We as cyclists risk our lives every day on the streets of Portland. Many of us have had near-misses and other altercations that left us rattled, angry, and feeling vulnerable. Yet the only people that ever hear about these incidents are our friends, families and riding buddies. The media, the police and our elected officials … Read more
PUMP (Portland United Mountain Pedalers) is our local mountain bike advocacy group. They work to maintain trails and make sure the interests of mountain bikes are represented in often thorny land access issues. PUMP was also instrumental in putting together this great (and free) map of Forest Park (PDF). Now they’re gaining momentum for a … Read more
Tomorrow, the BTA will release a statement that outlines their response to the recent rash of bike/car collisions in the Portland metro area. I have received advanced permission to publish this press release to the bike community here on BikePortland.org. The release of their “Five Part Plan” follows their recent Op-ed that ran in the … Read more
The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) has written an op-ed in response to last Friday’s Portland Tribune headline story on bike safety. The headline that ran on the front page was, “Walk, ride at your peril”. The BTA thinks this alarmist headline “irresponsible journalism” because both walking and riding remain relatively very safe activities. They go … Read more
The Willy Week gets major street cred for choosing a reckless motorist their “Rogue of the Week”. Turns out one of their own reporters, Angela Valdez, was seriously injured by a motorist last week on NE 15th and NE Prescott. The driver turned right directly in front of her and still thought it wasn’t his … Read more
Ryan Hume at the Willamette Week did a great job with his story on the St. Johns Bridge and cyclists in this week’s Willy Week. I met with Ryan and exchanged several emails about the story and I can honestly say he is a solid reporter. But I can’t resist commenting on his line that … Read more
Last night a cyclist was struck and killed near Delta Park in North Portland . The vehicle did not stop and is currently at large. The cyclist’s identity has not been released. As you may know, this is not the first cyclist killed by a car this summer. There is an unfortunate yet undeniable trend … Read more
…all four of them. Well, I heard ODOT has just finished painting the lanes on the St. Johns Bridge. I was out that way recently and decided to take a closer look. It doesn’t look good for recreational cyclists. There is little to no shoulder and the sidewalk isn’t exactly roomy (not to mention it’s … Read more
There has been a lot of talk this summer about the amount of cyclists killed on Portland’s roadways. In my opinion no amount of infrastructure, bike lanes, signs, or clever engineering can truly make cyclists safe on the streets. Let’s be honest, we’re 100% vulnerable to cars whenever we’re out there. That being said, I … Read more
[I received this information from an inside source in the Oregon bike advocacy scene, I will post a link to the full press release when it is available online.] This just in from the office of Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore): ‘Conserve By Bike’ Provision Included in Energy Bill $6.2 Million Pilot Program Designed to Spur … Read more
Last night a fun-loving group of Portland cyclists rode across the St. Johns Bridge sans clothing to make a statement about how vulnerable cyclists will be if ODOT (Oreg. Dept. of Transp.) goes throught with their non-bike-friendly bridge remodel plans. Here’s a report of the ride: The ride went off to rousing success. 14 free-spirited … Read more
A while back I posted something about how ODOT (Ore. Dept. of Transportation) had decided not to make cycling safe on the St. Johns Bridge. ODOT has caved into special interest groups and ignored the research on traffic congestion on the bridge. The result is a remodel plan that makes crossing the bridge dangerous for … Read more