Jennifer Dederich of Portland Pedal Power, a co-operative delivery and promotional services company.
(Photos © J. Maus)
(Photos © J. Maus)
Portlanders relish a warm, carfree Last Thursday on Alberta
Nearby residents Gregg Lavender
and Nikki Kress steal a kiss
in the middle of Alberta
Street last night.
– Slideshow below –
(Photos © J. Maus)
and Nikki Kress steal a kiss
in the middle of Alberta
Street last night.
– Slideshow below –
(Photos © J. Maus)
Last night, warm weather and the onset of summer brought throngs of Portlanders out to enjoy their neighborhood and the riches of their City at the first carfree Last Thursday on Alberta.
It was the first of six months that the main stretch of Alberta Street will be closed to cars from 6-10:00 pm.
The impact of not having to worry about car traffic is profound. I brought my family along last night and, after dancing in the street with the March Fourth Marching Band, we came across several dancers, musicians, artists, and performers who shared their gifts right in the middle of the road.
Volunteer for the Cirque du Cycling Criterium
Over 120 volunteers are needed to make the Cirque du Cycling Criterium a success. Meet in front of the Laughing Planet Cafe (between Failing and Beech St on Mississippi Ave.) at the designated time for your volunteer position.
All volunteers get a free t-shirt, food and drink and a fun-filled day of bike activities.
REGISTER ONLINE to volunteer (see all positions here)
Contact: Jim Anderson, jim-anderson at comcast dot net
Event details:
Cirque du Cycling Criterium, presented by Laughing Planet Cafe
Saturday, June 13, 2009,
N Portland, Mississippi Ave.
Cirque du Cycling, presented by Laughing Planet, is part circus, part bike street race and a benefit for Self Enhancement, Inc.
The whole event kicks off at 1:30pm with a free three-mile family ride to Peninsula Park. There is also a bike parade (3pm) (advance registration required) featuring all sorts of wild sculptural bikes: tall bikes, choppers, swing bikes and more.
There’s live music all afternoon, plenty of entertainment to watch and an evening criterium street race with a two-way racing right down the middle of Mississippi Avenue.
Come relax in the beer garden, bring your bike, settle into your lawn chair, peruse the shops of Mississippi and be awed by spectacular bicycle tricks and riding feats.
Volunteers needed for Pedalpalooza Kickoff Dance Party, World Naked Bike Ride
From volunteer coordinator Lily Karabaic:
This year the Pedalpalooza Kickoff Party/World Naked Bike Ride is predicted to be bigger than ever, and I need nearly 100 volunteers to make this event successful.
I’m still short about 20 positions, and the volunteer labor is vital to making the party run smoothly, safely, and allowing us to keep doing this crazy thing next year.
Friday, May 29th: TODAY IS CONSTRUCTION DAY!
The Pedalpalooza Kickoff Dance Party and Portland’s World Naked Bike Ride are happening on June 13- The dance party will be at the old coffee warehouse, at 2181 NW Nicolai. This year’s theme is “Where the Wild Things Are”!
All positions include fame, glory, and free beer. Check out the full details on how to volunteer.
May 29th, 2009
Construction and Clean up Day: Make the space magical! Ability to hold a hammer or broom the only requirement. RSVP required to anomalily at gmail dot com
12PM to 5PM (negotiable)
June 13th, 2009
Set-up Decorators: Help make things pretty and get done early! 4-9PM (2 spots open)
Night shifts are roughly 2 hours, between 8:30PM to 4AM.
Beer Servers: Keep us all in beer, wear a sash, stay sober. (6 spots open)
Clothes & Bag Check: Take people’s bags and store them safely. (3 spots open)
Crowd Control: Keep everyone safe & not crazy (5 spots open)
Stair Cheerleaders: Keep people inspired & safe on the stair landing. Great job for hams (9 spots open)
21+ Checkers: Look at people’s awful license pictures. Stay sober. (8 spots open)
Freight Elevator Operator: Wear a fun hat, operate the gigantic elevators. Stay sober. Pre-training required. (10 spots open)
After Party Clean-up, June 14th from 1PM to 4PM! (6 spots open)
Please email desired shift & position to anomalily at gmail dot com to volunteer! This cannot happen without your help.
Let me know if you can help out and/or if you need more information.
Contact: anomalily at gmail dot com
Please forward widely and often.
Job of the Week
Want to be part of the team at an iconic local bike shop? Or how about a chance to volunteer for two great upcoming events?
Check out more info on our latest job listing and volunteer opportunities in the links below:
- Sales Associate — Bike Gallery
- Volunteer — Cirque du Cycling Criterium
- Volunteer — Pedalpalooza Kickoff Dance Party and World Naked Bike Ride
First look at the new Zoobomb ‘Pyle’
The official unveiling happens tomorrow, but I just came across the first photo of the new Zoobomb Pyle as it stands right now, fully installed, at the corner of 13th and W. Burnside.
