City leaders and key bike advocates are headed to Amsterdam next week. The trip was Sam Adams’ idea and the goal will be to learn how Amsterdam’s government officials and planners have been so successful at creating thriving urban cities that encourage people to get out of their cars. Jessica Roberts of the BTA hopes … Read more
A whopping 530 companies took the BTA‘s 10th Annual Bike Commute Challenge. That’s a 22% increase from last year and according to the press release, this represents more than 1600 new bike commuters! Those are impressive numbers. All kinds of workplaces participated in the Challenge – from congressional offices to landscaping businesses, health care companies … Read more
At a press conference this morning the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) will announce their much-anticipated “top 40 essential projects programs, and policies.” This “Blueprint for Better Biking” was determined from a survey of over 900 Portland cyclists back in spring of 2004. From that survey, the BTA says 4 main areas of concern emerged: Cycling … Read more
Joseph Ahearne is the subject of the “Builder’s Profile” in the October 1 issue of Dirt Rag Magazine. Joseph is a top-notch guy with a bright future in the bike business. He makes beautifully functional custom bike frames and cargo racks. He’s also well-known for his popular “Spaceman Flask Holster” which is like a water … Read more
Next week is Oregon’s statewide “Walk + Bike to School Day.” On Wednesday thousands of kids across the state will walk and ride bikes to school instead of driving. The event is meant to raise awareness for the Safe Routes to School Program which is headed up locally by the BTA. Robert Ping, program director … Read more
On Sunday, Oct 16th and 22nd bike mechanics from several Portland bike shops will come together to restore old bicycles for Gulf Coast evacuees who have recently been relocated to Portland. The completed bikes will be donated and distributed to new Portlanders by the Red Cross of Portland. The goal is to build approximately twenty … Read more
Reporting from Interbike… …the first “Platinum” level Bicycle Friendly Community in the U.S. is Davis, California. In talking with representatives from the League of American Bicyclists (the organization behind the designation), they said Davis is simply “way ahead” of any other city and that they are even on par with European cities. I was hoping … Read more
Despite much energy and excitement recently here in Portland, it seems as though we won’t be the first city in the country to be designated with the League of American Bicyclists‘ “Platinum-level” Bicycle Friendly City award. Here’s an excerpt from the League’s latest newsletter: “The latest list of Bicycle Friendly Communities, including the first platinum-level … Read more
The LiveStrong Ride with Lance Armstrong was on Sunday morning out at the Nike Campus. It was my first big bike event as “authorized media” and I made the most of it by hanging out with Lance all day. OK, OK, I’m just kidding. Actually it was quite the opposite. We were officially warned to … Read more
Just released from the City of Portland are impressive stats for daily bike traffic over the four main Portland bridges. These stats are from this summer and they reflect the largest jump in bike traffic since records started being kept back in 1992 and how a nearly 15% jump since last year alone. The bridges … Read more
Tough punishment has been given to a cyclist in Corvallis who ran a stop sign and killed a 71 year-old woman. From the Associated Press: A bicyclist was charged with manslaughter after he ran through a stop sign and struck and killed a 71-year-old woman, police said Monday. Jean Calder died at Good Samaritan Hospital … Read more
Taking a cue from Shift’s highly successful “Get Lit” program*, Portland Police will soon be distributing free bike lights to visibility-challenged cyclists. In addition, volunteers from Shift and traffic safety specialists from The City of Portland Office of Transportation have worked with the police on a bike safety brochure they will hand out along with … Read more