I don’t usually cover news from other cities, but since road safety issues are a very hot topic in Portland right now, I thought I’d pass on some news from Grants Pass. Grants Pass is a town of about 25,000 just north of the California border. According to Mark Lansing, a bicyclist and lawyer from … Read more
Last week, there was a lot of discussion about a stop sign enforcment mission by the Traffic Division of the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). In response to a citizen complaint, they sent several officers out to SE 23rd and Salmon Streets to nab law-breaking cyclists. Until now, the one group we hadn’t heard from was … Read more
As I reported back in March, a group of community activists and artists are working on a new “Share the Road” mural that will soon adorn the side of Hawthorne Auto Clinic (4307 SE Hawthorne) in Southeast Portland.
[Shared lane marking, a.k.a. “sharrow”.](Photo by Todd Boulanger) These roadway markings in Northwest Portland are known as shared lane markings, or sharrows. They were installed back in September as an experimental project, and they’re still awaiting official sanction. Because the markings are still new to many road users, the City of Portland has developed a … Read more
If you think bicycle commuters deserve the same tax benefits from employers that already exist for drivers and transit users now is the time to make your voice heard. I just got this urgent call to action from Jessica Roberts at the BTA.
The Portland Development Commission needs to hear from you about what traffic safety projects you care about on the Vancouver/Williams corridor. The meeting is tonight from 6-8PM. I know this is way late notice, but this is an important opportunity to weigh in on traffic safety issues. If I could make it, I would tell … Read more
[Photo by quite peculiar.] For many years, the prevailing mantra from bicycle advocates has been, “Same roads, same rights, same rules.” Beyond a catchy slogan, the thought is that this puts bicycles on a level playing field with motorists in the court of law and public opinion. This seems to make sense. However, the problem … Read more
Yesterday morning the Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division set up a sting at SE 23rd and Salmon streets. Several cyclists were given $242 dollar fines (the same amount for motor vehicles) for rolling through the four-way stop. This enforcement “mission” was motivated by a phone call to 823-SAFE (the City’s traffic safety hotline) several weeks … Read more
On May 17th at 7:00PM, thousands of cyclists around the world will gather and ride in silent solidarity to remember cyclists that have been killed. The Ride of Silence started in Dallas, Texas in 2003 and will happen in 225 cities in the U.S (including five in Oregon). Amazingly though, until today there was no … Read more
[Unsecure bikes.] A group of bike advocates have been working with Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) for over a year to improve conditions for bike commuters at the hilltop campus. However, despite clear evidence of the problem they have been “systematically rebuffed” by management and the former head of their Bike Commuters Group calls OHSU’s … Read more
[“Bagels for bikers!”](Photo: Lisa Carrigg) What started as a brainstorm in their Political Action Seminar class, has led four Lake Oswego teens to form the Lake Oswego High School Bike Project. Yes, the powers of bike fun can even penetrate the hallowed halls of Portland’s smartest high school (according to Wikipedia, LOHS has the highest … Read more
[via PedalPushers] The Bikes Belong Coalition just announced that the Portland-based Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) will receive a $5,000 grant to assist in their bike boulevard campaign. According to the official announcement, the money will go to: “…help promote and develop their campaign for Bicycle Boulevards in Portland. These low-traffic roadways will serve as a … Read more