Joe Biel (founder of Microcosm Publishing) is working on a short documentary about Portland bike art for From Portland with Bike Love II. It will focus primarily on the infamous bike lane stencil characters but will touch on other bike art in Portland as well. Joe will also explore why this town is so full of great bike art to begin with.
My first bike move
After hearing about them for months I finally got a chance to partake in a bike move. Me and 20 or so others helped a friend move her stuff about a mile across town.
The day started with nice chit chat over pastries (donated by Grand Central Bakery!) and coffee . We then loaded our baskets, panniers, and trailers with stuff. Lamps, books, stereos, a wok, bookshelves, dressers, you name it, we loaded it.
Critical Mass does the tree lighting
On Friday’s Critical Mass we timed the tree-lighting ceremony in Pioneer Courthouse Square just right. After creeping up Broadway we ended up stopped just outside Starbucks on the west side of the square when the countdown began and the big tree was lit. It was kind of a cool moment. Our bike bells mingled nicely with the cheers and claps of the Black Friday throngs.
After a short loop around the square, we headed back to the Park Blocks and met up with more riders. I peeled off at this point but I heard that the group ended up spreading the cheer on NW 23rd, bombing down Burnside (that’s always fun) and then doing a “mini-Mass” up MLK en route to a “furious dance party”. (Read Elly Blue’s recap for more details).
As for the cops…they seemed much more relaxed than usual. Must be the holiday spirit!
Good news on South Waterfront design
As I reported earlier, initial designs for the South Waterfront development project were unsafe for cyclists. Several movers and shakers at City Hall put their heads together and got City Council to approve a more acceptable design in a resolution that passed this morning.
Get all the details over at PortlandTransport.com.
CBS News to feature Portland
Portland will get 2 minutes of national TV time this Sunday.
Producers from CBS News Sunday Morning (the one with Charles Osgood) flew into Portland last Thursday to tape footage for the upcoming show.
The episode will feature good news from around the country and when the producers got wind of Portland cops giving out lights to cyclists, they thought it’d make a good fit. We’re sharing the limelight with a boy who raised money to adopt a dog and a guy who left corporate life to be a cook.
Clown House seeks roommate
Dingo needs someone to rent a room in the Clown House. This is a once-in-lifetime opportunity to live with a great group of bike-loving clowns! Who knows, maybe you might learn some cool clown skills like racing tall-bikes or spool walking. Here’s the info (submitted by Dingo):
BTA chosen for Willy Week “Give! Guide”
Our beloved BTA is one of the 24 non-profits chosen by the Willamette Week for a special issue called the Give! Guide. So just what does that mean?
Basically, it means there’s never been a better time to donate a bit of cash to the BTA. Here’s why:
Everyone who gives anything (!) gets:
- One coupon good for a free cup of coffee at Stumptown
- One box of Powell’s After Reading Mints (stocking stuffer or Hannukah gift)
- A chance to win the $300+ Johnny Cash deluxe box set, and two chef’s meals at clarklewis
People who give more than $250 get:
- 6-pack of beer, bottle of wine, and a pound of coffee
If the BTA gets the most number of gifts, even the $5 variety, they get a $1000 bonus.
So here’s the link to to donate…happy giving!
NoPo Greenway Trail meeting
Take a second to imagine this: A paved trail that connects Cathedral Park (under the St. Johns Bridge) with the Eastbank Esplanade! Monday night, 30 people put that image into motion by attending the first public meeting of the Friends of North Portland Willamette Greenway Trail.
The “Friends of the Greenway” told us about their vision for the trail and asked for our feedback and input. We heard that northern sections of the trail could be funded “sooner rather than later” and that with enough involvement and participation from the public, additional portions of the trail (which would help fill a large gap in the 40 Mile Loop) could become a reality.
More thoughts on Hawthorne
(**For anyone sick of jabbering about the Hawthorne Bridge, stop reading right now and wait for my next post. It will be fun, I promise!).
I feel like I’ve opened a can worms. My posts about the the new bike/ped markings on the Hawthorne Bridge have gotten many comments and I received an email from someone on the County bike advisory committee who said my recent post, “frivolously demeans the efforts of everyone on the County bike and ped Committee.” Then his email was CC’d to all sorts of prominent folks whom I have much respect for. Ouch.
Given all this, I want to clarify a few things.
Give your input on new bridge markings
[Update: more photos of the markings]
In the past 24 hours I have heard from several reliable sources that the new Hawthorne Bridge markings were done with little to no input from cyclists. One bike advocacy insider went so far as to say:
“I am incredibly disappointed in the County (again, I might add) for failing to include an engineer in the Bridge Advisory Committee. Once again, bikes get screwed.”
Hawthorne Bridge gets new markings
[Update: more photos of the markings]
Multnomah County work crews restriped the bike/ped path on the popular Hawthorne Bridge this morning. The new markings were done in an effort to “reduce conflicts between pedestrians and bicyclists” according to the official press release (PDF). Here’s more from the release:
Cinema and Swap see success
Friday’s Bike Film Night and Sunday’s PUMP Swap Meet were smashing successes!
On Friday, when I pulled up to the Clinton Street Theater, cyclists were spilling out into the street and the vibe was electric. Hundreds of people milled outside waiting for a chance to support Times Up! and see a collection of bike movies put together by RevPhil and Sara Stout.
There were bikes everywhere. Several of us ended up just locking up together in the middle of Belmont Clinton Street!
With plenty of beer (donated by Widmer) the scene inside was racuous. The show kicked off with a hilarious short featuring dueling clowns on the infamous Spin Bikes racing to their death around the Alberta St. Clownhouse. The last movie was “Still We Ride“, a documentary about the ongoing battle between the NYPD and cyclists in New York City. It was depressing to see such misunderstanding between fellow humans. Remember folks, bicycling is not a crime!