Next week, two BTA staffers and one “super-intern” will head South on a reconaissance mission to California. Their top-secret mission is to observe and glean ideas from other innovative and bike-friendly cities. First, they’ll visit Davis to “see what Platinum looks and feels like”. Then they’ll continue south down to Berkeley to check out their … Read more
I hate to write this, but yet another cyclist has been involved in a serious crash with a motor vehicle on a rural road in Washington County. This time it happened in North Plains near Glencoe Road and Highway 26. This is a very popular cycling route and one I have ridden many times myself. … Read more
[Zoobombers on Burnside.] Highway 26 leading into downtown Portland is a traditional route sometimes used by Zoobombers. They call it “the Hellway” and it is simultaneously feared and revered by many. While it’s usually legal to ride bikes on Highway 26, because of a sewer construction project, currently the Hellway route is off-limts. In early … Read more
Back in May, someone named Erica posted a topic in the Forums about a cyclist named James who harassed her on her morning commute. Her post has sparked tons of discussion, both in the Forums and in the comments of my post about women and creepy cyclists a few weeks ago. I’ve been following the … Read more
Hagg Lake, a popular mountain biking area about 50 miles west of Portland, recently got a new section of trail thanks to a local mountain bike club. Fifteen members of the Portland United Mountain Pedalers (PUMP) volunteered a Saturday to put in a total of 75 hours of trail time. That’s what I call sweat … Read more
Oregonian columnist Margie Boule will be hosting a webcast on bike safety at 1:00 tomorrow (6/21). Join in and ask questions at the Margie Boule Show. And just FYI, Boule wrote about bikes in her column last Sunday.
[Download appeal] [UPDATE: Download appeal JPEG, 94K.] SK Northwest, the company that wants to develop a parcel on the Willamette River and not allow public trail access through their property, has appealed the recent denial of their development permit. According to Kate Green of the City of Portland Bureau of Development Services, a public hearing … Read more
[Mayor Royce Pollard and Andy Clarke.] Last night, BTA Director Evan Manvel and I biked up to Vancouver to see League of American Bicyclists Head Honcho (and arbiter of coveted Platinum rankings) Andy Clarke award the Vancouver City Council a “Bronze” Bicycle Friendly Community Award.
The Oregon Department of Transportation released their 2005 crash statistics today and the numbers don’t look good for cyclists. In 2005 there were 802 total crashes involving bikes, including 11 fatalities and 779 injuries. That’s 100 more crashes and 100 more injuries than in 2004.
In response to the tragic death of local cyclist Eric Kautzky, State Representative Jerry Krummel (seen at right) plans to push for “Eric’ Law” in the 2007 legislative session. According to Krummel: “I plan to push legislation at the state level to encourage other counties to offer these memorial signs. We are also looking at … Read more
There’s an exciting program being developed in Portland that, if approved and funded, would allow bicyclists to attend a legal and safety class in order to avoid a conviction or to have their traffic fine lowered. This proposed class would only be available to first-time offenders of certain traffic violations.
The first ever Portland Bike Summit was an unequivocal success. At one point, while Congressman Earl Blumenauer addressed the 400 strong crowd, I stood with the mastermind of the day’s event, Linda Ginenthal. She was beaming like a mother watching her child star in the school play and she said, “This is so amazing, I … Read more