Recently in the forums the discussion turned to Westside commute routes. A user named “nborders” mentioned his daily commute up and over the Sylvan hill and down into Portland.
When someone asked him for more info, he posted a detailed description and even made a series of route maps using aerial photos of the area with hand-written notes and tips.
No one knows our downtown streets better than bike messengers. So you think they’d have a loud voice in any plans to drastically alter that landscape. After all, they’re are a group of road users whose lives (and livelihood) depend on safe and accessible streets because they sometimes have just a few minutes to deliver a package from one end of town to another. The impending construction of a new bus mall in the heart of downtown will have a huge effect on their daily lives.
Yet despite this, their voice and input has been completely absent from the public planning process.
I think messengers have a unique and important perspective to share so I asked a few of them for their thoughts on this situation:
There was another bike move on the streets of Portland today. Debbie needed to move about four miles across town so instead of renting a truck, she put out the call to the Shift to Bikes email list. 17 people, 16 bikes and 12 trailers answered the call.
This wasn’t my first bike move, but it seemed like more trailers than usual showed up. Tom – a true cargo-bike aficionado – unveiled his bomber new trailer and broke it in with a full-sized stove! Already loaded with the stove I walked by and set a dresser on it. Tom said, “go ahead, it fits!” I was joking, he wasn’t.
[Posted by “rose.corrigan”]
Black/silver Cannondale road frame modded for city riding (R300, black to silver fade, straight bars, thumb shifters, women’s specific saddle, bear trap pedals) and white Bell Sweep helmet stolen from bike rack outside 24hr Fitness @ 12th & Johnson on 3/9. Email: rose.corrigan@gmail.com or call: 503.922.1813.
I’m happy to announce that Kryptonite has joined forces with BikePortland.org to help spread bike security to those in need. Starting next week, we’ll be giving away two u-locks every month to bike theft victims*.
To be eligible, you must first report your stolen bike to the Portland Police by calling (503) 823-4636. Then, list your bike on BikePortland.org. I will pick the winners randomly, contact them by email, and a nice new Kryptonite Evolution Standard u-lock ($55 retail value) will magically appear in the mail a few days later.
While most of us endure the snowy, wet Portland winter, several local cyclists have wisened up and set off for bike adventures abroad.
Doug Ollerenshaw is a local professional bike racer. He’s competing with his Health Net teammates in the Tour of Taiwan. You can follow along with his (mis)adventures on his personal website at DougOllerenshaw.com. Or check out the official reports of each stage on the team website.
We all know the bike theft problem is bad…but it turns out even bikes hanging by the hooks on a MAX train aren’t safe. This was just posted to a local email list:
“This morning I arrived at the MAX stop just as the train was arriving so instead of locking my bike at the stop and missing the train I took it on board. Both bike hang locations were full so I sat on the seat behind the bike rack and held my bike while reading. As the train pulled out of Beaverton Creek the guy across from me jumped up saying his bike, which was hanging directly behind me, had been stolen. Apparently someone left with it at the BC stop. Everyone, including the bike owner, was reading or sleeping so no one saw who stole the bike. The owner got off at the next stop and the driver called the police to meet him there.”
I ride the MAX with my bike pretty regularly…but have never thought of locking it. Maybe I should I start?
Chatter about the Sellwood Bridge is on the upswing. The old bridge, which is failing under its own weight, is set to either be significantly renovated or completely re-constructed. Regional bike planners, advocates, and advisory committee members are getting ready with plans, letters, photographic evidence, informal polls, whatever it takes to ensure that any new construction includes safe and adequate bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
Microcosm Publishing is having a 10th birthday party this weekend and they’ve got some good bikey fun lined up.
On Sunday night company founder Joe Biel will debut his 11-minute documentary, “Martinis in the Bike Lane,” which is a history of Portland’s unique bike lane markings. Joe asked BikePortland.org readers for input when he began work on this film back in November.
Portland’s bike scene continues to transcend our city’s borders. Recent coverage in regional magazines like Cranked, The Bicycle Paper, and the international publication Carbusters include stories on Portland.
The BTA has grown out of their downtown office and they’re hunting for new office space. I’m posting this to the community in case anyone has a tip that might help them find a new space. We need them working on bike issues…not worrying about finding a new office!
Here’s the word from Executive Director Evan Manvel.
“We’re looking for 1700-2000 square feet, accessible to downtown, as we have many meetings with City Hall and PDOT. We have been at our current location for five years, and have more than doubled in size since we moved here (4 people to 10).
The March 1 issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News (BRAIN) includes a story on the Specialized/Stumptown saga, which first broke on this site back on January 31st. BRAIN is a well-known bike industry trade magazine that goes out to every bike shop and manufacturer in the U.S. The article is not available on-line, but I’ve scanned a copy that you can download:
This story has already made its way around the world via the Web, and the opinion of nearly everyone on the Internet is that Specialized is doing the wrong thing. However my feeling is that Specialized cares much more about how their peers in the bike industry think about them, than just lowly Internet users.
