🚨 Please note: BikePortland is currently on hiatus and only publishing guest articles. Learn more here. Thank you. - Jonathan 🙏

A look at the City’s new “Citizen Reporter” iPhone app

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Screenshot from City’s
new iPhone app.

The City of Portland has released a new iPhone app that allows citizens (who own iPhones) to document and submit reports on a number of issues. Dubbed the “Citizen Reporter,” the new app is available free in the iTunes App Store.

In a press release issued today, the Mayor’s office said the app is a new way, “… to report and request service calls to City assets and publicly maintained infrastructure, including parks, traffic signs, parking, potholes, street lights, sewer catch basins and graffiti.”

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Gold Trek FX

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Brand: Trek
Model: FX
Color:Gold
Size:20
Serial: WTU110C1909P
Photo: http://www.jacksbikes.com/contents/media/l_trek_72_fx_2009_gold.jpg
Stolen in 66502, OR
Stolen:2009-01-25
Stolen From: Bicycle Pedaler in Wichita Kansas
Neighborhood: Manhattan Ks. Laramie street.
Owner: Benjamin Clinkscales
OwnerEmail: bencli@ksu.edu
Reward: $50
Description: Gold in Color. Got it from Bicycle Pedaler in Wichita Kansas.
Police record with: Riley County Police Department
Police reference#: 10-000444
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Commissioner, Mayor hear mostly support for Last Thursday

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A nearly carfree Last Thursday on Alberta-80.jpg

Positives outweigh negatives.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Last night, at a community meeting to hear feedback on the Last Thursday on Alberta event (read my analysis here), Commissioner Amanda Fritz and Mayor Sam Adams heard loud and clear that many people love the event just the way it is.

According to sources at the meeting and reports in the local media, upwards of 400 people crammed into the Acadian Ballroom on Alberta last night. There were many opinions expressed, but it seems the dominant opinion was that despite the growing pains, expense, and crowd control issues, the carfree environment of Last Thursday is something people feel is worth supporting.

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Watch out for streetcar construction zones – Updated

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Construction zone bike lane on Broadway
west of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The City of Portland has sent out a “Bicycle Advisory” notice for several bikeway detours and closures in the coming weeks due to streetcar track construction (and related sewer work) on Broadway and Weidler.

Here are the latest details (emphasis mine):

Detail from map of latest
streetcar construction hot spots.
    Broadway/Weidler – NE Benton to Williams (Sewer work)

    Starting the week of February 8, 2010 and lasting until approximately Mar 5, 2010 — Westbound bike lane will be closed at times both during the day and night. Westbound bikes will be detoured at Wheeler, one block north to Dixon and back to Broadway at Benton. Eastbound bike traffic on N Broadway/Weidler, from Benton to Williams, will be re-routed onto the sidewalk from 7AM to 4 PM. Bikes must yield to pedestrians on the sidewalk.

    Broadway/Victoria – N Williams (Water work)

    For two days, likely Wed (2/17) and Thurs (2/18) — The bike lane and two travel lanes will be closed at night on Broadway between Victoria and Williams. Lanes will be closed starting at 8PM and continue into the morning commute. All lanes will be open by 8AM. Bikes must ride in the vehicle travel lane.

    NE 7th – Weidler – NE Oregon (Sewer work)

    Starting the week of February 24, 2010 and lasting until June 25, 2010 – Sewer work will alternate from the east and west sides of the street. A flagger may be present or the work may require closing parts of the street. More details related to bike impacts will be provided as they are known.

If you’ve ridden on Broadway recently, you’ve no doubt come face-to-face with these construction zones. One of our forum members, bobcycle, noted last month that the bikeway re-routes are sometimes a bit sketchy. If you have concerns about these construction zones, call 823-SAFE (7233) and let the City know about it.

To stay abreast of Eastside Streetcar Loop project construction, check out PortlandStreetcar.org.

UPDATE – 2/20, 8:50 am:
KPTV/FOX picked up this story and did a piece about it on their newscast last night. Check out the video here.

Does Oregon’s new cell phone law apply to people on bikes?

Cell phones and bikes
— like riding blind!
(Photo © J. Maus)

Since Oregon enacted their new cell phone law on January 1st, many people have asked me if it applies to people riding bicycles. My previous opinion was that it doesn’t, but a closer look at the law now has me less certain — and more confused.

The new law applies to people, “operating a motor vehicle while using a mobile communication device.” Since bicycles are not “motor vehicles,” I initially assumed this meant that bicycles would be exempt. But I don’t like to operate on assumptions, especially when it comes to bike laws, so I asked the office of State Representative Carolyn Tomei — the legislator who pushed the cell phone bill — for a clarification.

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Glitzy Alice Awards spawn a free version

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Graphic from the Too Po’ Fo’ Alice
event website.

As a reaction to the high price of tickets for the BTA’s Alice Awards & Auction fundraising gala, a group of well-meaning Portland bike activists have announced their own version — the “Too Po’ Fo’ Alice Potluck.”

On the event’s Facebook page, organizer of the potluck, Matt Picio writes,

“Do you have $100+ to go to the BTA’s Alice Awards this year? I don’t. Whatever you think of the BTA, that night is when the BTA recognizes that there are other people (gasp! who might not even be MEMBERS!) who also contribute to the bicycle community in Portland – and we also think they should be honored. So we’re going to an AFFORDABLE awards dinner that same night, and give our own awards to the Alice nominees who we feel have contributed most to Portland’s bike community.”

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City toughens cell phone policy to save lives and money

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“The combined estimated direct and indirect costs of losses attributable to cell phone use while driving on City business = $283,554 to $1,039,698 annually.”
— From a City risk assessment report on the use of cell phones while driving

The City of Portland is taking Oregon’s new cell phone law one step further when it comes to their own employees.

