🚨 Please note: BikePortland is currently on hiatus and only publishing guest posts. Learn more here. And please join us at our 20th Anniversary and Beer Collab Release Party on May 13th 🎉 Thank you. - Jonathan 🙏
At the Tour de Fat Parade.File photo: 8/27/06 I have covered bicycle-related law enforcement issues extensively on this site. My coverage has mirrored changes in my personal understanding and experience of the complex relationship between police officers and bicyclists in Portland.
Two things have recently come to my attention that have got me thinking the answer to this question might just be, Yes! Road Bike Action Magazine says Oregon is a “racing paradise.” First, comes news that the premier issue of Road Bike Action magazine has a blurb about the Oregon racing scene that calls the … Read more
The recent, warm spring air has transformed Portland from dreary to delightful. Bicyclists are dusting off (or drying off) their steeds and taking to the flower-filled streets. Visions of spring are everywhere.
By Elly Blue Somewhere around 5% of trips in Portland are made by bicycle. And less than 1% of local transportation funding goes to bicycle infrastructure. Clearly bicycling is a mode of transportation that more than pays for itself. Meanwhile, cyclists’ taxes subsidize freeway and arterial projects that we don’t use much and that actually … Read more
Oregon has a golden opportunity to build two new velodromes, to further solidify our reputation as the premier state for cycling participation in the country, and to build lasting links between our elected officials and the one love we all share; bicycles. All that’s missing is your voice encouraging legislators in Salem to support the … Read more
Yesterday I dropped into Black Sheep Bakery on SE 8th and Main to get a sandwich and some coffee. I hoped to finally meet the owner, Amanda Felt, whom I’ve come to know via email after I posted a story about her bike-thru window about a month ago.
Like any minority, as we work to move bicycles from an “alternative” mode of travel to a more widely used and mainstream transportation choice, we will be forced to defend deeply entrenched misconceptions and negative stereotypes. Even in Portland, America’s most bike-friendly city, many folks still lump anyone who uses a bicycle into one big … Read more
A key vote will be made tomorrow by the Columbia River Crossing Task Force. The 39-member panel will vote on how to move forward into the next phase of the project.
The Columbia River Crossing project is moving into a crucial phase, and it’s headed in the wrong direction. A few weeks ago, I expressed concern about this project. Since then I’ve learned more and heard from many experts who share my concerns. It’s now clear to me that we need to do something to stop … Read more
[Stop sign with in NE Portland.]Photo: zervas/Flickr This is the second of two posts offering different perspectives on whether or not we should work to change existing stop sign laws. In the first post in this series the author claimed that allowing bicycles to treat some stop signs as yields is a much safer and … Read more
[Stop sign on N. Williams Ave.]Photo: haljon/Flickr A recent interview I published about an effort to change the laws around how bicycles treat stop signs touched of an engaging and lengthy debate (92 comments so far). In reaction, this is the first of two posts I will publish to present different perspectives on the proposed … Read more
[Editor’s note: This is the first contribution from John “Dabby” Campbell. Dabby is a veteran Portland bike messenger, bike polo player, and a prolific commenter on this site.] [John “Dabby” Campbell] If there is one thing that cycling allows, it is freedom. The ability to choose your path, to clear your head, enjoy the fresh … Read more