Lawyer Ray Thomas must be very proud. Back in January I posted about a new campaign he was promoting that would take advantage of existing statutes to empower cyclists to initiate a legal process to bring motorists to justice even if the motorist wasn’t cited at the scene of the crash.
[This is sort of long so if you can attend the meeting on Friday please scroll down for time and location.] This Friday the Oregon Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee (OPBAC) will meet in Portland (see agenda and location below). One of the topics on the agenda is a proposed bicycle ban on metro area … Read more
The successful “Get Lit” program, which gives out lights to Portland cyclists, is expanding into helmets. Community activist and Shift volunteer Jeff Bernards is spear-heading the program with his usual, “take it to the streets” style. Jeff, working with Shift to Bikes, has received a grant of $3380 through the ODOT funded, Community Cycling Center … Read more
If you would like to be involved with the future of the Sellwood Bridge, Multnomah County is recruiting volunteers to serve on a Community Task Force. It would be great to have some bicyclists on this committee. Here’s more information about the task force followed by a PDF of the application you can download:
[Peaceful Island road] Sauvie Island is a cycling paradise that sits just a few miles North of downtown Portland. Back in my training days I discovered that including out-and-backs, there are close to 80 miles of flat, scenic roads to ride on. Perfect riding conditions, except for one thing…hostile treatment from motorists. Road rage, taunts, … Read more
[Accident waiting to happen. Photo Cindie Olson] In the coming months, you’ll be hearing a lot about the Sellwood Bridge. This bridge, which is slated for renovation or reconstruction is a major arterial that connects SE Portland to the downtown core, yet it is very dangerous and inadequate for non-motorized users. As you can see … Read more
No one knows our downtown streets better than bike messengers. So you think they’d have a loud voice in any plans to drastically alter that landscape. After all, they’re are a group of road users whose lives (and livelihood) depend on safe and accessible streets because they sometimes have just a few minutes to deliver … Read more
There’s a new “Share the Road” mural coming to southeast Portland. Volunteers working as part of a Community Action Project with the Northwest Service Academy have earned a grant through the Community Cycling Center to paint the mural on the wall of the Hawthorne Auto Clinic at 4307 SE Hawthorne Blvd. According to project directors … Read more
[*Update: Here’s a link to the story and video from the KATU TV news coverage] Just got back from this morning’s Traffic Enforcement Action that was held at the intersection of NE Knott and 7th. These actions are a joint effort between the City of Portland Office of Transportation and the Portland Police Bureau. The … Read more
The Portland Police staged an unannounced stop sign enforcement action this morning in inner southeast Portland. Unlike previous “enforcement actions” that were highly publicized beforehand and with signage in the road, this morning’s operation was more covert and unexpected. Check out the reaction to it on the Shift email list and a bit more, including … Read more
After I posted Austin Ramsland’s great checklist for what to do after you’ve been hit, a few people wondered if we could make a portable version. Thanks to the help and suggestions of readers, I found out about PocketMod, a nifty little service that can convert PDFs into handy, wallet-sized booklets. I downloaded the program … Read more
Tonight is the Super Legal Ride created by super-advocate Elly Blue. The first one got some media attention (Portland Mercury and KGW-TV) and its goal and execution has come into question on the Shift email list. The debate revolves around whether or not it’s a good idea for cyclists to advocate for a new law … Read more