BikePortland

The Monday Roundup

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

“…a pedestrian, a bicyclist and an automobile driver enter an intersection. The person in the car turns and hits either the person on foot or the person on the bike, killing her. Question: What happens to the driver? In most states, nothing.”
— Alex Marshall, Senior Fellow at The Regional Plan Association

Here’s the news and other interesting stuff that caught our eyes this past week…

– The opinion pages of Sunday’s NY Times featured an interesting take on the ethics of illegal bike riding from Randy “The Ethicist” Cohen: If Kant were a New York Cyclist.

– The driver of an Olympic bus was arrested after they killed a person riding a bike while transporting members of the media between events.

– In reaction to the collision at the Olympics, Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins suggested victims of collisions can’t “argue” with the outcome if they’re not wearing a helmet but later insisted he was not calling for mandatory helmet laws.

Year: unknown
Brand: Raleigh
Model: Unknown
Color:Black
Size:Men
Stolen in Portland, OR 97209
Stolen:2012-08-4
Stolen From: Stolen from the sidewalk in front of the big brick apartment building (the metropolitan) on the corner of NW EVERETT & NW 21st.
Neighborhood: NW NOB HILL
Owner: Kate Troedsson
OwnerEmail: ktroedsson09@gmail.com
Description: Black 21 Speed Raleigh Mountain Bike (Men’s) With a sticker on the left side of the frame that says “21st Avenue Bicycles” in white type.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: T12006463
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Get hip to the heat this weekend

Anyone living in Portland has surely heard the doomsday predictions for tomorrow. It’s going to be well into the 90s! That’s like heat-ageddon around these parts. In all seriousness, it will be hot (so hot TriMet says their trains will slow down). But don’t let these scare tactics keep you from riding! Sunny and dry weekends are like gold around here, so while I encourage everyone to ride, it’s probably smart to at least keep the heat in mind when planning your time in the saddle.

We could do this if we wanted too.
(Image: JC Choblet)

Oh Paris, first you helped me fall in love with bike sharing thanks to your revolutionary Velib system. Now you’ve captured my heart once again by giving your iconic riverfront back to the people. I can only hope it sparks as many copycats as Velib did.

As reported by The Guardian yesterday, the mayor of Paris will move forward with a project to decommission a 2.5 km segment of an expressway on the left bank of the Seine River between the Musée d’Orsay and the Pont de l’Alma (see image at right). Paris will replace surface parking lots and a busy highway with, “a riverside park, pedestrian promenades, floating botanic gardens, flower-market barges, sports courts, restaurants and even perhaps an archipelago of artificial islands.”

And here’s more from The Guardian:

Expect a smoother road —
and a traffic mess — on Sauvie Island.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

We’re smack dab in the middle of the long-awaited summer riding season here in the Portland region. Unfortunately, the dry weather is also prime time for city, county, and state transportation agencies to do major repaving and road projects. Several have come across my desk in recent days so I figured I’d put them front page so you can better plan your rides and/or know what to expect out there. If you know of other road projects that impact popular riding roads, please add them into the comments.

The first project will impact a major gateway to riding in the Gorge. The Federal Highway Administration is set to begin a four month closure out on the Historic Columbia River Highway near Crown Point. I first shared word of this back in February. Earlier this week, an FHWA staffer emailed an update and asked me to share it with the community.

Abra McNair (L) and Sue Grandjean
are ready to take on the world.
(Photo courtesy Abra McNair)

The story below was submitted by northeast Portland resident Abra McNair.

This August, two Portlanders will head across the globe to Veszprem, Hungary to represent the USA in the World Championships of Mountain Bike Orienteering (MTBO). This will be the sport’s tenth annual World Championship competition, but only the first time the US Orienteering organization has fielded a team.

Susan Grandjean and Abra McNair, two members of Portland’s bike racing scene, will be joining forces with Seattle’s Rebecca Jensen to create the first ever female MTBO team from the United States. Each athlete will participate in all races offered, including sprint, medium, and long distance courses; plus a team relay.

Who says its “safe and reasonable” for bicycle use?
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

On August 13th, the City Council of Roseburg (about 170 miles south of Portland) will attempt to take a rare step toward strengthening the Oregon law mandating use of a bike lane (a.k.a. the mandatory sidepath law). That law, ORS 814.420, mandates that if a bike lane is present it must be used.

While the law is rarely enforced, its vague language lends itself to confusion and controversy. While it mandates use of a bike lane, it also includes many exceptions to the rule. Oregonians are allowed to leave the bike lane to pass another rider, to prepare for a left turn, to avoid debris, and so on. But, legally speaking, the most problematic language in the statute is this:

A person is not required to comply with this section unless the state or local authority with jurisdiction over the roadway finds, after public hearing, that the bicycle lane or bicycle path is suitable for safe bicycle use at reasonable rates of speed.

In a nutshell, if you got a citation for not using the bike lane, you could simply demand proof that a public hearing had been held. If such proof couldn’t be provided, it seems as though the judge have to dismiss the ticket. Police officers in Roseburg want to make sure no more people on bikes can roll through that loophole.

