BikePortland

UBI all settled in, will host open house Saturday

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

The mechanics classroom at UBI’s
new location on N. Williams.
(Photo: UBI)

United Bicycle Institute (UBI) is all moved into their new satellite campus in North Portland (they also have a campus in Ashland) and this Saturday they’ll throw the doors open and welcome the community with an Open House event.

According to UBI’s John Baxter, the school — which has taught over 12,000 students from 50 states and over 40 countries — taught their first session back on September 28th. UBI is a state licensed vocational school that teaches courses in bike repair, shop operation and framebuilding.

The open house is a part of the six-week Oregon Manifest and is slated to include facility tours, a garage sale, and a custom bike raffle. Manifest organizers say UBI will raffle off (via $10 tickets) two bike frames (one of them will feature Shimano components, a Chris King headset, and a paint job from Coat) made by UBI instructors and the proceeds will benefit the Community Cycling Center’s Holiday Bike Drive.

Let’s give UBI and nice, warm, hearty Portland welcome!

United Bicycle Institute Open House + Custom Frame Raffle

A smoother Springwater now expected by summer 2010

This 7.2 mile stretch of the Springwater should be much smoother by summer 2010.
(Map: City of Portland)

A project to repave the popular Springwater Corridor Trail that was green-lighted by Metro back in March is now scheduled for completion by early June 2010. The $1.8 million project will overlay asphalt on top of the original rough chip seal surface for over seven miles of the trail from the east end of the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge to Jenne Road. The project was part of a $38 million pot of funds from the federal economic stimulus package.

Smooth sailin’.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Back in March, Kyle Chisek, a project manager at the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation, said construction would begin this past summer and would be completed “a couple of months” later (as in right about now). I followed up with Chisek this morning after a reader wrote in wondering why the project hadn’t started yet.

Chisek said it comes down to all the paperwork (inter-governmental agreement between Transportation and Parks departments, environmental assessments) and process (approval from ODOT). According to Chisek, Portland Parks and Recreation (PP&R) “Really underestimated the time it would take to get through the federal process.”

PP&R spokesperson Beth Sorensen said construction is currently slated for mid-March (it would have started this winter, but asphalt projects need dry weather). Sorensen also said that “for safety reasons” sections of the trail will be completely closed during construction. A detour plan will be created and so far, the schedule for the closures has not been released.

Bikeway design focus: Advisory bike lanes

[With the release of the public comment draft of the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030, it’s time to get wonky and learn more about what Portland’s brightest bike thinkers are dreaming up for the future. The story below is the latest in our ongoing coverage of the new plan.]

With advisory bike lanes, like the one from Europe in the photo above, people on bicycles would have priority, but motor vehicle operators could enter the bike zone to pass each other.
(Photo: PBOT)

Job Title
Bike/Ped Project Coordinator
This position has been filled.

Company/Organization
City of Wilsonville

Job Description
Bicycle & Pedestrian Project Coordinator, a newly created, grant-funded position for SMART (South Metro Area Regional Transit), designed to implement priorities set forth in the City’s Bicycle/Pedestrian and Transit Master Plan. The incumbent will work with existing community groups to promote bicycle and pedestrian safety and support local programs as well as explore the options of creating new programs as outlined in the master plans. Educational requirements include a BA/BS in related field such as Project Management, Planning, or a related field, or three years professional experience in program management, bicycle and pedestrian advocacy, or transportation planning. Experience with GIS computer programs preferred. Salary $3,297 to $4,203 per month plus excellent fringe benefit package.

How to Apply
Required application, job announcement, and job description are available at the Wilsonville City Hall, 29799 SW Town Center Lp. E, Wilsonville, OR 97070, online at www.ci.wilsonville.or.us, by e-mailing
jobs[at]ci.wilsonville.or.us, or by calling 503-682-0950.

Blue Green Trek 830 XL 1996

Year: 1996
Brand: Trek
Model: 830 XL
Color:Blue Green
Stolen in Portland, OR 97213
Stolen:2009-10-20
Stolen From: In front of Paddy’s Bar and Grill
Neighborhood: Downtown
OwnerEmail: grapeola@gmail.com
Description: Has a front fender only and a Bicycle Etc sticker on the frame.
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

silver Hard Rock Sport Disc XL 2006

Year: 2006
Brand: Hard Rock Sport Disc XL
Color:silver
Size:21
Serial: PSHH32629
Stolen in Portland, OR 97210
Stolen:2009-10-20
Stolen From: 3524 NW Thurman St
Portland, OR 97210
Neighborhood: Wilamette Heights
Owner: Paul Barton
OwnerEmail: rockyjstone@yahoo.com
Description: silver with Kryptonite lock attached
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

America’s top bike minds ask for (and receive) advice from Europe

Progressive Bicycling Cities Coalition dinner-6

The panel had some frank advice for
U.S. bike planners and advocates.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Earlier this month, I attended a dinner and panel discussion hosted by a fledgling coalition of bicycle transportation planners, bureaucrats, and bigwigs from across the country. Bike program coordinators from major cities like Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Minneapolis were joined by the executive directors of the two largest and most powerful bike advocacy groups in America; the League of American Bicyclists and Bikes Belong.

