Key Crossing vote comes tomorrow
A key vote will be made tomorrow by the Columbia River Crossing Task Force. The 39-member panel will vote on how to move forward into the next phase of the project.
Opinion
Let's shift the dialogue on the Columbia Crossing project
The Columbia River Crossing project is moving into a crucial phase, and it’s headed in the wrong direction. A few weeks ago, I expressed concern about this project. Since then I’ve learned more and heard from many experts who share my concerns. It’s now clear to me that we need to do something to stop … Read more
Changing stop sign laws could hurt more than help
[Stop sign with in NE Portland.]Photo: zervas/Flickr This is the second of two posts offering different perspectives on whether or not we should work to change existing stop sign laws. In the first post in this series the author claimed that allowing bicycles to treat some stop signs as yields is a much safer and … Read more
Why we should change stop sign laws
[Stop sign on N. Williams Ave.]Photo: haljon/Flickr A recent interview I published about an effort to change the laws around how bicycles treat stop signs touched of an engaging and lengthy debate (92 comments so far). In reaction, this is the first of two posts I will publish to present different perspectives on the proposed … Read more
Passing thoughts on riding fast
[Editor’s note: This is the first contribution from John “Dabby” Campbell. Dabby is a veteran Portland bike messenger, bike polo player, and a prolific commenter on this site.] [John “Dabby” Campbell] If there is one thing that cycling allows, it is freedom. The ability to choose your path, to clear your head, enjoy the fresh … Read more
Concerns about the Crossing
[Transportation activist and blogger Chris Smith questionsthe Crossing at a panel discussion on 1/4/07.] Last night at my neighborhood meeting I heard two strange presentations. They both had to do with billion dollar mega-projects that are intended to increase capacity on Interstate 5 and thereby decrease congestion. As I listened I couldn’t help but feel … Read more
Proximity is key to our future
[By Elly Blue] For a broader perspective on transportation, look closer to home. Discussions of bicycling and transportation revolve naturally around, well, transportation. But involved citizens might be better advised to focus less on mobility, and more on staying put and focusing on what’s right next door or down the street. Or, more to the … Read more
Feds say Metro should think more about cars, parking
Chris Smith mentioned this yesterday, but I just noticed an interesting story buried in the Metro Section of today’s Oregonian. Here’s the gist. Metro is in the midst of their Regional Transportation Plan update. According to Metro, this plan is,
Oregonian columnist sings praises of pedal power
[From today’s Oregonian. Read the article.] For the second time in a row, Oregonian columnist Renee Mitchell has devoted her column (which appears on the front page of the Metro section) to the power of the pedal. Last Wednesday she wrote about how the community came together to recover Erin Greeson’s $2,000 stolen bike. Now, … Read more
Bikes in the community: My talk with John Canda
[John Canda, head of the Mayor’s Office on Youth Crime Prevention] On Wednesday I met with John Canda to hear his perspectives on how bikes might play a larger role in community policing. John is the Mayor’s youth crime prevention czar. Prior to that, he led the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, one of six coalitions … Read more
My impression of the Electra Amsterdam
All photos by Jonathan Maus, unless otherwise noted. When I first saw the Electra Amsterdam in an ad in Bicycling Magazine I was stunned. Not just by the bike’s drop-dead gorgeous looks, but because of what the bike signified to the U.S. bike industry and American cycling in general. U.S. companies have long offered various … Read more
A call for patience and a new paradigm
By Elly Blue As we debate stop signs, police enforcement, targeting of bicyclists (or not), and the definition of a brake, let’s clearly draw one distinction. On the one hand, there is the idea, often brought out at times like this, that some (or most) bicyclists think they are above the law. On the other … Read more