Month: May 2013

Job: Programmer/IT Support – Castelli USA

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title
Programmer/IT Support

Company/Organization
Castelli USA

Job Description

Overview
• Castelli USA is now hiring a Computer Programmer/IT support person. The person we hire will have strong analytical skills with programming/database development experience and will also be able to administer/ configure servers, workstations, networks, and printers. We’re looking for an individual with great communication skills who is dynamic and a self-starter who can easily switch between different responsibilities as needed.

Job Duties
• Design/develop/test systems solutions for in-house users and external web-based users.
• Review and document existing systems/applications.
• Provide desktop support for individual users. This includes setting up new computers, printers, and other devices, and configuring applications.
• Administer servers and related network hardware/software.
• Some management of business operations processes that aren’t specifically IT related.

Skills/Qualifications
• Knowledge of/experience configuring Microsoft Windows and Macintosh workstations.
• Windows Server/Network Administration experience a plus.
• Experience developing Windows/Web applications with Microsoft .NET Platform. VB.NET, ASP.NET, HTML, Javascript.
• SQL Server development experience including table design, administration, stored procedures, SQL. Familiarity with Enterprise Manager, DTS, Query Analyzer.
• Experience with Visual Source Safe or other source code management systems.
• Scanner and Smart Phone/Device development experience a plus.

Education
• 4 year Computer Science or related degree.

Compensation
• $40,00 – $60,000, depending on education and applicable experience
• We offer company matched 401k, profit sharing, and FSA.

About Castelli USA
• Castelli USA is the sole US distributor for Castelli brand cycling apparel.
• Our offices are in the Hollywood/Laurelhurst district of NE Portland and close to MAX and bike routes.

How to Apply
• Send your resume and cover letter to: Mike Sheppard, Director of Operations at itjob@castelli-us.com

PBOT says streets are “city’s largest public space”

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Below is the official news release about this Sunday’s Sunday Parkways event in east Portland. I think it’s especially notable because of the third paragraph, where PBOT refers to streets as “the city’s largest public space.”

PORTLAND, Ore. – Families and neighbors in East Portland are preparing to enjoy Mother’s Day at Sunday Parkways this Sunday on a seven-mile loop of traffic-free streets, including two miles on the Springwater Corridor.

The event, free and open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., is the first of five Sunday Parkways to be held monthly through September.

Organized by the Portland Bureau of Transportation along with presenting sponsor Kaiser Permanente and other community partners, Sunday Parkways opens the city’s largest public space – its streets – for people to walk, bike, roll and discover active transportation.

Read more

Walgreens refuses bicycle riders at outdoor service windows – UPDATED

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

“I thought it kind of strange that bikers can’t enjoy the same convenience as drivers.”
— Brenda H. on being refused service at Walgreens

People in Portland who shop at Walgreens stores on a bicycle are being refused service at outdoor service windows (also known as drive-thrus). Several people have contacted BikePortland over the years to report such incidents, and this morning we learned of another one.

Here’s what Houston Bolles posted to a local email list this morning:

I needed to pick up an RX last evening. The weather was so sweet, I decided to ride through the drive through at the 39th and Belmont Walgreen’s, instead of locking up my bike and going in. I was informed by a pharmacy clerk that Walgreen’s does not serve customers on bicycles at the drive through. I told him that this was unacceptable, and needed to change. He called his manager over, who explained that the issue is about insurance rates, and he could not help me at the drive up window for the same reason he’s not allowed to chase shoplifters once they are out the front door. I questioned his logic. He appeared confused. I explained that the drive through at his location went in over loud neighborhood protest, many people in the surrounding community use bicycles for transportation, and that his company needs to change the policy. I related the story of Burgerville’s change of heart and free milkshakes for cyclists. He said he would report my request to his manager. The drive through has been open a couple of months, I believe, and I am the first rider to try to use it.

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A visit to Islabikes, Portland’s new bike company for kids

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
islabikes visit

Tim Goodall works with a family during a
fitting appointment yesterday.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

There’s a new bike company based in Portland that caters especially to kids. Islabikes, a seven year-old company based in Shropshire, England, opened their North American headquarters in southeast Portland back in March. To set up their U.S. operation, Islabikes sent one of their founding employees, Tim Goodall. I met Tim yesterday at his warehouse and showroom on the corner of SE 7th and Lincoln.

In the past month or so, Tim has been renovating his space and getting things organized. He’s been open for business and taking appointments for about three weeks now. Currently, the warehouse has hundreds of unbuilt bikes sitting in boxes fresh off the boat from England. In the front showroom is a display of all 13 Islabikes models — from their tiny balance bike to a junior-sized, 700c road bike. “The intention,” said Tim as I admired the line-up, “is that for any child that comes in between one and 11 years-old, there’s a bike that fits them.”

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‘Scenic Bikeways’ help power Oregon bike tourism to $400 million annual impact

It’s been another big momentum-building week for bicycle tourism in Oregon. Yesterday, during a special hearing on bicycle tourism at the House Transportation and Economic Development Committee in Salem, representatives from Travel Oregon released a major new report on the economic impact of bicycle-related travel. Also yesterday, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department named two new Scenic Bikeways.

The Travel Oregon study, The Economic Significance of Bicycle-Related Travel in Oregon Detailed State and Travel Region Estimates, 2012 (PDF) is the same study we gave you a preview of back in March when preliminary findings were released at the National Bike Summit in Washington D.C..

The study was conducted by Dean Runyan Associates and it looked at bike tourism’s impact throughout the state during 2012. The big number — which garnered a headline in The Oregonian and has been adjusted up since our story in March — is $400 million. That’s how much people “involved in bicycle-related activities” spent in Oregon last year. The data was gleaned from an online questionnaire followed up by interviews with selected households. All told, 5,000 people who rode bikes in Oregon last year took part in the study.

