.

At issue is how to allocate roadway space on NE Multnomah. PBOT is looking to transform it from a boring, 1980s-style, five-lane thoroughfare with no auto parking (and rarely used four-foot bike lanes), to a more vibrant and welcoming three-lane cross-section with protected bikeways and dozens of new, on-street auto parking spaces. (More background on the project here.) The street is already slated for a new 900-unit residential tower and other developments are expected in the future.

Mini-van driver gets traffic citation in recent Hwy 101 collision

PBOT continues exciting progress on ‘neighborhood greenway’ network

PBOT Director Tom Miller was offered City of Tucson transportation director job

Black Specialized Hard Rock sport

Portland Biz Journal editorial: “Bicycling serves as economic tool”

Converted school bus is home to new bike repair shop in North Portland

TriMet focuses on safety with close-call videos, bus/bike training bulletin

Williams Ave businesses show the love at first ever ‘Rider Appreciation Day’

18 stolen bikes seized during Old Town drug bust

13IN TREK 3500 2012

white Motobecane Single Speed 2010

Caught in the middle, PBOT tries to hammer out design compromise on NE Multnomah project

Latest Headlines

Sunday Parkways returns to North Portland this summer

Advocates demand action from PBOT on concrete planter removals

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Kotek announces co-chairs and mission of new transportation workgroup

From the Archives

With six kids and no car, this mom does it all by bike