Right-hook crash at Broadway/Williams

Image of the scene.
(Photo: Carl Larson)

At around 5:00pm yesterday evening, there was a right-hook crash involving a bike and a truck at the intersection of Broadway and Williams in Northeast Portland (Map).

According to the Police Bureau’s assistant PIO Greg Pashley, a woman riding a bicycle was struck by a “short panel truck” and was transported to Emanuel Hospital. Pashley said the woman ended up underneath the truck after she was hit, but luckily, there was no serious trauma involved.

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After ‘Pain’, ‘cross racers will ‘Rampage’ and ‘Battle’

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

I love the rough-and-tumble outer shell of the otherwise cuddly sport of cyclocross. With it’s usually grueling weather, tough courses, and party-like atmosphere, the sport’s promoters revel in its rowdiness.

The first ‘cross race of the season was named Pain on the Peak and this weekend, racers will head south on Saturday to the Rickreall Rampage and then out to Gresham for the Battle at Barlow on Sunday.

The Rickreall is sponsored by Veloshop and it’s being held on a working farm in the Willamette Valley, just west of Salem. In addition to a perfect warm-up for the opening of the Cross Crusade in Portland next weekend, organizers promise “a bonfire and shenanigans, so be prepared to grin excessively”.

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Oregonian reporter conquers commuting fears

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

“Not knowing what I was in for created a lot of mental room for scenarios of death and disfigurement. So far, the worst thing that’s happened is when my chain popped off on Interstate Avenue.”
— Shelby Wood

Remember Shelby Wood, the Oregonian columnist who was “too scared to saddle up” and ride her bike in Portland?

Wood, who writes the PDXGreen column, said her fears about biking were representative of many Portlanders in the “thick, nervous mainstream”. When I shared her story back in May it sparked over 140 comments, including one from Ms. Green.

She wrote,

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First look at another new on-street bike parking design from PDOT

new on street bike parking -3.jpg

New design utilizes metal
posts (instead of flexible plastic
bollards).
(Photos © J. Maus)

Continuing on their program to create more on-street bike parking facilities, the Maintenance Division of the City of Portland Office of Transportation began work today installing a new bike corral in North Portland.

The location is the southwest corner of the intersection of N. Killingsworth and N. Williams. This is the same location that I reported about a few weeks ago where the adjacent business owner, Ethos Music (the non-profit founded by City Council candidate Charles Lewis), was told the project was held up by design issues.

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BTA, Police Bureau launch latest incarnation of bike light education program

riding along with Officer Hoesly

A Portland police officer gives
out a free set of bike lights
back in August 2006.
(Photos © J. Maus)

As part of their ongoing Eye to Eye campaign, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) and the Traffic Division of the Portland Police Bureau have partnered up on an effort to increase awareness of using bike lights and being more visible while riding. Their efforts build on a history of bike light advocacy here in Portland that started over three years ago.

According to a press release issued this morning, the BTA will kick off the project tomorrow with an event at the “Seven Corners” intersection (SE Division, SE Ladd, and SE 20th). They’ll be serving “mocktails” (non-alcoholic beverages) and giving cyclists information about lights and visibility.

That event will be followed by a series of “targeted bike light education and enforcement actions” by the Police Bureau. The actions are slated to begin next week and the plan is for police officers to educate non-lit cyclists about light laws, pass out safety information, and install free lights (thanks to an ODOT grant) when necessary.

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An update on Rose Quarter Transit Center bike access

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Old lane markings have been
ground away and the new, bi-directional bike
lane is being mapped out.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The Rose Quarter Transit Center, long a thorn in the side of bike advocates who want more efficient north-south access, is slated for a host of bike access improvements.

Those improvements — which include bus line re-routes and several new bits of bike-specific markings and lanes — where initially set for completion on August 31st. But now, the latest word from TriMet planner and bike specialist Colin Maher is that the new bike lanes, bike box, and signage, is “expected early next month.”

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Editorial: U.S. automakers get their bailout

A massive lobbying effort spearheaded by General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler has resulted in passage of a $25 billion package of low-cost loans to help them re-tool for the “next generation of fuel-efficient motor vehicles”.

Automakers originally wanted $50 billion (twice what they got last go-round), and even then the plan was supported by both Barack Obama and John McCain. Lobbyists also said they needed the money because U.S. government policies that have hurt their bottom lines.

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From the Archives

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