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Job: Purchasing – Cyclone Bicycle Supply

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Job Title
Purchasing

Company/Organization
Cyclone Bicycle Supply

Job Description
Rapidly growing sports company is hiring for an energetic Purchasing/Inventory Control Analyst. The ideal candidate will be a self starter with a strong work ethic and an ability to prioritize projects to complete assigned tasks. Qualified candidates must be organized, detail oriented, able to multi-task, and take instruction as well as lead. The candidate will also comprehend the complexities of inventory control.
Responsibilities:
-Create, submit, negotiate, maintain, and process purchase orders from start to finish.
-Maintain sensible inventory levels through the challenges of continuous growth, seasonality of items, and widely varying lead times from international and national vendors.
-Assist, manage, and complete projects for inventory, catalog, website, and sales team.
-Work closely with vendors to establish relationships, negotiate problems, etc.
-Work closely with Cyclone’s sales team to improve sales and knowledge.
-Other duties as assigned.
Requirements:
-Bicycle knowledge and bicycle industry experience is preferred but not required.
-Advanced Microsoft Excel skills with an emphasis on data integration with multiple sources.
-Ability to interface with customer, employees and management at various levels within the organization.
-Maintain a high level of professionalism, integrity and trust; Ability to handle sensitive information and maintain confidentiality.
-Must be able to work under pressure to meet deadlines and changing priorities.
-Ability to work in a fun, casual and creative office environment in an innovative industry.
-1-2 years prior purchasing or operations experience preferred.
-Crystal Reports experience is preferred
-Photoshop experience is preferred
How to Apply:
Please email resume with position title in the subject line to: jobs(at)cyclonebicycle(dot)com. Serious inquiries only please.

How to Apply
Email. Only emails with resumes will be reviewed.

beige Norco Frasen

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Brand: Norco
Model: Frasen
Color:beige
Size:700c
Serial: ICNC10100035
Photo: http://imgur.com/TjC8zHK
Stolen in Portland, OR 97227
Stolen:2013-05-8
Stolen From: It was stolen in the parking lot of the Nite Hawk diner and bar located off of Interstate and Rosa Parks.
Neighborhood: Arbor Lodge
Owner: samantha stroebel
OwnerEmail: stroebubble(A T)gmail.com
Reward: Can be discussed
Description: Beige Norco commuter road bike with a back rack installed as well as rain fenders both in the front and back. It has had the handle bar tape unraveling.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: T13003973
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Blue Serotta Concours 2005

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2005
Brand: Serotta
Model: Concours
Color:Blue
Size:56cm
Serial:CCT561584
Photo: http://i.imgur.com/UgRbFJI.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97205
Stolen:2013-05-08
Stolen From: 10th and SW Taylor St. Across the street from Multnomah Public library. Parked in front of an office building in a bike rack.
Neighborhood: Downtown Portland
Owner: Laila Deardorff
OwnerEmail: lailad259@gmail.com
Reward: Yes
Description: 2005 Titanium Blue Serotta Concours has triple chain ring.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 13-152884
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

WSDOT adds bollards to keep drivers off I-205 bike path

This should do the trick.
(Photo: Bob Kofstad/Washington DOT)

Last month, a woman driving a medium-sized sedan somehow managed to travel nearly two miles on the I-205 bike path before she panicked and a passerby on a bike called 911.

And it turns out this was the second such incident in the past few months. That’s what I heard today from Washington Department of Transportation spokeswoman Abbi Russell. I contacted WSDOT a few weeks ago after a reader told me that bollards had gone up at the entry to the path on SE 23rd Street. I was finally able to confirm that today with the man who put them there.

Read more

Imagine a more pleasant Lombard Street, and maybe bike lanes

lombard open house

Big turnout at an open house last night shows
support to improve Lombard Street.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The fact that 100 people showed up to last night’s Lombard Re-Imagined open house, is a clear sign that a group of Portland State University graduate students has spurred an important conversation about the future of Lombard Street. Put together by Swift Planning Group, the open house came after months of meetings, walking tours, design analysis, a neighborhood survey and more.

With a final report due next month, Swift and their neighborhood partners are zeroing in on specific recommendations they hope to get implemented by the City of Portland, the Oregon Department of Transportation, and other local agencies.

Lombard is a classic, auto-centric urban arterial. It’s a state highway, but it also happens to run through dense residential and commercial areas where people live, shop and work. With its high speed traffic and lack of humane design features, the street lacks the social and commercial vibrancy and sense of place that neighborhood residents are clamoring for. Put another way, Project Manager Kathryn Doherty-Chapman wrote via email to me after the open house, “People want places to meet their neighbors, to be able to walk their kids to school and to nearby parks, and to support locally owned businesses. Currently those activities are limited on Lombard, but they don’t have to be.”

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On Williams Ave, a bike maneuver that ruffles feathers

Conditions on Williams-3-2

Passing other people on bikes can be a risky
proposition on Williams Ave.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

If you’re one of the thousands of Portlanders who has spent time in the bike lane on North Williams Avenue, you have almost certainly seen this happen: When the bike lane is crowded, some riders will move to the left — out of the bike lane and in front of people driving in the adjacent lane — to zoom past slower riders.

This maneuver happens all the time, especially during the evening rush hour when the bike lane bursts at the seams with people on bikes. I’ve seen it first-hand on many occasions and I cringe when people do it without even looking over their shoulder and with seemingly no care at all about people driving cars behind them.

And it turns out I’m not the only one who has noticed this behavior: On May 1st, reader Laura Holloway emailed me her feelings about it:

Read more

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From the Archives

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