Behold…
Artists Brian Borrello (L) and Vanessa Renwick (R) stand beside their work — Portland’s latest public art monument.
(Photo: Kristin Calhoun/Regional Arts and Culture Council)
(Photo: Kristin Calhoun/Regional Arts and Culture Council)
BTA action alert: More money for bikes and one less highway in HB 2001
The BTA is making a last
ditch effort to fix HB 2001.
ditch effort to fix HB 2001.
The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) has sent out an action alert they hope will bring some much-needed change to the Governor’s transportation package that passed the House yesterday.
House Bill 2001, which includes an $840 million list of earmarked highway projects, will be voted on by the Oregon State Senate any day now, so there’s a very short timeframe for further advocacy.
The BTA will urge their members (and anyone else that sees the alert) to “ask for a better transportation package”. They want people to contact their Senate representatives and tell them to:
1. Increase funding for healthy transportation by increasing the minimum funding for pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure from 1% to 1.5% of highway and street expenditures and putting money in the new Urban Trails Fund.
A tour of the West Side with an unsung bike hero
Jim “K’Tesh” Parsons is always looking
out to make your ride (or walk)
safer and more enjoyable.
-Slideshow Below-
(Photos © J. Maus)
out to make your ride (or walk)
safer and more enjoyable.
-Slideshow Below-
(Photos © J. Maus)
It wasn’t long into a full day tour through Beaverton and Tigard that Jim “K’Tesh” Parsons needed to stop and get to work. We were riding on the path adjacent to Highway 26, just west of Washington Park, when he noticed some overhanging branches.
He stopped, swung his backpack around, took out a pair of gardening shears, and dove head-first into the tree in search of the guilty branch. A few yards further down he pointed out a tree stump a few feet from the edge of the path. It used to be a spikey Hawthorne tree, he said, and “I’m not a fan of spikey trees, especially when they grow too closely to the path.”
A bike-on-bike hit-and-run and a call for civility (updated)
The bike signal near where
the collision took place.
(Photo: PBOT)
the collision took place.
(Photo: PBOT)
I got an email from reader and BTA Board Member Mary Roberts yesterday that I thought should be shared with others. It has to do with topics we’ve covered several times on this site — increasing bike traffic and riding with courtesy for others.
Congested bikeways, and how people on bikes handle them, could very well define the oncoming summer biking season. Here’s the email (emphasis mine):
“I was riding with a group of five friends yesterday and as we rode to the top of the bike/ped trail junction at NE Lloyd Blvd [near the bike-only signal], one of my group collided with a cyclist coming down onto the path from the intersection of the Steel Bridge.
House votes in favor of highway-centric transportation bill
If HB 2001 passes in its current
form, highways in Oregon would
get a major boost.
(Photo © J. Maus)
form, highways in Oregon would
get a major boost.
(Photo © J. Maus)
House Bill 2001 (text) passed through the Oregon House of Representatives today by a vote of 38-22 — just two votes more than it needed in order to get the required three-fifths majority.
In floor testimony prior to the vote, most lawmakers sang the bill’s praises, touting its green features while calling its $840 million in earmarked highway projects a boon for Oregon’s ailing economy. Meanwhile, environmental advocacy group 1000 Friends of Oregon strengthened their opposition to the bill. In a letter distributed to the House floor prior to the vote, they called HB 2001 an “embarrassment” and said it, “Substitutes pork barrel politics for the public interest.”
The bill began as Governor Kulongoski’s Jobs and Transportation Act of 2009 and it was introduced today by Chair of the House Transportation Committee, Rep. Terry Beyer (D-Springfield).
Get ready for a summer BikeCraft at the Multnomah County Bike Fair
Screenprints of bikes and bridges
by newcomer Ben Parsons
by newcomer Ben Parsons
Our annual BikeCraft Fair is a bazaar for local crafters to sell and showcase anything that they make by hand, in Portland, for and about bikes. Each year (we’re now on year five!) the fair gets bigger, with 40 vendors and hundreds of attendees crowding into our biggest space yet last December.
By popular request, we’ll be holding a full-sized BikeCraft this summer on the midway of the Multnomah County Bike Fair this June 27th from 2pm to 7pm.
Easy Riders – MUP’s of the SW (do-over edition)
What: This route focuses on Southwest’s Multi-Use Paths like the Willamette Greenway, Terwilliger Trail and the Fanno Creek Trail. There are some hills on this route. We’ll take our time going up them and regroup at the top but this ride is probably not one you want to do pulling a kid trailer.
Where: Meet: Tiny’s Coffee – 1412 SE 12th ave.
Route: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Portland-Fanno-Creek
When: Sunday, May 31, 2009. Start gathering at 10:30am, ride at 11:00am. Return: 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Additional info:
Distance: 30 mile loop
Elevation: 2131 feet total. Biggest ascent is 500ft.
Snacks: Bring some munchies. We’ll stop around mid-way and snack in a park
Dinner and Booze: Uh huh. We’ll figure out where during the ride. Maybe somewhere downtown south of Burnside?