BikePortland

Portland’s bike lane characters; a proud tradition continues (Slideshow)

One of Portland’s customized
bike lane markings.
-Slideshow below-
(Photo: City of Portland)

2009 marks the 10th anniversary of a proud Portland tradition: our creatively modified bike lane pavement markings or what I like to call, “bike lane guys”.

The “unlikely cycling hero” who started the tradition in 1999 — according to Portlander Jim Waigand, who has documented the phenomenon since 2003 — is former City employee Todd Roberts. In an article published in VeloVision Magazine in September 2003, Waigand uncovered the fascinating story behind the practice. (I’ve uploaded that article as a PDF with permission from the publisher. You can download it here.)

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Reader Kathy Hile sent in this photo from her commute over the Broadway Bridge this morning. “It was a very surreal ride, biking in the fog…” she wrote.

The Broadway Bridge in the fog on Thursday morning (Photo: Kathy Hile)

A look inside the Mayor’s Transportation Cabinet

Chris Smith, Streetcar

Jason Tell, ODOT

Scott Bricker, BTA

Rex Burkholder, Metro

Mark Ginsberg, Lawyer

Sue Keil, PBOT

Some familiar faces on the Transportation Cabinet.
(All photos © J. Maus)

[Publisher’s note: This article is a dispatch by Managing Editor Elly Blue, who recently attended the Transportation Research Board conference in Washington D.C. Read more articles from Elly’s East Coast Tour.]

John La Verdure (Photo by Elly Blue)

Taking a break in the lobby of the Marriott during the TRB conference, I noticed a man nearby with Portland on his nametag. He turned out to be John La Verdure, an engineer who lives in Troutdale and advises the The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) on technical issues with building roads on Native American reservations.

I asked what conference sessions he was attending, and he launched into an enthusiastic description of a flaw that has lately become apparent in the 12 inch concrete slabs used to build many highways. The slabs shift slightly, over a long period, so that 20 years after they’re installed, one end will be 1/16 inch lower than perfectly flush. That’s why, when you’re driving across North Dakota, the road feels bumpy.

The Frequently Asked Questions below were developed by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) as supporting material for their Idaho Stop Law proposal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What would this law do?
This law would make it legal for bicyclists to treat stop signs like yield signs. A cyclist approaching an intersection controlled by a stop sign, would be permitted to roll through the stop sign after yielding the right of way if there are other vehicles at the intersection.

Would cars have to stop and wait for bicyclists?
No, this law change would allow a cyclist to slowly approach the intersection and proceed only if the intersection was clear and it was safe to continue. The law does not grant a cyclist permission to take the right of way from another vehicle.

The BTA hopes to make
it legal to roll through
stop signs.
(Photos © J. Maus)

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA), a Portland-based non-profit with over 5,000 members statewide, has proposed a new law that would make it legal to roll through a stop sign while riding a bicycle in Oregon.

In an interview this afternoon, BTA lobbyist Karl Rohde said the bill language is currently being drafted in Salem and it will be officially known as the “Idaho Stop Law”.

“We feel the law needs to change to reflect the safe behavior that’s happening now,” said Rohde, “Coming to a complete stop isn’t necessary for a vehicle (bicycle) that does not pose the same threat to other road users and whose operators have a greater awareness of their surroundings.”

Some Portlanders continued to ride bikes
during the storm.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The Mayor’s office has launched a survey to help gather feedback about how they responded to the major storm we had at the end of 2008 (take it online here).

The survey is part of a “snow and ice readiness assessment” that the Mayor’s office has undertaken. It’s obvious the City (and TriMet) was caught off-guard with the storm. After acknowledging the “tireless work” of city employees and citizens, in the introduction to the survey, the Mayor’s office says, “we would like to do better next time”.

Design drawing of Gibbs Street bike and pedestrian bridge, which has been fast-tracked by Mayor Adams to help Portland’s economy.

Yesterday, the City of Portland announced a $503 million economic stimulus plan. Within that plan, is $52 million in Bureau of Transportation projects — several of which include bike-related facilities.

Here is a brief summary of the four projects that will begin in the next 12 months (compared to beginning possibly up to three years from now on standard timelines).

Roger Mallette of Retro Image Apparel is wasting no time establishing his business in Portland. Mallette, who just moved his headquarters to Southeast Portland in December, inked a deal yesterday to design and sell a Lucky Labrador Brewing Company bike jersey.

The jersey is the first in what Mallette hopes will be a large line of microbrew-themed jerseys. He’s created a subsidiary company, Microbrew Jerseys, that will be spun off from his well-known Retro Image Apparel brand.

Mallette stopped by BikePortland HQ yesterday to give us the first peek at his design for the new Lucky Lab jersey. Here’s the back of the men’s version:

15 miles of Portland streets will
get calmer, safer, and more
enjoyable for bikes in the
coming months.
(Photo © J. Maus)

At a subcommittee meeting before the monthly Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting in City Hall last night, the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Traffic Safety Program Manager Mark Lear and Traffic Safety Specialist Greg Raisman outlined details on the bike boulevard portion of Mayor Adams’ “First 100 Day Action Plan”.

In that list, Mayor Adams promised to,

Oregon’s largest bicycle advocacy organization, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, held their annual meeting in Northwest Portland last night.

The event was attended by BTA board members and staff, along with a handful of dues-paying members. It also marked the first bike event attended by our new Mayor, Sam Adams.

The New York Times has published a profile on Portland Congressional Rep. Earl Blumenauer. The story, A Bicycle Evangelist With the Wind Now at His Back appears above-the-fold on page two of the paper’s weekly “Science Times” section.

Unlike the recent anti-bike comments by Rep. John Boehner that got national attention, this story paints a more positive picture of biking as a political issue.

Here’s how the Times characterizes Blumenauer’s work:

Portland’s bike lane characters; a proud tradition continues (Slideshow)

Reader Photo of the Week: Fog on the Broadway Bridge

A look inside the Mayor’s Transportation Cabinet

TRB profile: Roads and bike paths on the reservations

Idaho Stop Law – FAQ

Exclusive: BTA will go for “Idaho style” stop sign law

City wants feedback on winter storm response

Bike/ped bridge, cycletrack projects will be fast-tracked in City stimulus plan

Local apparel company inks deal to sell Lucky Lab jersey

A closer look at bike boulevards in Mayor’s “First 100 Days” list

At annual meeting, BTA gets Mayor’s blessing and charts course for ’09

Blumenauer in NY Times: A “bicycle evangelist”

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