BikePortland

Would a ‘Bikes Fly Free’ policy fly at Portland Int’l Airport?

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

“I know she wasn’t responsible [for the fee], but I was still tempted to ask her, ‘how much are you charging for golf clubs again?'”
— Slate Olson, upon being told his bike would cost $175 each way

On Wednesday, May 20th, Portlander Slate Olson was headed to Washington D.C. on a business trip when a woman working the United Airlines ticket counter at Portland International Airport (PDX) told him it would be $175 to take his bicycle along. Each way.

Olson wrote to me later that, “I know she wasn’t responsible, but I was still tempted to ask her, ‘how much are you charging for golf clubs again?” (Golf clubs fly free on United).

Olson’s experience has put him on a mini-campaign to rid PDX of baggage fees for bikes.

Olson is the general manager for Rapha, a U.K.-based bike clothing company with its North American headquarters in Portland. The way Olson sees it, if Portland wants to continue to be the spot for bicycling and bike tourism, this issue needs to be resolved.

Year: 80’s?
Brand: Nishiki
Color:Grey with chrome tipped forks
Size:56cm
Stolen in Portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2009-06-6
Stolen From: My bike was stolen from Portland State University between Nueberger Hall and Smith Hall, next to SW Broadway and Harrision.
Neighborhood: Downtown – SW – PSU
Owner: nik ayres
OwnerEmail: nik.ayres@gmail.com
Reward: $200
Description: It is an old Grey Steel Frame Nishiki Road Bike. It has a Sun CR18 27-inch rear rim with a Formula 32-spoke flip-flop hub(single-speed/fixie).It has Shimano SPD Dual Platform Road Bicycle Pedals, one white handle bar wrap and one red handle bar wrap, with only the front brake on the left handle bar.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

USA Today: Google’s photo-taking trike now on bike trails

The Google Trike snaps images
for their StreetView feature.
(Photo: Google)

Imagine using the popular Streetview function of Google Maps on your favorite local bike path.

Well, according to an article published today in USA Today, that might be possible sooner than you think.

Google made waves back in May when images of their new photo-trike hit the Internet.

Some people immediately realized that the smaller footprint of the trike (they typically use cars) would allow Google to expand their Streetview offering to off-highway paths. Now, USA Today reports that they’ve deployed the trike to a bike trail in Monterey, California.

From the article:

“Much of the world is inaccessible to the car,” says Daniel Ratner, a Google senior engineer who designed the trike. “We want to get access to places people find important.”

Detail of ride flyer.

Cascadia Rising Tide — a grassroots network of activists that, “take direct action to confront the roots causes of climate change and promote local, community-based solutions to the climate crisis” — will lead a ride next week exploring areas of North Portland that will be impacted by the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project.

Calling the CRC “our region’s biggest threat to bicycles and the people that love them,” Rising Tide has decided to do the ride during Shift’s Pedalpalooza event (which kicks off Thursday).

Year: 2005
Brand: Norco
Model: CRD 1
Color:Silver with black carbon blade forks
Size:54 cm medium
Serial: s/n sf41044813
Photo: http://img197.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=img3403g.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97209
Stolen:2009-06-6
Stolen From: The bike was stolen from outside Harvey’s Comedy club Downtown (6th and Glisan) on saturday night between 6:30 and 9:00pm in broad daylight. One U-lock was cut to remove the frame, the other they couldn’t cut through leaving my front tire and stealing another from the road bike locked up across the street from mine.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Owner: Scott Emery
OwnerEmail: semery82@hotmail.com
Reward: $2-500 upon recovery
Description: Medium, Silver Norco CRD 1 Road bike. The rear rim and hub is a stock velomax and the front rim and hub is a DT swiss (stolen from another road bike next to mine). The bike has shimano 105 componentry with campi shifters. The seatpost, stem and handlebars were all Ritchey; and the drop bars are scratched and have black bar tape that has been ripped on the lower right after a crash last fall. The saddle is a Selle Italia and the pedals are aftermarket Crank Brothers Candy SL (egg beater with Grey platforms). Any information that leads to the recovery of my bike will be met with a cash reward.
Police record with: Portland Police Dept.
Police reference#: 0950128
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

blue Mercier Galaxy

Brand: Mercier
Model: Galaxy
Color:blue
Size:about 55 cm
Photo: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/images/gal07_big.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97212
Stolen:2009-05-16
Stolen From: A basement on the 1300 block of SE Miller St.
Neighborhood: Sellwood
Owner: Jonathan Frochtzwajg
OwnerEmail: jfroch87@gmail.com
Reward: $100, no questions asked.
Description: It had a blue frame with white lettering, a blue and black seat, and one broken toe clip. Call me at (818) 430-2071 if you know, see, or hear anything.
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

Network while you pedal: New group does business at a biking pace

Brian Alfano (L) and Bill Dolan
want you to do Business
on a Bike.
(Photos © J. Maus)

In a city where biking is woven into the cultural fabric, not even the business arena can escape the two-wheeled influence.

