September 2015 Archives

City plans protected bike lanes for NW Lovejoy and Broadway at post office site

The city aims for only 15 percent of trips to the new site to arrive by personal vehicle.
(Images: PDC)

Portland’s proposals for redeveloping its downtown post office include what would be a huge biking upgrade for the north side of downtown.

The “preferred alternative” plan (PDF) currently being circulated by the Portland Development Commission includes not only some sort of new descent from the Broadway Bridge directly to the North Park Blocks, but also protected bike lanes extending south on Broadway and west on Lovejoy Street.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

We’re just two days away from our 10th Birthday Party!

This Friday night at Velo Cult a few hundred BikePortlanders will gather for a night of toasts to a great decade and hopefully many more to come. It will be a time to celebrate and it will be a time to step up and become an official supporter so we can have another big party in 2025. (Full details on our new BikePortlander subscription program will be announced on the site Friday before the party.)

Just so you know what you’re in for, here’s a quick update:

Bike safety meeting and press conference-7.jpg

Alistair Corkett at a bike safety meeting
in City Hall three weeks after losing his leg in
a traffic collision.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s office announced today that they will not pursue criminal charges in the case of Alistair Corkett, the man whose leg was severed in a traffic collision at SE 26th and Powell back in May.

In a seven-page memo, Senior Deputy District Attorney Glen Banfield explains that the man driving the 1988 Dodge Pickup that collided with Corkett might have been careless or even negligent, but his actions do not rise to the legal threshold necessary for a finding of criminal negligence.

According to the DA’s office and the Portland Police Bureau’s investigation, here are some facts in the case:

People who participate in the weekly Blind Date at the Dairy cyclocross race series tonight will have a little extra motivation to pedal through the pain: They’ll be battling cancer with each spin of the legs.

Series organizers have teamed up with OHSU’s Knight Cancer Institute for Bike Against Cancer, a one-lap fundraiser race. The race will start at 5:45 pm at Alpenrose Dairy in southwest Portland.

Blind Date organizer Joe Field says he’d doing the event to raise awareness and money for cancer research.

One of the Bike Scout Scavenger Hunt troops before their big adventure.
(Photo by Ayleen Crotty)

The Salmonberry Trail would connect Banks
to Tillamook on the Oregon Coast.
(Map by Oregon State Parks & Rec)

The proposed Salmonberry Trail, a path that would connect Washington County to the Pacific coast through the forest along a defunct rail line, has an official name and is about to get a full-time executive director.

Previously referred to as the “Salmonberry Corridor,” the trail also has an 11-member decision-making body with formal power to start raising the unknown millions that’d be required for the 86-mile proposal.

The Salmonberry Coalition will celebrate those milestones at its annual meeting next month. The public event is 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, Oct. 9, at Stub Stewart State Park.

Family trip to Stub Stewart State Park-15-15

Riding on the County-maintained Skyline Blvd.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Welcome to one of the first in our series of occasional “Advocate” posts. These are quick, simple opportunities to get involved in making the Portland area better for biking.

Multnomah County is updating its wide-reaching long-range plans in ways that matter deeply to residents of the relatively few urban streets owned by the county government.

The result is that people who live on those streets — notably for bike users, Northwest Skyline Boulevard and Corbett in the western Colombia Gorge — have weighed in about the importance of bike transportation to the county, but most residents of the county haven’t.

(Photos: Portland Police Bureau)

I’ve been seeing a deluge of bike theft headlines in my media streams these past few weeks and I’m really getting tired of it.

(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

You’ve seen it. We’ve seen it. Portland mayoral candidate Ted Wheeler has seen it.

“If my presence in the race lights a fire under the mayor, how can that be anything but a good thing?”
— Ted Wheeler, candidate for mayor

Since Wheeler entered the mayoral race earlier this month Mayor Charlie Hales has been on a tear. From climate change to homelessness to bicycling, Hales has become more animated and action-oriented.

In a letter to Hales today, Wheeler all but accused the incumbent of copying his stance on issues and then challenged him to 12 “in-depth” debates.

“When I announced my candidacy for mayor,” Wheeler states in the letter, “I noted that our city had a homelessness crisis; last week, you declared it an emergency. Two weeks ago, I voiced my support for a gas tax; last Friday, you decided to agree.”

Recreational marijuana will be available for retail purchase in Oregon starting this Thursday (October 1st) and Portland-based Pedal Bike Tours is looking to take advantage of the legal marijuana craze with a new weekly offering: A “Pot Tour” by bike.

Like all their tours, your price of admission ($69 in this case) includes a bike, a helmet, an expert guide and a snack. But unlike any tour they’ve done, this one comes with a “joint of local marijuana to take home.” And in case you’re wondering, they will not smoke it on the tour.

The tour’s creator, Pedal Bike Tours guide Sarah Gilbert said she’s excited for the inaugural ride on October 1st. “Even though I’m not a habitual pot smoker myself, I’ve had a great time learning about the history of pot and hemp in the state and worldwide. It’s been fascinating to connect with lots of leaders in the pot community and I’ve become pretty passionate about legalization.”

How concerned is TriMet about safety of inner southeast rail crossings? At Sunday Parkways they had a police officer standing guard.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Despite opposition from the city’s official biking and walking advisory committees, TriMet plans to install manual “swing” gates at crossings of the Orange Line in inner southeast Portland.

Yes, anyone coming to the game
can use the Timbers bike parking.
(Photo: Providence Park)

A Portland Timbers spokesman straightened out misconceptions about the soccer team’s rules for bike parking in an interview Friday.

Last week, a Timbers fan wrote us to report that he and his wife had biked to a game but been told by Providence Park staff that the big temporary bike racks were for Timbers season ticket holders only. He’d then asked several other attendees, who said they had the same impression.

That’s not the case, Timbers Vice President for Communications Chris Metz said Friday.

City plans protected bike lanes for NW Lovejoy and Broadway at post office site

BikePortland 10th Birthday Party is Friday! Here’s an update

DA declines criminal prosecution in case of man whose leg was severed in collision – UPDATED

Cyclocross racers will ‘Bike Against Cancer’ tonight at Alpenrose

Weekend Recap: Scavenger hunt, cyclocross racing, and bikes for kids

Salmonberry Trail to the coast hits milestone, begins fundraising effort

Advocate: County survey needs input from rural road users, not just residents

Let’s find these tricycles stolen from a 65-year old wheelchair user

With Hales hogging headlines, Wheeler challenges him to 12 “in-depth” debates

Portland company’s “Pot Tour” by bike includes free joint

TriMet adjusts Orange Line crossing plans after community opposition – UPDATED

Portland Timbers clarify: No season tickets required for bike parking

Latest Headlines

Monday Roundup: Paris in Brooklyn, ‘Trail Towns’, e-bike reviews, and more

Driver kills vulnerable road user while making illegal u-turn

City reports, ‘steady, not stagnant’ bicycle use in 2025 count report

Weekend Event Guide: Ladds 500, ride for a judge, bicycle show, and more

From the Archives

The 10 busiest bicycling spots in Portland