Stop sign in Vancouver BC (click forlarger version so you can read the fine print).(Photo © J. Maus) Close readers of this site might recall that on several occasions I’ve written that, “cars are the new smoking cigarettes.” It’s something that came from my continued bewilderment that, while most everyone realizes the multitude of negative … Read more
Elly Blue [This article was written by contributor Elly Blue. You can read more from Ms. Blue here.] “Do not ride at night,” urges the Huffy Bicycle Company website. “Have someone pick you up if you’re out after dark or walk your bike home.” This attitude is fortunately not the norm in Portland, where ever-increasing … Read more
The bike box; a symbol of a family un-friendly lifestyle?(Photo © J. Maus) In a stack of old notes on my desk, I came across a passage from an Oregonian article published a few months ago that I’ve been wanting to share. The story, Our diversity myth: Portlanders live in a like-minded bubble, making it … Read more
Commissioner Adams at the opening ceremony yesterday.(Photo © J. Maus) In a blog post published yesterday, City Commissioner and Mayor-elect Sam Adams wrote that with each new innovation the city rolls out for bicyclists, “our bicycle community assumes more responsibility as well”. “As we make continued investments in our street system to accommodate bikes, it … Read more
Blumenauer at the unveiling of his Gas Price Relief Act, one of manypieces of legislation that included a bike commuter tax break over the years.(Photo: J. Maus) What a long, strange trip it’s been for Congressman Earl Blumenauer and his Bike Commuter Act. The House Democrat is a former City Commissioner of Transportation in Portland … Read more
A massive lobbying effort spearheaded by General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler has resulted in passage of a $25 billion package of low-cost loans to help them re-tool for the “next generation of fuel-efficient motor vehicles”. Automakers originally wanted $50 billion (twice what they got last go-round), and even then the plan was supported by both … Read more
For some reason, in recent months, some of the comment threads on this site have become filled with negativity, personal insults, and conduct unbecoming of respectful and mature conversation. There have been over 55,000 comments left on this site in the past three years and I have generally had a pretty open and loose style … Read more
First, The Oregonian sensationalized an issue and created a dangerous, false dichotomy just to sell more papers (a fact they admitted to). Now, they’ve resorted to plain old disrespect. When Senator Floyd Prozanski backed away from his idea to propose a mandatory, all-ages helmet law (in large part because of swift and copious stream of … Read more
Lincoln, Nebraska’s Police Chief Tom Casady. A reader (thanks Donna!) sent me a link the other day to a well-written blog post about sharing the road. Opinions on this topic are a dime a dozen, but something caught my eye about this particular article — it was written by the Police Chief of Lincoln, Nebraska … Read more
People who use a bicycle as their primary mode of transportation may not be familiar with the emotional impact that bike/car collisions have on folks on the other side of the windshield. An example of this emotional toll comes from a comment left on this site a few minutes ago. The comment was left by … Read more
“Bikes vs. Cars”. On the front page for the second day in a row.
This is the newsstand edition of today’s Oregonian.