[Click here to seethe rest of his display.] We have a lot of highways in Portland. Maybe too many of them. They require huge public subsidies to build and maintain, they break up neighborhoods, they promote sprawl, they encourage more driving and thus more pollution, they are the site of daily fatal crashes, and their … Read more
Citizen bike advocate Susan Otcenas just forwarded along an email response she got from Beaverton mayor Rob Drake. The email (full text is below) was also sent to several other citizens who had written Drake about their questions and concerns regarding the recent death of Mike Wilberding. Most notable is the mention that the “failure … Read more
[Jason Atkinson, Oregon State Senator.] Republican Oregon State Senator Jason Atkinson read about Ayla Holland’s court case on CyclingNews.com and was furious. Atkinson—who was elected to the Oregon State Senate at the ripe age of 30—is an avid cyclist and traveled through Oregon on a fixed-gear bike during his campaign for Governor in ’05. Atkinson … Read more
[Mike Wilberding, 1948-2006]Photo: Dayn Wilberding The crash in Beaverton last week that claimed the life of Mike Wilberding has sparked outrage and spurred action from citizen activists. The incident has caused some cyclists to question the priorities of bike advocates and city planners. One commenter asked, “what is the more important fight at this time: … Read more
The long awaited Bike Buddy program has just been officially launched by Southeast Uplift (SEUL), a non-profit coalition of southeast Portland neighborhoods. According to SEUL’s Steve Hoyt, “This program will provide a tremendous service to tentative, less confident bicyclists by allowing them to benefit from the vast resources of Portland’s experienced bicycling population.” “Modeled after … Read more
[Photo credit: VBP] At the end of September, the Community Cycling Center (CCC) will expand its reach far beyond their Northeast Portland headquarters when they send 450 bikes, wheels, tubes and other parts to a village in Ghana, Africa. The CCC is partnering with the Village Bicycle Project (VBP), a non-profit that works to improve … Read more
Portland’s bikey brain trust will have a significant presence at this year’s Pro Walk/Pro Bike conference which is being held from September 5-8 in Madison, Wisconsin. The international conference—which was held in Portland in 1994—is considered the most important event of it’s kind and according to BikeWalk.org it attracts more than 600 bicycle and pedestrian … Read more
This Saturday, the Portland United Mountain Pedalers will break ground on the first bit of new mountain bike trails in Forest Park since 1988. With a major assist from the Friends of Forest Park—who spearheaded the grant and permitting process—PUMP is holding a work party to make the new Firelane 5 trail a reality. According … Read more
[This Friday (8/4) from 7-9AM there will be a traffic safety education action at NW Lovejoy and 9th Ave.] [Looking west on Lovejoy approaching 9th.] The intersection at NW 9th and Lovejoy (just west of the Broadway Bridge) is rife with traffic safety red flags; cyclists blowing the stop sign, cars turning without signaling, a … Read more
[What a healthy street looks like.] “What about ambulances?” a friend who is visiting from New York asked recently as I was excitedly telling her about our bike community and recent car-free activism. I had no idea what she was referring to. “And what about handicapped people?” she added by way of explanation. I was … Read more
[City bike coordinatorRoger Geller.] You’re not officially a bike geek until you’ve spent an evening with the 13 super-volunteers that make up the Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC). The BAC advises City Council and various city bureaus on bike-related matters and holds monthly public meetings “to review projects of interest to cyclists and discuss bike … Read more
My recent story on a traffic court decision that upheld a ticket to a local messenger for not having a “separate braking device” on her fixed-gear bicycle has quickly spread around the web and seems to have struck a nerve in cyclists everywhere. This morning the article was linked to from BoingBoing.net, one of the … Read more