6/25: Hello readers and friends. I recently had my second (of two) total knee replacement surgeries so I'll be out of commission for a bit while I recover. Please be patient while I get back to full health. I hope to be back to posting as soon as I can. I look forward to getting back out there. 🙏. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor
Cycling has reached a fever pitch here in Portland. We’re in the midst of the largest and craziest Pedalpalooza ever, we’re now a legit part of the economy, it’s the eve of our first-ever Bike Summit (with over 300 registered so far), and today the Oregonian is chock-full of bike coverage. The one article that … Read more
Bicycle boulevards are the Next Big Thing for Portland’s bike-friendliness. Both PDOT and the BTA are working on different projects to move the conversation and infrastructure forward. While PDOT is forging ahead on an infrastructure level (recently asking for over $5 million for bike boulevards) the BTA plans to focus their efforts in a more … Read more
[Hardly “better” access.] Noticed an article in the Oregonian yesterday about the upcoming 75th anniversary of the St. Johns Bridge in North Portland. Given the controversial recent history of this bridge, one paragraph jumped out at me: “In 2005, the Oregon Department of Transportation spent nearly $43 million to complete a major overhaul of the … Read more
[Jonathan Nicholas atlast year’s ride.] Last year Metro and Cycle Oregon teamed up to host a bike ride from the Eastbank Esplanade to Champoeg State Park. They informally called it the “Policymakers Ride”. It was an invite-only affair to showcase a future Portland-to-Champoeg leg of Oregon State Parks’ Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway Route. On the … Read more
Susan Otcenas has a keen eye for erratic drivers. She’s logged thousands of miles on her bike, riding between her business in Hillsboro and to meetings in and around Portland. Last Sunday night, while driving, she watched in horror as the car in front of her struck a cyclist riding in a bike lane on … Read more
The City of Portland Bureau of Development Services (BDS) has denied the development application of Shawn Karambelas and his company, SK Northwest (PDF of the official decision). SK’s application to build on the Willamette River became a big deal because they didn’t want to allow a trail to be built across their property, in spite … Read more
[Bike lanes coming soon!] As part of their Interstate 5/Delta Park widening project, ODOT allocated $1 million for “community enhancement projects.” Savvy activists Shamus Lynsky and Shayna Rehberg, working closely with Roger Geller and the Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee, applied for some of this funding and I’ve just gotten the word from ODOT that their … Read more
Yesterday I attended a Platinum Strategy Meeting with friends from the Office of Transportation and the BTA. Also at the table were Mia Birk from Alta Planning+Design (former PDOT bike coordinator) and City Commissioner of Transportation Sam Adams. We have these meetings once every few months to check in on programs and initiatives that are … Read more
[BikeWorks’ Kim Fey] North Portland BikeWorks is a non-profit, collectively run bike shop and learning center on Mississippi Street. Far from just selling and working on bikes, they provide information, resources and programs to the community and they are particularly known for their Women and Trans Bike Repair Nights, a free workshop that happens every … Read more
Last Thursday the Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) Department held a public meeting to present their “twenty-year vision for developing Portland’s regional recreational trail system.” In attendance was a small but influential group of representatives from many trail user and advocacy groups including; the BTA, Friends of Forest Park, Portland United Mountain Pedalers (PUMP), the … Read more
On Monday afternoon, while at the Coast enjoying some time away, I received a voicemail from Anita at KATU TV. She said two cyclists had been hit out on Highway 47 and she wondered if I could post details about the crash in hopes of finding out their identity. They’ve since been identified as Darrel … Read more
Ira Flowers is a local film producer and daily TriMet user. He hasn’t owned a car for the past 10 years and rides the bus twice a day to and from his office. He recently got in touch to tell me a story about an experience his girlfriend had with a TriMet bus driver: