Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard modeling proper helmet behavior.(Photo © J. Maus) A twelve year-old Vancouver boy has organized a ride to protest the all-ages helmet law that was recently passed by the Vancouver City Council. The ordinance, which makes helmets mandatory for everyone on a variety of human powered vehicles, was passed by a 5-1 … Read more
This story is part of my ongoing coverage of the 2008 National Bike Summit. See the rest of my coverage here. [*Note: Unfortunately all my photos from this morning’s rally were lost in a technical glitch.] Dan Beard announcing the bike-sharing program on Capitol Hill this morning.(Photo: Earl Blumenauer’s office) Just hours after news outlets … Read more
Switching gears for a moment from my 2008 National Bike Summit coverage… Portland City Council will hear public testimony and vote today on a proposal that would leverage System Development Charges (SDCs) over the next 12 years. SDCs are one-time fees assessed on new development to cover a portion of the cost for providing specific … Read more
Cheesy tourist photo taken at last year’s Summit.(Photo © J. Maus) Once again, it’s that time of year when bike advocates from all over the country converge on our nation’s capitol for the National Bike Summit. I’ll be attending the event for the third year in a row. I leave on a red-eye tonight from … Read more
“The State can invest directly… in building pedestrian or bicycle facilities in areas that are underserved.”–From a report released by the Governor’s Climate Change Integration Group. (Download full report below.) An advisory group of climate change experts convened by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has just released a far-reaching report titled, A Framework for Addressing Rapid … Read more
A Google Earth view of the Tour of West Portland route. The ride follows a 45-mile route over the region’s steepest hills and is said to be “horribly hard.”.
Shift gets noticed in new book.Read full excerpt below. In his new book, Pedal Power: The Quiet Rise of the Bicycle in American Public Life, DePaul University political science professor J. Harry Wray devotes three-and-a-half pages to local bike fun activist group, Shift. In a chapter titled, Pushing the Envelope: Populist Politics, Shift is noted … Read more
[Note: I’ve updated the post (at 3:45pm) to include a response from the Deputy City Attorney.] The denial.Click to enlarge, (240k, jpg) The Records Division of the Portland Police Bureau has denied a request for information made by lawyer Christopher Heaps in an ongoing effort to utilize an Oregon statute to file “citizen initiated citations,” … Read more
Roue Libre bikes in action.(Photo: LibraryBikes.org) Portland is currently considering three bids to develop a bike-sharing and rental system in downtown similar to one that has become a major success in Paris. The three companies who are still in the running to provide the service are global media giant Clear Channel, the Portland Bike Company … Read more
Rep. Blumenauer at last year’sNational Bike Summit. (Kozo Shimano is in the background).(Photo © J. Maus) In advance of next week’s National Bike Summit, this morning Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced House Congressional Resolution 305, “Recognizing the importance of bicycling in transportation and recreation.” Blumenauer refers to the resolution as the “National Bike Bill” (read … Read more
Screenshot from BTA website. Continuing their campaign to push for a comprehensive network of low-traffic neighborhood streets in Portland, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) has unveiled their Bicycle Boulevard Toolkit. The toolkit intends to educate communities on the why, what, and how of bike boulevards and includes a robust set of resources all in one … Read more
(Photo © J. Maus) A few days from the start of the National Bike Summit in Washington DC, nationally syndicated columnist Neil Peirce wonders whether 2008 is the Year of the Bicycle. In his most recent column, slated for national publication Sunday (3/2), Peirce writes that this might be “Bicycling’s best year since the start … Read more