Massive fun and no cops needed

Dance!
(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Tonight’s Critical Mass ride was a blast. I took Eleni in the trailer and we had a great time. Warm breeze, a great route (over the Ross Island Bridge!), some well-chosen music (thank you boom-box bike guy) and a fun group of people all contributed to the good vibe.

I hate to mention the cops, but I think it’s ridiculous that they even show up anymore. I actually feel embarrassed for them because they had nothing to do…and you know what happens when cops get bored…they find something to do.

Bottom line is that having the cops at Critical Mass is a big waste of taxpayer money and a waste of law enforcement resources that could be put to more necessary tasks. Cops are also a deterrant to more families and other cyclists who would join the ride if it weren’t for their intimidating presence. Eleni was the only kid on the ride (she’s 2 and 1/2)…and I know there are a ton of families that would show up if there were no cops.

So Mayor Potter, Commissioner Sam, is there any way you can call off the dogs for next month’s ride? It’s sort of ironic that we’re hoping to be the first Platinum level bicycle friendly city, yet we can’t even go on bike ride without the boys in blue watching over us.

By the way, feel free to peruse all my photos below. Don’t miss the Xylo-bike, the mini-bikes, the boom-box bike, the assorted personalities and other fun craziness. See you out there next month!

Zoobombers in Willamette Week

Tour de Fat: Portland, OR 8/6/05In case anyone missed it, the Zoobomb crew is featured in the current issue of the Willamette Week. Choice quotes include:

“We’re not political. We don’t want to subvert your dominant paradigm…we just want to have a good time.”

“We’re kind of keeping bike culture on the popular radar,” adds “Solid Gold,” a three-year member. “And reminding people that bikes are the most fun invention on Earth.”

Thanks Zoobombers…I dream of the day when riding small bikes down hills is the dominant paradigm.

On that note, with Zoobomb getting so mainstream these days, I wonder when Sam Adams will show up to one?

Celebrate bikes tonight!

Critical Mass - PortlandJust a reminder that a bunch of people will be riding around downtown tonight between 6 and 7:00. If you want to join in on all the fun, just show up on a bike and ride. There will be a large group forming around the North Park Blocks (off Burnside) at around 5:45 if you’re interested in riding with others.

Families, bells, costumes, and general merriment are strongly encouraged.

More info on “sharrows”

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As I reported a few weeks ago, sharrows are coming soon to Portland streets. If you’d like to know more about them, head over to Sam Adams’ blog where someone from his staff just posted a good explanation and several links to more information.

I’m excited about sharrows and I believe they will make our streets safer, but sharrows and other infrastructure improvements can never match the safety that comes with being a skilled, confident, and defensive cyclist. Yes, it feels good to look down and know you’ve got some fancy lane markings on your side in the battle of the concrete jungle…but you will only truly be safe once you improve your riding skills.

On that note, I urge everyone to take advantage of the upcoming bike safety workshops coming soon to a neighborhood near you. If you can’t attend those, my advice is to just ride your bike as much as possible. The sixth sense you need to be safe in traffic can really only be honed through time on the saddle.

If you’re new to riding in the city, come down to the North Park Blocks (near Burnside) tonight at 5:45 and take a ride through downtown with a few hundred fellow cyclists. I’ll be there with Eleni in the trailer…come over and say hi!

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Last Thursday Art Walk

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Alberta St. - Last Thursday Art Walk
Alberta St. - Last Thursday Art Walk
Alberta St. - Last Thursday Art Walk

Took my ladies out to Last Thursday on Alberta tonight. It was Danica’s big public debut…she slept the whole time. I love Alberta. Lots of funky, happy, beautiful people, lots of great art, and of course, lots of bikes and bikers. Ran into Carye of Red Bat Press fame. I love her woodcut prints…especially the bikey ones. Her “Everybody Bike” card is my new favorite. Hmmm, now I’m thinking of a BikePortland.org T-shirt design…

Somehow we always end up at the Clown House, watching their various antics. Eleni (my 2 1/2 yr old) is a big fan of Dingo the Clown. He’s sort of the ring-leader and he can usually be seen with his green chaps high atop his golden horse tall bike. I also met a clown on a tall unicycle named “Slim Chance.”

The amazing Sprockettes put in a performance, although regrettably I wasn’t their to see it…but I did snap a few photos of their small, pink bikes. I think the Sprockettes rule and I would be proud to see Eleni or Danica grow up to be one.

