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

Year: 2014

Five bike projects earn Travel Oregon grant awards

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
Sandy Ridge loop-5

Tourism grants will help fund everything
from maps to a bike visitor center, to
new off-road cycling trails.
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)

In the latest sign that bike tourism is taking the state of Oregon by storm, a recent announcement of 11 grant awards from Travel Oregon (officially the Oregon Tourism Commission) worth a total of $120,000 included five bike projects.

From southern Oregon to the Columbia River Gorge, local governments, agencies, and non-profit groups are jumping on board the biking bandwagon and working hard to develop their natural assets into cycling destinations. This latest round of grants were aimed specifically at advancing projects that “improve local economies and communities by enhancing, expanding, and promoting Oregon’s travel and tourism industry.”

We asked Travel Oregon for details on all five bike projects. As you can see below, there are exciting things afoot for cycling all across the state!

Here are brief descriptions of the projects (taken directly from Travel Oregon grant applications):

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Reinventing taxis, part 1: A Q&A with Uber’s Northwest regional manager

brooke

Brooke Steiger, Uber’s Washington general manager.
(Photo: M.Andersen/BikePortland)

Portland is now one of just two major U.S. cities where you can’t hail a ride with either Uber or Lyft — and that’s something the car-summoning companies would, of course, love to change.

The services essentially let anyone who passes their background checks become a paid cab driver using a personal car. But Uber has balked at expanding illegally into Portland, where you can be thrown in jail for six months for operating an unlicensed taxi.

We’ve been watching these trends closely because services like Uber are already having a huge impact on low-car life in other cities. Last week, I met a young Chicagoan who gets around by bicycle in nice weather but said she’s spent $2,000 on Uber this year for foul-weather commuting and late-night rides home; two years ago, she probably would have bought her own car by now and started using it for most trips.

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State releases Salmonberry Corridor Draft Concept Plan, opens comment period

salmon-rail-to-trail-after

Coming (hopefully) sooner rather than later!

The Salmonberry Corridor project is moving ahead with as much steam as the Southern Pacific railroad cars that used to rumble through it in the early 1900s.

The project aims to re-open the derelict, 86-mile rail corridor to recreational use. When complete, it will connect the existing Banks-Vernonia rail-trail with the city of Tillamook on the Oregon Coast via a combination of paved and natural surface paths. Amazing huh?

You might recall our story back in June that teased a few of the potential design concepts being drawn up by project consultants. Now, as of last week, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has released the Salmonberry Corridor Draft Concept Plan (PDF, 44MB).

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Guest article – Newb on the tracks: My first cyclocross race

Blind Date at the Dairy race-3

What happened when Rebecca lined up
for her first race?
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

I never intended to do a cyclocross race.

I’d been to a race before, several years ago when a roommate was competing at Barton Park. But the actual racing part of the affair was entirely lost on me as I happily settled into what I assumed was the True Meaning of Cyclocross: drinking beer under a tent, with the faint sound of cowbells clanging in the distance and the occasional blur of muddy spandex warriors providing momentary yet unimportant distractions from the rotation of hot dogs on the grill.

Racing myself seemed entirely out of the question. My position in the bicycle world has always been firmly ensconced in the advocacy and bike-fun camps. My bike-related skills consist of dressing up like David Bowie for Pedalpalooza and sending indignant tweets to @PBOTinfo about drivers parked in the bike lane.

But then this beautiful new bicycle came into my life: a Creamsicle-colored All-City Macho Man with disc brakes and internal top tube cable routing, built for adventure. The first day I rode it to the office, my boss (and avid racer) Todd took one look and said, “Oh, you got a cross bike!”

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Job: Photographer – Velotech, Inc. – 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
Photographer

Company/Organization
Velotech, Inc

Job Description
Job Title: Product Photographer

Velotech Inc. has an immediate opening for a photographer to produce, edit, upload and manage product photos for our WesternBikeworks.com, BikeTiresDirect.com, and Cyclocross.com e-commerce sites, as well as our retail store locations. Duties include:

• Production of high-quality product photos
• Management of site photos, including routine updates and adjustments
• Maintenance of equipment and on-site photography studio
• Coordination with Graphic Design and Creative Services

Ideal candidates will have previous experience with product photography and a portfolio is strongly recommended. Our customers appreciate detailed, high-quality photos that help tell a story and explain the real benefits of a product, so experience with cycling gear and a passion for cycling are distinct advantages. Opportunities exist for additional work and expansion into additional outdoor/sporting goods categories.

We offer:
• Excellent benefits, including health, dental, and vision
• Generous time off
• Casual work environment
• Industry discounts
• Opportunity to work with an outstanding design and creative team

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer providing equal consideration to all candidates regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, or disability.

How to Apply
Send Cover letter and Resume to jobs@velotech.com

Student biking to Portland State is down by a third over two years

empty racks

PSU’s bike parking will be more crowded once the fall term starts, but student biking rates have leveled off and started to drop even as employee biking has kept climbing.
(Photos: M.Andersen and J.Maus/BikePortland)

Bike transportation among Portland State University students peaked at 12 percent in 2010-2011 and has since fallen to 8 percent, newly released student surveys show.

And in a development its transportation director called “alarming,” the popularity of driving to PSU classes rose last year for the first time since 2000.

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Weekend Event Guide: Trail Fest, bike porn, a Tigard tour, and more

Tour de Parks - Hillsboro-8.jpg

Tigard wants to show off its parks on Sunday.
(Photo: J Maus/BikePortland)

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

It’s a big weekend ahead. It’s time for the annual Trail Fest from NW Trail Alliance and we get started first thing Friday after work with some good, old-fashioned bike activism on SE Clinton Street.

Friday, September 12

Clinton Social Ride – 5:00 pm at SE 15th and Clinton
Join this non-confrontational ride to raise awareness that Clinton Street is a bicycle boulevard, not a cut-through street off Division. According to ride leader Brian Sysfail, “The neighborhood really likes our vibe and our actions have worked in raising awareness.” More info here (FB).

Read more

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From the Archives

The 10 busiest bicycling spots in Portland