Year: 2017

Niner Bikes founder, now a Portlander, hopes to crowdfund children’s book

Cover of Domahidy’s book.

Go to any bike race or adventure ride these days and you’re almost sure to see “Niner” on the downtube of at least one of the bikes. Niner Bikes, as their name suggests, is respected in the bike industry as a pioneer of the 29-inch wheel size, having launched their first model in 2004.

Steve Domahidy co-founded Niner and was head of its R & D department until 2011. He recently moved to Portland where he’s put his design and engineering prowess behind a new brand (Viral Bikes) and a new project that’s a departure from anything he’s worked on in his 30-year career in the bike industry: a children’s book.

Domahidy is currently in the final stretch of a Kickstarter campaign for A Bike For You, a book he wrote in tandem with illustrator Rob Snow. The book is a fun tale that uses animals to explore many different types of bikes and styles of riding. Here’s an excerpt:

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Cyclocross roundup: Epic flooding at Crossword, photos from Heron Lakes, and more

Cyclocross Crusade - Heron Lakes PIR-30.jpg

That smile, that strawberry helmet, those sweatpants: This kid is pure Portland cyclocross spirit.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

We’re right in the thick of this year’s cyclcross season. And from what I’ve seen and heard it’s been a good one.

First things first though. Have you seen the River City Bicycles recap video of the Cyclocross Crusade race at Alpenrose a few weekends ago? It’s hilarious and it’s not what you’re expecting (scroll down to watch).

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Job: Cycle, Deliver + Cater Food in Downtown Portland – Portland Pedal Power

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title *
Cycle, Deliver + Cater Food in Downtown Portland

Company/Organization *
Portland Pedal Power

Job Description *
Do you want to get paid to:
ride a longtail bicycle through downtown Portland?
deliver & serve delicious food from awesome local restaurants?
provide high quality service to cool local companies?
work with a team of good, kind people?
How about all those things?

We do good work: At Portland Pedal Power, we are small business with a lot of integrity. We work with businesses across Portland to deliver and cater the tastiest food made at local Portland restaurants and food carts. We pick up and deliver by bicycle and, impressively, it usually takes our riders less time to get food from door to door than any car delivery service. In short, our unique model combines sustainable, bicycle-based delivery with unmatched customer and food service.

In preparation for the business growth we anticipate, we want to recruit positive people who have the kind of integrity as individuals that we strive to have as a company.

Availability: Employee must be available on regular pre-determined day and time, weekdays. Our morning shift is between 6:30-9:30am and our lunch shift is between 10:30am-2:00pm.

Duties – As a PPP Brand Ambassador/Rider, you will:
Pick up and deliver prepared meals from restaurants to corporate offices via a Portland Pedal Power fleet bicycle
Professionally cater meals at corporate offices
Engage in marketing activities are consistent with our values and brand. This includes (but is not limited to): promotional item distribution, impromptu interactions with the public concerning PPP services, representing company at events, passing potential customer contact information to PPP sales team
Handle delivery related receipt and money transactions.
Protect organization’s value by keeping information confidential.
Update job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities provided by the company and externally; reading relevant material; maintaining personal and company networks

Required Qualifications – We want to to bring these skills:
Food service and/or catering experience
Strong bicycle rider with experience operating in urban setting, focused on safety
Friendly and outgoing personality.
Computer and communication device usage and proficiency
Lift up to 60 pounds
Background check and drug test required

Preferred Experience:
Catering background.
OLCC permit
Strong bicycle rider (cargo bike experience) with experience operating in urban setting.

Needed Tools: Smart phone with data, email and text capabilities

We believe a diverse, inclusive team makes us a stronger and better company. We’re committed to hiring people of all races, ethnicities, ages, sex, genders, sexual orientation or gender identities, marital status, and religions. Women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and members of other minority or marginalized groups are encouraged to apply.

This is a position in Portland, Oregon. Pay is hourly + tips which equates to a $17.50-$20.00 hourly compensation.

