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The Monday Roundup

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

The economics of stop signs; the toll of riding drunk; “blue gold;” job sprawl; free bikes for all; friendly robots

Time for the news.

– New U.S. research findings quantify the impact of air pollution on life expectancy. Another recent study found that low birth weight is linked to exposure to pollution.

– Mayor Adams and Governor Kulongoski take a test drive in one of Nissan’s new electric cars. This uncritically enthusiastic promotional movie shows both men tooling around in the car and giving big thumbs up to its speed, silence, efficiency, and prospects for bringing jobs to the region.

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Weekend Guide and Open Thread

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Bunny on a Bike Ride-15.jpg

Bunnies on bikes
(Photo © J. Maus)

Thanks to BikePortland intern J.R., we have a bunch of new events posted.

And just in time, as the seasonal event explosion is beginning.

Here are some of the weekend’s highlights. Grease up your chain and get out there!

– There used to be a pub crawl every year or so that stopped at many of the non-smoking bars in town. Now that every bar is smoke-free, organizers are planning a “SMUG Crawl” on Friday the tenth (tonight!) — which, in an attempt to cover the entire town, has eight distinct starting points all over town. See the Shift calendar for meetup locations and the acronym spelled out.

– After hours on Friday is the monthly Midnight Mystery Ride. Meet at 11, ride at midnight. This one meets way out at SE 81st and Stark at a place called The Observatory (or you can drink at Roscoe’s next door). Rumor has it that many of the SMUG rides will converge on this point.

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“A love story on two wheels”: ‘The Bicyclists’ premieres tonight

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Conrad Miller (Jayme S. Hall) and
Steve Jones (Elle Poindexter) in
a screenshot from the film.
-Watch the trailer below-

The Bicyclists, a new movie based on The Bicyclist webisode series, premieres tonight at the Hollywood Theater.

The entire film was shot in Portland and is steeped in local bike culture. The story revolves around Conrad Miller (played by actor Jayme S. Hall), a small-town guy from Wisconsin who moves to Portland for two months of fun before he has to return home to run the family cheese factory.

Here’s a bit more from the film’s website:

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County decides it won’t suspend citizen bike/ped committee

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[Note: I reported this news yesterday as an update to a previous story. This post is being done to clarify the latest development.]

“I am pleased to inform you that…we will be able to continue staffing the Bicycle/Pedestrian CAC in the near term.”
— Jane McFarland, Senior Transportation Planner for Multnomah County

After they initially planned to suspend their Bicycle and Pedestrian Citizen Advisory Committee due to declining transportation revenues, Multnomah County has now announced that the committee will not be suspended and that it will continue to meet.

Senior Transportation Planner Jane McFarland sent out an email to committee members Wednesday stating that, “through a partnership with the Office of Citizen Involvement, we will be able to continue staffing the Bicycle/Pedestrian CAC in the near term.”

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Clinton Street road rager found guilty except for insanity

Eschweiler in the courtroom today.
(Photos © Elly Blue)

At the Multnomah County Courthouse today, Johnny Eschweiler waived his right to a trial by jury and was found guilty except for insanity on two counts of assault for using his motor vehicle as a weapon in an August, 2007 road rage incident.

Eschweiler was committed to the jurisdiction of the Psychiatric Security Review Board for a maximum of fifteen years. He will be allowed to continue to live in the community under a strict set of conditions, including highly structured psychiatric care, a curfew, and the stipulation that he not in any circumstance operate a motor vehicle.

“A vehicle is a weapon. You are not to have control of a motor vehicle.”
–Judge Michael McShane, Multnomah County

Judge McShane outlined the conditions clearly, which also included having no contact with victims and at no time possessing any weapons, “including a vehicle. A vehicle is a weapon. You are not to have control of a motor vehicle.”

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Pedicab business owner concerned about proposed regulations

Ryan Hashagen, owner of
Portland Cascadia Pedicabs, is
concerned about new regulations.
(Photo © J. Maus)
-Video below-

The City of Portland is currently in the process of updating their “private for hire transportation” policies. As part of this update, and partially at the request of local pedicab operators, they will also be regulating pedicabs for the first time.

The growth of pedicabs has skyrocketed in Portland in recent years in large part due to new businesses like PDX Pedicabs and Portland Cascadia Pedicabs.

Ryan Hashagen, owner of Portland Cascadia Pedicabs, is all for new regulations. He wants pedicabs to be treated as legitimate businesses and he wants customers to know they’ll be assured a safe ride. Hashagen knows all to well about the importance of safety. In August of 2008 one of his Seattle-based pedicabs was involved in a crash that left a 60-year old man dead.

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David Byrne: Coming to Portland, will release bike book this fall

David Byrne (R), with transportation
advocate Noah Budnick.
(Photo: Streetfilms)

David Byrne, NYC resident, former Talking Heads front man and biking’s coolest celebrity endorser/advocate, will be in Portland this summer and he’s got a bike book set to be published in September.

Byrne — a daily bike commuter for 30 years — has made a big name for himself in biking circles for (among other things) his advocacy and involvement in the New York City bike scene. He collaborated with the NYC Dept. of Transportation to design a series of art racks, and in February 2007 Byrne joined carfree advocate Gil Penalosa and staffers from NYC’s Transportation Alternatives for a bike ride that was captured by Streetfilms.

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An homage to Streetfilms: 200 films and countless inspirations

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clarence Eckerson, BikeTV

Clarence and his camera.
(Photo © J. Maus)
-Watch video below-

We’ve featured many films from the crew at Streetfilms over the years. Their pioneering work — which has highlighted everything from ciclovias to separated bikeways — has had a major impact on the national and global livable streets movement.

Earlier this week, Streetfilms’ head provocateur, filmmaker Clarence Eckerson, sent word that they had published their 200th film. To celebrate this milestone, they put together a fun, 3-minute promo video that features highlights from their most memorable moments and a montage of the personalities that have graced their lens.

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