“We are formulating a strong core of people who are in leadership positions in the bicycle community… to discuss how our concerns can be mitigated without simply closing the cemetery to bicycle traffic.” — David Noble, Executive Director of River View Cemetery David Noble, the executive director of River View Cemetery in Southwest Portland, has … Read more
Eugene bike advocates say the City missed an opportunity when they decided to not color this bike box green.(Photo: Shane Rhodes/GEARs) Not many folks realize that when it comes to bike boxes, Eugene was way ahead of the game. They installed one on High Street at 7th Ave. way back in 1998. That bike box … Read more
The Advocacy Zone, a welcome sight for this Interbike newbie.(Photos © Elly Blue) It’s my second day at Interbike (see Day 1 report here) and the main event is open — a giant exhibition hall packed with many hundreds of booths and the many thousands of bike industry insiders who have come to gawk, shop, … Read more
PBOT bribed riders with donuts and coffee to share a safety message on the Mississippi Hill this morning.(Photos © J. Maus) Oh, the life of a bike commuter in Portland. Last night, people riding east across the Hawthorne Bridge were serenaded by a harpist and offered chamomile tea; and this morning, people coming south on … Read more
Hawthorne Bridge bike traffic.(Photo © J. Maus) In response to bike congestion on the Hawthorne Bridge — which was flung into the spotlight back in May when two bikes collided resulting in a crash on the steel deck — the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition will be on the bridge for this … Read more
Portland-based KEEN Footwear has announced a partnership with the 88bikes Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides bicycles to young people in developing countries. The partnership is part of KEEN’s Hybrid.Care campaign whose mission is to “support social and environmental organizations that have paved the way for change through community, education and understanding”. The company plans … Read more
Transforming a parking spot into a living room at Last Thursday in 2006. (Photo © J. Maus) Today, Friday September 18, livable streets enthusiasts across the United States are celebrating Park(ing) Day — with many locations around the Portland region. Started in 2005 by San Francisco public space activist group Rebar, Park(ing) Day is a … Read more
A new local livable streets group is taking on the issue of cycling etiquette. They have just released the first in a planned series of PSAs called “Bikes Riding With Bikes.” The first movie, which appears to have been shot on the busy N Williams bike corridor, urges people to stop and help others who … Read more
[Editor’s note: This profile of local livable streets nonprofit Umbrella is the first story of new BikePortland news intern Jenny Leonard. Welcome, Jenny!] “Umbrella seeks to empower community-based street culture. Streets are meant to connect, not divide, neighborhoods. We support active ideas that develop streets as vibrant, safe, and welcoming public spaces that serve communities.”–Umbrella’s … Read more
We need more like him.(Photo © J. Maus) Yesterday the Safe Routes to School National Partnership launched their “Dear Congress: Why Safe Routes to School is Important” campaign. The intention of this grassroots lobbying effort is to send a clear message to members of Congress that their constituents care deeply about getting more kids to … Read more
Rural roads like this one could be developed for industrial use.(Photo: Kevin Van Dyke) Beaverton resident, race promoter, and bike advocate Kris Schamp has joined a grassroots effort to save 34,000 acres of rural farmland from industrial and residential development in Washington County. Schamp, owner of Portland Racing and communications director of Northwest Trail Alliance, … Read more
The current I-5 bridge overthe Columbia.(Photo © J. Maus) We reported last week that the Bicycle Transportation Alliance has decided to resign from the the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee for the Columbia River Crossing project. A new post to the BTA blog by advocate Michelle Poyourow goes into detail about this decision. The post … Read more