Representative Tom Rice (R-South Carolina) addresses the crowd at the BikesPAC event.(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland) For the bicycling agenda to have any chance of competing on Capitol Hill, it will take cash donations to members of Congress and direct lobbying. That might be an inconvenient truth to idealistic advocates; but insiders say it’s simply how … Read more
After a successful debut last year, the League of American Bicyclists brought back the National Women’s Bicycling Forum. While the 2012 event consisted of just a panel discussion (albeit a great one), this year the League stepped things up. Yesterday 325 advocates —well over 90% of which were women — enjoyed an entire day of … Read more
These helmet hats by Bandbox were a big hit.(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland) Women entrepreneurs are riding the wave of two major American trends: a renaissance in urban bicycling and a surging demand for stylish riding apparel. At the National Women’s Bicycling Forum on Monday, the League of American Bicyclists hosted a pop-up shop full of … Read more
The crowd at WABA’s Women & Bicycles launch.(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland) On Sunday night at a restaurant in Washington D.C., a powerful and tangible expression of the new era in bicycle advocacy was on full display. Upstairs at Busboys and Poets on 5th and K, the of League of American Bicyclists’ Equity Advisory Council shared … Read more
Sen. Chip Shields, who represents north and northeast Portland, was one of 18 yes votes.(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland) The Oregon Senate passed HB 2800 (the CRC bill) today by a vote of 18-11. The vote comes just a week after the House passed it 45-11. The bill will now be signed into law by Governor … Read more
Tammy Duckworth; Congresswoman, Iraq War veteran, double amputee, bike rider.(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland) Illinois Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth inspired the lunch crowd at the National Women’s Bicycling Forum today. Rep. Duckworth isn’t well-known in the bicycle advocacy world, but as a double amputee and Iraq war veteran who also enjoys riding a hand cycle, no one … Read more
‘It was over the top and I admit is not one which should enter into the conversation regarding bicycles.”— Ed Orcutt, Washington State Representative I’m in Washington DC right now covering the National Bike Summit; but thought I’d share an update on a big story we helped break over the weekend. As you probably know … Read more
Here are the stories of the past week we deem worthy of your attention… — The comments made over the weekend by Washington State Representative Ed Orcutt (R-Kalama) have become a national news story. Orcutt is the high-ranking rep who believes that bicycling isn’t environmentally friendly because it causes people to breathe more heavily which … Read more
Rep. Ed Orcutt thinks that “bicyclists are actually polluting when they ride” because, “the act of riding a bike results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider.” A high-ranking Washington legislator has added insult to injury in his support for a bike tax by claiming that bicycling is not environmentally friendly because people … Read more
Planet X USA GM Michael Golinksi (left) and sales/marketing guy Patrick Croasdaile. In the last year-and-a-half, Planet X USA, has gone from boxes of bike frames stacked inside a skateboard half-pipe, to a 10,000 square foot warehouse with offices, a retail showroom, and $1 million in revenue. That’s a promising trajectory, and it shows that … Read more
“I have not seen any renderings at all, and yet I am going to be asked to vote on it.”— Oregon State Senator Betsy Close On Tuesday we pointed out that despite $170 million and years of planning the largest public works project in our state’s history, realistic visual representations of the Columbia River Crossing … Read more
Streetview of where a girl was struck and killed last night by someone driving a car as she tried to cross the street. Mayor Hales and his interim PBOT Director Toby Widmer are on the hot seat this morning for their decision to make paving a higher priority than safety. The City’s budget plan to … Read more