[Rev Phil sports his helmet cam.] *Don’t miss Kickass Bike Film night tonight at Clinton Street Theater!* If you haven’t been in the presence of the inimitable Reverend Phil Sano than you haven’t really experienced Portland bike culture. Rev Phil is a self-described bike culturist who’s in the middle of many of Portland’s bikey subcultures. … Read more
My recent post about a new initiative by bike lawyer Ray Thomas raised questions from readers due a lack of details. I apologize for that and to remedy the situation I got back in touch with Thomas and he explained more about the project:
I just love it that when someone opposes a recreational path in Portland it’s considered front page news. This morning the Oregonian splashed the SK Northwest story on their front page. This coverage will add fuel what is becoming a growing fire. Let’s just hope we can figure this mess out. Regardless of what happens … Read more
Portland bike lawyer Ray Thomas, a tireless defender of cyclist’s rights, is at it again. His latest initiative is a grassroots project to bring accountability to the court system from the consumers of the system, those who appear in traffic court with bicycle related cases. According to Thomas, the impetus of this initiative comes from … Read more
The SK Northwest case is getting messier by the week. There has just been a second appeal (links to PDF) filed against the Bureau of Development Services (BDS) decision to not allow their permit. SK Northwest is seeking to build their business on a key section of the Springwater Corridor Trail and not grant the … Read more
[Download appeal] [UPDATE: Download appeal JPEG, 94K.] SK Northwest, the company that wants to develop a parcel on the Willamette River and not allow public trail access through their property, has appealed the recent denial of their development permit. According to Kate Green of the City of Portland Bureau of Development Services, a public hearing … Read more
In response to the tragic death of local cyclist Eric Kautzky, State Representative Jerry Krummel (seen at right) plans to push for “Eric’ Law” in the 2007 legislative session. According to Krummel: “I plan to push legislation at the state level to encourage other counties to offer these memorial signs. We are also looking at … Read more
There’s an exciting program being developed in Portland that, if approved and funded, would allow bicyclists to attend a legal and safety class in order to avoid a conviction or to have their traffic fine lowered. This proposed class would only be available to first-time offenders of certain traffic violations.
Cyclist Mike Reuter was the first person to utilize a little-known legal procedure known as the Citizen Initiation of Violation Proceedings. This legal process allows crash victims to take the law into their own hands. It was first brought to light by Portland lawyer Ray Thomas and I posted about it back in January. Back … Read more
Lawyer Ray Thomas, of the Portland-based Swanson, Thomas and Coon law firm has announced a new initiative. He plans to form a legal team to scrutinize the Bicycle Bill to make sure that a “fair share” of state highway construction funds are going toward bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
In my post last week about changing existing stop sign and yield laws for cyclists, I referred to City of Portland Transportation Planner Stuart Gwin. I’d heard that Stuart had some previous involvement with the Idaho statute that allows bicycles to roll stop signs. Stuart was formerly the chair of the Citizen Advisory Committe for … Read more
[Photo by quite peculiar.] For many years, the prevailing mantra from bicycle advocates has been, “Same roads, same rights, same rules.” Beyond a catchy slogan, the thought is that this puts bicycles on a level playing field with motorists in the court of law and public opinion. This seems to make sense. However, the problem … Read more