BikePortland

A speed limit sign success story

New signs on SE 14th Street in Sellwood.
(Photos by Lisa S.)

We’ve been talking a lot about speed lately. With the City looking to take on the issue in Salem this coming legislative session, and the BTA mentioning the positive impacts of lower speeds at every opportunity, it’s becoming clear that 2011 will have a lot of speed-related news.

On that note, a reader sent me an email last week about how she got the City of Portland to install 15 mph speed limit signs on her street. It’s a great example of a citizen taking action and the City listening and responding.

Lisa S. lives on SE 14th Street in the Sellwood neighborhood. She says the three-block stretch of 14th between Duke and SE Bybee (near Llewellyn Elementary School, map here) got a lot of cut-through traffic.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

— Publisher’s Note: This post is by our Bike Science columnist Shawn Small. We’ll publish short bits from him on Page Two in between his more in-depth columns that run on the Front Page.

The most feasible idea that we rolled around was the idea of incorporating a proximity sensor into a rear taillight.

This weekend I nerded down at Barcamp Portland and saw a lot of fellow nerds on bikes or with bike gear and thought I should finally do a BikeBotics session.

What is BikeBotics? I describe it as a merging of smartphones, gps, heart rate monitors, power, hacking, and bikes!

A few topics we discussed were:

BicyclingHub.com’s new store
on SE Stark opens November 1.
(Photo: BicyclingHub.com)

Local bike businesses are moving, expanding, and celebrating. Check the updates below…

BicyclingHub.com Relocates and Expands
Online cycling apparel retailer BicyclingHub.com has announced that they’ll move into a new, larger location at 642 SE Stark Street on November 1st. Currently located at 211 SE Madison Ave, owner Doug Duguay says the new 4,000 square foot space will “help us live up to our full potential.”

“As Parks Commissioner, I take this challenge seriously—and I am pleased to report that we are making progress on city-wide solutions.”
— Commissioner Nick Fish, a letter to Andy Clarke

City of Portland Commissioner Nick Fish, who oversees the Parks Bureau, has responded (read in full below) to League of American Bicyclists President Andy Clarke about the issue of bicycling in Forest Park.

When Commissioner Fish announced at the end of last month that he would not improve trail access opportunities for bicycles for at least two years, Clarke called the decision, “disappointing“.

Year: 2004
Brand: YUND–custom aluminum
Model: none
Color:White/dirty
Size:58/large
Stolen in NE Portland, OR 97211
Stolen:2010-10-21
Stolen From: home, 11th and NE Going St
Neighborhood: NE/Alberta
Owner: David Diviney
OwnerEmail: daviddiviney@yahoo.com
Reward: $150
Description: Old and ugly white YUND cross bike with red bar tape
Size 58
Mavic Ksyrium elite wheels with Ritchey speedmax tires
Ultegra rear derailleur
Fizik Arione sddle with carbon rails
Bontrager seatpost
Ritchey bars and stem
FSA carbon crank
Frogleggs front brake, Pauls rear brake
Shimano SPD pedals
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: T10007117
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

Florida high schoolers show us how it’s done (video)

Getting to school.
– Watch the video below –

Several readers have shared an extremely inspiring video from Orlando that everyone should watch and share. It chronicles a student-run bike-to-school effort at Colonial High School in Central Florida that you just have to see to believe.

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

– The Centers for Disease Control estimate that in the U.S. the cost of motor vehicle crashes is over $99 billion per year—that’s $500 for every licensed driver.

– New York City has settled a nearly $1 million lawsuit brought by people who had been arrested or ticketed during Critical Mass between 2004 and 2006. Police reports that came out during the trial show the astonishing level and cost of resources that the department leveraged against the ride during those years.

– The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has launched an ambitious campaign called “Connecting the City” that would create major bicycle thoroughfares crisscrossing the city.

Year: 2007
Brand: Redline
Model: Conquest Cyclocross
Color:white/blue
Size:large
Photo: http://cfs15.tistory.com/image/5/tistory/2008/12/23/14/00/4950707931871
Stolen in Portland, OR 97205
Stolen:2010-10-20
Stolen From: Downtown SW 12th between Main and Salmon (bike rack in front of First Unitarian Church)
Neighborhood: Downtown
Owner: Jared Gardner
OwnerEmail: jared@equitydesign.com
Reward: yes
Description: White and blue 2007 Redline Conquest Cyclocross road bike with SPD clip pedals, a computer speedometer with dead batteries, two water bottle cages and clips for headlight and tail light (not on bike when stolen).
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 10-155080
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Silver/Blue Gary Fisher Ladies Napa 2004

Year: 2004
Brand: Gary Fisher Ladies
Model: Napa
Color:Silver/Blue
Size:16.5
Serial: ITK3E03239
Photo: http://fisherbikes.com/bike/archivemodel/107
Stolen in Portland, OR 97202
Stolen:2010-10-23
Stolen From: From my garage
Neighborhood: Sellwood
Owner: S Kleiv
OwnerEmail: cakekob@hotmail.net
Reward: Yes
Description: Women’s frame Gary Fisher Napa comfort bike with original GF decal and River City Bicycles sticker on frame. It has a Burley black Tag-along bike rack with rear tail light, combo coil cable lock, water bottle clip, and mounted kick stand. The speciality rack has a threaded receptacle in the center for the Tag-along bike attachment.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 10-88376
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Kidical Mass returns! Thriller! Zombies! Slideshow!

Kidical Mass made its return to Portland in fine style on Saturday. The turnout was small (just a handful of families), but the group was fun and friendly. We met up under the colorful fall leaves of the South Park Blocks and mingled a bit before being corralled by ride organizer Katie Proctor.

On Wednesday, the TriMet Task Force on Safety and Service Excellence released its final list of recommendations. The task force was put together following a tragic incident back in April where a TriMet bus operator drove into five people in a crosswalk in downtown Portland, killing two of them.

Here’s an excerpt from the cover letter to the report written by task force Chair (and former TriMet GM) Tom Walsh,

The Mobile Bike Service Station built by Portland-based Metrofiets.
(Photo courtesy of North Natomas TMA)

A speed limit sign success story

A quick recap of ‘BikeBotics’ session at Barcamp

Bike Business Briefs: SoupCycle, B-Line, WTF Bikes, BicyclingHub.com

In defense of Platinum, Fish responds to League on Forest Park issue

White/dirty YUND–custom aluminum none 2004

Florida high schoolers show us how it’s done (video)

The Monday Roundup

white/blue Redline Conquest Cyclocross 2007

Silver/Blue Gary Fisher Ladies Napa 2004

Kidical Mass returns! Thriller! Zombies! Slideshow!

Thoughts on TriMet’s safety task force report

Metrofiets does it again with ‘Mobile Bike Service Station’

Latest Headlines

Guest Opinion: Stop tinkering with the TUF and fix the actual problem

Weekend Event Guide: Ladds 500, ride for a judge, bicycle show, and more

Podcast: City Council District 3 Candidate Brandon Mullen

Elevator closures on Bob Stacey Crossing frustrate users, while PBOT seeks funding for fixes

From the Archives

The 10 busiest bicycling spots in Portland