In Portland, we’ve got a group for people that use bicycles to conduct their business (which I’ve heard might be named the League of Bicycle Businesses); and a group for businesses that are generally supportive of biking (the BTA’s working on that one, not launched yet); and now, we’ve got a group for folks that want to use bike rides as a way to build business relationships.

Meet Brian Alfano and Bill Dolan. Brian is a banker (with locally-based Umpqua) and Bill does home loans. These guys have combined their professional lives with their passion for riding into Business on a Bike.

Brand: Klien
Model: Pulse
Color:Orange
Serial: bs61021
Stolen in Portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2009-06-01
Stolen From: Was stolen out of the garage in back of the house I live in. I believe it was taken by one of the drunking room mates who was in a black out and took it to a joy ride to a strip club or something and did not remember. He has since been evicted but still no bike.
Neighborhood: hawthorne neighborhood
Owner: Patrick Craig
OwnerEmail: patrick.j.craig@
Description: I bought this bike from my best friend so don’t know the year or exact size but it was a realy nice Orage Klien Pulse. Had a rack on the back.
Police record with: Portland Police
Police reference#: 09048610
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Cell phone ban stuck in Senate committee

Rep. Carolyn Tomei

Last time we checked in on HB 2377, it was on its way to easy passage on the House floor.

It got through the House at the end of April by a vote of 38-22. Since then, it has had one reading in the Senate, bounced around to committees and work sessions and now it rests in the Senate Rules Committee.

The bill is being pushed by Rep. Carolyn Tomei whose district (41) includes Southeast Portland down through Milwaukie.

Thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (a.k.a. the federal stimulus bill), the bike and pedestrian path that runs along Interstate 205 will be getting a $2.5 million makeover.

Most of the money will go toward new lighting on a 3.6 mile stretch of the path from SE Sunnyside Road to SE Woodstock (I hope it doesn’t attract vandals), but according to ODOT spokesperson Christine Miles there’s more in store than just improved illumination.

Year: 2008
Brand: Scott
Model: CX TEAM
Color:BLACK
Size:LARGE
Photo: http://www.togoparts.com/items/images/item-1198567665.jpg
Stolen in portland, OR 97201
Stolen:2009-06-5
Stolen From: Building was stolen from inside of my condo. Sw Portland 18th and jefferson
Neighborhood: goose hollow
Owner: Daniel Murphy
OwnerEmail: danmurphy@hotmail.com
Reward: 200
Description: Off the shelf 2008 Scott CX Team. Black with neon yellow lettering. Crank Bros. egg beater pedals.
Police record with: Officer Dickinson
Police reference#: 09050327
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Weekend Wrap-up: Bikes as art, parade floats, and more

Here’s a quick recap of a few events this past weekend.

Friday night I rolled across the I-5 Bridge to catch the tail end of the opening night reception for “Bike Love,” a showing of bike art at Angst Gallery on Main Street in Vancouver.

With a canary yellow bakfiets and many other bikes parked out front, it wasn’t hard to find. Hanging in the window I noted a street sign that read — “Boulanger Bikeway”. Angst Gallery is owned by Todd Boulanger’s partner Leah Jackson (Todd is a former transportation planner for the City of Vancouver was recently laid off amid budget woes).

Once inside, I was happy to hear that the night was a big success. Leah said the place had been jam-packed.

Would a ‘Bikes Fly Free’ policy fly at Portland Int’l Airport?

Grey with chrome tipped forks Nishiki 80’s?

USA Today: Google’s photo-taking trike now on bike trails

Ride will explore CRC’s potential impacts on North Portland

Silver with black carbon blade forks Norco CRD 1 2005

blue Mercier Galaxy

Network while you pedal: New group does business at a biking pace

Orange Klien Pulse

Cell phone ban stuck in Senate committee

ODOT, TriMet will roll out I-205 path improvements

BLACK Scott CX TEAM 2008

Weekend Wrap-up: Bikes as art, parade floats, and more

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