BikePortland

Pedal Nation Bicycle Show will return in 2011

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Crowds were thick and happy
at the show in April.
(Photos © J. Maus)

You heard it hear first folks… after a highly successful inaugural event, the Pedal Nation Bicycle Show has announced they will return to the Oregon Convention Center April 8-11, 2011.

Show co-founder Aaron McBride, got in touch with us to share the news. He says after getting such a solid turnout of about 4,000 attendees and 110 exhibitors, he’s excited to put on the show for a second year. In addition to the fun features of this year’s show (like the Pimp’d Bike Contest, Kid Zone, Fashion Show and more) he’s got some exciting things up his sleeve for 2011.

Farhad Ghafarzade in his shop.
(Photo: Green Drop Garage)

Green Drop Garage, a full service auto repair shop in Southeast Portland, now offers free bike loans to customers who need a lift when their car is being serviced.

Farhad Ghafarzade, President of Green Drop, has struck up a partnership with local bike shop Bike N’ Hike. Ghafarzade says he and his staff already run most of their errands by bike — including picking up parts from nearby suppliers with their trailer — so, “Offering our customers a bike to borrow is an easy way to reduce our carbon footprint just a little bit more.”

Year: 1980s
Brand: Raleigh
Model: Wyoming
Color:Green
Stolen in Portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2010-06-2
Stolen From: Stolen from SE 20th and Pine in my colleague’s front yard.
Owner: Andrew Mueller
OwnerEmail: ajmueller.87@gmail.com
Reward: $100
Description: The bike is a 1980s 12 speed Raleigh Wyoming touring bike. Green. Steel Frame. It
has black fenders and a silver rear rack with a Kryptonite U-lock attached. The seat
is teared on one side and the stock swoop handle bars have been replaced with T-
style handlebars. My helmet was also hanging on the handle bars and there are front
and rear lights still attached. The rear freewheel was recently replaced with a
Shimano freewheel. If you have any info, please send me an email or give me a call at 651 eight95 4three52 – thanks!!
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: T10003358
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Green Raleigh Wyoming 1980s

Year: 1980s
Brand: Raleigh
Model: Wyoming
Color:Green
Stolen in Portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2010-06-2
Stolen From: Stolen from SE 20th and Pine in my colleague’s front yard.
Owner: Andrew Mueller
OwnerEmail: ajmueller.87@gmail.com
Reward: 100
Description: The bike is a 1980s 12 speed Raleigh Wyoming touring bike. Green. Steel Frame. It
has black fenders and a silver rear rack with a Kryptonite U-lock attached. The seat
is teared on one side and the stock swoop handle bars have been replaced with T-
style handlebars. My helmet was also hanging on the handle bars and there are front
and rear lights still attached. The rear freewheel was recently replaced with a
Shimano freewheel.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: T10003358
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

black Marin San Anselmo 2008

Year: 2008
Brand: Marin
Model: San Anselmo
Color:black
Size:adult
Stolen in Portland, OR 97205
Stolen:2010-06-2
Stolen From: NW 11th and glisan, from the orange bike rack in fron of the tempur pedic store on the sidewalk.
Neighborhood: The Pearl
Owner: Nathaniel Evans
OwnerEmail: nach0_her0@yahoo.com
Description: Black, with broken left pedal,side-ways-slanted seat. Black rack with dented rear. Black fenders, planet bikes LED light on handlebars. Missing bolts from the cup holder attatchments on frame.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: T10003338
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

ODOT charts course for a non-highway future

Gail Achterman at the 2008
Oregon Bike Summit.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The Oregon Transportation Commission is like the Jedi Council when it comes to setting statewide transportation policy. Its members are appointed by the governor and they have tremendous influence over funding, setting direction and priorities, and a host of other decisions that have a direct impact on our state’s transportation system.

With Oregon on an exciting biking trajectory, it occurred to me that all our momentum could be stifled if ODOT (whom the OTC sets policy direction for) is not ready to handle it.

In other words, imagine a funnel with all the projects, programs and great ideas for biking at the top, and a very small hole on the bottom. The hole is ODOT.

