Updated: U.S. Census says 4.2% of Portlanders bike to work

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

The most recent data collected by the U.S. Census’s American Community Survey (ACS) shows that the number of Portlanders who commute to work by bicycle has dropped from 4.4% in 2006 to 4.2% in 2007.

The survey asked, “How did you usually get to work last week?”, and 10,987 people (out of just over 280,000) replied that they used their bicycle (the 4.2% number is arrived at after subtracting the number of respondents that work at home).

This decline would be the first drop in Portland’s bike-to-work mode split as reported by the ACS since at least 1990 (when the number was 1.12%).

Read more

Rain and record crowds kick off Crusade series

Cross Crusade '08 - Alpenrose-61.jpg

The Alpenrose course was full of surprises,
like this dual-option stairway run-up.
Slideshow below
(Photos J. Maus)

The opening race of the Cross Crusade series set a record for attendance yesterday. Kenji Sugahara, the director of the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association says that, despite the wet weather, 1,267 racers participated.

That number is up from 1,078 participants in 2007 and is nearly twice the number that took part in 2006 when 760 racers showed up.

Read more

Cross Crusade – Alpenrose

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Daily Race Schedule
9:00am Beginners (40 min)
9:50am Category C, Cyldesdale (45 min)
10:45am Masters Category C 35+, Unicycles A&B* (45 min)
10 minute break
11:45am Masters Category B 35+, Masters 50+ and Jrs (45 min)
12:40pm Category B and Single Speed (45 min)
1:30pm 15 min break with Kiddie Kross**
1:45pm Women: Cat A, Cat B, Beginners, Masters 35+ & 45+, Jrs (45 min)
2:40pm Category A Men and Masters Category A 35+ (60 min)

*One lap only, starting after the Masters 35+ Cs
**Kiddie Kross: A non-competitive event for those 12 and under.

The ‘Tour de Ladd’; Portland’s first bike-a-thon

Tour de Ladd-12.jpg

Eager to ride.
-Watch video below-
(Photos © J. Maus)

This morning, despite a steady stream of rain, hundreds of Abernethy Elementary School kids took part in a new spin on the the traditional walk-a-thon fundraiser; they did a bike-a-thon.

Dubbed the Tour de Ladd, organizers of the event closed a loop of streets adjacent to the Southeast Portland school (hence the name) so the kids could pedal around the neighborhood and enjoy the blooming roses and carfree streets.

Read more

Bike Republic development deal falls through

The existing building, created
by John Yeon, has architectural significance.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Negotiations between a private developer and the Portland Parks bureau that would have created a new bike services facility and cafe at the former Tom McCalls restaurant site in Waterfront Park, have ended.

The Oregonian reported a few hours ago that negotiations between Bike Republic — a company founded by Ken Nichols to create full-service bike commuter facilities — and the bureau have “fallen apart”.

Read more

Weasel Alert: Republican organization says biking, walking is a “wacky” idea

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

[via Treehugger and EarthFirst.]

Riding bikes; a “wacky idea”.

In honor of Rep. Earl Blumenauer’s call to “hold the weasels accountable” and taking a cue from the League of American Bicyclist’s “Trash Talk” campaign, here’s a political attack ad (watch below) from Pennsylvania that is simply shocking.

The National Republican Congressional Committee is running an ad against Kathy Dahlkemper of Pennsylvania (she’s leading a close race against Republican incumbent Phil English) that points out her “wacky” ideas. Among them are the appalling fact (sacrasm) that she says one way out of our energy mess is to walk and bike more.

After pointing that out, the narrator in the ad says sarcastically, “Hmmmm… why don’t we use dog sleds too.”

Watch the ad below…

Corvallis man killed in log truck crash

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Here’s the story from the Corvallis Gazette Times:

“A bicyclist was struck and killed by a log truck at about 7:45 a.m. today on Chapel Drive, just east of the 13th Street intersection. Edward Paul Bomber, 48, of Corvallis, died at the scene.”

According to a reader who tipped me off about the story, Ed was a “good friend to many” and was also the co-owner of Northwest MultiSports, a triathlon shop located in Corvallis.

Read more

House passes bailout bill; bike commuter tax benefit becomes law

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
Blumenauer unveils Gas Price Relief Act-2.jpg

Blumenauer at the unveiling of his
Gas Price Relief Act, one of many
pieces of legislation that included
a bike commuter tax break
over the years.
(Photo: J. Maus)

What a long, strange trip it’s been for Congressman Earl Blumenauer and his Bike Commuter Act.

The House Democrat is a former City Commissioner of Transportation in Portland (1987-96) and he was at the helm during Portland’s Golden Age of biking — a time when we laid down much of our bikeway network infrastructure that is now the envy of many cities.

Blumenauer carried his commitment to biking into the halls of Congress and has worked the system relentlessly to pass bike-friendly legislation like the bike commuter tax benefit. Calling it a “matter of equity”, his idea is simple; give bike commuters the same respect and recognition in the tax code already given to folks that drive and take public transit.

Read more

Latest Headlines

55 years ago, 1,200 Portlanders joined bike ride to demand carfree space

Podcast: Evan P Schneider and Mark Alan Hoffman on ‘A Simple Machine’

Guest Opinion: Here’s how to fix Portland’s regressive transportation utility fee

Monday Roundup: Doug Ford’s war on cars, tactical urbanist arrested, and more

From the Archives

With six kids and no car, this mom does it all by bike