BikePortland

Join us for a close-in BikePortland Get Together

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Over 50 readers showed up for our
Get Together in Multnomah Village.
Can we top that in inner SE?
(Photo © J. Maus)

We’ve been holding our BikePortland Get Togethers since February now, as a chance to get to know the issues in far-flung parts of the city and connect our readers offline.

Every month we get requests to hold one in inner Southeast. We’re still recovering from Pedalpalooza and the non-stop month of June, and we thought we’d put on July’s event close to home — literally right around the corner from our office.

Please join us in two weeks, on Thursday, July 23rd from 5:00pm to 7:00pm, at the Green Dragon Bistro and Brewpub (928 SE 9th Ave).

About 50 people attended the North
Portland Climate Action Plan Town Hall.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Last week I attended the Climate Action Plan Town Hall in North Portland. The event was a chance for Mayor Sam Adams to explain the City’s stance on climate change and to address feedback on the draft version of their plan.

About 50 people gathered in the University Park Community Center. After an introduction by the leader of the Urban League of Portland (where he expressed concerns about a lack of racial equity in the plan), Mayor Adams led attendees through a series of votes. The results were tallied instantly thanks to little clickers passed out prior to the presentation.

Year: ?
Brand: Trek
Model: 1300
Color:Red/Blue
Size:56
Stolen in Vancouver, WA 98682
Stolen:2009-05-25
Stolen From: out of my garage at 14794 NE 31st Street Vancouver WA 98682
Neighborhood: Burton not too far from I-205
Owner: Aaron Remsburg
OwnerEmail: liquidguy2004@yahoo.com
Description: My bike is Red with Blue lettering, Blue wrapped handle bars, wireless specialized computer, matching red water cages, and Spin wheels. This is what will make my bike standout since there isnt many that have those type of wheels….
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Saftey Green no-name fixed-gear vintage

Year: vintage
Brand: no-name
Model: fixed-gear
Color:Saftey Green
Size:aprox. 50 cm
Photo: [IMG]http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m280/marcilebrun/NewBike.jpg[/IMG]
Stolen in Portland, OR 97202
Stolen:2009-07-2
Stolen From: The bike was stolen from the entrance of the Springwater Corridor on SE 37th
Neighborhood: East Moreland
Owner: Marci LeBrun
OwnerEmail: marcilebrun@gmail.com
Reward: $100
Description: This was a 50 cm fixed gear bike that I had built my self using an old no-name frame that was yellow and I spray-painted green. The paint was chipping so some of the yellow was showing through. It had bull horn handlebars with blue grip tape.
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

A “bold, creative” Clinton bike boulevard? See for yourself tonight

This “bicycle mandala” graphic is one of the treatments PBOT is proposing to install in an intersection along SE Clinton Street to make it clear to people in cars that they are on a bicycle boulevard.

Portland’s bike culture inspires
the world. The Sprockettes perform at
the Multnomah County Bike Fair
(Photo © J. Maus)

I rode out in the rain last night to grab a beer with Mattia Pellegrini, a member of the cabinet of the Vice President / Commissioner for Transportation of the European Union.

Pellegrini, whose background is in environmental policy, is one of seven cabinet members focused on transportation. He is in charge of sustainable transport policy, from green cars to bicycling. He is visiting Portland as part of a three week tour of six U.S. cities through the state department’s International Visitor Leadership Program, which is designed to groom future foreign leaders (several current and recent heads of state are alumni). He is meeting with key players across the broad spectrum of transportation in each city, with the aim of bringing back ideas and lessons to implement in the E.U.

We met up to talk about his impressions of Portland, transportation policy in the E.U., and beer around the world.

[*UPDATE: We had a review of this bike planned, but it is currently on hold. Our test bike had a major part malfunction, which was then replicated by the dealer (Joe Bike). Following that, the dealer has pulled the product from their lineup. We’ll publish the review when/if the bikes are available in Portland again.]

Furthering Portland’s reputation as a cargo/kid-carrying bike test laboratory, a local shop is now selling the Zigo family bike.

The bike’s main selling point is its versatility. It can be used as a trike with a child carrier in front, a jogging stroller, a “Child Pod” (in jogging or stroller mode), or as a stand-alone bike.

Commercial Street in Salem.
(Image: Google Streetview)

A plan to restripe Commercial Street in downtown Salem has been met with opposition by some business owners.

Eric Lundgren, a bike advocate who manages a Salem bike blog and is a member of the Mid-Willamette Valley chapter of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, reports that at least one business owner has already started circulating a petition against the plan.

Bike corral on SE 28th.
-Slideshow below/More images–
(Photos © J. Maus)

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation completed the installation of another on-street bike parking corral last week.

This one — on SE 28th at Pine in front of Ken’s Artisan Pizza and Bamboo Sushi — is the 20th on-street bike parking facility installed by the City and one of three that have appeared in recent weeks on the SE 28th corridor (there is also a corral one block north at Ankeny and another on Glisan at 28th).

Check out more photos in the gallery or watch the slideshow below:

Autopocalypse; electric cars; greenwashing run amok; sticking up for the right to assault; Metro plans ahead; freeway gardens; tires from orange peels

Here are the news stories that caught our eye last week:

– The new US highway bill, which is hoped by many to herald in a new era of non-highway transportation spending, is now on hold while Congress tackles health care.

– Elana Schor at DC StreetsBlog has a good primer on the current state of wrangling over the transportation portion of the federal stimulus dollars.

– Living near a freeway is worse for your health than you thought (particularly if you’re in the womb) — and you don’t even have to live very near it. New research finds that the pollution corridor extends a full one and a half miles on either side of a freeway.

Thousands of riders poured into Portland today — and so did the rain — for the 30th running of the Seattle to Portland (STP) bike ride.

They left before dawn on Saturday and the final rider just rolled through the balloon-studded finishing chute in Holladay Park at about 9:00pm Sunday night. There were 10,000 riders in all. Were you one of them?

64-year old St. Johns resident Bob Crispin was out to complete his 14th STP. He made a “great attempt,” but in the end, he says, his body just didn’t want to deal with weather and the final 40 miles (he ended up doing 100 miles, plus his age for 164 total).

Thankfully, Bob felt good enough to snap some photos (and then send them to us). Here are a few of his shots from the road…

Year: 2003
Brand: Cannondale
Model: R600
Color:Black
Size:58cm
Stolen in Portland, OR 97212
Stolen:2009-07-12
Stolen From: Stolen from our garage at NE 16th and NE Fremont.
Neighborhood: Northeast
Owner: Clay Veka
OwnerEmail: clayveka@yahoo.com
Reward: $200
Description: Black Cannondale R600, aero front rim, Mavic rear rim; Armadillo tires on both. Black 105 components, black handlebar tape, sks fenders front and back. Computer mount. Left shifter does not work properly. Speedplay pedals and 1 water bottle cage.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Join us for a close-in BikePortland Get Together

Adams takes Climate Action Plan to the people

Red/Blue Trek 1300 ?

Saftey Green no-name fixed-gear vintage

A “bold, creative” Clinton bike boulevard? See for yourself tonight

What can Europe learn from Portland about bikes? A conversation about E.U. transport policy

Now rolling on Portland streets: Zigos with Child Pods

Salem business owners work to stop bike lane project

City installs 20th on-street bike parking facility

The Monday Roundup

For many, STP adventure ends on a soggy note

Black Cannondale R600 2003

Latest Headlines

‘Better Sheridan’ project brings safer street to South Waterfront

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?

From the Archives

The 10 busiest bicycling spots in Portland