BTA unveils 5-part safety plan

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Tomorrow, the BTA will release a statement that outlines their response to the recent rash of bike/car collisions in the Portland metro area. I have received advanced permission to publish this press release to the bike community here on BikePortland.org.

The release of their “Five Part Plan” follows their recent Op-ed that ran in the Oregonian and it reinforces their commitment to cyclist’s rights.

  • (1) Identification of, and advocacy for, site-specific engineering safety improvements.
    They will visit crash scenes and advise city engineers on how to make them safer.
  • (2) Advocacy for appropriate enforcement actions.
    Make sure the guilty party receives a punishment equal to the crime.
  • (3) Expanded driver and cyclist education efforts.
    They will work to add bicycle awarenss to the DMV’s driver’s ed. test.
  • (4) Improved identification of dangerous areas.
    They will ask the city to fund an online, interactive crash reporting system.
  • (5) Advocacy for a fair share of safety funding for bike and pedestrian projects.
    They will lobby for more equal representation for cyclists in transporation funding.

Continue reading for the full release…

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Tour de Fat a big success

Tour de Fat: Portland, OR 8/6/05
Tour de Fat: Portland, OR 8/6/05
Tour de Fat: Portland, OR 8/6/05

Hats off to New Belgium Brewery for throwing a great party on Saturday! Their Tour de Fat is a traveling bike circus, concert, beer garden, fundraiser, and bike love-fest all rolled into one.

It started out with a police-escorted parade through downtown (Portland must be leading the country in bike parades per year!). The New Belgium crew showed up with all manner of Chunk-ified bikes and funky costumes. The coolest thing was an Xtracycle boom-box bike that kept things fun with a great selection of disco party music blaring through the streets as we rode along.

Once back in Waterfront Park, we were greeted with the wonderful announcement of, “the beer garden is now open.” All the beer money went directly to the BTA and PUMP….and let’s just say that I’ve done my part for the Portland bike community!;-).

Beers firmly in hand, we all settled in for a sultry vaudeville/burlesque show from the Yard Dogs Road Show and some good, old-fashioned foot stompin’, Dukes of Hazzard style banjo pickin’ bluegrass from Oakhurst.

Their was also a bike test corral full of quirky, creative and weird bikes. I’ve been wanting to ride a tall bike for months now and I finally got my chance. It was amazing! Now I know why people love their SUVs…I was large and in charge! But besides a tall bike there was a shoe bike, an articulated “swing bike”, a bike with 14″ wide tires!, a pump bike, and many others.

Much credit goes to the event crew at New Belgium. In a town that knows a thing or two about fun bikey events, you guys held your own, and then some. See you next year!

[Click here for all of my Tour de Fat photos]

Cyclecide Bike Rodeo this weekend

Chunk Organ Donor InviteWondering what to do after the Tour de Fat tomorrow?

Take your summer beer-buzz-bike-love over to Acme (SE 8th and Main St) to catch the Cyclecide Bike Rodeo. I haven’t seen them yet, but I think they’re sort of a mix between Chunk 666 and the Alberta Clownhouse crew. Here’s what the SF Weekly had to say about them:

“To get an idea of what, exactly, the Cyclecide folks do, imagine Cirque du Soleil. Now take away the grace and beauty of a hundred seminaked French people and replace it with a bunch of surly, moonshine-swilling, outlaw types wearing monkey boots and moth-eaten clothing.”

Sounds like some Kodak moments for sure. Don’t forget your camera.

The BTA responds to Portland Tribune article

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The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) has written an op-ed in response to last Friday’s Portland Tribune headline story on bike safety. The headline that ran on the front page was, “Walk, ride at your peril”.

The BTA thinks this alarmist headline “irresponsible journalism” because both walking and riding remain relatively very safe activities. They go on to outline several positive ways our community can react to the recent spate of bike/car incidents that have left 5 cyclists dead since the start of June. Here they are:

  • First, as drivers and cyclists, we have to act responsibly when we’re on the road.
  • Second, law enforcement officials need to respond effectively and send a clear message that our roads must be safe for all.
  • Third, our elected officials must dedicate the required resources to identify the most dangerous roads and bridges and fix them, as well as improving safety during every upgrade.
  • Fourth, community partners such as the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, schools, and Department of Motor Vehicles, must work to educate drivers and bicyclists about safely sharing the road.
  • Fifth, the media should continue to draw attention to the crashes, in a thoughtful and responsible way.

All very good points to keep in mind during this “sad summer.” Much credit due to the BTA for such a well-written piece.

“Sharrows” coming to NW Portland streets

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Some great news about a new bike lane marking called “sharrows”.

From the Portland Tribune:

Sometime in the next few months, the city will start using shared-lane pavement markings, known as “sharrows,” along 12 city blocks, mostly on Northwest 18th and 19th avenues. The markings will depict a cyclist as well as arrows, indicating motorists may use the lane but must yield to bicyclists.