Cover of Forest Park: A Call to Action.

A recent report on the health of Forest Park published by the City Club of Portland has a noted off-road biking advocate crying foul. Frank Selker, the man who launched an effort to improve biking opportunities in the park back in December 2008 and who sits on the City of Portland’s Forest Park Single Track Cycling Committee says the report contains false, potentially libelous statements and he wants City Club to make several edits before it is officially adopted tomorrow.

The 65-page report, Forest Park: A Call to Action is an in-depth look at all the issues surrounding the park, outlining the urgent need to devote more resources to its care and management. The report touches on mountain biking in several sections and recommends that no new bike access is granted until several studies can be done on the park. (For more analysis of the report, see our story published on May 24th.)

Scene of a dooring incident that
happened around noon today.
(Photos: Tony Tapay)

We’ve been reporting on N. Williams Avenue a lot lately. Along with being a vital north-south bike route, it also serves a burgeoning, bike-oriented commercial district. It’s one of the busiest bikeways in all of Portland yet it currently has only a five foot bike lane to handle all the traffic (parked cars get 15 feet in some stretches).

A few minutes ago, reader Tony Tapay witnessed a dooring incident on Williams just north of N. Failing Street. Here’s another photo of both parties exchanging information and the victim being attended to by emergency medical crews:

Pioneer Century is Saturday.

Think of this weekend as the calm before the storm of bike events that kick off next week…

Friday, June 4th

Ongoing through Sunday: Mt Hood Cycling Classic
Head out to Hood River and the Gorge to take in all the great racing action.

Use of this marking (and
several others) has been denied.
(Graphic: City of Vancouver).

A request by the City of Vancouver to add directional pavement markings and signage on the I-5 bridge pathway has been denied by the Oregon Department of Transportation. We shared details on this project back in September 2009 and ODOT made their decision last month.

Senior Transportation Planner with City of Vancouver Jennifer Campos has been working on a host of improvements to make the existing I-5 bridge crossing easier and safer to bike and walk over. Since the Washington DOT’s jurisdiction of the bridge ends on the north side of the river, Campos needed ODOT approval for the new markings and signs.

“Budget cuts on this scale would be a major setback to bicycling in Vancouver.”
— BTA Advocacy Manager Gerik Kransky

As reported yesterday, the City of Vancouver has put its Bike Program on the chopping block. In response, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance is mobilizing its forces in Southwest Washington in an effort to save it.

In an action alert sent out via email and posted on their blog last night, the BTA says their plan is to encourage Vancouver City Council to dedicate $200,000 of what the draft Transportation Improvement Program labels as “presently uncommitted revenue” to the Bike Program.

That $200,000 is called out on page 28 of the TIP document under a chart that shows the five transportation programs (which includes the bike program) that are not slated for funding beyond 2010. Here’s the full excerpt:

[Publisher’s note: In a story last week I hoped out loud that City of Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) would seize the opportunity to re-stripe Williams Avenue north of Broadway with a wider bike lane. The road is currently torn up for a repave, so what better time to try and eke out an extra foot or two for bikes? PBOT got in touch with me after reading that story and requested to write a guest article about the situation. I agreed and I’ve published the piece in its entirety below. I’ve put some of the most important bits in bold.]

A BikePortland headline from May 27 asked, “Williams Ave getting repaved: Can we get a wider bike lane?” We are writing today with an answer: Yes. And not only can Portlanders get a wider bike lane on North Williams, but they probably will get one in the next month and may get something better in the next year.

Pedal Nation Bicycle Show will return in 2011

Car being serviced? Local repair shop will loan you a bike

Green Raleigh Wyoming 1980s

Green Raleigh Wyoming 1980s

black Marin San Anselmo 2008

ODOT charts course for a non-highway future

Advocate cries foul at City Club’s Forest Park report

Speaking of biking conditions on Williams Avenue…

Weekend Bike Event Guide

Friday, June 4th

ODOT says no to new markings on I-5 bridge path

BTA alerts members in bid to save Vancouver’s bike program

Guest article: PBOT responds to Williams Avenue opportunity

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