BikePortland

Puppet parade bike move

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

The bike move crew was it again today…and this time, it was all about puppets. Bruce Orr and Carla Forte are local artists and puppeteers who needed to move their stuff (which included a bunch of silly puppet props) from the Mississippi area to St. Johns.

The puppets definitely added to the usual silliness and fun. Here’s a few notes and links to photos:

I think there were about 25 people (here’s a fun group photo).
Two reporters showed (here’s the Oregonian story).
Sara Stout showed up with her massive, green sidecar-go bike. She brought along a game of tennis, a few harmonicas, and her lovely dog, Betty.

[Posted by “Wendy”]

If anyone comes across a new silver Brentwood KHS bike, serial #441162203 please contact me. If you bought it recently, not knowing it was stolen, I will buy it back from you. It was perfect for me, good fit and size.

So sad.

iflourish_art@yahoo.com

Citizen initiated complaint results in citation

Lawyer Ray Thomas must be very proud. Back in January I posted about a new campaign he was promoting that would take advantage of existing statutes to empower cyclists to initiate a legal process to bring motorists to justice even if the motorist wasn’t cited at the scene of the crash.

[Clarence at work]

I love it when Clarence Eckerson of BikeTV comes to town. The NYC resident, whose heart belongs to Portland bike fun, showed up at Breakfast on the Bridges last Friday and put together this fun and inspiring movie. It features interviews with volunteers and bike commuters who stopped for the free pastries and coffee.

Far beyond just documenting bike fun, Clarence does amazing work with his camera. He is the videographer for The Open Planning Project, a NYC-based non-profit with a mission to “build technology to enhance the role of the citizen in democratic society.” He’s currently in Portland researching an upcoming production about the history of the Mt. Hood Freeway.

[This is sort of long so if you can attend the meeting on Friday please scroll down for time and location.]

This Friday the Oregon Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee (OPBAC) will meet in Portland (see agenda and location below). One of the topics on the agenda is a proposed bicycle ban on metro area freeways. This proposal came out of nowhere and quickly earned disapproval from the BTA and super-lawyer Ray Thomas.

If you’ve been wondering what the City of Portland means when they talk about “going Platinum”, look no further than this fascinating video called “Copenhagen, City of Cyclists”. It was sent to me by a reader whose wife works for PSU’s Center for Transporation Studies.

This 22 minute video perfectly illustrates the goals and visions that Portland’s bike advocates are striving for. Here are the links:

[Painting by Tiago.
Art imitates life.]

I checked out the Last Thursday Artwalk on Alberta last week.

I was hoping to see the Clownhouse in all its glory, but unfortunately the rain kept them from most of their fun. The yard was empty of craziness (don’t worry, it will come later), but the house itself was full of energy and I discovered some great bike art by Tiago Denczuk, a.k.a. “Pinga”. I also came across a bike hanging in the window of the pedX shoe store.

Right now the Chief of Police and Mayor Tom Potter are working to find a new Commander of the Traffic Division to replace the retiring Bill Sinnott. Bill was an ally to the bike community and we need to make sure his successor is just as open and willing to work with us.

This position has a big impact on our experience as cyclists. The Traffic Division writes 82% of this city’s tickets and they’re also the ones that show up to Critical Mass and work permitted events like bike parades. We need the new commander to be on our side. Just take a look at some of the stuff Bill did for the bike community during his tenure:

[Posted by username “tentboy”]

56cm green/silver 2005 Van Dessel Country Road Bob cyclocross bike. flip flop hub, no good components to sell off, nothing fancy–why did they steal it? Stolen March 22 in front of Lloyd Cinemas. tentboy@gmail.com. Thanks!

Dreams take root at Bicycle Tourism Summit

[Workshop in session]

Last Saturday 150 people filled the Eugene Hilton to share ideas and learn more about an effort to establish Oregon as the top cycling destination in the country. The participants came from every corner of the state and ranged from politicians, bike shop owners, bike industry entrepreneurs, and at least one “BMX mom”.

The event was emceed by Bike Gallery owner Jay Graves and he got things off to an inspirational start by having each person stand up and introduce themselves. From that moment on, it was clear that this summit will go down as a seminal moment in the history of bicycle tourism in Oregon.

I love emails from readers. They run the gamut from people seeking advice to diatribes about this or that bike issue. I got one last Friday that I won’t soon forget. It was sent (along with this photo) from a soldier in Iraq named Joe:

“Jonathan, I really enjoy your website and can’t wait to get back to Fort Lewis to do some more cycling in the Northwest! I’ll be coming down to Portland as soon as my deployment in Iraq is complete. In the meantime, I’ve been doing my stationary cycling on my spinner in order to keep in shape for the STP. Thanks for supporting the great cycling of the NW!”

[Allan, Carrie and Cody Folz;
home and happy.]

Allan, Carie and two year-old Cody Folz have just returned from a bike tour through southeast Asia. They pedaled the roads of Laos and Thailand on their tandem with Cody in a child seat. The photo on the right was taken just minutes after they returned to their home in North Portland.

Welcome back guys!

I’ve enjoyed Allan and Carrie’s engaging emails from the road…and now you can too. If you’d like to read some great travel writing, Ayleen Crotty has posted ~~all~~ some of their reports on her ORBike.com blog.

Puppet parade bike move

Stolen: Silver KHS

Citizen initiated complaint results in citation

BikeTV does B on B and comes to local TV

Update on highway bike ban proposal

Copenhagen video shows Portland’s dream

The art of bikes at Alberta Artwalk

Traffic Division appointment will impact cyclists

Stolen: Van Dessel cross bike

Dreams take root at Bicycle Tourism Summit

Reader email from Iraq

Local family returns from Asian adventure

Latest Headlines

Steel Bridge path closure cuts off key bike route (again)

ODOT investigating changes to Highway 43 after death of bicyclist

TrainSnap app gives timely warnings of blocked crossings and delays

E-bikes and bike buses win big in latest round of PCEF grants

From the Archives

Portland’s invisible machine: Behind the scenes at the World Naked Bike Ride