Note, 4/14: I had total knee replacement surgery on Friday and I’m still in recovery-mode. I’ll start posting again as soon as I can. Thanks for all the well wishes! 🙏. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor
The Oregonian Editorial Board weighed in on the state of bicycling in Portland today. The editorial appeared on the same week that PBOT released its annual bike counts showing a 6.4% increase between 2010 and 2011. Whenever our state’s newspaper of record devotes major opinion space to bicycling, it’s worth noting. Regardless of what you … Read more
Rep. John Mica at a bike industry fundraising event in March 2009.(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland) Since the House transportation bill has gone all crazy, I’ve been banging my head against my desk to figure out why Republican members of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee are so afraid of including any mention of bicycling, transit … Read more
A memorial on SE Foster near site of fatal collision back in November 2009.(Photos © J. Maus) The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has been doing “crosswalk enforcement actions” for several years. The events, which place a human decoy in a crosswalk with a phalanx of cops waiting to pull people over nearby, have helped … Read more
Could the route for the streetcarbecome a bicycle highway?(Image: Metro) After what the Oregonian called “persistent doubts from suburban taxpayers and a wealthy enclave of homeowners” the Lake Oswego streetcar project is on the rocks. Concerns about construction and operating costs of the streetcar were the reasons for its demise, but over $2 million has … Read more
I believe it’s time for a new transportation vision.(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland) Tonight, President Obama will give the annual State of the Union address. While there’s zero chance he’ll mention bicycling, there is a chance he’ll mention transportation investments (likely in the context of creating jobs). If you were writing the speech, what would you … Read more
Yes it’s a party, but it’s not all fun and games.(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland) Remember the flap about Sunday Parkways at City Council last week? After listening to the full audio of the meeting, I feel like it deserves a second look — not only for the policy debate but for the way the story … Read more
The subtitle of the article, “City planners hope for more investment in urban renewal district,” is buried under the heading “Beaverton auto sales drive city economy.” Full disclosure: I love bikes. I love riding them, talking about them, taking pictures of them, and just about anything else that involves them. I live in the suburbs … Read more
I want the new freeway to be this wide! U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has some explaining to do. LaHood, who famously stood on a tabletop and thanked bike advocates for their hard work at the 2010 National Bike Summit and later posted on his blog that, “This is the end of favoring … Read more
The face of a front-line officer at yesterday’s protest.(Photo © J. Maus) Our story about cops on bikes at the Occupy Portland protests yesterday has sparked a dialogue (that’s happening citywide, not just on BikePortland) about the size and style of force the City of Portland is bringing to these events. In a comment on … Read more
Severe cuts will force us to make bold decisions on how we prioritize funding.(Photos © J. Maus) The Portland Bureau of Transportation made an historic announcement on Monday. In order to balance their budget, the agency needs to make $16 million in ongoing cuts. Not one-time cuts to patch a lean year, but ongoing and … Read more
View heading westbound onto Steel Bridge (note the yellow sign). Since moving into an office on SW 4th (between Stark and Oak) the Steel Bridge has become my preferred access in and out of downtown. Because I prefer the most direct and efficient route, I ride up on the bridge roadway (not on the sidewalk … Read more