Why were all these bright biking minds in the same room? Besides their joint (and evolving) effort to promote more bike-centric infrastructure guidelines, they wanted to hear advice from their European counterparts.

Year: 2008
Brand: Scattante
Model: W-560
Color:frost green blue
Photo: <a target=_new href=”

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!”>

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
Stolen in portland, OR 97215
Stolen:2009-10-19
Stolen From: Se 60th and stark out of the basement of my building.
Neighborhood: mt. tabor
Owner: Cheryl Pierce
OwnerEmail: chris.schmitt@pcc.edu
Reward: $ 200.00
Description: Bike size is a 48 or 50cm. Had a computor, after market black seat, mountain bike pedals, small bag under the seat with a spare tire.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Silver Specialized Crosstrail Expert 2997

Year: 2997
Brand: Specialized
Model: Crosstrail Expert
Color:Silver
Size:58
Serial: P7JBF0294
Stolen in Portland, OR 97210
Stolen:2009-10-13
Stolen From: Portland State University on the Park Blocks outside Cramer Hall.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Owner: Scott Parker
OwnerEmail: jscottparker@comcast.net
Description: Custom modification of handlebars to hold a customized front pack. Front pannier frame.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Manifest event will demystify family riding

Would a Dutch bike work for your family? Or would a bakfiets/Madsen/trailer/Xtracycle suit you better? Find out this Sunday.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Oregon Manifest has an excellent Solutions Workshop planned for this Sunday as part of their Family Transportation Day. If you’re looking for advice or answers to family biking questions, you can participate! But it’s an RSVP only event, so please note the information below:

Attention Parents, Caregivers and anyone who wants to use their bicycle for hauling!

Bicycle industry, advocates and city planners want to hear from you.

Share your feedback, thoughts and ideas on products designed for bicycle riding with small children and hauling cargo. The workshop is a call for solutions to overcoming product, social and community barriers.

The Solutions workshop is a pre-registered, facilitated event. The goal of the workshop is to provide bicycle organizations and industry with a report on the needs of biking families.

To register please send an email to rsvp@oregonmanifest.com

Family Bicycle Transportation Day
Sunday, October 25th, 2009
Oregon Manifest Bike Union
NW Hoyt and 10th Ave
Solutions Workshop: 4:00 – 7:00

Study claims severe injuries are result of lagging bike infrastructure

“The government is pushing bike days, and rebates for bike use. Communities are putting in bicycle kiosks.” However, there is only limited data to show that “we have bikeways to support this increase in bike use.”
— from a Reuters story about a new study on bicycle-related injuries

A new study from Colorado has found that bicycle-related injuries in the United States are becoming more severe, leading researchers to conclude that bike infrastructure is not keeping up with the increased number of riders.

From Reuters:

The findings stem from a study of 329 bicycle injuries treated at the Rocky Mountain Regional Trauma Center at Denver Health Medical Center from 1996 to 2006…

The rise in injury severity likely reflects an increased rate of “motor vehicle associated injuries, which might suggest, along with a trend toward older age, that the injuries occurred in commuters more frequently than the past, as opposed to recreational riders,”…

Although the public is very enthusiastic about bicycle use as a means of transportation, we think that infrastructure has lagged behind in the US,” he [researcher Dr. Jeffry Kashuk] explained. “The government is pushing bike days, and rebates for bike use. Communities are putting in bicycle kiosks.” However, there is only limited data to show that “we have bikeways to support this increase in bike use.”

UBI all settled in, will host open house Saturday

A smoother Springwater now expected by summer 2010

Bikeway design focus: Advisory bike lanes

Job: Bike/Ped Project Coordinator (City of Wilsonville) – FILLED

Blue Green Trek 830 XL 1996

silver Hard Rock Sport Disc XL 2006

America’s top bike minds ask for (and receive) advice from Europe

frost green blue Scattante W-560 2008

Silver Specialized Crosstrail Expert 2997

Manifest event will demystify family riding

Participants wanted for family biking ‘solutions workshop’

Study claims severe injuries are result of lagging bike infrastructure

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