Gray Marin Sausalito Hybrid 1992

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Year: 1992
Brand: Marin
Model: Sausalito Hybrid
Color:Gray
Photo: /home/sbr/public_html/temp/17426.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97215
Stolen:2012-12-11
Stolen From: From our backyard at SE 52nd and Salmon.
Neighborhood: Mt Tabor
Owner: Shannon Rhoads
OwnerEmail: shannon.rhoads@yahoo.com
Description: Bike is painted with a dark gray coarse coating that reminds me of teflon. There is an American flag decal and a Sausalito decal on frame in addition to Marin. Bike had a gel seat, kickstand and a bike rack in the back. 503-332-6530 .
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 12-108500
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Reader: Why I don’t always stop for people waiting to cross the street

Crosswalks in action-1

Scared to stop.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

A reader sent us a note recently about a traffic situation that I feel could use more community awareness and discussion. It has to do with stopping for people who are waiting to walk across the street. Oregon law (ORS 811.028) clearly states that if you see a person waiting to cross an intersection at a corner, and you’re able to do so in time, you must stop and let them cross. (UPDATE: To clarify, the law says you must only stop if the person extends their body/bike/cane/stroller into the intersection.)

But what if you’re on your bike and you’re afraid that people behind you in cars (or on bikes for that matter) might not stop and that they’d run into you? That’s a sensation I can relate to. It’s also one that reader Chris S. felt compelled to email us about. Here’s what he wrote:

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White/Blue Pink Handlebars Trek 1.2 2007

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Year: 2007
Brand: Trek
Model: 1.2
Color:White/Blue Pink Handlebars
Size:54cm
Serial: WTU20300153C
Photo: http://www.trekbikes.com/images/bikes/2008/xl/12wsd_whiteblue.jpg
Stolen in El Cerrito, CA 94706
Stolen:2012-12-12
Stolen From: Bike rack outside El Cerrito Plaza BART Station. U-locked outside during business hours.
Owner: Veena Patel
OwnerEmail: VeenaIPatel(at sign)gmail.com
Reward: TBD
Description: White and baby blue Trek cycle with white seat (slighty torn) and light pink handle bars. Stickers – Freewheeling Bicycles and Iowa City PD Registration.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Meet the “Orp” a new bike horn (and light) created in Portland

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20120907-DSC_2258

Portland-based industrial designer
Toren Orzeck and his “Orp” bike horn/light.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Many people ride with bike bells; but the truth is, in the midst of traffic they are not nearly loud enough to be heard inside the cabin of a car or truck. That’s a problem that Toren Orzeck of Fuse, a product design firm located in southeast Portland, wanted to fix. “I’m not the best biker,” he said when I met him at his shop back in September, “but I love to solve problems.”

The “Orp” — which went live on Kickstarter today — is Orzeck’s solution. Orzeck is a former designer for GE Plastics and Nike whose brain seems to never stop working. He started thinking about the bike horn idea after the tragic, right-hook deaths of Tracey Sparling and Brett Jarolimek in October 2007. He felt an even greater urgency to solve this problem when, in summer of 2008, the gas-price induced bike boom got him and his employees on their bikes.

“I thought, there’s got to be a way to make bikes more visible — or maybe more hearable.”

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Let’s Race Bikes! gets a strong start (Photos from launch party)

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Big crowd for Let’s Race Bikes! launch party.
(Photos by Will Wall)

Last month we shared a bit about Let’s Race Bikes!, a new coalition of local teams that want to encourage more women to suit up and race on the road. They had their big launch party on Saturday night and we heard from one of the organizers, Karey Miles, that it was a huge success.

Miles says over 250 people turned out for the party and there were a “whopping” 65 ladies who showed up the morning after for a group ride in the rain. The party was both a launch and a fundraiser to support women’s racing. Attendees snapped up raffle tickets in hopes of winning one of the many donated prizes.

The women behind Let’s Race Bikes! plan to host rides and clinics in the coming months as the 2013 road racing season is just around the corner.

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More from the bikes/disaster front

Disaster Relief Trials -77

Ready for the apocalypse.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Along with women on bikes, another major biking theme that has gone from trend to full-fledged movement in 2012 is the connection between bicycles and disasters. From our local efforts here in Portland, to national attention thanks to hurricane Sandy, this is an idea whose time has come.

Check out the developments below, all of which underscore the momentum the bikes/disaster connection has going for it.

