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

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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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City traffic safety group releases project list

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project list
[Download project list (PDF, 58K)]

The Community and School Traffic Safety Partnership is a group with the City of Portland Office of Transportation that focuses on bicycle and pedestrian safety, reducing driver error, and Safe Routes to School. They’ve got $300,000 to spend on bike and ped projects over the next two years and they’ve released a list of 28 proposed projects (PDF) that might get funded. This list has been sent out to neighborhood district coaltions for review and feedback so now is the time to speak up.

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More stolen bikes recovered

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Because of savvy BikePortland.org readers, we’ve recovered two bikes in the past two weeks. I just love it when this happens and it’s proof that by keeping your eyes open and regularly checking the Stolen Bike Listings we can leverage the power of community to re-unite bikes with their owners. Here are the stories of these two recent recoveries:

Here’s the original listing. And the story:

Great News! I am writing to let you know that an individual that had access to my wife’s bike was prompted to make contact with me after coming across my stolen bike posting on your website. I’ll spare you the details here, but you and the rest of the bikeportland.org community can be assured that the high visibility of your stolen bike postings were critical in recovering the bike. Chalk up another win!

Read more

Stolen: Santa Cruz MTB

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[Posted by “rcmotorider”]

Well, it saddens me to be making this post but some a-hole stole my Mtn. Bike yesterday from the 24 Hour Fitness Center on NW Johnson. It happened around 4:00pm.

My bike is a Large, White SANTA CRUZ, Chameleon. It has a “ThudBuster” seat post, black “Marzocchi” forks, “Easton” handle bars with bar ends that have been taped up with black electrical tape, also it has a “Cane Creek” stem (goose neck), a “Carolina Fatz” sticker across the upper frame tube, clipless pedals, a standard LED tail light, etc., etc.

I am sorry to say that I do not have any spare money to offer as a reward but I would be eternally greatful for any info leading to the recovery of my two-wheeled transportation.

I can be reached at (503) 754-5156 or by email at rcmotorider@yahoo.com
Thanks in advance for reading and any help that may come!!!

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