BikePortland

Your guide to Saturday’s Tweed Ride

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

I snagged this from the
Goodwill a few days ago!

In case it has slipped your mind, don’t forget that this Saturday is Portland’s first-ever Tweed Ride. To guide you to utmost enjoyment of this affair, graphic artist, freak bike maker, and volunteer Tweed Ride promoter Gabriel Amadeus recently offered these pointers:

There are no dress or bike requirements. Show up in spandex, I don’t care. Yes you will probably be mocked.
Riders are encouraged to bring food, beverages, and merriment for sharing.
Tea and Crumpets will be provided by Black Sheep Bakery at a midpoint.

A happy e-bike owner leaves
Kalkhoff Bikes in the Pearl District.
(Photo by Adams Carroll)

At the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a new hybrid electric bike from Sanyo stole the show. The Eneloop model made lots of headlines (Treehugger called it a “game-changer” and it even made it’s way into the Business section of the New York Times), leading reasonable people to wonder — could 2010 be the year of the e-bike in America?

Given that bike product trends often start here (dutch city and cargo bikes and Electra’s Ticino to name a few), it will be interesting to see if Portland becomes the first U.S. city to embrace e-bikes.

Last week, Sanyo’s North American Business Development Manager Alex Kelley was in Portland to show off the Eneloop. He was also in town to scout locations for solar charging stations they plan to install in Portland in the coming months. Acknowledging that e-bikes have their detractors, Kelley wrote me via email: “I know that e-bikes aren’t a product for everyone, but we feel that anything that helps get people out of their cars and onto the bike paths is a good thing.”

Year: 2003
Brand: Kona
Model: Fire Mountain
Color:red/blue
Serial:uknown
Stolen in Portland, OR 97203
Stolen:2010-01-29
Stolen From: City of Portland Water Pollution Control Lab 6543 N Burlington, Portland OR 97203
Neighborhood: St Johns
Owner: Peter Bryant
OwnerEmail: petertbryant@gmail.com
Description: Blackburn Voyager headlight. Armadillo tires. Front and rear fenders. Toe clips.
Photo here too: http://twitgoo.com/cngw3
Police record with: Portland Police Bureau
Police reference#: 10-8182
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

All set for the Summit

The Oregon contingent and
Congressman Peter DeFazio in 2009.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Earlier this week I bought my plane ticket and officially registered for the 2010 National Bike Summit in Washington D.C..

With a transportation bill in limbo, “livable communities” buzzing on everyone’s lips, high-speed rail and distracted driving making major headlines, and social media changing how people communicate, it should be a very interesting year.

This week’s featured job opportunity is with one of the State of Oregon’s premier innovative bicycle manufacturers. If you know your Pocket Llama from your Speeding Tikit, you may have what they need.

Sales Consultant — Bike Friday

Vergnetti’s Coffee: Bikes welcome.

What streetcar did for the Pearl District, bikes are doing for North Williams Avenue. O.K., so maybe it’s not quite an equal comparison, but the presence of bike traffic on Williams has encouraged its share of development and the influx of bike-friendly businesses popping up along the street shows no sign of letting up.

Newcomers Queen Bee Creations and Vergnetti’s Coffee are just the latest businesses who are embracing — and adding to — the street’s bike-oriented reputation.

Washington County Commissioner
Dick Schouten addresses the
crowd in Tigard last night.
(Photos © J. Maus)

If the energy and turnout at our Get Together in Tigard last night is any indication, the West Side is poised for big leaps in biking in the coming years — but it won’t come easy.

About 60 people filled the back room at the Fanno Creek Brew Pub on Main Street in downtown Tigard. The turnout was diverse — from Tigard Mayor Craig Dirksen to local bike shop owners, and even a few Portland residents who work in the area.

A serious and important community forum tonight kicks off a weekend of haywire bike fun and creative activism. Who says we can’t have it all? Share your events and plans below.

Thursday, January 28

6:00pm – 8:00pm: 21st Century Civil Rights: Transportation Health Equity Community Forum
How can improving our transportation systems improve our communities, our health, and our lives — that is, for all of us? Come learn about and discuss these issues at the PSU Native American Center.

Friday, January 29

7:00am – 9:00am: Breakfast on the Bridges
Leave a few minutes early for your downtown commute and take a break on the Hawthorne or Steel Bridges for a cup of coffee, a donut, and some good company.

Show me the money.

On the same day President Obama announced $8 billion for high speed rail and “the largest investment in infrastructure since the Interstate Highway System,” a report released today by the non-profit Alliance for Biking and Walking (formerly known as the Thunderhead Alliance) shows that in almost every state and major U.S. city people that walk and bike are at a disproportionate risk of being killed and are more likely to have serious health issues because they receive less than their fair share of transportation dollars.

I know you’re thinking, “Duh, we already knew that!” — but in this country, where biking and walking are still struggling to gain respect as viable modes of transportation, these sort of reports are needed to pressure lawmakers into action and to give advocates and citizens ammunition to push for change.

A sign of things to come?

Will a new LEED-like road certification program help the Oregon Department of Transportation do more for biking and walking access?

According to the Daily Journal of Commerce, the ODOT is considering whether they should adopt The Greenroads Sustainability Performance Metric. Greenroads is a joint effort by the University of Washington and CH2M HILL, a large project consulting firm with offices in Portland and around the world.

According to the Greenroads website, the program gives points to road projects (new and rehab) and then gives them a rating from honorable mention to “Evergreen.”

The BTA’s Board Chair Mary Roberts sent out a letter via email today with updates on “major initiatives” they’re working on.

Here are a few bits from the letter that caught my eye:

Preparing for the 2011 Legislative Session
The legislature will be making critical decisions about transportation and bicycling in 2011. The BTA will present a legislative package, including a vehicular homicide law, to make Oregon safer and more convenient for bicyclists.

ReRack (and the BTA) want
your used racks.
(Photo: ReRack)

I’ve heard a lot of good things about ReRack — a Portland-based company that buys and sells used roof racks and components — and now they’ve teamed up with the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. It makes sense. After all, for many people who ride bikes, having some sort of way to carry them around on a car is a fact of life.

Your guide to Saturday’s Tweed Ride

Is Portland (and America) ready for e-bikes?

red/blue Kona Fire Mountain 2003

All set for the Summit

Job of the Week

Bike-oriented development continues on N. Williams

Talking bikes in Tigard – Get Together event recap

Weekend Event Guide

Thursday, January 28

Friday, January 29

New report: People on bike, foot are at risk due to lack of investment

UPDATED – “Greenroads” for ODOT? Maybe

Alice Awards in June, vehicular homicide, and other updates from BTA Board Chair

BTA hopes to go from racks to riches with donation event

Latest Headlines

Your guide to finding the ‘Wildwood’ crows by bike

My journey to that ‘Hard Rock glow’

Off-Road Cycling Master Plan: A decade later, what has changed?

A rad Plaid Century

From the Archives

The 10 busiest bicycling spots in Portland