Shift Bike Bulletin: September

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Shift‘s monthly Bike Bulletin is an essential Portland bike event and ride listing. Instead of just having it sit in my inbox each month, I’ve decided to start posting it here on BikePortland.org. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to post more rides and events, so I’ll try this and see how it goes. I’m working on a more comprehensive, user-friendly event-listing system…but for now, this will serve as a quick-and-dirty shortcut.

So here it is. Get your calendar out, save these dates, and start planning for some major bike fun!

September 2005

Ride Portland’s Off-Street Bike Paths – I-205
Tuesday, August 30
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Shogren House, NE 62nd between Davis & Glisan
We’ll ride north (possibly all the way to Marine Drive).
Website for more info
Contact: 503.823.5266, linda.ginenthal@pdxtrans.org

Ride Portland’s Springwater on the Willamette
Wednesday, August 31
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Laurelhurst Park, SE 37th & Oak
Enjoy the newest of Portland’s linear parks.
Website for more info
Contact: 503.823.5266, linda.ginenthal@pdxtrans.org

Read more

Bikeway network signage

bikewaysignJust noticed this over at News4Neighbors:

    “The City of Portland was awarded a federal grant to develop a comprehensive signing system for Portland’s bikeways. For the past year we have been designing a signing system that will use two types of signs: destination signs and route confirmation signs and markings. We identified more than 70 destinations to which we would like to direct cyclists (Central City map and City-wide Map) (destinations shown in red). Destination signs will be placed at the intersections of all established bikeways and anywhere else a cyclist faces a decision point…We will finish up final sign design by the end of November and will then seek approval from the Oregon Department of Transportation to use these new signs. Assuming all goes well, we hope to install the signs by next winter.”

Read more about the signs and the status of the project on the City of Portland Office of Transportation website. They’ve also got links to sneak peaks of more of the signs (PDF) and informational kiosks that are in the works. Man, those guys are always up to something.

AP: Bikes keep Portlanders slim

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wapotimo

Local transportation advocate Linda Ginenthal (left), is featured in a just-released AP newswire story that details how Portland is a shining example of how bike-friendly cities keep people healthy. The story is a follow-up to a recent story about how Oregon is the only state to not show a rise in obesity rates.

Excerpt:

“What makes Oregon different is its emphasis on urban design, which encourages outdoor activities like biking to work, the study’s authors said….For Ginenthal, Portland’s layout has made it convenient for her to ride to work following a familiar path of arching trees. Moreover, her employer, the City of Portland, provides financial incentives, such as a $25 bonus each month for riding her bike to work at least 80 percent of the time.”

The story will now spread across the globe in a matter of hours. Congratulations and a big thank you to everyone at the City of Portland Transportation Options division…this is a nice feather in your cap for all the hard work you do.

Danica Agnes Maus

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Thanks to everyone for the kind emails and comments on the birth of my daughter.  Several folks have asked for photos and more details…so here goes:

Danica Agnes Maus (we call her Dani)
9lbs. 5oz. and 21" long

It was by far the most intense experience of my life.  The only thing I can even compare it to is the final laps of a long, hard crit…with a lap counter that seemed to never budge.

… and like bike racing, the reward far outweighs the effort…don’t you think?

Bike safety leadership workshops

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citylogo

The City of Portland Office of Transportation has just announced a series of Bike Safety Leadership Workshops coming directly to your neighborhood. The Workshops will include:

  • a presentation about bicycle safety (including bike crash map information)
  • a bicycle ride to locations emblematic of issues related to bicycle safety in the district
  • a re-group for a discussion about some of the more challenging questions (e.g., how do we respond as a community after a fatality? how do neighborhoods better access Transportation or Police services? etc).

The idea is to build a bicycle safety group in each neighborhood that has a common understanding of bike safety issues and to enable a bicycle liaison in the Police precincts.

The schedule for the Workshops is:

If you have any questions contact Greg Raisman at the Portland Office of Transportation, (503) 823-1052 or email Greg.Raisman [@] pdxtrans.org

French bike rental system shows promise

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lyonbikerental

Just reported on Wired.com is a new program in Lyon, France that may be of interest here in Portland (photo on left). This well-designed and high tech rent-a-bike system seems to be a major improvement on the old “Yellow Bike” program. It simply requires a credit card to “check out” a bike. The fee is $1.20 per hour and the first :30 minutes are free.

So far the system is doing quite well:

In just three months, the program has signed up 15,000 subscribers who take 4,000 trips a day and travel over 24,800 miles a week on 2,000 public bikes at 150 bike stations.

Read the full article here.

Several other cities (including Amsterdam) are interested in this new system and have already sent delegations to check it out. So…which lucky city employee is going to fly to Lyon?

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