Local filmmaker Joe Biel of Cantakerous Titles is working on a documentary about last summer’s Disaster Relief Trials event. Joe filmed the event while being pulled in a cargo trailer and earlier this week he released a trailer of the forthcoming documentary:

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Yellow/black Specialized Rockhopper 2008

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Year: 2008
Brand: Specialized
Model: Rockhopper
Color:Yellow/black
Size:13
Serial:P7FAS0443
Stolen in Portland, OR 97212
Stolen:2012-12-12
Stolen From: Bike stolen from main parking lot of Grant High School (near NE Knott and NE 36th). Bike was left at 2 just east of pool building, locked to bike rack. Stolen by 3.
Neighborhood: Alameda/Hollywood/Grant Park
Owner: Joey Majidi
OwnerEmail: majifi@gmail.com
Reward: $50
Description: Yellow with black markings, black seat had slight tear. Bike lights and bike lock were only accessories
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 12-157834
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Holiday themed rides aplenty this weekend

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Kidical Mass December -9

Singing and cycling are a Portland holiday tradition.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

It’s a well known fact that Portlanders love themed bike rides. Even in the depths of winter and with the holiday hustle and bustle in full swing, the bike lovers among us still find time to organize rides. And why not? Being on a bike is a great way to explore holiday events, discover the lights and decorations up all around town, and there’s nothing like a bike ride to make new friends and keep the old.

This weekend there are several holiday-themed rides that are sure to increase the merry in your holidays.

Saturday, December 15th

Kidical Mass Bike Carol Ride

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Light blue univega

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Brand: univega
Color:Light blue
Stolen in Portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2012-12-12
Stolen From: Pcc cascade, 501 n killingsworth
Neighborhood: Piedmont
Owner: Cameron Whitten
OwnerEmail: Adoculos(A T)rocketmail.com
Description: Bike has a bent left handle.
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

Silver Specialized Allez Elite 2003

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Year: 2003
Brand: Specialized
Model: Allez Elite
Color:Silver
Size:56cm
Stolen in Portland, OR 97215
Stolen:2012-12-10
Stolen From: Bike was stolen from our house on the corner of SE 48th and Stark.
Neighborhood: Sunnyside
Owner: Justin Ohlschlager
OwnerEmail: joslager( atsign )gmail.com
Description: Sliver 2003 Specialized Allez. It does not have a front derailer or cable. Speedz front and rear fenders. There are two spokes on the rear wheel that are not bladed like the other spokes. Had to replace them over the two years i had the bike. Also the left front shift doesn’t work.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 12-157780
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

City Council approves bike share contract

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As a follow-up to our Front Page story yesterday, see the City of Portland press release below. City Council voted 4-0 (Saltzman was out) to approve Alta Bicycle Share as the bike share operator. (For past coverage, see our bike sharing story archives.)

Portland Bike Share moves forward with council approval of Alta contract

Private sector takes lead in fundraising for transportation option that’s seen worldwide success

PORTLAND, Ore. – Mayor Sam Adams and his fellow Portland City Commissioners approved a contract 4-0 today between the city’s Transportation Bureau and Alta Bicycle Share for the private sector company to begin fundraising for a system of up to 750 bicycles for public use.

“I’m very excited to say that America’s most bike-friendly city is now one step closer to offering a bike share system that’s convenient, affordable and sustainable. Alta has developed an ambitious plan and will bear the burden of fundraising to cover costs. I’m proud to have a homegrown company doing this work and confident the private sector will be successful in making this system a reality,” Mayor Sam Adams said. “Bike share is a game-changer for bicycling in Portland.”

Bike share systems let people check out bicycles to ride from one point in the city to another for a small fee. In cities across the globe, bike share systems have proven popular and successful by giving residents and visitors a fast, inexpensive and easy transportation option. People use bike share to get to work, run errands, connect to mass transit, visit friends and family or enjoy a city as a tourist.

Alta Bicycle Share designs, deploys, and manages bicycle share programs and systems worldwide. The company currently operates bike share systems in Washington, D.C., Boston, Chattanooga, Tenn., and Melbourne, Australia, and is preparing to launch bike share in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and Vancouver, Canada. Alta’s headquarters are in Portland.

BTA-led coalition seeks to restore active transportation cuts in City budget

BTA’s Gerik Kransky (L) and freight
advocate Corky Collier after the PBOT Budget BAC
meeting yesterday.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

In the face of severe cuts to active transportation in the PBOT budget that came to light last month, a coalition led by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) presented a proposal yesterday to restore nearly half of them.

With dwindling revenue forecasts, PBOT has had cut their budget for several years now. This year’s gap was estimated to be $4.4 million. Of that, PBOT proposed $1.5 million in cuts to active transportation — $1 million from projects and $500,000 to programs and staffing. The cuts would impact programs like Sunday Parkways, Safe Routes to School, neighborhood greenway projects, and more.

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