The Portland Business Alliance has just released their 2007 Downtown Portland Business Census and Survey and the results show a 20% rise in the number of people who commute by bike. The survey — which included businesses, government entities and non-profit organizations — found that 6% of downtown employees got to work by bike (last … Read more
The bike industry believes in Obama.(Photo © J. Maus) Bicycle Retailer & Industry News magazine (known as BRAIN) reports this morning that in a meeting yesterday with bicycle industry representatives, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama said if eleceted he would, “increase funding for cycling and pedestrian projects.” Obama held a private, 20-minute meeting with members … Read more
Robert Pickett(Photo © J. Maus) The article below was written by Portland Police Officer Robert Pickett. Pickett — who regular readers know by his user name “PoPo” (he’s a regular commenter and member of the Portland Bike Forums) — is a former member of the SE Precinct Bicycle Patrol Unit and now works in the … Read more
“In my view, the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) debate is less about building a bridge and more about debating a right-sized project that is multi-modal, that won’t bankrupt our transportation funds, and won’t promote sprawl by increasing auto use. In addition, for cyclists, it’s about creating a world-class bicycle and pedestrian facility.” That’s the opening … Read more
A scene from last year’s parade.More photos here(Photos © J. Maus) Tonight is the annual Pedalpalooza Kickoff Parade. If you want to bear witness to the wonderment (is that a word?) that is the Portland Bike Scene and/or take part in a rolling celebration of all that is beautiful about human-powered transportation, you should not … Read more
The blue Hummer that led to the suspect.(Photo © J. Maus) The two parties involved with a road-rage incident in Northwest Portland back in January now want to put the whole thing behind them. On the afternoon of January 21, Collin Whitehead was riding his bike when claimed he was “assaulted, threatened with a softball … Read more
Cover of the Portland Mercury’s Bike Issue.(Art by Justin “Scrappers” Morrison) This year, the Portland Mercury stepped up to partner with Shift’s Pedalpalooza event (the 2+ week, 200+ event biking extravaganza that starts today!). The Mercury is helping Shift with their big Dance Party on Saturday night and they’re distributing the official Pedalpalooza Calendar in … Read more
Photo from the scene at SE 7th and Alderlast night.(Photo: Ian Stude) A Portland man says he was tackled, pushed off his bike, and then tasered repeatedly by a Portland Police officer in Southeast Portland last night. The Portland Police Bureau, in a written statement about the incident, say that Phil Sano (a.k.a. “Rev Phil”) … Read more
Riders test a new bike lane configuration through the Rose Quarter Transit Center.(Photos © J. Maus) This morning I stopped by TriMet’s test of new bike access options through the Rose Quarter Transit Center this morning. When I rolled up I was greeted by City of Portland bike coordinator Roger Geller and TriMet’s manager of … Read more
“We will urge City Council not to write a blank check for a project that doesn’t meet the criteria we believe any new bridge should meet.”–Planning Commission member Catherine Ciarlo The nine-member Portland Planning Commission met last night to draw up their recommendations to Portland City Council on the $4.2 billion Columbia River Crossing project. … Read more
(Photo © J. Maus) TriMet has just released the results of their Bikes on MAX survey that they launched in August of last year. In the Executive Summary of the survey, TriMet points to the trends of growth in both MAX and bike ridership in Portland. They say those trends have, “resulted in an increasing … Read more
“Everything riders do to be safe makes it easier for attorneys to protect their rights against insurance companies and in court.”–Lawyer Scott Kocher As part of their Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program, the Oregon State Bar is offering a seminar titled, Bicycle Law and Injury Prevention for Advocates and Riders. The seminar will be offered … Read more