BikePortland

Noted economist says “flawed” metric leads to highway spending, sprawl

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Economist Joe Cortright.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Joe Cortright, an economist with Impresa Inc. and the senior policy advisor for urban planning think tank CEO for Cities, says engineers and planners have dumped billions of dollars into sprawl-inducing roads and highways in part based on a “deeply flawed metric” that’s been an industry standard for 25 years.

Released today, Cortright’s report, Driven Apart: How Sprawl Is Lengthening Our Commutes and Why Misleading Mobility Measures Are Making Things Worse, takes aim at the Urban Mobility Report (UMR) a metric created by the Texas Transportation Institute 25 years ago. Cortright says the UMR is a flawed tool because it only looks at travel times and does not take into account trip distances.

Year: 2006
Brand: GARY FISHER
Model: WAHOO
Color:Black
Size:17.5
Serial:C16G2630
Stolen in Portland, OR 97217
Stolen:2010-09-29
Stolen From: At the corner of NE Davis at and 8 ave. IT was locked to one of two bikes racks in front of Harry’s Mother.
Owner: Adam Fischer
OwnerEmail: adamufischer@gmail.com
Reward: Sure
Description: A Campus Bicycle sticker on it. Denotes that I purchased it in LI, NY and have brought it out to OR.
Police record with: Portland PD
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Local builder roundup: The OBCA Show, A-Line, Renovo, and Cielo

This tri-bike from Portland-based Renovo Hardwood Bicycles is bound for the Ironman World Championships in Kona.
(Photo: Renovo)

Sunset at Alpenrose, courtesy of
the Blind Date at the Dairy series.
– Slideshow below –
(Photos © J. Maus)

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s cyclocross season here in Portland. Last weekend local cross lovers got a taste of all the mud and fun to come out at the Battle of Barlow and tonight is the inaugural event of the Blind Date at the Dairy series. The five-race series happens every Wednesday from tonight to October 27th. The races start at 5:00 so be prepared for sunsets, twilight, and even night-time conditions (if you’re in the A category, which starts at 8:00).

Director of Portland Parks
Zari Santner.

City Commissioner Nick Fish.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish and the Director of Portland Parks Zari Santner are due to release their recommendations on bicycling in Forest Park sometime in the next week or so. The announcement will come 19 months after the issue of how to improve bicycling in the 5,000 acre park was first put on Fish’s radar. The journey to this point has been messy and difficult for people on all sides of the issue. In the interest of bringing you up to speed on the issue, here’s my recap and thoughts about how we got to where we are today…

Year: 2008
Brand: Kona
Model: Paddy wagon
Color:Gray/white
Size:54cm
Stolen in Portland, OR 97212
Stolen:2010-09-29
Stolen From: Stolen out of a locked van on Ne Schuyler and NE 28th
Neighborhood: Irvington
Owner: Gretchen Harris
OwnerEmail: wemetontrimet@yahoo.com
Reward: Yes
Description: This a pretty new, single speed/fixed gear bike. It has a black seat, toe clips, black handlebars and tape. It has a few scratches on the bar tape.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Weekend Event Guide

Cross Crusade opener on Sunday!
(Photo © J. Maus)

There’s no telling what’s going to happen with the weather this weekend, but that’s no reason to slow down the bike fun. Grab your sunblock and a rain jacket and head out to some great events.

Friday, October 1st

All weekend: Sisters Mountain Bike Festival
A three-day event featuring everything a mountain bike lover could want. Explore the town of Sisters, OR and the great trails that surround it, and eat and drink some of the great local offerings. Registration information is available here, complete event details including location and scheduling here.

Year: ’09
Brand: Surly
Model: Steamroller
Color:Cream
Size:53 cm
Serial: M8093649
Stolen in Portland, OR 97212
Stolen:2010-09-29
Stolen From: It was stolen in the NE Broadway neighborhood near 21st.
Neighborhood: Irvington
OwnerEmail: alarkin@hotmail.com
Description: Cream colored frame (decals taken off). Black grips and crank.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 10-80989
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Police issue public bulletin for double hit and run suspect

The Portland Police Bureau’s Traffic Division is still trying to find the person who was driving a Subaru WRX that intentionally ran into two people in two different locations within minutes of each other on September 21st near the Rose Quarter. Last week, the PPB issued an internal bulletin to all Portland police officers to be on the lookout for the vehicle and I have now received the public version of that bulletin, which includes a photo of the model of Subaru they are looking for (see photo below) and a detailed description of the car and the suspect…

Brand: KHS
Model: Urban Escape
Color:WHITE/TAN
Size:L
Serial:UA0135158
Stolen in Portland, OR 97201
Stolen:2010-09-28
Stolen From: Apt. building, SW 5th st. Harrison Court Apts, Harrison and SW 5th
Neighborhood: PSU campus
Owner: Barbi Touron
OwnerEmail: dullleadsinker@yahoo.com
Description: Brand New Bike, drink holder, alum. rack on back, bike bell (silver, older), tan leather, bike seat , men’s bike, urban escape written in tan/orangery color
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

2009 U.S. Census: 5.81% of Portlanders commute (primarily) by bike

The U.S. Census Bureau released results of its annual American Community Survey (ACS) today. The survey found that 5.81% of Portlanders used a bicycle as their primary mode of transportation to work in 2009.

According to an analysis of the data by the League of American Bicyclists, that figure is down from 5.96% in 2008, a decline that’s within the margin of error. Overall, the percentage of bike commuters in Portland has increased 230% since 2000.

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation is rolling ahead with their 50’s Bikeway project. The $1.5 million, federally funded project aims to make a 4.5 mile north/south corridor between the Hollywood and Woodstock neighborhoods more comfortable and efficient for people on bikes.

Tomorrow night (9/29) is the second meeting of the newly formed Citizen’s Advisory Committee for the project and there are plenty of big issues to weigh in on. According to PBOT project manager Rich Newlands, who shared details of the project at a recent Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting, the biggest challenge for the project is how to make room for bike traffic on SE 52nd south of Division. That stretch of road not only has high volumes of (relatively fast) motor vehicle traffic, but PBOT estimates they’d have to remove 200-250 on-street parking spaces to make room for bike lanes.

Noted economist says “flawed” metric leads to highway spending, sprawl

Black GARY FISHER WAHOO 2006

Local builder roundup: The OBCA Show, A-Line, Renovo, and Cielo

‘Blind Date’ cross series starts tonight: A slideshow for inspiration

With recommendations due soon, a recap of Forest Park saga

Gray/white Kona Paddy wagon 2008

Weekend Event Guide

Friday, October 1st

Cream Surly Steamroller ’09

Police issue public bulletin for double hit and run suspect

WHITE/TAN KHS Urban Escape

2009 U.S. Census: 5.81% of Portlanders commute (primarily) by bike

Get involved with the 50’s Bikeway project

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From the Archives

Portland’s invisible machine: Behind the scenes at the World Naked Bike Ride