A new state law prohibits the use of hand-held “mobile communication devices” while driving, but it makes two major exceptions: hands-free use is still allowed and so is using a cell phone “in the scope of the person’s employment.”

While the law gives specific exceptions for emergency responders and CB radio operators, it left the door wide open to others who drive on the job. The City of Portland has now closed that door for their employees.

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The Monday Roundup

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

– The ballooning recall of Toyota models with sticky accellerators has cast light on the reluctance with which the auto industry responds to safety issues.

– While many of our Portland readers were at City Hall to rally and attend the new bicycle plan hearing, the federal HUD secretary was a few blocks away at PSU announcing the opening of a new federal department with strong potential links to transportation issues, the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities.

– On Streetsblog, a discussion of the “invisible” side of bicycling—that many people who ride don’t do so out of choice and aren’t in a position to access knowledge about cycling or to advocate for themselves. (The discussion is continued here.)

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7th annual Mini Bike Winter starts Thursday

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Carnage awaits at the Chariot Wars event.
(Photo © J. Maus)

This year’s Mini Bike Winter is shaping up to be one of the best ever.

The event — which tries to capture the fun and creative culture of Portland’s beloved Zoobomb community — features parties, competitions, and this year, even a panel discussion.

Mini Bike Winter kicks off on Thursday night (2/11) with a panel discussion titled, “Should Bikes Save the Planet?” Panelists include: Author of Efficiency Shifting, Conrad Schmidt; Bicycle Pornographer Reverend Phil Sano; President of Umbrella and Director of the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition, Stephanie Routh; owner of Portland Pedicabs Ryan Hashagen; and PSU Professor of Sociology, Erin Rose Michaels.

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Reality check: Bike plan includes no financial commitment

“The plan calls for spending approximately $600 million to…”
— From a story published today by the Portland Tribune

The myth that the City of Portland’s Bicycle Plan for 2030 comes with a $600 million price tag continues to spread among various media outlets, despite the fact that the plan commits the city to no spending of any kind.

The Oregonian’s misleading front page article last week, (which their Editorial Board reinforced the next day) got the ball rolling.

The Oregonian article saying the plan had a “hefty price tag” was put out on the Associated Press newswire and is now being picked up and republished by media outlets all over the country. Even though the 2030 bike plan has zero financial impact on the City of Portland, The Oregonian story is being republished with misleading headlines.

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Mt. Hood Cycling Classic returns to Portland in 2010

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Mt. Hood Classic at Mt. Tabor -44.jpg

The scene at Mt. Tabor during the
2008 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The Mt. Hood Cycling Classic, a major, multi-stage road race that draws top professional athletes from all over the country, is set to return to Portland in 2010.

The six-stage race will begin with a prologue on June 1st at Portland International Raceway in north Portland. The following day, the race moves to Mt. Tabor Park in Southeast Portland for a “lung and leg busting” circuit race.

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Job: Bicycle Safety Education Instructor, Eugene (BTA) – FILLED

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Job Title
Bicycle Safety Education Instructor, Eugene

Company/Organization
Bicycle Transportation Alliance
This position has been filled.

Job Description
Job Title: Bike Safety Education Instructor
Reporting To: Program Manager
Pay Rate: $14.00 per hour
Status: Seasonal, part-time, non-exempt
Location: Primarily the Eugene area with occasional trainings in Portland
Job Timeline: March 7th through June 30th with opportunity to renew in the Fall
Hiring Timeline: The position is open currently and will close upon being filled

Vision Statement:
Bicycling transforms communities by reinventing transportation and offering solutions that help solve the universal challenges to health, livability and the environment.

Executive Summary:
The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) is a non-profit 5,000-member organization with a mission to create healthy, sustainable communities by making bicycling safer, more convenient and more accessible in Oregon and SW Washington.

The Bike Safety Education Instructor is responsible for the delivery and support of the Bicycle Safety Education program conducted by the BTA and funded by ODOT.

Responsibilities:
• Deliver 10-hour Bike Safety Education Curriculum in elementary and middle schools. Locations will be determined in partnership with the Program Manager.
• Represent the BTA at assigned workshops, trainings, forums, activities, events and other educational program opportunities in the region.
• Identify and pursue potential fundraising and in-kind donations as well as local grant and partnership opportunities.

Accountabilities:
Organization and Planning
Plan and organize in order to effectively manage multiple essential tasks with minimal support including the management of program scheduling, supply logistics, volunteer management, and relationship building with community partners. Report program activity in a timely and accurate manner to the Portland-based Program Manager.

Bike Safety Education Expertise
Posses skilled bicycle riding and maintenance skills needed to instruct and support students of varied ability and maintain dozens of bicycles in good order.

Presentation Skills
Organize and deliver lessons that effectively inform and engage young people using current presentation technologies as well as being able to make effective spontaneous presentations to children in classroom and outside settings.

Emphasize inclusiveness, work to minimize the impact of the differences in student’s ability and self-confidence to produce memorable and rewarding experiences for the students in our programs. Requisite Experience:
• Studies in child development, education, physical education, outdoor recreation and public health preferred
• Experience in bicycle safety instruction, education, physical education, outdoor recreational, public health or volunteer management preferred
• Exhibits a passion for bicycle transportation and/or an interest in creating livable, healthy, and sustainable communities.

Non-Discrimination:
The BTA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, physical or mental disability or legal source of income.

How to Apply
Please send cover letter, resume, completed BTA application form in PDF format via email to humanresources(at)bta4bikes(dot)org. No calls, please.