BikePortland

Blumenauer proved bikes were fastest, way back in 1979

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Detail of a 31-year old
Earl Blumenauer from
a 1979 Multnomah County
newsletter.
– See full version below-

U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer has been extolling the virtues of bicycling for a long time — but I didn’t realize just how long.

Far from jumping on the green transportation bandwagon, or simply hitching up to Portland’s bike heydays in the 1990s, Blumenauer has been promoting the use of bicycles in our region for over 30 years.

Yesterday I came across a scan of an old Multnomah County newsletter from May 1979 (below). The subject of the article and photo was a race in downtown Portland held to prove which mode — bus, feet, car or bike — could travel 12 blocks the fastest.

Guess who won?

Flames to make me look faster and
circa 1995 bib shorts to muster
up my glory days.
(Photo: Tomas/Team Slow)

Last night I ventured out to Portland International Raceway (PIR) to take part in the weekly Short Track MTB race series. It’s been over five years since I last raced, so I was long overdue.

Portland is lucky to have such a great facility like PIR so close to the city, and to have such a healthy racing scene.

PIR was full of bikes, racers, families, and fans. Not only was the dirt track and infield buzzing with mountain bikes but there was also a criterium race going on at the main track.

A reader just sent in a new video shot by local community news site Neighborhood Notes that shows blatant disregard of stop signs at the SE Ladd Ave entrance into Ladd Circle. Watch it below…

Ladd Circle from Neighborhood Notes on Vimeo.

Hawthorne Bridge traffic.
(Photo © J. Maus)

In a column published Monday, Steve Duin, a veteran columnist for The Oregonian, says that after decades of watching Portland traffic he has finally come to a realization: “cyclists are part of the solution to the city’s traffic woes, not part of the problem.”

Duin’s piece came after he spent time counting vehicles crossing the Hawthorne Bridge as a follow-up to counts he did a few years ago. Not only did he observe a 20% increase in bikes, but he also noticed a few other key things: 85% of the cars had only single occupancy and motor vehicle traffic came to a complete stop due to gridlock (not bridge lifts) on two separate occasions.

PBOT will announced a targeted effort
by Portland Police to crack down
on people who use a cell
phone while driving (or biking).
(Photo © J. Maus)

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) will kick off a new ‘summer safety campaign’ later today.

Mayor Sam Adams — who has consistently said safety is his number one priority in leading PBOT (which he has done for six years now) — will be on hand to launch the effort. In addition to a focus on safety, what’s notable about this campaign is that it’s not just biking and walking advocates doing all the talking.

Still from “Le Velo”.
-Watch it below-

Singer, songwriter and filmmaker Robin Moore is at it again with a video that just might spur a new bike party dance craze. He calls it a “Eurotrash/Bollywood extravaganza.”

The man (a.k.a. MC Spandex) who brought us the hilarious musical ode to roadie and fixie stereotypes “Performance” and then followed it up with another smash hit, “Get Dirty” which pokes fun at mountain bikers, just unveiled “Le Velo.”

“[District Attorney] Allgood said his phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the media reported his determination last week.”
— from NEMS360.com story;
‘DA reopens biking case after outcry’

An update on that tragic case from Mississippi we shared last week:

Here’s the latest from NEMS360.com (emphasis mine):

District Attorney Forrest Allgood will reopen his investigation of the May 22 car-on-bicycle accident in Clay County amid mounting pressure from the state’s cycling community.

Read more

black and white Lemond Big Sky 2006?

Year: 2006?
Brand: Lemond
Model: Big Sky
Color:black and white
Size:ladies/ very short petite sized
Stolen in Portland, OR
Stolen:2011-06-27
Stolen From: In front of 621 SW Alder Building, between 8-10:30 pm
Neighborhood: Southwest
Owner: Nora Dillon
OwnerEmail: notnora@gmail.com
Reward: negotiable
Description: Green handlebar tape; black back rack; black back fender. Sticker of a young girl riding on the center of the frame.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 11-053826
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

blue/silver Fuji Newest 2.0 2006?

Year: 2006?
Brand: Fuji
Model: Newest 2.0
Color:blue/silver
Size:47
Photo: http://www.bikejournal.com/images/Reyfuji1.JPG
Stolen in Portland, OR 97211
Stolen:2011-06-27
Stolen From: NE Grand and Going,
Neighborhood: Northeast
Owner: Emily Gowen
OwnerEmail: emily.gowen@gmail.com
Reward: money, veggies, appreciation
Description: First, the pic I found online, it’s not my bike but the same frame.
Mine is a mens sport road bike, blue and silver fuji newest 2.0, with a rack (seahearse sticker on it), handlebar brakes as well as dual shifters/brakes on the drop bars. It had my headlamp attached to the front as my light, and also on the front was the casing for a trip meter (the actual square electronic thing has fallen out but it’s wiring is still on the bike). Also the original black carbon seat post isn’t on it because it was too tall for me, so the seat post is silver. The handlebar tape is black and unraveling on the left side a little.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

City counts record 31,600 people at North Portland Sunday Parkways

Last night I went out on a limb and said the North Portland Sunday Parkways was the largest ever. Well, turns out that it wasn’t much of a limb.

According to PBOT’s official count, an estimated 31,600 people were at the event yesterday.

Linda Ginenthal, a Program Manager for the Transportation Options Division within PBOT said she did the number twice, just to make sure they weren’t mistaken. “But this is the real number,” she exclaimed via email a few minutes ago, “This is amazing! Wahoo!”

National Bike Summit 2010 - Lobby Day-27

A new bill introduced today by U.S. Congressman David Wu aims to bolster research that makes the case for more earth-friendly transportation policies.

The “Promoting Green Transportation Infrastructure through Research and Development Act” (H.R. 2317), which would expand the scope of existing federally-funded transportation research centers and create new ones, was announced with support from noted Portland State University researcher Jennifer Dill. Dill has led numerous bicycle-related research projects over the years including a study that tracked bicycling behavior with GPS units.

PSU is in Congressman Wu’s congressional district and is also home to the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium. OTREC is one of 60 federally-funded University Transportation Centers (UTCs) across the country.

The infamous traffic circle in Ladd’s Addition seems once again poised for headlines. The circle — which has frequently ignored stop signs at each entry point — is on one of Portland’s busiest bike routes and it has been the sight of numerous police enforcement actions (a.k.a. “stings”) over the years.

Some nearby residents (and members of the Hosford Abernethy Neighborhood Association) have a well-known dislike of bicycle operators who blow through the stop signs without considering the presence of people trying to cross. Tempers got so heated about these stops signs that last summer someone put up a trip-wire across the intersection in hopes of ensnaring a scofflaw.

Blumenauer proved bikes were fastest, way back in 1979

Back in the (racing) saddle at Short Track

Video shows extremely low compliance at Ladd Circle stop signs – Updated

Hawthorne Bridge bike traffic inspires epiphany for Oregonian columnist

Broad coalition to launch PBOT’s ‘Safe Summer Streets’ campaign

‘Le Velo’: Cycling’s Macarena?

After ‘outcry’, Mississippi case to be re-opened

black and white Lemond Big Sky 2006?

blue/silver Fuji Newest 2.0 2006?

City counts record 31,600 people at North Portland Sunday Parkways

Congressman David Wu introduces transportation research bill

Ladd Circle stop sign issue heating up again

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