Local activist fights for cyclists in NYC

BTA Bike Safety Class at Prescott Elementary

[Sara Stout]

Sara Stout is a tremendous asset to cyclists around the world. In addition to travelling internationally as a member of the World Carfree Network, she is one of the founding members of Shift, a BTA bike safety educator, and co-host of the KBOO Bike Show. Right now she’s in NYC, fighting for the rights of arrested cyclists and trying to get her head around why that city treats cyclists like terrorists. I asked Sara to share some thoughts about what she’s been doing:

“My main mission here in NYC has been to work on recruiting and training a team of legal observers to monitor Critical Mass on behalf of the World Carfree Network. For the past year and a half, I have been reporting to the World Carfree Network about the treatment of cyclists here in NYC, especially at Critical Mass rides.”

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Links: Clowns, complaints and a club ride

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
Clownhouse tallbike race

[Papa on a tall-bike]

We need these in Portland

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Just came across this bike rack on the Cleverchimp blog (first posted on Rad-Spannerei).

car rack

Here’s how the designer describes it:

“6 bicycles versus ONE car. this bike park occupies a single carpark space, like a critical proposal TO THE TRAFFIC.”

I think someone at Office of Transportation should order a few for downtown Portland…this thing has “Platinum” written all over it.

Not that we don’t already have some cool bike racks, but this one is in a whole different league.

Reflections on Burnside Bridge closure

burnsideclosure

[Photo by Aaron Tarfman]

Bike activist Aaron Tarfman shares his thoughts on the recent Burnside Bridge closure over in the “Voices” section.

“This past weekend the Burnside Bridge was closed to all traffic. Given that at least 5 of the city’s most dangerous pedestrian intersections occur on Burnside, I had to see what effect this would have on our city. The first thing I noticed about the closed bridge was the quiet. There were still numerous vehicles figuring out how to get around the detours (too bad they didn’t read BTA’s website) however it wasn’t the nearly deafening roar which normally pervades the Burnside Bridge…”

Read more and see additional photos over on Aaron’s website.

Answers from Kryptonite

seth's business card

[Seth’s card]

A few weeks ago I asked if you had questions for Kryptonite because I was going to meet with one of their tech guys, Seth Samson. I printed out all of your questions and brought them to dinner. Here are your questions followed by answers I managed to scribble down over beers and Chinese food:

James: “I’m curious how their distribution has changed. I think REI used to carry Kryptonite, but now no longer does.”

    REI actually still carries Kryptonite, just less models than they have in the past. This is due to normal competitive market forces and REI purchasing decisions. In addition to carrying Kryptonite they also offer a less-expensive brand called OnGuard.

Andrew: “I’m curious what they ended up doing with all the returned locks. Sold as scrap?”

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Worst Day success brings pains and gains

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

I just heard from bike community mastermind and uber event promoter Ayleen Crotty that the final tally for Sunday’s Worst Day of the Year Ride was a whopping 1,525 people. That’s an amazing turnout and over twice the amount of riders they had last year.

The big turnout was a cause for celebration from organizers and sponsors…but it made for a challenging day for some participants. Over in the forums, I noticed this account from a disgruntled rider. You can also read Ayleen’s gracious response.

I think it’s important for us to realize that the people behind many of these great events are not making tons of money and they’re doing a lot of work so we can have fun on our bikes. Thanks again to all the sponsors and organizers for such a great event!

Cool bike art at Urban Grind

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Some cool artwork at Urban Grind

[“Psychlist” by Stephen Sedlar]

I noticed these cool pieces of art at Urban Grind the other day. The bike-inspired motifs piqued my curiosity so I snapped a few photos and took a closer look. From a flyer posted near the work I learned that they’re, “made from concrete that has been mixed with interesting stones, colored with various pigments, and fused with metal inlay designs.” These metal inlays include screws, drill bits and cogs (check out the large version of the photo for more detail).

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Checking in on the Forums

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It’s been just over a month since I launched the Portland Bike Forums. So far, 93 people have registered and we’ve got 181 posts. More people are signing up every week and there’s already been some interesting posts and quality discussions. We’ve even been graced by the presence of aspiring filmmaker “WhiteSword”. He shared some of his bike movies – including a ride through the halls of PSU and a Zoobomb – which I highly recommend.

Now I know each bike group has their own email list or forum. Those are great resources, but I’m a big believer in the value of centralized information and the power of community that happens when we connect with people outside our usual bikey circles. There’s a ton of exciting synergy waiting to happen if everyone shared information in the same place. For instance:

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Enforcement action planned for next Wednesday

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

The Portland Police are planning another traffic enforcement action next Wednesday (the 22nd) at the intersection of NE Knott and 7th from 7:30 to 10:30AM. They call this an “Intersection Safety Enforcement Action” and they’ll be looking for motorists, cyclists, or pedestrians who fail to come to a complete stop.

Here’s what happened the last time they did one at SE 26th and Clinton.

So mark your calendar and be aware of this intersection. If you don’t come to a complete stop (remember, trackstands are OK) you may get a $237 dollar ticket.

Mocktails warms hearts, hands

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
Valentines Mocktails on the bridge

[Carye Bye feels the love]

Last night, the bike love crew from Shift to Bikes was out in full force. They put on a super cool Mocktails on the Bridge event that greeted cold bike commuters with hot drinks, cookies, snacks and smiles.

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