🚨 Please note that BikePortland slows down during this time of year as I have family in town and just need a break! Please don't expect typical volume of news stories and content. I'll be back in regular form after the new year. Thanks. - Jonathan 🙏
Detail from “Bike to Blockade” poster The ‘bike swarm’ is at it again. Organizers behind the growing movement to use masses of people on bicycles to support the Occupy Portland protests, are planning several “feeder” rides that will end at an action to shut down the Port of Portland.
JPACT came together this morning to green light $16.8 million in federal grants for active transportation projects.(Photo © J. Maus) A Metro committee unanimously approved a $70.7 million package of federal “regional flexible funding” at a meeting of their Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) this morning. 14 projects (totaling $22.9 million) — including … Read more
Frames at the Sapa factory.(Photo: Sapa) Bicycling Magazine reports that Portland-based Sapa Extrusions — the largest U.S. bike maker — has decided to “Cease contract bicycle manufacturing operations.” According to Bicycling’s Chris Lesser, Sapa churned out 75,000 to 90,000 frames at its peak in the year 2000. You likely haven’t heard of Sapa because they … Read more
Commissioner Amanda Fritz speaking at a sidewalk safety press conference in front of City Hall this morning. (Photo courtesy PBOT)
BTA says they’ll oppose mandatory helmet laws “if a bill does not advance cycling in Oregon.”(Photo © J. Maus) In an email to members this morning, Bicycle Transportation Alliance Board President Stephen Gomez wrote a letter offering, “Clarity on the BTA’s helmet stance.” The letter comes in response to a new helmet policy released by … Read more
Map shows PBOT’s new “streets of citywide significance”.– Download PDF- The Portland Bureau of Transportation has released an update on their 2012-2013 budget situation. As we suspected, a major shrinking of their budget has resulted in a restructuring of how the bureau will prioritize spending. In other big news, PBOT Director Tom Miller has unveiled … Read more
Still from TriMet video that shows near-collision (upper left).-Watch video below- Last Friday night, a TriMet bus operator had to make an extremely abrupt stop in order to avoid hitting someone on a bike. According to eyewitness accounts, the bike rider did not stop at a stop sign. TriMet just released footage from the on-board … Read more
Results of 2011 Auditor’s Community Survey. The City of Portland Auditor’s Office released results of their 2011 Community Survey this morning. The survey gauged Portlanders feelings on a number of City services, from public safety and the quality of parks, to transportation. In addition to qualitative questions about how safe people feel while bicycling, the … Read more
U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenaur (L) and Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen were among the many politicians that attended the event.(Photo: Art Almaguer)
Cover of the plan. While Vancouver isn’t the same cycling utopia as Portland; bit by bit, the area is striving to embrace two-wheeled transportation. Those efforts just got a head nod from the Active Living Research (ALR), an organization that promotes walking and biking as means to fight childhood obesity. In a press release, Clark … Read more
Last night a TriMet bus operator made an abrupt stop – causing some injuries to passengers – in order to avoid someone riding a bicycle in downtown Portland. The man on the bike reportedly failed to stop at a stop sign. I first heard about it on the Twitter feed of Joseph Rose, a reporter … Read more
The world of bicycle shifting is dominated by two big names: Shimano and Campagnolo (and to a lesser extent SRAM). Now an upstart Portland entrepreneur is throwing his hat in the ring with a new product called Retroshift. As its name implies, Retroshift is old technology with a new spin. The product is a lever … Read more