The Portland Bureau of Transportation has installed a new bikeway on SE Morrison between Grand and 11th (about one-third of a mile). It’s part of their SE Morrison Configuration Project that we shared details about back in August.
I rolled over to take a closer look at it yesterday.
The Guide is back! After two weeks off due to me galavanting around Europe, it brings me much pleasure to offer our selection of events for the coming weekend. Remember our calendar includes rides not listed here, so don’t forget to check it out.
With the rain and fall weather here with vengeance, we’re set up for some classic cyclocross battles this weekend. Last year the Cyclocross Crusade’s stop in Cascade Locks was an epic mud-bath. At several places on the course I was literally riding up a river of water and I still have dirt in my bibshorts one year later!
And don’t miss the Chris King event Saturday. It’s a rare chance to see one-of-a-king custom builds and tour the factory.
Here ya go…
As reported last month by The Oregonian, Tamar Monhait’s family has filed a lawsuit with the company responsible for the garbage truck operator who hit and killed her.
In the early morning hours of August 21st, 41-year-old Monhait was biking north on Southeast Water Avenue at Taylor when the truck operator made a left turn in front of her. She died at the scene from the impact.
Monhait’s lawyers allege that the left turn by the garbage truck driver is the result of improper training by his employer, Republic Services Alliance Group. They’re asking for up to $10 million in damages.
The suit claims that the intersection is well lit and that Monhait was “lawfully riding her bicycle… in a designated bike lane.”
The Oregon Department of Transportation has had many years to figure out a way to justify widening Interstate 5 through the Rose Quarter. As one of the narrowest points in this major interstate that runs from Canada to Mexico, it’s been on their widening list for decades.
And now that they’ve finally pieced together the political and funding momentum to do actually it, they’re having trouble explaining why it’s needed.
It turns out the public is a lot more skeptical of freeway mega-projects than lawmakers and bureaucrats.
A scathing report in the Willamette Week today pokes holes in one ODOT’s major justifications: safety. If you browse over to I5RoseQuarter.org you’ll see graphics and statistics about crashes. But as activists opposing the project have pointed out for months, those crashes are most just low-speed fender-benders that don’t result deaths and injuries.
A 23-year-old Portland resident has been arrested due to his role in the death of a bicycle rider on Sunday evening.
Gresham Police have charged Kurtis Linn with DUII, Reckless Driving and Manslaughter in the 2nd degree. According to The Oregonian, Linn was driving his Chevy Blazer at nearly twice the speed limit and after consuming two drinks at a local bar prior to the collision.
Linn says he was racing another auto user and lost control of his car, then slammed into another car before he struck and killed Albert Sawdon who was bicycling in the bike lane.
Job Title *
Development Director for CF Cycle for Life
Company/Organization *
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Job Description *
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation located in Portland, OR is seeking a talented Development Director with strong fundraising experience, including special events, sponsorship solicitation and the ability to develop and nurture relationships with key volunteers, major donors, and corporate sponsors.
This position will serve as the Event Director for CF Cycle for Life and Great Strides. Heavy special event fundraising experience is highly preferred.
Responsibilities include: recruit and cultivate leadership volunteers, sponsors and event participants, build and manage volunteer core, provide strategic direction and oversee all aspects of fundraising plans
pertaining to assigned events. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 5 years of successful fundraising/sales experience.
The position requires strong organizational and networking skills, the ability to work on various events simultaneously and a strong eye for detail. Candidates will be required to develop and manage budgets while growing revenues and managing expenses.
This is a unique opportunity to direct your energy and talents towards achieving a “life enhancing” mission, while benefiting from the resources and support of a highly regarded national non-profit organization.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation offers an excellent salary and benefits package.
How to Apply *
Interested candidates should submit resume and cover letter including salary history to www.cff.org under employment opportunities.
The following link will also direct you to the applicant page: https://chk.tbe.taleo.net/chk01/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=CFF&cws=1&rid=2966
If you want to make biking better in Portland, there’s a great opportunity to put your passion into action: The city’s official Bicycle Advisory Committee (a.k.a. “the BAC”) is currently recruiting new members.
The BAC is a citizen-led body that advises all city bureaus, council members, and the Mayor on matters relating to bicycling. When a construction project will impact a major bike route, the BAC is there to sort out the detour and make sure the work-zone is bike-friendly. When a big planning document is about to be updated, the BAC is there to tweak the language and add key provisions. Long before a big project breaks ground, the BAC is there to sweat the details before the design is finalized.
Grant will be at Rivelo at 1PM on Saturday, October 28 for a Q & A session.
Got a question for Grant? Ask him yourself!
We’ll kick it off with an brief “interview,” conducted by John/Rivelo, then take submitted questions, and end with an open Q & A.
Questions submitted in advance would be great, and will be answered first. Depending on how many we get, we may not be able to get to them all….but we will try! Email questions to bennett@rivelopdx.com
Ask about bikes, bike design, cameras, film photography, fly fishing, Bob Dylan, Rivendell….
We’ll have beverages and snacks.
401 SE Caruthers Street at the corner of Water Avenue, just across from the OMSI MAX station.
You probably didn’t even notice, but I just returned from 17 days in France and Amsterdam.
Even though I wasn’t working, I managed to snap a few photos of wonky street scenes, bicycles, and the people who ride them.
This post is part of our Women’s Bike Month interview series written by Steph Routh and sponsored by the Community Cycling Center and Gladys Bikes.
If you have found yourself on or even near a bike polo court, chances are you’ve met Jackie Mautner. She has graced bike polo courts and on both coasts when not cultivating some serious acumen as a bicycle mechanic. Her most recent challenges have been framebuilding and cyclocross.
Jackie and I sat down at Tiny’s Cafe in inner northeast Portland for a quick interview last week…
How did you get involved in biking?
Aside from biking as a kid, I started commuting when I went to college in New York City at Cooper Union.
Shortly after I started biking regularly, I came across bike polo totally by chance. The court in NYC is right off a main bike artery, and I would ride by on Sundays. I would see them swinging mallets. I got curious about what they were doing, because they were on bikes. I started watching, and this person who’s been playing since almost the time that bike polo started in NYC — he’s almost 70 years old now — invited me to play. For someone his age, he’s not the fastest on the court and gets heckled, but he puts up with it. I thought if he could put up with the heckling, I could, too.
We met Samantha Taylor during Steph Routh’s interview series. In it we learned why she isn’t commuting:
The most that I’ve ridden a bike was this summer when I had a GenZe bike. I have chronic pain, and I have arthritis. I know that there are other people out there with similar experiences. Having an e-bike allowed me to ride comfortably in a way that suited my body’s needs. It’s unfortunate that e-bikes are so expensive. Since I had to give mine back, I haven’t been riding.
(Text by Emily Guise and Catie Gould, photos by Ted Timmons)
On a bright and showery Saturday morning this past weekend, ODOT hosted biking and walking tours of the changes planned to go with the I-5 Rose Quarter Project. ODOT officials including Region 1 Planner Megan Channell and Transit and Active Transportation Liaison Jessica Horning teamed up with Doug Zenn, a consultant for HDR, Inc. (a construction firm) to lead a bike tour of the area, while other ODOT staffers led a walking tour.
This was a great opportunity for a hands-on look at the proposed surface street changes we shared in detail on Friday. Here’s what we saw and learned…