In yet another sign that bikes are good for business… The venerable Sunset Magazine (devoted to “Living in the West”) shares a trip to Portland with readers in their January 2009 edition. Their “Northwest weekend” section features a day trip to North Williams Avenue and the focus is on the area’s bike-ability and bike-friendly vibe.
Sam was all smiles last night.(Photos © J. Maus) Last night at City Hall was the big, public welcome party for Portland’s new mayor Sam Adams. There was lots of food and free beer and by all accounts it was a wild and zany night. Before things really started getting crazy, Adams and each of … Read more
This graphic is from 1923.(Photo © Retro Image Apparel) The Retro Image Apparel Company is the latest addition to Portland’s growing “bicycle industrial complex”. The company designs and markets bike jerseys adorned with vintage poster graphics and iconic characters like The Grinch and Popeye. I spoke with the owner of the company, Roger Mallette, yesterday. … Read more
Rebecka Hartkop, Tina Brubaker, Miranda Moon and Susan Peithman from Team Veloforma/ZYM at a time trial event in May.(All photos: speithman on Flickr)
Here’s the full press release about the 2009 plans and 2010 ambitions for the Portland-based Veloforma/ZYM women’s professional cycling team: VELOFORMA/ZYM ANNOUNCES 2009 NRC ROSTER: Sets sites on UCI license for 2010 After an impressive racing season in the Pacific Northwest with sixty-three wins in 2008, the Veloforma/ZYM Women’s Professional Cycling Team has its sights … Read more
This morning, Portland Police Bureau Public Information Officer Brian Schmautz officially announced his retirement. Schmautz has been at the center of some issues between how the Police Bureau has handled several bike-related incidents. I’ll have more thoughts on this on the front page soon, but in the meantime, here’s the announcement he sent to regional … Read more
The monthly KBOO Bike Show will ring in the New Year in style on Wednesday. Show founder/co-host, and veteran Portland bike scenester Ayleen Crotty has announced that their January 7th show will be a live, on-air party that will feature up-and-coming local band, Blind Pilot. Here’s the word from Crotty as posted on her ORBike.com … Read more
The cover This morning I received an advanced copy of a long-awaited new book by Jeff Mapes; Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities. Mapes is the senior political reporter for The Oregonian (he also writes a politics blog) and, while I’ve known about this project for a long time, he’s kept the details … Read more
PBOT traffic safety expert Greg Raisman.(Photos © J. Maus) In 2008, there were no fatal bike crashes in the City of Portland. After a tumultuous 2007, when we had six fatal bike crashes (two of them very high-profile), this was welcome news by many in the community. To gain more perspective on this statistic, I … Read more
The view from my old bus stop on Whitney Ave hasn’t changed much in 20 years.The white band on the center pole marks the stop, in lieu of a sign.(Photos by Elly Blue) After a warm, dry week, New Year’s Eve brought us another big snowstorm here in Hamden, Connecticut (my hometown, just north of … Read more
The Community Task Force for the Sellwood Bridge project is set to meet on Monday (1/5) and the agenda will include a discussion and “possible recommendation” of a locally preferred alternative. Here’s more from a press release sent out today by Multnomah County (they own and manage the bridge): The task force will also hear … Read more
[BikePortland.org’s Managing Editor Elly Blue is currently on an East Coast Tour. This is the latest dispatch from her trip.] The Devil’s Gear is a focal point for New Haven biking.(Photos by Elly Blue) When I lived in New Haven a decade ago there wasn’t much of a bike scene. People biked, as did I … Read more