🚨 Please note: BikePortland is currently on hiatus and only publishing guest articles. Learn more here. Thank you. - Jonathan 🙏

Year: 2014

Weekend Event Guide: Cross, code, fall colors, and more

Fall scenes in and around Portland-8

It’s a great time of year for riding bikes.
(Photo: J Maus/BikePortland)

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

We’ve only got a few more weekends before much of the colorful leaves are gone and we’re really into the winter doldrums. That’s my way of saying… Get out there and ride your bike this weekend! If nothing below suits your fancy, just head east into the Columbia River Gorge and tilt your head up and to the sides. You’ll be amazed at what you see (Alex Barr Road, pictured above, is one of my favorite climbs this time of year).

Also remember to keep your wits about you as you navigate all that slippery muck that tends to accumulate in the bike lanes this time of year. Leaves are nice in trees; but not so nice under your tires.

Have a great weekend.

Saturday, November 8th

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Our annual leaves-in-bike-lanes post

Leaves in bike lanes-2

New left-side bike lane on NW Everett is very bad right now.
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Seems like every year around this time we have to do a post about leaves in the bike lanes.

Portland is a tree city. I love all our street trees! But they also make for messy streets this time of year when rain mixes with wind. When I’m driving my car, leaves on the street don’t bother me at all because there’s zero chance of slipping on them. I can also count on the wheels of other drivers to whisk the leaves out of the lane in very short order. Cars are great street sweepers.

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Job: Part Time Keyholder – Chrome Industries – FILLED

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Sorry, this job has been filled. Browse more great jobs here.

Job Title
Part Time Keyholder

Company/Organization
Chrome Industries

Job Description
General Summary:
Chrome is looking for a kick ass person to become the newest member of the Chrome Familia PDX. This new member will be responsible for delivering a best-in-class brand and customer experience, hitting sales goals, and creating an easy-to-shop environment. Key responsibilities will include servicing customers on the sales floor, merchandising the space and keeping it clean, supporting inventory management, and an excellent understanding of a detailed POS system.

In addition, Chrome PDX shop familia are involved in community outreach, local guerilla marketing, pre-release product testing and development, and throwing legendary parties at Chrome PDX.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities
• Deliver a best-in-class brand and buying experience
• Help to keep the shop merchandised, well-organized, and clean
• Proficiently opening and closing the store
• Self-motivated and able to motivate other team members
• Support inventory management, including counting, back-stock organization, and reporting
• Help organize and run parties, local community events, and marketing efforts
• Provide input on key company initiatives, including product development and testing
• Proficient computer & communication skills
• Reaching and exceeding daily sales goals

Requirements
• 1.5+ years retail key holder experience
• Entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to find innovative ways to drive the business
• Knowledge of cycling industry and culture
• Knowledge of retail processes and procedures
• Strong understanding of the Chrome brand
• Stoked to become part of the Chrome Familia

How to Apply
Please stop in the shop with your resume and cover letter.

425 SW 10th Ave.
Portland

Oregonians reject two politicians after bike-unfriendly statements

milwaukie-lead

“This picture is just way too awesome!” former
Milwaukie city council candidate Scott Barbur wrote on
Facebook in 2010.

Though many issues other than bikes were at play in two races decided last night, both will be familiar to many BikePortland readers.

In one of the races, donations from BikePortland readers seem to have been a meaningful factor in the outcome.

In Milwaukie, Portland’s neighbor to the south, voters overwhelmingly nixed Scott Barbur’s city council candidacy. Barbur, who took 47 percent of the vote in his previous 2012 run, was thumped with just 36 percent this time.

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Democratic Senate victories set the stage for a 2015 transportation bill

A day in Salem-6

In the balance.
(Photo:J.Maus/BikePortland)

This post has been updated after the release of results.

The key question in the Oregon legislature tonight wasn’t whether the most powerful woman in the state Senate would be reelected. Sen. Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose) was — she wasn’t even opposed by a Republican.

The question was whether Johnson would still wake up tomorrow as the most powerful woman in the Senate.

It’s looking as though she won’t.

Johnson’s power has come from her brains (they’re sharp) and from the fact that she’s the body’s most conservative Democrat by a country mile. The Columbia County legislator has been the swing vote on many issues, transportation and otherwise, for years.

But with Democrats victorious in at least two of six potentially close Senate races, it looks as if they’ll have at least 17 votes to Republicans’ 13 — enough to proceed with or without Johnson’s approval. This could make the difference on transportation-related issues like a gas tax hike (which we’re told is likely to be a major focus of the 2015 legislature) and inclusionary zoning (which would let cities build income diversity requirements into their zoning code).

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How I stole my bike back

Found it! (Can you tell I was a bit nervous at that moment?)

It’s back! I found my bike and am happy to report it’s right here next to me in my office.

Let’s rewind…

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Lloyd developer proposes 1,000 more low-car apartments including 32-story tower

hassalo sequel

The tallest of the proposed new towers would be 32 stories tall, by far Portland’s tallest east of the Willamette River.
(Image: BikePortland from PortlandMaps.com)

It looks as if the mother of all Portland’s low-car apartment projects is likely to get a sibling — maybe an even bigger one.

Across the MAX line from the 657-apartment, 44,000-square-foot-retail Hassalo on Eighth complex opening next year that also happens to be the biggest bike parking project in North America, the same company is proposing a separate block of towers with 1,030 apartments and another 36,000 square feet of retail.

If approved and completed, it’d bring another huge burst of pressure — and, potentially, of development fees — to improve north-south biking connections through the Lloyd, including a much-discussed biking-walking bridge over Interstate 84 to create a 7th/9th Avenue neighborhood greenway linking inner Northeast and Southeast.

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Please help me find my bike – UPDATED!

Tour of Aufderheide-31

If you see this bike, please contact me at 503-706-8804. Note that it has fenders and different tires than shown in this photo.

UPDATE, 3:15pm: Found my bike. Stole it back. Here’s the story.

My Cielo is gone. Someone grabbed it from outside my office building at the corner of SW 4th and Stark this morning around 9:00 am. Please help me find it.

I was not thinking straight and left it unlocked. I know it sounds crazy. But it happened. I feel horrible. I had ghost-ridden it to work this morning alongside my city bike (like I usually do at the beginning of the week, so it can stay in my office for lunch rides) and I set it against the rack next to my other bike. I locked my city bike and then walked up to the fourth floor, only to realize — several hours later — that I left it just sitting there. (I’ve had lots of heavy stuff on my mind lately and was just not thinking clearly.)

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ODOT names Talia Jacobson Active Transportation policy lead

Talia_Jacobson copy

Talia Jacobson.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has a new voice on its transportation team. The agency announced last week that Talia Jacobson would be the new “ODOT Active Transportation Policy Lead.”

Jacobson has been with ODOT as a transportation planner since 2008. In that time she’s worked on major projects like the Southwest Corridor Plan, the Congestion Pricing Pilot Program, the Columbia River Crossing, the Sellwood Bridge and others. Jacobson is a graduate of the urban and regional planning program at Portland State University and she also has a degree in psychology (Whitman College) and a professional background in mental health and social services. At ODOT, she’s used that background to lead internal trainings about diversity and cultural competency.

Asked about what she’ll be working on at the 5,000-employee agency that holds many powerful cards in local and regional transportation decisions, Jacobson said that, “The Bicycle and Pedestrian Mode Plan is at the top of my list right now.” (ODOT began an update to that plan back in April.)

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