How often do you get an opportunity to have your opinions heard by millions of people around the world? Tomorrow (3/22), the BBC will broadcast their “World, Have Your Say” radio program from the Bagdad Theater in southeast Portland.
When a rack is your closet, bed, kitchen, bathroom… In the past, I’ve brought you stories of the ingenious trailers and cargo-bike contraptions used by Portland’s homeless and low-income population. Remember Bill and Buster and their bike move that never ends? Or how about Mike Colhour’s bike-based scrap metal recycling business? And we can’t forget … Read more
River City’s cyclocross ad If you read the Willamette Week, you’ve probably noticed the River City Bicycles‘ ads. The shop has a long-running ad space in the local weekly and they always have a provocative message. In the past they’ve been funny, inspirational, and even controversial. Remember when Pepsico threatened to sue them over their … Read more
Screen grab of CCC’s new site Northeast Portland-based non-profit, the Community Cycling Center, has launched a new website. The site is much friendlier to navigate than the old one (which had become quite a behemoth over the years) and they’re using WordPress (just like BikePortland) to make it all happen. Hosting is being donated by … Read more
We all know the failing, old, Sellwood Bridge is a major broken link in our transportation network. Or, as the BTA puts it: “The Sellwood Bridge has extremely dangerous and inadequate bicycle and pedestrian facilities (a single 4-foot sidewalk on one side only)….the BTA has determined that the Sellwood Bridge is the major barrier to … Read more
The bike for the other 161 million? Yesterday I got my first, hands-on look at the fruits of Shimano’s new Coasting product initiative. Only three manufacturers (Raleigh, Trek and Giant) are licensed to make bikes with Coasting and I gave Trek’s offering, the “Lime Light” a closer look.
Click for larger view (157kb JPEG) After months of planning, residents of southwest Portland, led by super-citizen trail advocate and Alice Award nominee Don Baack, have come up with a map of a new southwest bike network. Baack, who leads the group Southwest Trails, has been working hard to garner neighborhood feedback and collaborate with … Read more
Crowds fill a party held in a regal Senate Office Building. The National Bike Summit may be over, but the work has just begun. Hundreds of advocates from around the country (430 to be exact) are now more energized, educated, and empowered than ever before to bring bikes into the mainstream consciousness of America.
River City ad in the Willamette Week announcing Commuter awards. Back in January, River City Bicycles announced a contest to find Portland’s “Commuter of the Year”. Owner David Guettler asked for nominations through ads in local weekly newspapers and according to the shop’s Event Manager Jason Bietz, over 60 people responded to the challenge, “They … Read more
A cheesy self-portrait in front of the Lincoln monument. Saturday was my last day in Washington D.C. and I spent it on a bike. When I arrived, it was 70 degrees, nearly perfect riding weather. Unfortunately things got worse as the week wore on. By the time Saturday rolled around, we’d seen rain, sleet, and … Read more
Dawn, two weeks prior to the crash. I’ve received some welcome news about the condition of Dawn Slawta. Dawn was seriously injured when her bicycle collided with a motor vehicle in northeast Portland on February 7th. The 25 year-old employee of Black Sheep Bakery in southeast Portland, struck her head (she was not wearing a … Read more
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