This just in from Multnomah County. Beware and get ready for some potential delays on several popular riding roads:

NEWS RELEASE

Release: August 3, 2012

Contacts: Mike Pullen, Communications Office, 503-209-4111, mike.j.pullen@multco.us

Pavement work will impact rural west side roads

Road surfacing projects will impact traffic on three rural roads in western Multnomah County, starting next week. The projects will apply chip seals, which are a cost effective surface treatment for low traffic roads in rural areas.
All road surfacing work is weather dependent. Work is scheduled Mondays through Thursdays. The roads and schedules are:

NW Gillahan Road: On Sauvie Island, from Milepost 2 to Milepost 3.5. Flaggers and a pilot vehicle will direct two-way traffic on one lane on these work days:

August 6, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
August 9, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
August 15, 6 a.m. to 12 p.m.

NW Rocky Point Road: From Milepost 2 west of Highway 30 to N.W. Skyline Blvd. Flaggers and a pilot vehicle will direct two-way traffic on one lane on these work days:

August 7, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
August 13, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
August 15, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

NW Germantown Road: From N.W. Skyline Boulevard west to the Washington County line, about a half mile west of N.W. Kaiser Road. The road will be closed to through traffic on work days due to the narrow, winding terrain and the number of large construction vehicles working in a constrained area. Access will be provided to local residents escorted by a pilot vehicle, with travel delays of up to twenty minutes. N.W. Cornelius Pass Road and N.W. Springville Road are suggested alternate routes. Work days are:

August 8, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
August 14, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
August 16, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes to avoid delays of up to twenty minutes. Traffic using side streets and driveways adjacent to the paving may experience brief delays during a rolling closure. Layers of gravel and oil are applied on the first two work days and a sealing layer is applied on the third day. Until the final layer is applied, motorists should watch for “loose gravel” signs and drive cautiously.

Multnomah County maintains 300 miles of roads and bridges. For more information, visit www.multco.us/roads.

blue Trek 2003

Year: 2003
Brand: Trek
Color:blue
Stolen in Portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2012-07-19
Stolen From: Garage
Neighborhood: Hosford
Owner: Bruce Birk
OwnerEmail: birkbrucemd@gmail.com
Description: Mid size men’s mountain bike from Trek about 9 years old. Smooth, wide tires. Stickers (BBYO, Zoo, OMSI, BTA, etc) all over it. Had cable lock, water bottle, side mirror, Burley hook up attached.
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

Gang Green Bianchi Pista 2004?

Year: 2004?
Brand: Bianchi
Model: Pista
Color:Gang Green
Size:59 cm
Stolen in Portland, OR 97206
Stolen:2012-08-01
Stolen From: 62nd and Mitchell.
Neighborhood: Foster/Powell
Owner: Andrew Rasmussen
OwnerEmail: drewerd7@yahoo.com
Reward: $300
Description: Well-worn Bianchi Pista.
Gang Green fork/frame. White/black Bianchi decals.
Brown, canvas-wrapped handlebars. Cut, und up-turned “bull-horn” style handlebars.
Gold Soma track pedals.
Black seat, silver seat post.
One toe clip, one pedal missing toe-clip.
Decal on steer-tube missing/scratched off.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 1266718
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Silver Cannondale

Brand: Cannondale
Color:Silver
Size:Men’s
Stolen in Portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2012-08-2
Stolen From: 49th and SE Hawthorne across from Watertough Saloon bar.
Neighborhood: Hawthorne
Owner: Sonam Gurung
OwnerEmail: sonamgurung113@yahoo.com
Reward: $100
Description: Silver Cannondale with green bell and water bottle holder.
Police record with: Portland PD
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

Blue Rockhopper Specialized Rockhopper

Brand: Rockhopper
Model: Specialized Rockhopper
Color:Blue
Stolen in Milwaukie, OR 97222
Stolen:2012-07-29
Stolen From: The Crystal Lake Apartments on the corner of 26th and Harris near downtown Milwaukie.
Neighborhood: Downtown Milwaukie
Owner: Grant Wilson
OwnerEmail: grantstanleywilson@gmail.com
Reward: $50 if still has conversion kit.
Description: Blue Rockhopper from the 90s. 26" wheels. I attached an electric conversion kit to the front wheel and have wires running to the back, but the thief may have removed those. I also taped a flashlight to the front, but the thief may have removed that also.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

The Monday Roundup

Black Raleigh Unknown unknown

Get hip to the heat this weekend

While Portland dreams, Paris does (and other thoughts on our freeway problem)

Several popular roads set for paving, construction projects

Reader Story: Portland team heads to Hungary for MTB Orienteering World Championships

In rare move, City of Roseburg looks to strengthen Oregon’s ‘mandatory sidepath’ law

Paving projects will impact popular rural roads on the west side

blue Trek 2003

Gang Green Bianchi Pista 2004?

Silver Cannondale

Blue Rockhopper Specialized Rockhopper

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