Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Down to the wire for vehicular homicide, funding bills

Inside the House Transportation Committee.(Photos © J. Maus) As the clock ticks in Salem on the 2009 legislative session, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) and other bike advocates are making last ditch efforts to make Oregon’s laws more friendly to bikes. Today in Salem, work sessions (different from public hearings in that no testimony is … Read more


Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

PBS documentary “Road to the Future” will look at Portland’s path

Mayor Adams being filmed by the PBS crew outside Council Chambersback in March.(Photos © J. Maus) An upcoming, one-hour long PBS documentary will take a look at how three American cities — Denver, New York City, and Portland — are grappling with today’s transportation infrastructure challenges. The documentary, titled Road to the Future, is part … Read more


Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Kids young and old gear up for Walk + Bike to School Challenge

Students in the BTA’s Safe Routes to Schools program will compete with PSU students. Earlier this month, the Portland-based Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) opened online registration for its second annual Walk + Bike to School Challenge Month. The event is a month-long contest that pits preschool and elementary school students against college and university students, … Read more


Checking in with the Mayor’s transportation policy czar

Catherine Ciarlo with Mayor Adams(Photos © J. Maus) Yesterday I met with Mayor Sam Adams’ Transportation Policy Director Catherine Ciarlo. Ciarlo was the executive director of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) from 1998-2005 and is a former member of the Portland Planning Commission. In a rapid-fire conversation that lasted just about an hour, we touched … Read more


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Local coffee roaster does it all by bike

Trailhead’s delivery truck.(Photos © Dan Liu) Few are the passions can match the fervor of bike geeks, but the achievement of the quintessential espresso has driven coffee innovators since the death of the penny-farthing gave way to to the modern bicycle. Portlander Charlie Wicker, owner and operator of Trailhead Coffee Roasters, has found a way … Read more


Bikes Belong hopes all-star team can bring biking mainstream

Bikes Belong Executive Director Tim Blumenthal spoke at the Oregon Bike Summit yesterday.(Photos © J. Maus) Bikes Belong Executive Director Tim Blumenthal shared a lot of inspiring news and information during his remarks at the end of the Oregon Bike Summit yesterday. Blumenthal is a key figure in the national bike movement. He’s at the … Read more


Portland legislators will hold town hall meeting on two wheels

Rep. Dembrow (right) with Jay Graves (center) and Ray Thomas in the State Capitol building yesterday.(Photos © J. Maus) Billing it as a “A new kind of town hall,” two Oregon State Legislators will lead a bike ride around their districts next month. Representative Michael Dembrow and Senator Jackie Dingfelder — both of whom represent … Read more


Legislators suit up for ride around the Capitol

On the steps of the Capitol.-Slideshow below-(Photos © J. Maus) This morning, as part of the Oregon Bike Summit, a handful of state legislators suited up for the first-ever Legislator Bike Ride. About 50 summit attendees met on the steps of the Capitol building before taking a leisurely, five-mile ride around Salem. Joining the bike … Read more


Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Did firing of Karl Rohde hurt the Idaho Stop bill?

Rep. Jules Bailey(Photo © J. Maus) The Portland Mercury’s Matt Davis is reporting that House Representative Jules Bailey (D-SE Portland) places blame for the demise of the Idaho Stop law on the way the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) handled the departure of Karl Rohde. In an update to a story published yesterday on the Mercury … Read more