City of Portland looks to go beyond auto-centric ‘level of service’ standards

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The existing LOS standards and measures, which focus only on motor vehicle levels of service, do not reflect the City of Portland’s current practice which emphasizes and promotes a multimodal approach to transportation planning and providing transportation services.
— From the City of Portland RFP

If you or any of your friends are transportation wonks, then you already know how powerful “level of service” (LOS) standards are. For the uninitiated, LOS is a measurement tool used by traffic engineers and planners to grade how a road or intersection “performs” in terms of traffic flow. If vehicles roll through without delay, the road performs well and gets an “A” LOS grade, if vehicles screech to a standstill and traffic backs up, the section of roadway gets an “F”. (I’m sure someone in the comments can give a more accurate/nuanced definition.)

The issue comes up in nearly every transportation project that includes bicycle access — because as cities make room for better bicycling, they are bound by these LOS standards to make sure a new design doesn’t lower the LOS of a particular street. Recall the considerable heartburn PBOT engineers faced on the N Williams Avenue project as they pondered whether or not they would endorse a one standard lane cross-section for the entire project. PBOT traffic engineer Rob Burchfield wanted to honor the communities desires for a cross-section that would tame auto traffic; but he said the City had to “make sure we have adequate capacity for the volume of traffic we expect,” and that, “there are some pass/fail criteria,” — LOS standards — they had to work with. That’s just one example.

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Lane County debuts ‘Cycle Lane’ mobile app

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This looks neat. Does anyone know if any counties near Portland have something similar?

Lane Council of Governments to Debut “Cycle Lane” mobile phone application for iPhone and Android to improve Eugene-Springfield, Oregon bicycle riding

Lane Council of Governments is working to improve their understanding of local bicyclist behavior with the deployment of “CycleLane” a free application for iPhone and Android that allows residents of the Eugene-Springfield to help planners better understand bicycle behavior. Users in the area can download and use the application, which sends information about their preferred bicycle route and to LCOG data bases for analysis and planning.

The app consists of a GPS interface which tracks a person’s ride from origin to destination. After downloading the application, it will ask for a few pieces of information pertaining to the user like frequency riding and age, which are all optional and confidential. Once the ride is completed the user is asked to submit the trip’s purpose and then the trip information is saved on the phone and simultaneously submitted to LCOG.

“The key to success will be getting local residents informed about this app and how much it will help local planners”, said Josh Roll a planner leading the effort. With more trips, riders can help inform LCOG which routes are popular for riding and at what time of day, informing the region’s bicycle planning process. Additional demographic information requested upon downloading the application will also inform policymakers of how to best plan for a diverse riding population.

The application may be downloaded for iPhone or Android from their respective markets and more information about the app itself can be found at the Cycle Lane website: http://cyclelane.lcog.org. As an incentive, users that choose to enter their email address will have an opportunity to win a free gift certificate to a local bicycle shop. Josh Roll, stated that identical technology was employed in San Francisco with great success, and they were able to gather 20,0000 unique trips, a treasure trove of data that will greatly inform their bicycle planning processes.

Aluminum GT Pantera 1992

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Year: 1992
Brand: GT
Model: Pantera
Color:Aluminum
Size:17″
Serial: H3A10250
Stolen in Portland, OR 97203
Stolen:2012-07-28
Stolen From: 7505 N Lombard
Perch Bar and Grill
Neighborhood: St Johns
Owner: Blake Bippes
OwnerEmail: blake@bippes.net
Description: Team Ritchie tires
Pink anodized hardware
Blue front rim
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: T12006321
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Neon Yellow, Pink, Orange, Purple Colian (Colin Lang Handmade Bike) Custom Lugging 1980

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Year: 1980
Brand: Colian (Colin Lang Handmade Bike)
Model: Custom Lugging
Color:Neon Yellow, Pink, Orange, Purple
Size:55
Serial:6124
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46287434@N05/7674015740/in/photostream
Stolen in Portland, OR 97217
Stolen:2012-07-29
Stolen From: Personal Property Backyard.
Neighborhood: Arbor Lodge
Owner: Johnnie Olivan
OwnerEmail: rejuicedbikes@gmail.com
Description: Found in a tree alongside willamette blvd. The wheels are still missing and the integrated shifter/brakes are missing. If you find please notify the Police!!
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 12-65929
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

The Monday Roundup

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“…a phrase that has popped up around the country as cities spend more transportation dollars on transit; add streetcars, bus and bike lanes…”
— NPR’s Franklyn Cater discussing the “war on cars”

Here’s the news and a handful of videos that caught our eyes this past week…

– Grim news this week from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration who estimate traffic deaths have jumped 13.5% from the same period a year ago.

