Opinion

The ‘Plenitude Economy’ concept looks a lot like Portland. With the Occupy Wall Street movement continuing to spur discussions across America about a fundamental shift in how we approach our lives and our economy, now seems like a good time to propose a different path. For many people in Portland, what could be considered a … Read more

Sign from Occupy Portland march on October 6th.(Photos © J. Maus) Taking part in both Occupy Portland marches and watching support for the protestors grow both here and across the country, has been extremely inspiring for me. It has also got me thinking (of course) about the national bike movement. Are there lessons to learn? … Read more

Just another day in the Netherlands.(Screen grab) The Dutch Cycling Embassy launched this week. Their mission? “To facilitate cycling worldwide as the most modern, efficient and sustainable means of transportation by sharing our expertise and technology as the world’s number one cycling country.” They’ve also released Cycling for Everyone, a 7-plus minute video that gives … Read more

Stencil seen in Mt. Tabor neighborhood.(Photo: Adam R.) Reader Adam R. sent me an interesting photo a few days ago. It’s a DIY stencil that’s apparently one of many painted on streets throughout Southeast Portland. It reads, “Vehicle’s Only!” and it’s written in all caps. Grammatical slip-ups aside (bikes are vehicles too and of course … Read more

Cars on the Sunday Parkways route yesterday irked some. Was it another sign of catering tocar use convenience?(Photo © J. Maus) An article published in the New York Times Science/Environment section Sunday points out something that many U.S. bike insiders and advocates have known for a long time: The reason European cities (and in the … Read more

Whose cars? Our cars! An economy putting the pinch on pocketbooks, rising gas prices, foreign oil imported from terrorist havens, a bankrupt federal infrastructure budget — all of these factors (and others) are creating a perfect political storm that could lead to a significant change in U.S. energy policy. With about 2/3 of our country’s … Read more

“Wealthy people often tend to see cyclists as losers and indigents; after all, if cyclists could afford cars, they would drive them.”— Al from PA, BikePortland commenter Last week we shared the news that several entities have spoken up in opposition to various motor vehicle restrictions being proposed as part of an effort to improve … Read more