BikePortland

Does Portland have a “bike phantom” super hero?

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Have no fear, bike hero is here!

Is there someone in a mask, riding around Portland offering help to bikers in need? According to a message on the Shift email list last night, there just might be:

“Hey, does anyone know who this “bike phantom” character is? I was riding on NE 33rd last night and got a flat, and this good Samaritan wearing a mask stopped to help. I didn’t even get to ask, he just knew. I asked for his name and he just smiled. My friend said he was almost mugged while riding home and a similar character came to his aid. sounded like the same guy because he described the same all black bicycle.”

Outside Ira’s shop.
-Slideshow below-
(Photos © J. Maus)

On Saturday, Portland bike builder Ira Ryan hosted an “Open Shop” event. Ryan, a former bike messenger who grew up in Iowa, billed the event as a chance to, “visit and see where I work, see some new bikes I have been working on, or just talk about bike stuff.”

Ira works in the basement of Weirs Cyclery in St. Johns. By the time I arrived Saturday night, the place was like a speak-easy in the roaring ’20s — packed to the gills with people sipping drinks and having a great time. In the crowd were a mix of Ira’s friends and fans, racers, industry types and fellow builders (Tony Pereira and Jordan Hufnagel to name two). It was great to see such a healthy turnout.

Lots of news this past week. Here we go…

Memorial for Kevin Black in Ballard, WA
(Photo by Hugger Industries)

– Transportation for America reports that attempts to strip the transit funding from the federal stimulus package have been unsuccessful — for now. Transit funding still makes up only about 1% of the package, despite increasing calls for investment in rail rather than roads.

– Kevin Black was killed while riding his bike to work in Ballard (a ~~suburb~~ neighborhood in Seattle) last week. Black was a molecular neurobiologist and popular member of a local cycling team. Over 200 people turned out for a memorial ride, and advocates are mobilizing.

PBOT Bicycle Brown Bag: Idaho Stop

Cycle Oregon will cycle into California in ’09

Here’s the official word from Cycle Oregon about their 2009 routes:

“The Mythical State of Jefferson” and “Cycle Oregon University”

Week Ride route crosses Southern Oregon and delves into Northern California; Weekend Ride will be based at Western Oregon University in Monmouth

PORTLAND, Ore. – Feb. 5, 2009 – Cycle Oregon announced at its annual Kickoff Party today the Week Ride and Weekend Ride routes for its annual bicycle tours of Oregon’s back roads and small communities: the mythical “State of Jefferson” for the 22nd version of the longer tour, and the area surrounding Monmouth for the weekend event.

In a multimedia presentation before more than 1,000 people at the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike campus outside Portland, ride founder Jonathan Nicholas announced the routes, along with the recipient of the Cycle Oregon Fund’s $50,000 Signature Grant for 2009 – Oregon’s Department of Parks and Recreation, for their continuing efforts to create an official network of State Scenic Bikeways.

Read more

Senate amendment would strip bike funding from stimulus bill; Blumenauer responds

Senator Jim DeMint

Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) introduced an amendment last night that would prohibit funding of “bicycle routes” and paths from the economic stimulus package that’s working its way through Capitol Hill right now.

According to staffers in Representative Earl Blumenauer’s office who are following the bill closely, Sen. DeMint’s amendment was supported in a speech by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Veer movie poster.

Veer, a feature length documentary film that focuses on Portland bike culture, made it’s world premiere at the Victoria Film Festival last week. The screening was the first time the film had been seen outside of Portland.

Victoria resident Lauren Warbeck was at the premiere. She wrote via email that so many people showed up that many were turned away and a second screening was added. Warbeck added that the crowd was energetic and that there was “a lot of interaction with the film”. “People laughed a lot…They LOVED the zoobomb and the tallbikes. The whole theatre cheered and clapped when the bicycle bill got passed. Basically, the whole theatre was pretty amped and inspired.”

[This is the second (and final) part of our In-Depth report by Libby Tucker on how bikes fit into Portland’s streetcar plans. Read the first installment here.]

Yesterday, we left off with a discussion about bikeway and streetcar track design in the Pearl District. Mia Birk, a former bike coordinator for the City of Portland and now a consultant on Portland’s streetcar plans, continues our story…

The Lovejoy design (see photo at right) creates a “very uncomfortable situation for most bicyclists,” added Birk. “It feels really weird to go up on the sidewalk and blast through a pedestrian zone, and when you’re on the street you have to cross tracks at a bad angle.”

This time, Alta (the planning firm where Birk is a principal) has completely redesigned the Pearl District’s bike facilities in the area surrounding the streetcar tracks, starting with the removal of the bike lane on Lovejoy. Instead, the streetcar plan would convert Lovejoy and Northrup into a one-way couplet for cars and reroute bike traffic onto a bike boulevard along Northwest Marshall. The cobblestone street would be smoothed out to accommodate bikes and would include new bike signals and bike boxes along the route.

If you’re looking to work at a bike shop in Portland, a great opportunity was just listed on the BikePortland Job Listings.

Learn more about it here:

Salesperson/Mechanic — Veloce Bicycles

Job Title
Salesperson/ Mechanic

Company/Organization
Veloce Bicycles

Job Description
Seasonal part time position for an experienced bicycle salesperson/ mechanic. Position is predominantly sales, as such mechanical aptitude is a definite plus although not a deal breaker. Expect 20+ hours per week throughout the summer and into fall.

How to Apply
E-mail resumes to info@velocebicycles.com. Please include the text “Sales Position” in the subject.

Finally! New Morrison Bridge bikeway coming soon

Cross-section detail of new bike/ped
improvements on Morrison Bridge.
(Currently, there is only a 5-foot sidewalk.)

An estimated $3.2 million project to improve the bike and pedestrian facilities on the Morrison Bridge — that was first identified in 1994 (yes, 1994) — is finally set for construction.

Today I confirmed with Multnomah County (they own the bridge) spokesman Michael Pullen that the contractor on the project has just received “a notice to proceed” with construction. Pullen says signs about the project should go up next month, construction will begin in March, and the entire project should be completed by the end of this year.

Does Portland have a “bike phantom” super hero?

In the shop with Ira Ryan

The Monday Roundup

Worst Day of the Year Ride

PBOT Bicycle Brown Bag: Idaho Stop

Cycle Oregon will cycle into California in ’09

Senate amendment would strip bike funding from stimulus bill; Blumenauer responds

Veer premiere packs them in: A report from Victoria

In-Depth: Where bikes and streetcar collide (Part Two)

Job of the Week

Salesperson/Mechanic (Veloce Bicycles)

Finally! New Morrison Bridge bikeway coming soon

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