[Click for large view of crash scene.Image by Timo Forsberg.] At around 7:00AM last Monday morning Justin Isle was riding in the bike lane on his way to work, heading westbound on NE Broadway. As he approached N Williams Avenue and the I-5 onramp (right near the Shell station) he was struck by a car. … Read more
[Cover of summarybrochure.] A consulting firm hired by the City of Portland Office of Transportation just completed an economic analysis of Portland’s bicycle industry. The final numbers say that our bicycle-related industry is worth $63 million to Portland’s regional economy (which has a total value of $17 billion) and that bicycles account for 800 jobs. … Read more
Tomorrow I plan to post about the results of the City of Portland’s bicycle industry economic impact survey. In light of that I thought I’d share a couple of local bike industry stories that have been piling up on my desk: Showers Pass gets “Best Gear” award Outside Magazine has named the Showers Pass Elite … Read more
[Hardly “better” access.] Noticed an article in the Oregonian yesterday about the upcoming 75th anniversary of the St. Johns Bridge in North Portland. Given the controversial recent history of this bridge, one paragraph jumped out at me: “In 2005, the Oregon Department of Transportation spent nearly $43 million to complete a major overhaul of the … Read more
[Jonathan Nicholas atlast year’s ride.] Last year Metro and Cycle Oregon teamed up to host a bike ride from the Eastbank Esplanade to Champoeg State Park. They informally called it the “Policymakers Ride”. It was an invite-only affair to showcase a future Portland-to-Champoeg leg of Oregon State Parks’ Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway Route. On the … Read more
[Geoff Greene, realestate agent.Photo: Geoff Greene.] Geoff Greene is a former mechanic (he wrenched at the CCC for 3 1/2 years) and bikey entrepreneur who is now a Re/Max real estate agent. The 33 year old, who is known as “the Schwinn Guy” by most of his friends, has woven his love of bikes with … Read more
Susan Otcenas has a keen eye for erratic drivers. She’s logged thousands of miles on her bike, riding between her business in Hillsboro and to meetings in and around Portland. Last Sunday night, while driving, she watched in horror as the car in front of her struck a cyclist riding in a bike lane on … Read more
[One of six bikey sculptures.] Last Friday, Nikkie West of the Community Cycling Center put the final touches on a bike art garden at Abernethy Elementary school in Southeast Portland. The garden includes six artistic sculptures (see them all) made from recycled bike parts and was a collaborative effort between West – the CCC’s recycling … Read more
Bridge Pedal head honcho Rick Baumann just sent me these photos of the 2006 Bridge Pedal commemorative helmet. Graphic designer Michael Morrow and his Portland-based company Nutcase Helmets, have created what is sure to be a popular item. I was lucky enough to grab one of last year’s helmets (thanks Ric!) and I’m looking forward … Read more
The City of Portland Bureau of Development Services (BDS) has denied the development application of Shawn Karambelas and his company, SK Northwest (PDF of the official decision). SK’s application to build on the Willamette River became a big deal because they didn’t want to allow a trail to be built across their property, in spite … Read more
[Bike lanes coming soon!] As part of their Interstate 5/Delta Park widening project, ODOT allocated $1 million for “community enhancement projects.” Savvy activists Shamus Lynsky and Shayna Rehberg, working closely with Roger Geller and the Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee, applied for some of this funding and I’ve just gotten the word from ODOT that their … Read more
Just a quick update on tonight’s Pedalpalooza Kickoff Parade. Remember that because of Rose Fest activities several bridges might be closed for extended periods of time and due to construction on Naito things are pretty ugly right now. So if you’re headed downtown from the Eastside, either give yourself plenty of time to get down … Read more