According to Roger Geller, Bicycle Coordinator for the city of Portland,

“The intent is to show cyclists where to position themselves in travel lanes away from parked cars and let motorists know to expect cyclists will be there,” “When it works, it will function well for people riding
bikes and still work well for automobiles.”

I have never seen these markings myself, but I’m curious to see how they work in real life situations.

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Reckless driver is “Rogue of the Week”

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The Willy Week gets major street cred for choosing a reckless motorist their “Rogue of the Week”. Turns out one of their own reporters, Angela Valdez, was seriously injured by a motorist last week on NE 15th and NE Prescott. The driver turned right directly in front of her and still thought it wasn’t his fault. Sounds crazy huh? This quote from the cop on the scene isn’t any better:

“as with most collisions, there will be no prosecution. “It doesn’t rise to the level of a crime,” says Hussey.”

I guess nearly taking someone’s life isn’t a crime in this country. That’s ridiculous. This is especially appalling because, once again the driver is a repeat offender who should not be on the road to begin with.

Time for another mention of the Freedom from Cars Declaration. Sign it. Live it. If we don’t start to make our voices heard and demand a change, nothing will ever get better.

Willamette Week reports on St. Johns Bridge

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Ryan Hume at the Willamette Week did a great job with his story on the St. Johns Bridge and cyclists in this week’s Willy Week. I met with Ryan and exchanged several emails about the story and I can honestly say he is a solid reporter.

But I can’t resist commenting on his line that paraphrases Charles Sciscione, regional manager of ODOT.

he [Sciscione] doesn’t necessarily disagree [with an alternative plan that would be safer for bikes] but he believes there’s no better solution for a span that averages 24,000 cars and trucks a day.

No better solution? Wasn’t their a study done by an independent consulting group that said 4 full lanes will not reduce congestion and that the alternative was both safer and more efficient?

The real kicker is that Sciscione actually admits that the “lanes are too narrow,” than says, “but it’s a treasure.”

Mr. Sciscione, I realize you are just the messenger and that you’re heart may actually reside with the cyclists and pedestrians. But really, if the bridge is such a treasure (which I agree it is), than why would you follow through with a plan that doesn’t let anyone besides motorists to enjoy its grandeur without fearing for their life?

National Night Out at Peninsula Park

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dave, Portland OR
National Night Out, Peninsula Park Portland OR

Just got back from a great party at Peninsula Park in North Portland put on as part of the city-wide National Night Out festivities.

There was music, food, and a bunch of my Piedmont neighbors. One of the more interesting people I met was Dave…who I first met while parking bikes for the BTA at the Blues Festival a few weeks ago. I remembered him when I saw him tonight because of his long, black, lowrider-chopper-style Dyno Cruiser.

Turns out Dave absolutely loves his bike (he wouldn’t even let me take it for a spin) and he cruises it around with his wife who has a pink cruiser with a stuffed E.T. (Extra Terrestrial) doll in the front basket. I’m looking forward to seeing Dave again at the Mississippi Street Fair. With his big bike, he’s pretty hard to miss.

The perfect “Portland Bicycle”

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Chris Smith over at the Portland Transport blog has started a conversation about what the “Portland Bicycle” should look like. It’s ironic that he brings this up because I had this same conversation with a Portland-based bike industry insider just last month.

So here’s my .02 on what it should look like:

  • It must be look good. A major weakness of the Breezer line (besides being too expensive) is that they are too dorky looking for most riders under 40. Take a page from Apple’s book…good design sells.
  • It must be produced with environmental sustainability in mind. Perhaps Matt O’Rourke at King Cycle Group should be hired as a consultant on the project. He leads a company that is 100% responsible in how they treat the planet and they produce their products domestically (mostly right here in Portland).
  • It should have an internally geared hub. Single-speeds are impractical and derailleurs are a pain to maintain in the rain.

By the way, we’ve got quite a bit of bicycle manufacturing facilities and know-how right here in our own back yard. Mountain Cycle/Kinesis is in North Portland and Sapa , based in Sweden and one of the largest bike manufacturers in North America is based right over the bridge in Vancouver. And of course we’ve got our share of frame-building talent like Sacha White at Vanilla Bicycles and Joseph Ahearne of Ahearne Cycles. I think it would make a lot of sense for the State of Oregon, the PDC and other organizations to get behind an effort to create a Portland commuter bike brand. Why?

  • We, as a city, already have the name recognition and “brand” for cycling that companies spend millions to create.
  • A successful bike brand could generate tax revenue for the state and city.
  • It would be a PR dream for everyone involved by being promoted as an agressive and innovative way to help curb obesity and dependence on fossil fuels.
  • Can you say, Platinum-level bicycle friendly city?

Is this a crazy idea? Am I lost in a bike love bubble? I’d love to know what you think.

Oregonian wants Bridge Pedal veteran

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Just got off the phone with Melissa Sanchez of the Oregonian. She’s working on an article and is looking for someone who has done every single Bridge Pedal event.

If you have done this or know someone who has, get in touch with Melissa ASAP via email or call (503) 221-8199.

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