How to Apply *
To apply, please send us your resume and 2-3 sentences in the body of your email describing why you think you’d be the perfect fit to susan@portlandpedalpower.com.

A new bike path into Mt. Tabor Park is coming into focus

Latest design drawing for changes to Mt. Tabor Yard (I added pink at location of new bike path).

Mt. Tabor Park is a gem of southeast Portland. But if you live south of the park you’re all but shutout from easy access. Now the parks bureau is zeroing in on a design for a new public access point from SE Division Street at 64th that will include a bike path.

Finally the South Tabor neighborhood will have convenient access to its namesake park.

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Bicycling stars in Portland’s Amazon HQ2 pitch

Cover of Portland’s pitch to Amazon.

There can no longer be any doubt that bicycling is a major part of our region’s “value proposition” to businesses.

A reference to bicycling occurs on seven of the 23 pages that a local business group has sent to Amazon as our region’s pitch for the company’s second headquarters location. Among those references is a starring role on the cover of the pitch which shows a man bicycling down the corkscrew ramp from the Morrison Bridge to the Eastbank Esplanade with the Portland skyline in the background.

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County: Morrison Bridge reopens this Sunday (10/22)

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Latest from Mult Co:

Morrison Bridge reopens Sunday, October 22

The Morrison Bridge will reopen to traffic no later than 6 a.m. on Sunday, October 22 as the replacement of the lift span deck nears completion.
Starting October 22, westbound traffic will again be able to access downtown from SE Morrison St. and SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Access from the central eastside has been cut off since spring due to construction. The right westbound lane of the east approach ramp will become a right turn only lane to Interstate 5 north.

The bridge traffic alignment starting October 22 will include two westbound lanes, one eastbound lane, and open sidewalks on both sides of the bridge (including the multi-use path on the south side). All ramps will be open, except the ramp from southbound SW Naito Parkway to eastbound Morrison Bridge which remains closed until October 28. All six traffic lanes will reopen by October 30.

Effective October 22, the vehicle weight limit will be restored to a maximum of 40 tons, allowing TriMet’s 15-Belmont/NW 23rd bus route to resume service over the bridge for the first time in several years. The vehicle weight limit was reduced to 10 tons due to the deteriorated lift span deck that was replaced this year.

The vehicle speed limit on the bridge will increase from 25 miles per hour to 35 miles per hour in November, when construction is completed.
General contractor Hamilton Construction will demobilize equipment from the bridge during the week of October 23, which will require several lanes to be closed. Weather permitting, the contractor will close the bridge to all traffic on Friday, October 27 at 9 p.m. to apply a top overlay to the lift span deck. The bridge will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, October 30. The epoxy overlay resembles asphalt and provides a better riding surface with good traction. In the event of rain, this work will be postponed until a later date.

After the Morrison Bridge returns to service, repair work will shift north to the Burnside Bridge. Hamilton Construction tentatively plans to close the bridge the weekend of November 17-19 to set up traffic control for a two-year project that will repair damaged concrete on the bridge deck, sidewalks and railings. Two of five lanes will be closed during the work and bikes and pedestrians will share a path on each side of the bridge.

For more information about the Morrison and Burnside bridge repairs, visit www.multco.us/bridges, or follow @MultcoBridges on Twitter.

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Weekend Event Guide: Freak Bike Fall, cyclocross, and some NOISE

Splash Dance Ride

Ridden by some, loved by all: It’s a freak bike weekend.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)
The Weekend Event Guide is sponsored by Abus Bike Locks. Thanks Abus!

It. Is. Wet. Out. There.

Hope you’ve got your fenders and jackets all sorted out because the rain will be here for a while.

But it won’t be enough to deter our freak bike-loving friends from a weekend of fun and rides. And it will only embolden cyclocross fans for the upcoming mudfest that will transpire Sunday’s Crusade race at PIR.

Here’s our selection of the best events this weekend, starting with a neighborhood rally tomorrow (Friday) in St. Johns..

