This area is in dire need of help. (Looking west onto the Broadway/Weidler couplet from the Leftbank Building. The Rose Quarter is to the left.)
(Photos © J. Maus)

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Mark Hoskins, co-owner of Upcycles.
(Photos © J. Maus)

On Sunday, May 16th, a long-unused garage door creaked open at 911 NE Dekum Street, revealing the newest business in the Woodlawn neighborhood, Upcycles. Based in a single car garage space that’s been lightly remodeled, Upcycles is co-owner Kai Druzdezel and Mark Hoskins’ entry into the growing number of bicycle shops in Portland. Their opening coincided with the NE Portland Sunday Parkways, which passed through the sprawling Woodlawn Park, which is just next door to the shop.[Read more…]

Detail of sculptural element on
roof of new bike corral coming
to Dekum Street.

Our story last week about a new on-street bike corral coming to Dekum Street in the Woodlawn neighborhood sparked a lot of discussion. Many readers weighed in with negative opinions about the design (especially the car part) and wondered whether or not there would be more opportunity for public input. I followed up with folks behind the project and got some answers to your questions. I can also share a detailed artist’s statement and updated project drawings.[Read more…]

Concord, a “Neighborhood Greenway,”
is adjacent to Beach School.
(Photos © J. Maus)

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has announced their first “Neighborhood Greenway” ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event will take place Wednesday afternoon at Beach School in the Overlook neighborhood of North Portland.

PBOT wants to showcase their growing network of residential streets that have been engineered to prioritize the safe movement of bicycles. These streets are also known as bicycle boulevards, but PBOT will brand them as ‘Neighborhood Greenways’ to show that they’re not just great for bikes, but that neighborhoods also benefit. The “greenways” aspect is a nod to how some of the streets include bioswales, new street trees, and other “green streets” features (more on the name change here and here).[Read more…]

The Safe Routes to School program
is offered in nearly every school
in Portland.
(Photo © J. Maus)

This afternoon, Mayor Sam Adams and a host of Oregon state legislators will highlight the City of Portland’s Safe Routes to Schools program with a bike ride through North and Northeast Portland. The ride will go from Humboldt Elementary School, to Overlook Park, and then back to the school.

According to PBOT spokesperson Dan Anderson, Adams will be joined by Senator Chip Shields, and Representatives Lew Frederick and Michael Dembrow. Humboldt Principal Willie Poinsette, fourth grade students, and PBOT staff will also take part. The electeds will learn about the program and see recent transportation improvements near the school first-hand.[Read more…]

Scene of a dooring incident that
happened around noon today.
(Photos: Tony Tapay)

We’ve been reporting on N. Williams Avenue a lot lately. Along with being a vital north-south bike route, it also serves a burgeoning, bike-oriented commercial district. It’s one of the busiest bikeways in all of Portland yet it currently has only a five foot bike lane to handle all the traffic (parked cars get 15 feet in some stretches).

A few minutes ago, reader Tony Tapay witnessed a dooring incident on Williams just north of N. Failing Street. Here’s another photo of both parties exchanging information and the victim being attended to by emergency medical crews:[Read more…]

MLK at Going looks a lot different now.
-More photos below-
(Photos © J. Maus)

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation is moving forward on their Going Street Bicycle Boulevard project.

One of the centerpieces of the estimated $250,000 project is the crossing of MLK Jr. Blvd. For the uninitiated, MLK is a major north-south arterial that’s technically a state highway (99E). That means it handles a lot of fast motor vehicle traffic and because it is so unpleasant to cross in many places it acts as a de facto barrier between neighborhoods.
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Newly installed bike shelter at Boise-Eliot.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation is putting a roof over the bike parking at four local schools. The work is being done through PBOT’s Safe Routes to Schools program and construction is set to be completed by the end of April.

One of the new shelters, at Boise-Eliot Elementary School in north Portland is already installed. The three other schools that will get what PBOT calls “bike shelters” are Sacramento Elementary, Lewis Elementary, and Kelly Elementary. These schools prioritized covered bike parking in a detailed engineering report they (and 23 other schools) received through the SRTS program. [Read more…]

SmartTrips decal outside
a cafe in St. Johns.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The Transportation Options Division within PBOT has released a report on their 2009 SmartTrips Business program that focused on North and Northwest Portland. In a survey about the program’s effectiveness filled out by 72 (out of the 192) businesses involved in the program, 68% of them said that promoting biking and walking helped them market their business.

SmartTrips is an individualized marketing program that encourages options to single-occupancy vehicle trips by distributing free maps and “commuter kits” and empowering participants to promote biking, walking, and transit.[Read more…]

Vergnetti’s Coffee: Bikes welcome.

What streetcar did for the Pearl District, bikes are doing for North Williams Avenue. O.K., so maybe it’s not quite an equal comparison, but the presence of bike traffic on Williams has encouraged its share of development and the influx of bike-friendly businesses popping up along the street shows no sign of letting up.

Newcomers Queen Bee Creations and Vergnetti’s Coffee are just the latest businesses who are embracing — and adding to — the street’s bike-oriented reputation.[Read more…]