🚨 Please note: BikePortland is currently on hiatus and only publishing guest articles. Learn more here. Thank you. - Jonathan 🙏

Six-week closure of popular River View Cemetery route starts August 12th

river view cemetery

Take note: Six week closure coming soon.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

A popular bicycle route through River View Cemetery is set to close on August 12th and not re-open until September 27th. Multnomah County officials sent out the traffic alert today, saying the closure is necessary so construction crews can build the new entrance to the Cemetery along Highway 43 that’s coming with the Sellwood Bridge project.

To make room for this work, the road just above the funeral home will be closed. “Unfortunately,” writes County spokesman Mike Pullen, “this work in a very steep area will also close the trail that bicyclists and pedestrians use in the cemetery.”

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black Santa Cruz Carbon Nomad 2011

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Year: 2011
Brand: Santa Cruz
Model: Carbon Nomad
Color:black
Size:large
Photo: http://i.imgur.com/fejxSFy.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR
Stolen:2013-07-31
Stolen From: South East Morrison Street, between 7th and 8th
Owner: Colin Gruen
OwnerEmail: ColinGruen(AT)gmail.com
Description: Santa Cruz, Nomad. It had a set of
Mavic CrossMax DL Wheels on it as well as a CrankBrothers Joplin hydraulic seat
post and some Time attack pedals.
Police record with: T13007254
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Guardian Management takes on two bike-friendly buildings

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real estate beat logo

One of Portland’s major property management companies is taking advantage of Portland’s rising demand for low-car housing by stepping up its bike-friendly housing portfolio. Check out all the references to bikes and biking in the news release they’ll be widely circulating tomorrow (emphases mine):

Guardian Management LLC (Guardian), a division of Guardian Real Estate Services LLC, picks up two new apartment communities oriented toward the low-car and car-free lifestyle. Linden, a 135 unit mixed-use community located on East Burnside is currently in lease up and will open near the end of September. Guardian was also awarded the management contract for Milano Apartments on August 1.

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City drafts new ‘Project Evaluation Method’ for Forest Park

Vernonia Overnighter

The City’s new evaluation tool could have
wide-reaching impact on the future of bicycle access
in Forest Park.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The City of Portland’s Parks & Recreation bureau recently unveiled a draft document that could act as their guide to the future of how Forest Park is used. The goal of the new Forest Park Project Evaluation Methodology (PEM) is to provide, “a systematic and consistent method to evaluate projects” in order to, “screen construction and capital projects that propose alterations to the current landscape.”

For people who care about bicycle access in the park, this is an important new document because it will help Parks staff decide if and how existing and new paths within Forest Park should accomodate bicycles. The new tool synthesizes the findings from several recent studies and surveys about Forest Park and the Parks Bureau says they plan to use it in conjunction with the existing Forest Park Natural Resource Management Plan.

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Popular route to Marine Drive closed for five months – UPDATED

This isn’t a new closure, but after experiencing it myself over the weekend and just hearing about it from a reader — and given that it will last for up to five months — I wanted to get something up about it. See below for details and a map from the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services and consider other ways to access the Marine Drive path if you can…

Culvert construction will close NE 33rd Drive next week

A culvert replacement project will close NE 33rd Drive beginning Monday, July 15 where it crosses Buffalo Slough just north of NE Columbia Boulevard. The street will be closed all days and all hours for up to five months.

The city’s contractor had originally planned to close the street today and has postponed the closure until next Monday.

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A new ‘Common Sense’ vision for a Columbia crossing

Anti 12-lane CRC Ride-38

Could a new bridge plan save money
by putting the old one to use?
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

As the Portland region’s freeway planners lick their wounds over the death of the Columbia River Crossing, one of the region’s longstanding anti-freeway warriors is seizing the moment of quiet to push a new plan that he says would be far less expensive.

Jim Howell, a longtime citizen activist and former TriMet bus planner who helped lead opposition to both the Mount Hood Freeway and the Columbia River Crossing, has an out-of-the-box idea:

  • Scrap most of the highway enlargements that were part of the Columbia River Crossing.
  • Build a new eight-lane highway bridge immediately upstream of the current Interstate Bridge.
  • Repurpose the Interstate Bridge as a two-lane local street, a light rail crossing and a pair of dedicated cycle tracks.

Interesting? You bet. Howell, the volunteer strategic planning director for the Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates, says the whole thing would cost $1 billion, compared to the Columbia River Crossing plan’s $3.1 to $3.5 billion.

