BikePortland

Sam Adams endorses Amanda Fritz for City Council

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

It’s been way too long since I chimed in on the one remaining race for a Portland City Council seat. I hope to offer more coverage of both remaining candidates (Charles Lewis and Amanda Fritz) soon, but in the meantime, here’s a news release fresh from the Fritz camp:

“Mayor Elect Sam Adams Endorses Amanda Fritz

Amanda is passionate about doing good things for our city— and has a history of doing so. I want good people on the city council. She is my choice,” said Mayor Elect Sam Adams today as he endorsed Amanda Fritz for the Portland City Council.

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Ride Away From Work

It’s Bike Commute Challenge month. You’ve ridden to work. It’s 6:00 p.m. Now what?

Ride Away From Work! That’s what.

Ride home during the Bike Commute Challenge with other Challenge-takers. Meet at Park Blocks; groups will leave for each quadrant (N, NE, SE, SW). Helmets required.

Tuesday, September 9, 6 – 8 pm

Meet at Park Block, SW Park between Salmon & Main

Contact Timo Forsberg with questions

503-823-7699

Oberstar looks to history, future, during conference keynote

Congressman Oberstar at Pro Walk-Pro Bike-1-2.jpg

Rep. Jim Oberstar addressing the
Pro Walk/Pro Bike Conference
in Seattle.
(Photos © J. Maus)

In the closing address of the 2008 Pro Walk/Pro Bike Conference in Seattle on Friday, bicycling’s Grand Man in Congress, Jim Oberstar, shared a history of America’s bike movement, and inspired the assembled crowd with his trademark energy and bravado.

For nearly two decades, Oberstar (D-Minnesota) has been one of bicycling’s most effective champions. He was present at the inception of the modern bike movement in the late 1980s when he began to lay the groundwork for ISETEA (the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act) in 1991. Prior to that transportation bill re-authorization, Oberstar is credited with laying the groundwork of the bike movement’s presence on the national political stage.

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PDOT’s Timo Forsberg (L) and
Jeff Smith (R) at last weekend’s Pro
Walk/Pro Bike conference in Seattle.
(Photos © J. Maus)

I’ve still got a few notes and stories I’d like to share from my trip to the Pro Walk/Pro Bike conference in Seattle over the weekend.

On the last day of the conference, I asked a few members of the Portland delegation to share their most memorable new insights from the conference. Here are their responses:

Lynn Mutrie is the statewide youth education and outreach manager for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA):

I received the information below from Ellen Rogalin with the Clackamas County Department of Transportation & Development:

The first new Clackamas County bike map, Bike It!, to be produced in 14 years will be released at two special events in September:

· Kaiser Sunnyside Transportation Options Fair: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., Thursday, September 4, at the Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center, 10180 SE Sunnyside Rd., Clackamas. (Bike map to be released during a noon ceremony with officials from Kaiser, Clackamas County and TriMet.)

· Clackamas LIVE!: A Taste of Food, Entertainment, Sports , Art & Spirits: 11 a.m. –
10 p.m., Saturday, September 13, North Clackamas Park, 5440 SE Kellogg Creek Dr., off Highway 224 in Milwaukie

The 2008 Clackamas County Bike It! map is a full-color, full-size, waterproof map showing the entire county on one side and the urban area of the county on the other side. The map provides a wide variety of information to help bicyclists determine the best routes for them, whether riding for work or recreation. Map features include:

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Bike “concierge” offers pick-up, drop-off service

Allan Folz is focused on his
new Portland Sag Wagon business.

In the realm of bike touring, you’ve got fully-supported options (like Cycle Oregon) on one end, and on the other, you’ve got the D.I.Y. option (load up those panniers, grab a map and hit the road).

But what if you fall somewhere in the middle?

North Portland resident Allan Folz thinks a lot of people do; so he’s combined his love of bike touring, thrown in a bit of entrepreneurial gusto, and launched Portland Sag Wagon.

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Chris King’s marketing director Chris
Distefano (L) and Jay Sycip at an event
in Portland back in May.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Portland’s reputation as a hotbed for custom bike building has just taken another major leap forward with news breaking over the weekend that Chris King Precision Components has hired SyCip Designs co-founder and renowned framebuilder Jay Sycip (pronounced “see-sip”).

Sycip will work as a product manager for the company, but he’s also being hired to help Mr. Chris King revive Cielo Cycles, a framebuilding brand he created three decades ago.

The hire is a coup for Chris King and for Portland.

“We look forward to working with SK Northwest and the City as the development moves forward.”
— BTA’s metro-area advocate Emily Gardner

After a protracted legal battle that first came to light back in April of 2006, a Willamette riverfront property owner whose parcel lies in a key gap between two popular trails has relented and agreed to allow a trail to be built on their property.

The news comes from the BTA’s metro-area advocate Emily Gardner via the BTA Blog (emphasis mine):

Just two weeks after announcing an effort to establish a bicycle boulevard on NE Going Street, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance has scheduled a series of neighborhood meetings for the project.

If your neighborhood association is listed below, make sure to show up and learn more about this effort, ask questions, and get involved.

Beaumont-Wilshire Board of Directors

A story published today in the New York Times confirms previous speculation that America’s Highway Trust Fund is all but empty.

Here’s a snip from the NT Times story:

“Because the fund is draining away so fast, the Transportation Department will have to delay payments for the local projects, or reduce their amount, Ms. Peters said at a mid-day news conference.”

Last night, conference organizers put on a great party in the old South Lake Union Armory building.

The highlight of the night was the mini-bike racing. By mini-bikes, I don’t mean kids bikes like the Zoobombers ride, I mean tiny bikes with wheels the size of cookies.

Now that the whole country thinks Oregon isn’t in the top-three best states to bike in, you might assume the Beaver State delegation here at Pro Walk/Pro Bike would be sulking and demanding a recount.

Not exactly.

When the League of American Bicyclist’s executive director Andy Clarke announced the rankings at a party at the South Lake Union Armory last night, people almost immediately began embracing our new, out-of-medal-contention placing.

After the party, many of us from Oregon went on a spirited and star-lit ride around the city (via the Burke-Gilman Trail). I think the photo below will give you a good idea how we’re dealing with the No. 4 news:

Sam Adams endorses Amanda Fritz for City Council

Ride Away From Work

Oberstar looks to history, future, during conference keynote

What did you learn from Pro Walk/Pro Bike?

New Clackamas County bike map released

Bike “concierge” offers pick-up, drop-off service

Chris King hires Jay Sycip, looks toward Cielo Cycles rebirth

The SK Northwest saga is over: Property owner gives up on trail fight

BTA announces meetings for “Let’s Get Going!” effort

NY Times: Highway Trust Fund in dire straits

Mini-bikes take center stage at Pro Walk/Pro Bike

From Seattle: How we’re coping with fourth place

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From the Archives

Protestor blocks bus and bike lanes on Division with his car