Year: 2017

Nascent ‘Oregon Statewide Trails Coalition’ comes into focus with summit planned for fall

Portland to Stub Stewart family camping trip-27.jpg

New coalition will speak for trails and paths like the Banks-Vernonia.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

From a world-class mountain biking route to a new coastal path through the forest, there’s a lot going on with trails throughout Oregon.

But so far we don’t have a statewide advocacy group or coalition that ties all the loose threads together and speaks as one voice when it comes to raising awareness for projects or lobbying for funding and trail-friendly policies in Salem.

Not yet that is.

Travel Oregon has been aware of this shortcoming and commissioned a study last year that surveyed the current trails advocacy landscape. What started as a vision for a new group is now coming into focus with what’s being referred to as the Oregon Statewide Trails Coalition. The group hasn’t been officially launched, but it was named in a save-the-date notice released by organizers of a trails summit scheduled to happen on October 27th in Bend (one day before the Cross Crusade invades town).

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Industry Roundup: New digs for Nomad, Stoic Wheels’ new product, retailer wins award, and more

Here’s the latest news from our local bike industry and the people who make it so great…

Portland retailer wins industry award

Leah Benson (right) accepting her Londonderry Award.
(Photo: Chuck Hood/Quality Bicycle Products)

Leah Benson, owner of Gladys Bikes on Northeast Alberta, is the winner of the 2017 Londonderry Award (named after the first woman to ride around the world). Benson was honored in a ceremony hosted by leading bike industry distributor Quality Bicycle Products at their Saddle Drive dealer event last weekend.

Benson was recognized for her work in creating a welcoming space for women, transgender and femme customers (aka WTF).

From when she first opened her women-focused shop in 2013, Benson has challenged the bike shop orthodoxy in both how she runs the business and what she does outside of it.

Among the initiatives she’s created and supported include: a bike saddle library card to help ease the sometimes awkward conversations that come with the process of finding a saddle that fits; a transgender cycling club, the “Cross Curious Club“, and more.

Here’s a snip from Benson’s acceptance speech:

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New crossing safety PSA by Portlandia producer pits ‘pedestrians vs. cars’

“Look first, walk second” is the main slogan backing up a new safety PSA campaign that aims to raise awareness about the “unsafe behaviors of today’s pedestrians.”

The video was created by Portlandia executive producer David Cress as part of a partnership spearheaded by Oregon State Representative Jeff Reardon. Reardon, whose district includes Happy Valley and east Portland, was partially funded (with $12,000) by the Portland Bureau of Transportation in partnership with the Clackamas County Commission, Clackamas Community College and marketing agency 3/Thirds.

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PBOT fines contractors for blocking streets; but what about bikeway blockage?

PBOT fined Columbia Construction Service for illegally blocking traffic on West Burnside.
(Photo: PBOT)

The City of Portland fined and publicly shamed two construction companies for blocking streets today. The companies went beyond the scope of their permits and were accused by the Bureau of Transportation of, “exacerbating rush hour traffic delays.”

While it’s nice to see PBOT get tough and defend public right-of-way like this, we’ve noticed this response differs considerably from how they deal with people illegally parking in bike lanes.

Here’s more on today’s announcement from PBOT via a news release:

“Last week, the Portland Bureau of Transportation fined two contractors who blocked the public right of way without a permit or in violation of a permit. The blockages exacerbated traffic congestion during the busy summer construction season. PBOT will continue to issue fines as needed to prevent unnecessary traffic congestion.

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The Monday Roundup: So-called war on cars, BOD in NOLA, headbadge hunter, and more

This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by Portland Public Schools who wants you to apply for a job as a school bus driver where you can get full benefits, a flexible schedule and a wage of $16.25 an hour.

Welcome to the week!

Here are the best stories from around the web that came across our inbox in the past seven days…

Don’t forget about bikes: As urban policymakers in the U.S. fawn over auto technology, this article from the U.K. (The Guardian) warns about a missed opportunity if we don’t embrace bicycling too.

Why Sagan matters: If you keep hearing about Peter Sagan and you don’t know why he’s such a big deal, this major profile in Outside Magazine will explain.

And why “elites” don’t: It’s because despite their proximity to power and process, “they are always a minority” says Jarrett Walker of Human Transit in a fascinating post about the “dangers of elite projection”.

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Lawmakers weigh in on bus-only lanes, Powell Blvd, and more at east Portland forum

Oregon State Rep Janelle Bynum last night. Seated are Congressman Earl Blumenauer and County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Transportation is such a hot topic in east Portland right now that, “We need to be inside with the air conditioning,” said Lee Cha last night in the gym of the Immigration & Refugee Community Organization, located near the intersection of 102nd and Glisan. Cha, IRCO’s executive director, welcomed a panel of three lawmakers to a public forum on the topic: County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson, Oregon State Representative Janelle Bynum and U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer.

The trio shared their perspectives on the issues and were asked questions by the audience.

Blumenauer played emcee and kicked things off. A veteran bike advocate and the face of cycling in Congress, Blumenauer knows the big picture here: He went to high school nearby and served as both a county and city commissioner before moving to D.C.

One-by-one he checked off some of the big problems. “Since the first light rail and a few freeway projects, there’s been very little federal investment east of 82nd,” he said. “And the 205 freeway was a mixed blessings in terms of what it did to the neighborhoods it was dropped into. It took a lot of time for the communities to recover… This area has been sort of a stepchild.”

Blumenauer added that “orphaned highways” like Powell and 82nd are “stuck in limbo” and “aren’t much different from when I went to high school out here and that was a long, long, long time ago.”

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Jobs of the Week: Metro, Showers Pass, Velotech, Cycle Portland, Portland Public Schools

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Ever considered being a school bus driver? How about a bike tour guide? Or maybe you want to get your foot in the door of the bike industry?

Check out the latest job opportunities below…

–> Deputy Director – Metropolitan Transportation Planning – Metro

–> Bike Tour Guide – Cycle Portland

–> Customer Experience Specialist – Velotech

–> Customer Service Rep – Showers Pass

–> School Bus Driver – Portland Public Schools

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The future of Portland housing depends on biking, and vice versa

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The bikeways in Montreal inspire people to give cycling a try; but it’s their proximity to ample and affordable residential housing that seals the deal.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

When BikePortland reported last week that the city may slash its goal for increasing biking, the eighth paragraph contained a twist.

The obstacle to advancing our city to 25 percent of trips by bike by 2030 wasn’t actually the biking, city staff said. It was real estate.

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Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show freshens up with new location for 2017

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Coming to St. Johns August 12-13th.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

It’s been 10 years since the Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show burst onto the scene. I can still recall the buzz and optimism in that room. There was a collective realization that we had something special here. Today the show is stronger than ever and organizers have announced a new location, new vendors, and a lot of new reasons to check it out.

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From the Archives

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