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
Locks needed? We all know the bike theft problem is bad…but it turns out even bikes hanging by the hooks on a MAX train aren’t safe. This was just posted to a local email list: “This morning I arrived at the MAX stop just as the train was arriving so instead of locking my bike … Read more
I just got an email from a local journalist who’s working on a story about TriMet and he needs feedback from cyclists. Here are the details: I’m working on a story about how TriMet handles complaints from passengers, bike riders, pedestrains, and so on. I’m interested in any stories people have about their interactions with … Read more
It was an amazing morning of bike love here in Portland. We had a great turnout at both Breakfast on the Bridges: Driver Donut Edition (photos), and the “I Share the Road” rally (photos). The sun even came out to lend its endorsement to the proceedings. And I’m sure it didn’t hurt that the events … Read more
Someone just emailed me a link to Phil Stanford’s column in the Portland Tribune. They got an interview with the guy that beat up Randy. Turns out his nickname is “Gater” and he’s an ex-boxer! Here’s an excerpt: “Gater says he was on his way to work that morning when this guy – who’d been … Read more
The City of Portland will hold a rally tomorrow morning to “recommit community support for all modes of transportation” and officially launch the “I Share the Road” campaign. According to the official statement (PDF here) from the Office of Transportation, the joint effort has brought together a diverse group including; the Mayor of Portland, and … Read more
A group of cyclists intends to put a TriMet twist on this Friday’s Breakfast on the Bridges. The event (which happens on the last Friday of every month) usually consists of volunteers handing out free coffee and pastries to early-morning bike commuters on the Hawthorne and Broadway Bridges. However, in light of recent events organizers … Read more
The TriMet/bike incident has the spread across the country, but unfortunately of all the parties involved only the cyclist has made a statement. TriMet has been silent (they sent me a statement but it did not address this issue specifically), the driver is deceased, the passenger has not been found, and no witnesses have stepped … Read more
[From the Oregonian] It’s been a crazy week around here. The Randy Albright/TriMet thing has spilled over from my site to the local media, the blogosphere, and now to the national media (someone saw the video on Fox TV in Utah). The result is an avalanche of comments (101 on this blog at last count) … Read more
Did anyone notice the posts to the Portland forum on OregonLive.com in response to the Albright/TriMet lawsuit? I clicked on them just out of curiousity. Wow. They reveal the dark underbelly of how some Portlanders feel about cyclists. I’m not posting these to get cyclists all pissed off, I just think its useful to know … Read more
As expected, the local media is all over the Randy Albright/TriMet lawsuit I reported on last Friday. (By the way, if you haven’t checked in a few days, that post has sparked some spirited discussion that is well worth a read). KGW (our local NBC) ran a story with the TriMet video and an interview … Read more
[Photo from TriMet bus video] Long time bike advocate and current city employee Randy Albright (seen here at a June Critical Mass ride) has filed a lawsuit against TriMet seeking damages of over $48,000. The suit, which was filed last Friday, details an incident which occured on the Hawthorne Bridge back in January 2004. I … Read more