[One of ten blue bike lanes in Portland.] I recently got an email from a reader who was curious about Portland’s blue bike lanes. I did a little research and decided to share my findings with everyone. The City of Portland — with a grant from ODOT — first experimented with blue bike lanes back … Read more
[Car-less Northwest Portland.]Photo by Kate Gawf Portland blogger Kate Gawf recently snapped some photos of a rare occurrence in Northwest Portland; car-less streets. Thanks to the annual “Leaf Day” clean-up, all cars in the usually “parked-up” and densely populated neighborhood vanish for just a few hours. Here’s more from Kate, followed by another photo:
[*UPDATE: According to project manager Jean Senechal-Biggs, my source for this story misunderstood the plans. PDOT is building the foundations for these right now and the actual structures aren’t scheduled to be installed until Spring.] [Rendering of a Bike Oasis by Browning Shono Architects] Way back in September 2005, I wrote about a series of … Read more
A traffic signal technician at PDOT just released a really cool document titled, “Vehicle Detection: Or, Getting a Green Light on a Bicycle at an Intersection.” Here’s an excerpt from the, “How we mark for bicycle detection” section:
By Elly Blue When I’ve worked downtown, the highlight of my commute has always been crossing the Hawthorne Bridge. The air quality changes, the breeze shifts, the river is right below you, and the view of other bridges, buildings, and if you’re lucky, a big freighter, make you feel connected to the city.
[Photo by Felix] Last week, a group of Zoobombers met with with Portland’s art rack coordinator and Transportation Options manager Linda Ginenthal in a conference room at PDOT headquarters. The meeting was called to garner feedback from Ginenthal on potential designs (see below) and locations for a new Zoobomb bike rack. Next week, Ginenthal will … Read more
[New on-street bike parking!] On my way up Mississippi Street today I passed by a brand new, on-street bike parking facility at N. Beech Street, right in front of Amnesia Brewing. It’s very exciting to see this because it’s been in the works for over two years! Ever since a similar bike-parking facility was put … Read more
By Elly Blue Bicycle boulevards — which are adored by both PDOT and the BTA — are a major buzzword among bicycle transportation gurus nationwide.
[Ron Buel of Riverfront for People wants tobury the East Bank freeway.] About a month ago I had lunch with Ron Buel of Riverfront for People. He had an idea to share with the bike community and wanted to get some feedback. I quickly found out that this wasn’t just any old idea… Buel is … Read more
ODOT needs to hear from cyclists about how they should spend a big pot of money set aside for “Transportation Enhancements”. This money must go to projects, “that strengthen the cultural, aesthetic, or environmental value of our transportation system.”
Metro has narrowed their list of transportation projects down to a “first-cut list” and is now seeking public comment to decide which ones get funded. There are several opportunities for public comment and your chance to weigh in ends on December 1st.
Two weeks ago, I wrote about the new “hotel zone” bike lane markings on SW Broadway in front of the Heathman and Benson Hotels. Since that post I’ve been observing both hotels to see how quickly they try to remove vehicles from the bike lane and how proactive they are in preventing encroachment in the … Read more