This Saturday, the Portland United Mountain Pedalers will break ground on the first bit of new mountain bike trails in Forest Park since 1988. With a major assist from the Friends of Forest Park—who spearheaded the grant and permitting process—PUMP is holding a work party to make the new Firelane 5 trail a reality. According … Read more
[Red Bat sighting at’05 Tour de Fat.] It’s no easy task for an out-of-town group to come into Portland and throw a bike party that rivals our own…but the folks at New Belgium pull it off with their traveling cycling circus known as the Tour de Fat. Last year’s event is still etched in my … Read more
[This Friday (8/4) from 7-9AM there will be a traffic safety education action at NW Lovejoy and 9th Ave.] [Looking west on Lovejoy approaching 9th.] The intersection at NW 9th and Lovejoy (just west of the Broadway Bridge) is rife with traffic safety red flags; cyclists blowing the stop sign, cars turning without signaling, a … Read more
Several cyclists out on the streets in the last few days have relayed their concerns to me about what they perceive as increased police enforcement of fixed-gear riders. Given the recent court decision and heightened awareness of this issue, I asked Traffic Division Lieutenant Mark Kruger for an official stance on how the Portland Police … Read more
[PSU instructor Brent Zenobia] On a recent Sweet Summer Cycle Ride (photos) I met an interesting guy named Brent Zenobia. He was passing out a flyer about a research project he is undertaking as part of his Ph.D. candidacy in the Engineering and Technology management department at PSU. What intrigued me about him was the … Read more
I have had several phone calls and emails about the enforcement mission being carried out by the Portland Police Bureau on the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge this morning. I have heard reports of up four cyclists being pulled over at one time. This was a planned enforcement mission and I remember an email … Read more
[What a healthy street looks like.] “What about ambulances?” a friend who is visiting from New York asked recently as I was excitedly telling her about our bike community and recent car-free activism. I had no idea what she was referring to. “And what about handicapped people?” she added by way of explanation. I was … Read more
[City bike coordinatorRoger Geller.] You’re not officially a bike geek until you’ve spent an evening with the 13 super-volunteers that make up the Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC). The BAC advises City Council and various city bureaus on bike-related matters and holds monthly public meetings “to review projects of interest to cyclists and discuss bike … Read more
My recent story on a traffic court decision that upheld a ticket to a local messenger for not having a “separate braking device” on her fixed-gear bicycle has quickly spread around the web and seems to have struck a nerve in cyclists everywhere. This morning the article was linked to from BoingBoing.net, one of the … Read more
[The following ode was written by new contributor Elicia Cardenas and was originally published to the Shift email list almost one year ago. She wrote it in response to someone who questioned why some cyclists act like heroes or “holier than thou” once astride their bicycles. In the future Elicia will be writing about bike … Read more
Cycling, delicious food, and great people all come together for the Bite of Oregon. Come out and help promote biking to the Bite of Oregon by volunteering to park bikes with the BTA. To sign up for a shift, please contact Katherine Wilson, Katherine@bta4bikes.org or 503-226-0676 x 16. Friday August 11th Opening Shift: 10:45- 1:45 … Read more
Portland’s youngest bike shop owners look to serve a busy route right outside their door.