Event: Bike to Work Breakfast – (5/11/10)

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is hosting a celebration for bicycle commuters at Pioneer Courthouse Square next Tuesday, May 11. May is National Bike Month for the League of American Bicyclists.

All Portlanders are invited to join the breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the square. Attendees will be treated to free coffee, tea, bagels, donuts and fruit.

Last year, approximately 250 cyclists and supporters stopped by on their morning commute.

For more information, visit: http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?event_id=47677&mode=calendar&cal=DisplayEvent&a=0&&c=34749.

Attend open houses for Holman, Klickitat bike boulevards this week

Family biking-4

NE Holman is already a relatively
pleasant place to ride, but improvements
are needed.
(Photo © J. Maus)

We’ve already mentioned how important it is to speak up at PBOT’s bike boulevard open houses (a.k.a. neighborhood greenways), so today I’ll just offer a gentle reminder of two that are coming up this week.

Tomorrow (5/4) and Thursday (5/6), PBOT will hold their second round of open houses for projects on NE Holman and NE Klickitat respectively.

Read more

315 bikes from Portland headed to South Africa

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Bikes await loading into South
Africa-bound container.
(Photo: J. Leonard)

Thanks to a huge effort by Portlander Jenny Leonard and her friends and volunteers, 315 bikes and a bunch parts, tools, tubes and tires will soon be headed to rural South Africa where they’ll be used by kids who need a quicker and easier way to get to school.

Leonard hoped for 400 bikes and when she was well short of that number after the first publicized collection event, she decided to hold the container open for donations throughout last week.

In an email to supporters yesterday Leonard wrote, “I am so pleased with the fullness of the container and so impressed with everyone’s effort in getting the word out.”

Read more

Denver goes big for bike-share, while Portland waits and sees

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
City of Portland bike sharing demonstration-26

Portlanders demo’d public bikes at a
City hosted event last summer.
(Photos © J. Maus)

With their recent launch of 500 bikes and 50 kiosks, Denver is now home to the largest bike-sharing system in the United States. Bike-sharing has yet to catch fire in the U.S. like it has in Europe, so Denver’s foray will be watched closely by other U.S. cities, like Portland, that have shown interest in the concept.

Read more

Guest Article: Oil, coal, and thoughts on a fossil-fuel conscious life

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Sarah Gilbert
(Photo: Amy McMullen)

[This article was written by Portland resident Sarah Gilbert, a professional writer who blogs at AOL’s Daily Finance, CafeMama.com, and many other places. She’s also known as the woman who got a local food chain to open up their drive-thrus to bicycles. When not writing, Gilbert is tending to her three young boys, whom she pedals around on her Xtracycle-equipped Electra Townie with a “One Less Minivan” sticker on it.]

“I no longer feel I must defend my choice to go by bike instead of car; instead, I feel I must hold it high, a banner of hope and, perhaps, victory over these heart-clogging disasters.”

Read more

The Monday News Roundup

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

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

– As the news about the oil gusher on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico continues to get worse, some are suggesting ways to prevent future disasters like this.

– And that isn’t even the only bad news this week in the genre of fossil fuel-related disasters.

– Just before the spill, Obama toured southern states discussing his hopes for the US to become the world’s leader in producing and using biofuels like ethanol.

Read more

Teal Miyata Seven 21 1989

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 1989
Brand: Miyata
Model: Seven 21
Color:Teal
Stolen in Portalnd, OR 97202
Stolen:2010-05-2
Stolen From: Our yard near SE 21st and Division
Neighborhood: Seven Corners/ SE Portland
Owner: Robert Hubatch
OwnerEmail: rhubatch@gmail.com
Description: There was also a nearly new two child burley stolen along with the bike.
Police reference#: 10-035425

black urban express

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Brand: urban express
Color:black
Stolen in portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2010-04-30
Stolen From: Parked in front of river city bikes
Neighborhood: southeast
Owner: scott duncombe
OwnerEmail: srduncombe@gmail.com
Reward: 150
Description: Bus Project sticker on the upper crossbar. Back and front Bike Planet lights. Back wheel won’t match the front wheel, back wheel will be Sunrims, tire brand panara pasela tourguard kevlar.
Police record with: T0002493
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Work party will help repair illegal Forest Park trail

Illegal trail in Forest Park-18

Parks staffer Dan Moeller on
the illegal trail back in February.
(Photo © J. Maus)

A work party scheduled for tomorrow will work to decommission a rogue bike trail that was discovered in Forest Park back in February.

The event has been jointly organized by Portland Parks & Recreation and the Northwest Trail Alliance. Volunteers will restore the natural habitat around the trail in hopes of minimizing future damage due to erosion or the introduction of invasive species. On the trail itself, crews will cover up the surface with brush, take down jumps and stream crossings, and remove a cribbing wall that had been constructed.

Read more

Safety concerns result in changes to new curves on Couch

Update on Burnside-Couch project-7

Sweeping curves on NE Couch are
causing a lot of safety concerns.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The new segment of NE Couch Street that leads onto the Burnside Bridge from NE MLK Blvd. raised red flags as soon as it opened. Sweeping curves make it difficult for people on bikes to avoid riding on slippery bike lane striping and people operating cars and buses encroach dangerously into the bike lane.

Many people who ride on the street feel the curves are not safe for bike traffic and they worry that the constrained space will lead to serious crashes and collisions. When we asked for feedback on the East Burnside Couch Couplet Project (which this new street is a part of) many people said the curves on NE Couch were a major concern. Below are just some of the reader feedback we received:

Read more

Dark Blue Giant Sedona W 2008

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2008
Brand: Giant
Model: Sedona W
Color:Dark Blue
Size:S
Serial: C38D3921
Stolen in Hillsboro, OR 97124
Stolen:2010-04-27
Stolen From: Outside our apartment, was locked up with 2 U locks and a thick cable.
Neighborhood: Jackson School Village Apartments
Owner: Chris Anderson
OwnerEmail: chris.g.anderson@gmail.com
Description: Black bottle mount, front fender.
Police record with: Hillsboro
Police reference#: 10803630
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike