BikePortland

‘Bicycle Accident Victim’s Fund’ launches

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Got this via press release today. Hadn’t seen it before. Looks interesting. Started in Boulder, CO, but it can be used by anyone in the U.S.:

BICYCLE ACCIDENT GROUP ANNOUNCES ESTABLISHMENT OF VICTIM FUNDS
BOULDER, CO USA (December 13, 2010) The Bicycle Accident Victim’s Fund announces the establishment of two Funds dedicated to providing financial assistance to bicyclists who are involved in bicycle-motorist accidents through no-fault of their own.

The Bicycle Accident Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is designed to help bicyclists defer legal expenses associated with their bicycle-motorist accidents. The Bicycle Accident Victim’s Assistance Fund (VAF) is designed to help bicyclists defer non-legal expenses associated with their bicycle-motorist accidents.

Read more

red Redline Flight 2005

Year: 2005
Brand: Redline
Model: Flight
Color:red
Size:26″
Stolen in Portland, OR 97203
Stolen:2010-12-12
Stolen From: Taken from driveway in front of garage on corner of N Olin Ave and N Harvard St., near Univ. of Portland
Neighborhood: North Portland
Owner: Tom Etienne
OwnerEmail: tom.etienne@gmail.com
Reward: $100
Description: Redline 26″ monocog mountain bike, circa 2004-2005, standard brakes, no front/rear suspension, all red frame
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: T10008492
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

The Monday Roundup

Here’s the news that caught our eye this week:

– Despite a long embargo on building more bike infrastructure, ridership in San Francisco is up 58% since 2006.

– New York City’s request for proposals for a bike sharing system has sparked considerable interest in the burgeoning bike share industry.

– A British doctor conducted a study, with himself as the subject, comparing the speed of commuting to work on a new, expensive carbon bike and a heavy, old steel bike, and found no significant difference. His recommendation for improved speed: “a reduction in the weight of the cyclist rather than that of the bicycle.”

The agenda for the monthly meeting of the City of Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee has just been made available. The meeting is Tuesday 12/14 from 6-8pm in the Lovejoy Room at City Hall (1221 SW 4th Ave)

Welcome to New Members
Committee Chair Matt Arnold and Vice-Chair Robert Pickett introduce and welcome new committee members

Brief Overview of Portland’s Bicycle Efforts
Presentations by City Staff to orient new committee members:
Roger Geller: history of bicycling efforts and current bikeway implementation strategy
Linda Ginenthal: city’s efforts in regard to encouraging bicycling and lessening Portlander’s reliance on the automobile
Gabriel Graff: city’s work on Safe Routes to School and other educational efforts

Discussion
New members will have an opportunity to formally introduce themselves. Following will be a discussion of why new members applied for the committee and what they hope to accomplish. Discussion in the context of the earlier presentations is encouraged.

Adjourn

Metro task force agrees to take “light rail model” in active transportation funding decisions

A Metro task force wants to emulate
success of light rail corridors in making
decisions about active transportation funding.
(Photo © J. Maus)

A Metro task force put together to decide how the agency’s Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) should spend $23 million in federal “flexible” funds, has agreed that the money set aside for active transportation projects — about three-fourths of it — should focus on just a few corridors at a time. The approach, similar to how TriMet has built out their light rail system, would be distinctly different than how our region has typically funded biking and walking projects.

The op-ed in AAA World that started it all.

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has spent over three months gathering signatures on a petition to persuade the automobile advocacy group AAA to support the continued federal funding of bicycling and walking programs. On Monday, their campaign will culminate when they bike over 50,000 signatures right to the doorstep of AAA’s national headquarters in Heathrow, Florida.