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Dark Blue Scattante FR-330 2010

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Year: 2010
Brand: Scattante
Model: FR-330
Color:Dark Blue
Size:Medium
Serial: SICFJ10G02749
Stolen in Portland, OR 97212
Stolen:2013-08-4
Stolen From: It was locked to the bike rack on Cesar Chavez (NE 39th) and Hancock.
Neighborhood: Hollywood
Owner: Victor Stegemiller
OwnerEmail: turkeyhandjive(replace with at sign)yahoo.com
Description: 2010 Blue Scattante FR-330 road bike. It has an aluminum frame, had 700cc tires, 24 speeds, carbon fiber fork, clip in/regular pedals, white lettering, a dinosaur/eyeball bell, front and back lights, and a Livestrong bracelet on the handlebar. There was orange duct tape repairs to the front fender and front headlight. It also had a white bottle holder. It also had flat handlebars with bar ends, and red fenders.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 13-155433
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

The Monday Roundup: E-trikes, ‘Hobocop’ and more

Photo from bicycledesign.net.

Here’s the bike news from around the world that caught our eyes this week:

Recumbent e-trike: George Cooper’s school project is clean, accessible and looks like an X-Wing fighter.

Three cheers for Hobocop: Next time you’re in Edmonton, look for a guy on the side of the street with a handwritten cardboard sign that says “Hello, I am a police officer, if you are on your cellphone right now, you are about to get a ticket.”

Sidewalk superhero: “‘Are you Peatónito?’ asked a little girl. ‘I am he.'” A man in a Mexican wrestling mask who calls himself “Little Pedestrian” is defending Mexico City by pushing cars out of crosswalks and hoisting motorcycles off sidewalks.

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Blue/Gray Schwinn TrailWay 2008

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Year: 2008
Brand: Schwinn
Model: TrailWay
Color:Blue/Gray
Stolen in Portland, OR 97202
Stolen:2013-08-4
Stolen From: EcoTrust building; in front of hot lips pizza. Stolen at approx; 11 am Sunday.
Neighborhood: Pearl
Owner: Ron Swaren
OwnerEmail: rswaren2002(AT)yahoo.com
Description: Blue and gray men’s Schwinn Trailway, back plastic rack, back red light, blue locking cable on handle bars, mirror, green BEll helmet
Police record with: na
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Silver Jamis Commuter 07 or 08

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Year: 07 or 08
Brand: Jamis
Model: Commuter
Color:Silver
Size:13.5″
Serial: U71K20111
Stolen in 97210, OR
Stolen:2013-08-5
Stolen From: In front of Ken’s Artisan Pizza on NW 21st and NW Flanders. Was parked in public bike racks.
Neighborhood: NW
Owner: Katherine Wright
OwnerEmail: wrightk21(A T)gmail.com
Description: Back black rack. “Fat tire” bike bell. Internal gear hub.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: T13007228
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Black Giant Mountain Bike 2008

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Year: 2008
Brand: Giant
Model: Mountain Bike
Color:Black
Size:20″
Photo: http://i.imgur.com/sP746EO.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR
Stolen:2013-08-5
Stolen From: McDonalds at 5th and Main, downtown Portland.
Owner: Ken Thackery
OwnerEmail: kcthackery(replace with at sign)gmail.com
Reward: 100.00
Description: 2008 Giant, black, newer condition, disc brakes, front suspension, new pedals with straps, Bike gallery sticker on the vertical tube, kevlar chain protector on lower frame.
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

black Nishiki 2002?

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Year: 2002?
Brand: Nishiki
Color:black
Size:adult
Photo: http://i.imgur.com/jTwVpaE.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97239
Stolen:2013-08-17
Stolen From: Stolen from fenced side yard of house. Corner of Corbett and Gaines in Lair Hill.
Neighborhood: Lair Hill
Owner: Britt Daughtry
OwnerEmail: daughtrb(A T)gmail.com
Reward: $50
Description: My bike has 2m reflective tape on the A-shaped frame. There is a pink rhinestone Barbie bell. Two cables are locked on the frame. Handles are bullhorn shaped. On the wheels and frame are 100+ small LED lights. Black battery boxes are on wheel and under seat. There are two white front headlights (one is a makeshift flashlight) and one red backlight under seat. Road tires. Back tire slightly bent.
Oddly a new bike was left in its place.
Police record with: 13-154807
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike