Another cyclist killed, now what?

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Last night a cyclist was struck and killed near Delta Park in North Portland . The vehicle did not stop and is currently at large. The cyclist’s identity has not been released.

As you may know, this is not the first cyclist killed by a car this summer. There is an unfortunate yet undeniable trend in fatalities in the last few months.

The safety of bicyclists on Portland’s streets has become a hot topic in transportation circles and now the media is starting to take note as well. Yesterday morning (before this most recent fatality) I fielded calls from both KGW and KOIN TV about the issue. I also spoke with a writer from The Daily Vanguard (the PSU newspaper) last week and this story was the result.

I am glad to see the increased attention for this issue, but I’m afraid it won’t be enough. We (the bike community) must do our part to help make our streets a safer place.

But what can we do?

  • Talk to your friends and neighbors. Tell them to take extra care while driving and riding. Ask them to relax, to be aware of bikes, and to not be in a hurry out on the roads.
  • Get involved with organizations who are working hard to improve biking conditions and raise awareness of bikes on the road.
  • Educate yourself about the rules of the road by reading “Pedal Power” (available through the BTA).
  • Ride defensively and ride with confidence.
  • Create websites, blogs, stickers, t-shirts, anything to spread awareness of this issue.
  • Engage your representatives in government and let them know safe streets are important to you.
  • Most importantly, maintain a constructive dialogue with our four-wheeled friends. I don’t like cars much either, but I also know that an extreme response will not help the situation.

This list is just a start. If you have more ideas, please leave them in the comments for all to see.

I encourage everyone to stay tuned to the bike community for opportunities to mobilize and volunteer. Our combined strength and collective voice is our best chance at bringing about change.

See you out there.

Pedalpalooza nostalgia

Pedalpalooza kick off parade 2005For anyone feeling nostalgic for Pedalpalooza ’05, I just completed importing all the posts from the old Pedalpalooza blog. Now, if you click on the “Pedalpalooza 05” category in the sidebar, you can peruse all 40 ride reports, right from the comfort of this site. Or, if you feel like reminiscing with some photos and a movie or two, here is a handly list of links.

  • Mult. Co. Bike Fair 6/25/05
  • Museum Ride 2 6/24/05
  • Critical Mass 6/24/05
  • Atomic War Ride 6/23/05
  • Bike n Boggle 6/23/05
  • Gorge Ride 6/22/05
  • Theater History Tour 6/22/05 (a movie by Clarence)
  • Hash Ride 6/21/05
  • Bike to Tennis 6/20/05
  • Framebuilding Workshop 6/20/05
  • Heritage Tree Ride 6/19/05
  • Clown House Circus 6/18/05
  • Museum Ride 1 6/17/05
  • Bike Kiss-In 6/17/05 (a movie by Clarence)
  • Breakfast on Bridges
  • Tranportation Geeks Ride 6/13/05
  • Bike Polo 6/12/05
  • Cycle the Well Field 6/11/05 (photos by Mara)
  • Musical Mystery Ride 6/11/05
  • Kid’s Pedal 6/11/05
  • Midnight Mystery Ride 6/10/05 (photos by Deepak)
  • Kick-off Parade! 6/09/05
  • Kick-off Parade video (move by I’m not sure)
  • St. Johns Bridge lanes get painted

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    St. Johns Bridge, Portland OR…all four of them.

    Well, I heard ODOT has just finished painting the lanes on the St. Johns Bridge. I was out that way recently and decided to take a closer look. It doesn’t look good for recreational cyclists. There is little to no shoulder and the sidewalk isn’t exactly roomy (not to mention it’s not technically a “shared-use” path to begin with).

    I couldn’t get anyone in my group to sacrifice their safety for a photo, so I was forced to stage my bike sans rider in the shoulder just to give you an idea of how tight things are. Unfortunately no huge truck came by (and it was too hot to wait) but even with the small car in the picture, you can see how precarious the situation is.

    Of course local bike advocates haven’t given up yet. It looks like the possible compromise might be some new shared lane markings known to transportation geeks as “sharrows.”

    Ride to St. Johns Window Project

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    Bike to St. Johns Window Project
    Bike to St. Johns Window Project

    Had a great ride out to St. Johns with the illustrious Carye Bye. She led us out to the peninsula via a circuitous route that included Willamette Blvd. and the neighborhood streets of University Park. Once we pedaled through Main Street parade-style, we stopped to check out the beautiful (yet not bike-friendly) St. Johns Bridge.

    We all locked up in front of Patti’s Homeplate Diner and walked around to check out the various art installations. We made stops at Tulip’s Bakery, Weir’s Cyclery, and Blue Moon camera shop. I had to peel off a bit prematurely but the remaining crew had a bite at Patti’s before heading home.

    It was a great day to pedal a bike and it was great for me to explore St. Johns a bit more. For a few more photos of the ride, click here.

    Thanks to Carye for leading and to Shawn for bringing the strawberry-banana smoothie!

    Is Portland a safe cycling town?

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    There has been a lot of talk this summer about the amount of cyclists killed on Portland’s roadways. In my opinion no amount of infrastructure, bike lanes, signs, or clever engineering can truly make cyclists safe on the streets. Let’s be honest, we’re 100% vulnerable to cars whenever we’re out there.

    That being said, I think the most important thing we can do is spend more effort and money on education to change behaviors on both sides of the equation (no, not all cyclists are innocent). If both cyclists and drivers had a good grasp of the laws, a heightened awareness of each other, and more mutual respect and consideration, we would all be safer.

    For some authoritative opinions on the subject, check out the recent post on the new Portland Transport Blog.

    “Conserve by Bike” in the Energy Bill

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    [I received this information from an inside source in the Oregon bike advocacy scene, I will post a link to the full press release when it is available online.]

    This just in from the office of Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore):

    ‘Conserve By Bike’ Provision Included in Energy Bill
    $6.2 Million Pilot Program Designed to Spur Bike Use

    WASHINGTON, DC – A new pilot program designed by Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D – Ore) has been included into the final version of H.R. 6, the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The initiative, called “Conserve By Bike,” establishes within the Department of Transportation a program to oversee up to 10 pilot projects across the country designed to conserve energy resources by providing education and marketing tools to convert car trips to bike trips…

    …Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved the legislation, and the Senate followed suit this afternoon. It is widely expected that the President will sign the legislation in the coming days.

    Bike to “Last Thursday” on Alberta

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    Juli at 8+ months!My ladies and I cruised over to NE Alberta Street last night to check out the monthy “Last Thursday” street fair and art walk. First, let me just say how proud I am of Juli (my lady). She could give birth any day now and she was still pedaling around the ‘hood (see photo!).

    Alberta was really hopping full of great music, beautiful art, interesting characters, and…well, it’s really hard to capture in words the amazing energy of the place.

    The infamous Clownhouse was really busy, they always draw a large (and incredulous) crowd. When we were there the mud wrestling pit was full, a bunch of well-costumed “clowns” were milling about and everyone was having some good old-fashioned vaudeville fun.

    I also ran into Carye Bye of Pretty Dress Ride, Bunny on a Bike and Red Bat Press fame. I forgot to pick up a few of her great woodcut notecards. She’s got a ton of fun designs to choose from.

    Bike Town coming to Portland

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    biketown logoYou might have noticed the mention of Bike Town coming to Portland in Jonathan Nicholas’s column today.

    Bicycling Magazine is giving away 50 commuter/city bikes to “the most compelling entries” about why you should receive the free bike and/or what you’d do with it. If you’re interested in playing along, just go to the Bicycling Magazine website to submit your entry.

    Here’s more info direct from the press release:

    Portland’s Bicycle Transportation Alliance and the Bike Gallery will be providing vital local support for the program.

    The free bike giveaway will kick off the Bike Commute Challenge, an annual competition to see what workplace can achieve the highest level of ridership throughout the month of September.

    Beginning today and through August 15, any Portland resident interested in receiving an Electra Townie bike as part of the Bike To Work program can visit this website and submit a short essay (50 words or less) on how, or why, they would use a bike as part of their daily commute. Fifty of the most compelling entries will be selected by the editors, and all selected participants will be asked to keep track of their commuting experiences with the bike for three months.

    So there you have it. May the best bike lover win!

    Welcome Bike Fun readers

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    If you’re just clicking over from the Bike Fun blog on Oregonlive.com…welcome! I hope you like the new look (and name) of my blog. I’ve still got a lot of work to do to make this a valuable resource for the Portland bike community, so I hope you’ll be patient while I tweak things around.

    So you might be wondering how BikePortland.org is different than the old Bike Fun blog?

    • You can now search through all 150 or so posts. Go ahead, type in “ice cream” and see what you get!
    • You can leave comments!
    • You can check out the Bike Portland photostream on Flickr.
    • You can sign up for email notification whenever a new entry is posted.
    • And much more…stay tuned for more features and content coming soon.