RTC’s campaign began back in August when the leader of a regional chapter of the AAA, Don Gagnon, argued in AAA World magazine that federal Highway Trust Fund spending on non-motorized transportation was leading to an, “increasingly deteriorating highway system.” Highway money should only pay for highways, AAA said. (Download Gagnon’s original article here. (PDF))

A source that works for the City of Vancouver (WA) sent this info over the other day (photos of the new lockers below):

“Three weeks ago we installed 4 more Bikelink lockers in our downtown area, bringing the total number of lockers to 9. This project was part of our Destination Downtown project, and was funded through a grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation. The BikeLink lockers are “on-demand” facilities that users can rent by the hour with an electronic key card. At this time we are charging 5 cents an hour for the lockers.

New locations:
SE corner of Columbia Street and W Evergreen Boulevard
NW corner of Main Street and W 11th Street
NE corner of Broadway Street and W 7th Street (1st locker before the C-TRAN lockers)
NE corner of Main Street and E 20th Street

Existing locations:
1300 Franklin Street on south side of Clark County Public Service Center – 4 lockers
NE corner of Columbia and 6th Street – 1 locker”

Vancouver was the first city in the Northwest to install on-demand, debit card access bike lockers. We covered the first installation (across from Esther Short Park) back in June 2006.

‘Friends’ share vision, push for bike-friendly Barbur Blvd

A design mock-up of SW Barbur with a dedicated and separated bikeway. Illustration is by Owen Walz, a planning student and co-founder of “Friends of Barbur.”

Crank, a new shop on SE Ash,
will have a grand opening tonight.
(Photos: Crank Bicycles)

Southeast Portland will welcome a new bike shop to the Laurelhurst Neighborhood tonight when Crank Bicycles throws open its doors for a grand opening party. Crank is the new shop opened by business partners Chris Harbert and Justin Tutor, the duo formerly behind the Kinetic Performance bike shop in downtown Portland. (You might recall our story of a break-in at Kinetic last May.)

Portland resident and River City Bicycles employee Wendy Williams celebrated a hard-fought victory at the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships in Bend yesterday. BikePortland contributing photographer David Haines was there and snapped this podium shot…

Wendy Williams, Masters women 40-44 National Cyclocross Champion.
(Photos: David Haines)

A cool and rainy Friday like this is the perfect opportunity to showcase two local job opportunities which are all about keeping you warm. First up is Showers Pass, the Portland based technical clothing specialists (and discerning BikePortland ad partners). Showers Pass is seeking an Inside Regional Sales Manager to assist with World domination plans.

If working the phones and customer database isn’t your thing, you might be interested in a spot with SoupCycle. Winning candidates for this position will deliver hot soup by bike to SoupCycle’s growing soupscriber base. Benefits include riding your bike all over town for money and partaking of their hot and tasty comestibles.

Check the links below for full job details and be sure to tell them you read about it here. Good luck!

Event Name: Trees by Bike at Whole Foods Market Laurelhurst
Event Start Date: 11 December 2010
Start Time: 11:00:00 AM
Web Site: http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/laurelhurst/
Event Description: Support Trees by Bike and buy a locally grown Douglas or Noble Fir tree and have it delivered to your home by bike. They will be at the Whole Foods Market Laurelhurst store every weekend up to Christmas from 11-6pm. Trees start at $33.
Contact Email: helen.lee(at)wholefoods(dot)com

‘Bicycle Accident Victim’s Fund’ launches

red Redline Flight 2005

The Monday Roundup

Portland Bike Advisory Committee Agenda: December 2010

Metro task force agrees to take “light rail model” in active transportation funding decisions

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy will drop over 50,000 signatures on AAA’s doorstep Monday

Vancouver (WA) installs four more on-demand bike lockers

‘Friends’ share vision, push for bike-friendly Barbur Blvd

Crank Bicycles will celebrate grand opening tonight

Portlander Wendy Williams repeats as cyclocross National Champion

Jobs of the week

Event: Trees by Bike at Whole Foods Market Laurelhurst (12/11/10)

Latest Headlines

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From the Archives

The 10 busiest bicycling spots in Portland