– The Tour de Cure lured over a thousand people and their bicycles to the roads in Washington County, raising $400,000 for diabetes education, research and advocacy.

– There’s a new bike share system live and operational in North America, right the heart of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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White Scott Sportster 2009

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Year: 2009
Brand: Scott
Model: Sportster
Color:White
Size:55
Serial: TY80463609
Stolen in Vancouver, WA 98665
Stolen:2012-07-29
Stolen From: My garage…
Neighborhood: Hazel Dell
Owner: Jeremy Knudson
OwnerEmail: jeremyknudson@gmail.com
Description: Rear seat bag (if removed there will be gummy material on the seat post). Disc brakes, wireless speedo. White with Black markings.
Police record with: Clark County Sheriff
Police reference#: S12-105223
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Grey/Orange Nuvinci Nuvinci 2012

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Year: 2012
Brand: Nuvinci
Model: Nuvinci
Color:Grey/Orange
Photo: http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/417/20120516201110814.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97227
Stolen:2012-07-27
Stolen From: On SW Ash St. between 2nd and 3rd, on the south side of the street. Close to the Big Ass Sandwich food cart and across the street from the Ash St. Saloon. Also right by the large “America’s Bike Capital” wall mural
Neighborhood: Downtown Portland
Owner: Adam Polan
OwnerEmail: adampolan@gmail.com
Reward: Yes
Description: Nuvinci bike with a Nuvinci continuously variable transmission. Primary color of the bike is grey, with orange lettering saying “Nuvinci” all over the bike. The only additional accessories on the bike were front and rear BikePlanet brand lights.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 1265445
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Blue Kona Dew Deluxe 2009

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Year: 2009
Brand: Kona
Model: Dew Deluxe
Color:Blue
Size:52
Serial: I040802555
Stolen in Portland, OR 97232
Stolen:2012-07-29
Stolen From: Northeast Weidler and 24th
Neighborhood: Sullivans Gulch
Owner: Casey Parks
OwnerEmail: Caseymparks@gmail.com
Description: Handlebars have been replaced to be more of a curved bar with tan grips, black bottle cage, petals have baskets, black leather saddle, paint is chopped near derailleur and on top bar. Disk brakes. Bell is missing.
Police record with: Portland Pd
Police reference#: Waiting
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

blue Miyata 1980s

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Year: 1980s
Brand: Miyata
Color:blue
Size:smallish
Stolen in Portland, OR 97217
Stolen:2012-07-23
Stolen From: N Vancouver and Dekum (my yard)
Neighborhood: Piedmont
Owner: Becca VandeWalle
OwnerEmail: beccavw@gmail.com
Reward: $50
Description: beat up blue miyata with red handle bar tape.
Police record with: Portland PD
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

silver/black Trek 7100 2012

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Year: 2012
Brand: Trek
Model: 7100
Color:silver/black
Size:20″ frame
Serial: WTU119C0913G
Photo: http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/town/recreation/hybrid/7100/#
Stolen in Portland, OR 97206
Stolen:2012-07-25
Stolen From: SE 43rd & SE Insley
Neighborhood: Woodstock
Owner: Kurt Whitman
OwnerEmail: kurthazel@yahoo.com
Description: Two Trek 7100 bikes were stolen. This one had a water-bottle rack and a cable lock mounted on the frame. I’m pretty sure it also has a Bike Gallery sticker on the frame.
Police record with: Portland Police
Police reference#: 12-64537
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

silver/black Trek 7100 2012

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Year: 2012
Brand: Trek
Model: 7100
Color:silver/black
Size:17″
Serial: WTU129C072F
Photo: http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/town/recreation/hybrid/7100/#
Stolen in Portland, OR 97206
Stolen:2012-07-25
Stolen From: SE 43rd & SE Insley
Neighborhood: Woodstock
Owner: Kurt Whitman
OwnerEmail: kurthazel@yahoo.com
Description: Two Trek 7100 bikes were stolen. This one had a water-bottle rack on the frame. I’m pretty sure it also has a Bike Gallery sticker on the frame.
Police record with: Portland Police
Police reference#: 12-64537
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Red Schwinn Sprint 1980s

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Year: 1980s
Brand: Schwinn
Model: Sprint
Color:Red
Size:Small
Stolen in Portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2012-07-26
Stolen From: SE 34th and Hawthorne
Neighborhood: Hawthorne
Owner: Anne Meersman
OwnerEmail: annemeersman@gmail.com
Description: My bike was a small red Schwinn with aluminum rims, black handle bar tape, and white decals.
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike