It was an amazing morning of bike love here in Portland. We had a great turnout at both Breakfast on the Bridges: Driver Donut Edition (photos), and the “I Share the Road” rally (photos). The sun even came out to lend its endorsement to the proceedings. And I’m sure it didn’t hurt that the events … Read more
[From the Oregonian] It’s been a crazy week around here. The Randy Albright/TriMet thing has spilled over from my site to the local media, the blogosphere, and now to the national media (someone saw the video on Fox TV in Utah). The result is an avalanche of comments (101 on this blog at last count) … Read more
I don’t think this could have come at a better time. Misinterpretations of bike laws are the basis of many false arguments. Now that ODOT has finally published a summary of all the bike laws pertaining to bikes in the Oregon Revised Statutes this shouldn’t be as much of a problem. You can download the … Read more
Tonight is the Super Legal Ride created by super-advocate Elly Blue. The first one got some media attention (Portland Mercury and KGW-TV) and its goal and execution has come into question on the Shift email list. The debate revolves around whether or not it’s a good idea for cyclists to advocate for a new law … Read more
As I just reported, there’s a contingent from Portland going to the National Bike Summit in Washington D.C.. I’ve been wanting to go the the Summit for years but never really considered it until now. The schedule looks awesome and just think of all the bike people, the ideas, the conversations! Imagine me explaining Chunkathalon, … Read more
Portland has been given the opening slot to kick off the National Bike Summit being held March 1-3 in Washington D.C.. According to the official schedule, a “distinguished panel of Oregonians” will be telling the crowd (a who’s who of advocates, lobbyists and industry leaders) how to make their communities more bike-friendly and how to … Read more
Last week I posted about bike lawyer Ray Thomas’ new campaign to take the law into our own hands when in a serious injury crash with a motorist. The advice was great, but it wasn’t very clear to non-lawyers. What follows below is a more straightforward checklist of what do to after you’ve been hit. … Read more
Back in October, transportation advocates and concerned citizens attended a Transportation Safety Summit hosted by Commissioner Sam Adams. The goal was to identify specific strategies that would make our streets safer. Based on the summit, PDOT created an action plan and released it for public input. Only problem is that no knows it exists. Turns … Read more
Local bike lawyer Ray Thomas is working on a new campaign to empower injured cyclists to literally take the law in their own hands. His is distributing a new pamphlet titled, “Action Pamphlet #1; Do-it Yourself Guide to Citizen Initiation of Violation Proceedings.” You can find it at local bike shops, download the PDF here … Read more
A team comprised of BTA, PDOT, and the Bureau of Technology Services (BTS) reps is developing a web tool to report bicycle crashes and near misses. This close calls map should be ready for beta testing this March and the initial database will be populated with data from your comments to my “Wanted: your close … Read more
Sam Adams has just posted a survey that allows you to weigh in on how you think the city’s transportation money should be spent. This is an exciting opportunity to cast your vote and let the folks at City Hall know how strongly you feel about the key role of bicycle access in the future … Read more
by Jessica Roberts, Metro Area Advocate for the BTA I attended last night’s budget forum, hosted by Commissioner Sam Adams. I’m pleased to say that bicycling was well represented. Over 30% of participants arrived by bike, and it was clear through the course of the evening that this was a crowd that loves riding a … Read more
Comment of the Week: The public health angle should matter more