Another weekend full of excellent and fun bike events is upon us (we are lucky aren’t we!?).
Here’s the rundown:
4:30 – 6:30pm: Bikes, Boheme, and Beer
The Portland Opera wants to hang out with all the people on bikes that pass by their headquarters on the Esplanade just south of OMSI. Complimentary beverages and opera singers will be present.
The folks at Widmer Brothers Brewery are so excited to have a new, on-street bike parking corral in front of their Gasthaus Pub (on N. Russell at Interstate), they’re planning a party to celebrate.
On September 2nd they’ll host an event called “Bikes and Brews”. Widmer spokesperson Mindy Green says from 5:30 – 8:00 they’ll have bike-related exhibitors, beer specials and a raffle throughout the day “to patrons with helmets”. Among the raffle prizes are four entry passes to the 2010 Cycle Oregon Weekend Ride.
Citizen activist Chris Smith is the newest member of the Portland Planning Commission. The Planning Commission is a volunteer body that advises City Council on “any proposal that directly affects any goal or policy related to any element of the City’s Comprehensive Plan”.
Smith — whose day job is with Xerox Corporation in Beaverton — is well known in biking circles because of his activism, his blog (PortlandTransport.com), and due to his involvement on many transportation-related committees and stakeholder groups. He’s currently a member of the Bicycle Master Plan Steering Committee.
In a video interview with Mayor Adams prior to his confirmation, Adams said he nominated Smith for the commission because of his “extensive experience from the grassroots level on transportation, transit and zoning issues.”
Smith is filling the unexpired term of former Bicycle Transportation Alliance executive director Catherine Ciarlo, who left the commission to take the job of Transportation Policy Director for Mayor Adams.
Asked about his new appointment, Smith told BikePortland “I’m very excited to be joining Planning Commission right now. As you know, my passion is to help Portland develop sustainably – socially, economically and environmentally.”
Smith said his focus will be to instill those values into the ongoing revamp of The Portland Plan and that his work on the Bicycle Master Plan and Streetcar System Plan “are going to be cornerstones of that effort.”
Smith made a run for City Council in 2008 and he has been an outspoken critic of the controversial Columbia River Crossing project.
A major advocacy focus for Smith has been Portland’s streetcar planning efforts. He is currently Chair of Portland Streetcar Citizen’s Advisory Committee. According to the Willamette Week, he intends to step down from that role in order to avoid any conflict of interest.
Smith’s first Planning Commission meeting will this coming Tuesday.
This bike has been recovered (see comment below).
Year: 2002?
Brand: Canondale
Model: M3005E
Color:Red
Size:Small
Serial: 7LC5N14
Stolen in Portland, OR 97212
Stolen:2009-08-20
Stolen From: Broad daylight from inside home garage with door open.
Neighborhood: Irvington
Owner: Jay Hoover
OwnerEmail: jay.elaine@gmail.com
Description: Mountainbike with rack and fenders, water bottle holder, front and rear lights and non-knobby tires.
Police record with: 09074618
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
Two great job opportunities came up on the BikePortland Job Listings this week. Check out full details in the links below:
Year: 93
Brand: Schwinn
Model: Traveler
Color:dark grey
Stolen in Portland, OR 97232
Stolen:2009-08-20
Stolen From: Lloyd Center Mall Parking garage outside Macys
Neighborhood: NE
Owner: Matthew Speakman
OwnerEmail: mkspeakman@gmail.com
Description: Darker grey road bike with pink/red schwinn decals. At time of theft, drop-bars had BRIGHT fluorescent PINK wrap. Mounted flashing tail-light. Pump mount fastened to seat tube, “specialized” bottle holder fastened to down tube.
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike
Year: 2008
Brand: Fiji
Model: Club
Color:Purple
Serial: 3C-119
Stolen in portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2009-08-16
Stolen From: My garage.
Neighborhood: Ladd’s Addition
Owner: Scott Silver
OwnerEmail: silversh@gmail.com
Description: Purple Fuji Club, though I scratched off most of the Fuji stickers. White handlebar tape. rack on the back. u lock on the frame.
Police record with: 09072856
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
(*Note: After PBOT said they had changed the design of the buffered bike lane since I last reported on it, I updated the cross section drawing below).
The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation will re-configure SE Holgate Road this weekend and install a new type of lane specifically for bicycle traffic.
As we reported back in July, the project will create new “buffered” or “enhanced” lanes for bike traffic between SE 122nd Ave and the new I-205 MAX station near SE 92nd Ave.
Here’s more about the project from a PBOT press release:
“In order to install these bike lanes, this section of Holgate will be converted to three motor vehicle lanes from its current configuration of five lanes. One motor vehicle travel lane in each direction will be replaced by a 7-foot wide bicycle lane with an additional painted 3-foot buffer on the traffic side. Analysis indicates that this design will provide adequate traffic capacity.
It’s common at advocacy-oriented conferences to hear the latest horrible stats about how bad things are and how it’s up to the great work of advocates to charge into a new era and change the world.
At the Safe Routes to School National Conference being held in downtown Portland this week, attendees just got all fired up from a keynote by Richard Jackson, and M.D. and Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at UCLA.
A new, LEED Silver Certified apartment complex in Southeast Portland includes all the expected eco-friendly bells and whistles. But The 20 on Hawthorne will also include the nation’s largest automated car parking system. Check it out in the video below:
Ashland-based United Bicycle Institute (UBI) is now open for registrations at their new Portland campus.
UBI has been remodeling an existing building at N. Williams and Shaver in North Portland since they signed the lease back in May. Today I spoke with UBI owner Ron Sutphin. Ron said that their first class — a two-week course in “Professional Repair and Shop Operation” — will begin on September 28th.