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Eagle Creek Fire/Historic Hwy update from ODOT

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Taken from 10/12 Historic Columbia River Highway newsletter:

Eagle Creek Fire Update

As of October 11, according to the Eagle Creek Fire Incident managers, the fire has burned 48,831 acres and is 50 percent contained.

Cooler temperatures and rain will help reduce the potential for significant fire activity. The uncontained portion of the fire is in steep, inaccessible terrain and fire managers do not anticipate the wildfire will spread in these areas.

Falling trees and rocks punched through wooden railings and decorative rail along the Historic Highway. Rocks of varying sizes slid down slopes and off of steep hillsides. In many places, the rocks and trees line that the road and those in the distance are charred and likely weakened.

The fire removed vegetation, underbrush and tree roots that support the Columbia Gorge. We expect to see land and rock slides with additional rain.

ODOT crews and hired contractors continue to remove trees in danger of falling into the roadway, scale slopes to remove debris and rocks, and inspect structures.

The Historic Highway will remain closed until hazards have been removed and it is safe to open.

The wood lining and portal timbers inside of the Oneonta Tunnel caught fire, and there are concerns about heat-related damage to the structural shotcrete under the wood. The bluffs on either side of the tunnel continue to drop rocks, and our engineers have been unable to safely determine any additional structural damage.

Once we are able to safely access the inside of the structure and determine what restoration is needed, we will determine the cost to rehabilitate the wood and any additional damage and pursue funding to restore the tunnel.

Thank you for continuing to stay off the Historic Columbia River Highway and State Trail, as well as all the trails closed due to the Eagle Creek Fire.

PBOT now has a manual for creating safer work zones

Signage examples from the manual.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation has published its first-ever manual for temporary traffic control designs. Wonky words aside, this new guide is an important tool that could lead to safer cycling (and walking and driving) through work zones.

The guide has been endorsed by Portland’s City Traffic Engineer Lewis Wardrip and is aimed at designers, engineers, utility and maintenance workers, and even astute tactical urbanists (wink wink). Chapters include comprehensive lists of pertinent laws and city code/permitting requirements, recommended devices and products to get the job done, and how to train flaggers and traffic control measures. There are also of examples of safe work zones across a variety of roadway types and conditions — from one-way streets to bike lanes.

Section 6.6 of the guide (starts on page 50) is devoted to “Bicycle Accomodations”. The over-arching rule described in the manual is essentially “do no harm.” “When an existing bicycle lane or path is disrupted or closed,” it states, “a temporary bicycle facility should include the features and characteristics present in the existing facility.”

Here’s an excerpt from that section:

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In two separate events, north Portlanders will seek attention for dangerous streets

Flyer for tomorrow’s rally.

North Portlanders are tired of waiting for the City or advocacy groups to save them from the deadly streets in their front yards. They’re taking matters into their own hands by elevating voices of vulnerable road users and demanding attention for their concerns.

Two events in the coming week — one from the Arbor Lodge and Overlook neighborhood associations and one from the St. Johns Neighborhood Association — will focus on dangerous streets where motor vehicle users cause daily environmental, safety and public health problems.

This Friday (10/20) a group of St. Johns residents calling themselves Citizens for a Safe and Attractive Fessenden/St Louis will hold a rally to demand that the Portland Bureau of Transportation follow through with promises. Fessenden/St.Louis is a neighborhood collector street between Columbia Boulevard (to the north) and Lombard (to the south). Residents PBOT to fully implement the St. Johns Truck Strategy Phase II project that was approved after a 17 month public process in 2013 (as part of the St. Johns Truck Strategy adopted by City Council in 2001).

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Latest Headlines

Bicycle rider struck and killed by MAX train after crossing barriers

Transportation bill amendments target 12-foot minimum lane width

Portland man hit intentionally by driver on Pedalpalooza ride shares his story

E-bike rebate and path funding return to transportation bill with luxury car tax

From the Archives

Oregon’s rogue freight advisory committee might have finally overstepped