October 2014 Archives

Weekend Event Guide: SuperSwap, Better Block, Artcrank, a big climb, and more

Artcrank on Saturday is where art, friends and a love of bicycling comes together.
(Photo: J Maus/BikePortland)

Welcome to your menu of weekend rides and events, lovingly brought to you by our friends at Hopworks Urban Brewery.

This is one of those weekends that will take some serious planning to make sure you don’t miss anything awesome. We’ve got such a diverse selection — from mountain biking and cyclocross, to an art show and a big gear sale.

And adding to the excitement is what looks to be some seriously nice weather.

Have fun out there!

Friday, October 3rd

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Diverter at N Rosa Parks and Michigan -3

A full diverter was installed last October on
N Rosa Parks at Michigan.
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)

A new traffic diverter at North Michigan Avenue and Rosa Parks Way seems to be successfully preventing north-south car traffic from spilling onto Michigan from Interstate 5, recent city bike counts show.

That was the city’s intent when it agreed last year to install the diverter in order to hold down traffic on the neighborhood greenway there.

“From I guess Holman to Rosa Parks it has gotten a lot better,” said Noah Brimhall, a Piedmont neighborhood resident and an advocate for the diverter, in an interview Tuesday.

Sunset behind the hills and Portland’s Broadway Bridge.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

Residential and office space is running short in Portland for a reason: the central city, not its more auto-oriented suburbs, has been leading the region’s charge out of the recession.

On one measure after another — job growth, median incomes for full-time workers, housing starts, working-age population growth — the City of Portland and Multnomah County have roared past Washington County over the last year as the site of most new economic activity in the metro area.

That’s the overarching finding of a statistical digest prepared by state workforce analyst Christian Kaylor and distributed Tuesday night.

“I’ve had it up to here with the stolen bike parts in Portland… This is just another notch in the belt of biker discrimination and injustice.”
— Reader email, 9/24/14

As we reported back in July, bike theft in Portland is out of control. The problem shows no sign of going away and in fact, if my judgment of web chatter and other intelligence-gathering channels I monitor daily is correct, it’s getting worse.

We are working to help in various ways (a major update to our Stolen Bike Listings is coming online soon and we’re sitting down with the PPB next week to talk about various strategies), but in the meantime I wanted to do something with the constant stream of emails we receive on this topic.

The “bike poster party” is back!
(Photo by J. Maus/BikPortland)

Artcrank is one of our favorite events. For the past five years, this one-night gallery show and party has brought a refreshing mix of art and community to Portland. With the show returning this Saturday night (10/4), we thought it’d be fun to share a special sneak peek of what you’ll see.

As per usual, all the posters displayed at this weekend’s show were produced by local artists in limited quantities. 29 artists will be featured this year and their creative, provocative, bike-inspired works of art are available for just $50 each. This is an excellent opportunity to decorate your house, apartment, locker, cubicle, cargo bike box, or whatever. One of the posters, commissioned by event sponsor Clif Bar, will benefit national bike advocacy group People for Bikes.

The big change this year is that the venue has moved from downtown to the east side with Velo Cult (1969 NE 42nd Ave) taking on hosting duties. It’s free to get and the show runs from 4:00 to 10:00 pm.

As promised, here’s your sneak peek…

Boris Kaganovich of Better Block PDX with a half-built planter in the rooms where he and other volunteers have been preparing for a “pop-up” plaza and protected bike lanes on 3rd Avenue.
(Photos: M.Andersen/BikePortland)

Working every evening for two weeks in a warren of unfinished rooms three stories above Old Town, more than a dozen enthusiastic volunteers have almost finished building the street features that will remake 3rd Avenue for one weekend, starting Friday morning.

Currying favor with ‘cross crowds is easy once you know the secrets.
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Spectating at the cyclocross races is entertaining, educational, and usually results in fewer stitches than racing yourself. I recommend it for anyone who’s feeling cross-curious.

“This picture is just way too awesome!” according to
a Milwaukie city council candidate.

1:14 pm: Barbur has released a statement. Read it at the end of this post.

Scott Barbur, a lawyer running for Milwaukie (Oregon) city council, is facing serious questions from voters about a Facebook post and comments that surfaced last week. The post makes light of a horrific collision in Mexico in 2008 that killed one person and injured 10 others.

On July 20th, 2010, Barbur posted a photograph of the collision on his personal Facebook page. That post was discovered a few months ago by Mandy Zelinka, the editor and founder of the Milwaukie Rules! website. Zelinka then posted a screenshot of Barbur’s 2010 post on the Milwaukie Rules! Facebook page last week.

A student driver in Washington, where citizenship status
isn’t required for state driving tests.
(Photo: Joint Base Lewis McChord)

Nonprofits that support road safety are backing a November ballot issue that would allow people who came to Oregon illegally to once again take driving tests and buy car insurance.

A public “yes” vote on Measure 88 would let undocumented Oregon residents get “driver’s cards” that let them drive legally, essentially restoring the system that was in place before 2007.

It’s not clear how many Oregon residents are now driving despite not having legal immigration status or licenses, but the number is almost certainly in the many thousands.

Weekend Event Guide: SuperSwap, Better Block, Artcrank, a big climb, and more

Friday, October 3rd

On Michigan greenway, diverter reduces driving but biking boost is modest

State report shows Portland’s economic surge outpacing Washington County

Bike Theft Chronicles: “I just feel so defeated and vulnerable”

Sneak peek at this year’s Artcrank posters

Volunteers prep for Friday’s three-day ‘Better Block’ demonstration on 3rd Ave

A newbs-eye view of ‘cross: How to win over the crowd

Milwaukie council candidate Scott Barbur faces questions over Facebook post – UPDATED

Biking and walking groups endorse ‘driver cards’ for undocumented immigrants

Latest Headlines

Portland bike thief sentenced to four years in prison

An homage to Portland’s bikeway network signs

Exciting progress on Willamette Blvd project

Jobs of the Week: Bike Clark County, Metropolis, Cycle Portland, and more

From the Archives

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