BikePortland

ODOT hosts event to highlight bicycle access through work zones

The Oregon Department of Transportation is hosting an interesting event. They’re asking people to ride a bicycle (or walk) through a work zone to see what it’s like first-hand.

The event happens tomorrow (May 18th) in front of ODOT’s headquarters in Salem where the agency has set up a temporary work zone to demonstrate how their crews are using new materials to ensure safe passage by people using feet and bikes. The event is part of the state’s Transportation Safety Month and it’s being done to help kickoff the summer road construction season.

“Have you ever ridden a bike through a work zone? Sound daunting? How does ODOT protect bicyclists and pedestrians in work zones?” reads an ODOT media advisory about the event. “Come find out! Bring your GoPros! Show the unusual perspective of riding through a work zone on two wheels.” (Love how they assume biking through a work zone is “unusual”.)

According to ODOT someone crashes in a work zone every 19 hours in Oregon (about 477 a year) and about seven people die in those crashes annually. Statistically, the most common cause of work zone crashes are people simply not paying attention and driving too fast for conditions.

The road wouldn’t need to detect you any more — traffic signals could do that themselves before you even roll up.
(Image: Econolite)

We’ve been writing for a few months about Portland’s application for $40 million in federal funds that could make it easier to combine services like bike sharing, TriMet, Lyft and so on into a single system of multimodal mobility.

But we haven’t been talking much about another important aspect of Portland’s grant: millions of dollars for connecting vehicles to improve safety.

As city leaders prepare for a personal pitch on Wednesday to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, the Portland Bureau of Transportation held a “Connected City Expo” Monday to show off many of the companies that could be bringing their knowhow to a Smart City award here in Portland.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Mark Mollenkopf.(Photo: Cyclone Bicycle Supply) — Mark Mollenkopf.
(Photo: Cyclone Bicycle Supply)

Portland, OR – May 14, 2016 – For immediate release
In another sign of growth, Portland-based bicycle parts distributor Cyclone Bicycle Supply has hired a national sales director. Check out the details in the press release below:

Cyclone Bicycle has hired Mark Mollenkopf as national sales director. Mollenkopf will help direct sales team expansion for the company.

Mollenkopf comes to Cyclone with nearly 10 years of experience in the cycling industry. He also has sales experience in the golf industry.

“As Cyclone expands into larger markets, it presents an exciting opportunity for me to focus on building relationships with loyal, long-time customers as well as new dealers,“ said Mollenkopf. “I’ll be supporting the sales team by providing a stronger focus and structured approach as we expand our presence, particularly in California and on the East Coast.”

Read more

A glimpse at Portland’s future — and better — bike network

New buffered bike lanes on NE 15th and 16th in the Lloyd District connect the protected bike lane on NE Multnomah to NE Broadway (which had a protected bike lane last week).
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Portland’s infrastructure still has a long way to go before cycling appeals to as many people as walking, taking transit or driving; but it’s moving in the right direction.

The way to get there is not a mystery: We need more roadway space dedicated solely to cycling with lanes that are physically separated and protected from motorized traffic. And each segment of protected bikeway we add makes the entire network exponentially better.

With two Better Block projects running simultaneously last week I realized I could hit both of them on my way home. As I did the ride it occured to me that my route would be full of bikeways that are protected from cars and trucks in some form or another. In fact by the time I got home I’d spent the vast majority of my time on bike lanes or paths that are a step (or two) above the standard, door-zone bike lanes that dominate most cities, including Portland.

Our office is on SW 4th between Stark and Oak and I live up near Peninsula Park in the Piedmont neighborhood of north Portland. Below is the route I took with the little detour to check out the Better Broadway project (which is now over, sadly):

Job Title *
Sales Associate

Company/Organization *
Rack Attack Car Rack & Hitch Centers

Job Description *
Rack Attack, North America’s premier automotive rack retail store, is seeking motivated individuals for full time and part time employment at our 2 locations in Downtown and Eastside Portland.

Responsibilities will be centred around the onsite sale and installation of Yakima, Thule, and other automotive roof rack and hitch systems. It will also at times include the processing, packaging, and shipping of on-line orders.

Applicants that are outdoor minded, mechanically inclined, detail oriented, ability to multi-task and retail sales experience are preferred, but not required assets. We offer a friendly work environment and opportunities for advancement from within.

This position is ideal for bike mechanics and university students.

For more information about us, visit www.rackattack.com.

How to Apply *
Please email your resume to employment@rackattack.com as a Word or PDF attachment.

City puts future of transportation on display today at Smart City Tech Expo

Detail from PBOT event flyer for today's event. — Detail from the event flyer.
(Image: City of Portland)

Today at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry the City of Portland will give the public a glimpse of how they’re competing for a chance to win the $40 million Smart City Challenge grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Portland is one of seven finalist cities vying for the prize. Today’s event is a precursor to a visit later this week from DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx.

At OMSI today from 11:00 to 2:00 the Bureau of Transportation and private consulting firm DKS Associates are hosting the Smart City Tech Expo. Here’s more about the event from PBOT:

“The expo will showcase the technology, partnerships and innovation going into Portland’s bid as a finalist for the $40 million Smart City Challenge. Prototypes of connected vehicles, electric vehicles, demonstrations of mobile apps, and videos of other cutting edge technology will be available for viewing and hands-on learning…

Insta-ebike.
(Photo: Geo Orbital)

Here are the bike-related links from around the world that caught our eyes this week:

E-bike wheel: The Geo Orbital replaces the front wheel of a conventional bike, is currently Kickstarting for $699 and will retail for $950.

Biker Tazed: A 15-year-old Tacoma girl who was bicycling through a mall parking lot was stopped for “trespassing” by a uniformed off-duty police officer working as a security guard. After she tried to bike away, he threw her to the ground by her hair and then used a Taser on her.

SW Barbur Boulevard at Capitol Highway. The city’s proposed gas tax would add a sidewalk to Capitol Highway, connecting to Barbur Transit Center. Most Portlanders like sidewalks, so the oil industry prefers to refer to them as “other things.”
(Photo: M.Andersen/BikePortland)

Despite endorsements from big business, small business, every significant mayoral candidate and seemingly every civic or nonprofit organization in town, two major institutions oppose the gas tax on Portlanders’ ballots Tuesday: the oil industry and the Oregonian editorial page.

Last week, a poll showed the measure with a narrow lead. The oil industry responded Wednesday with their latest mailer (the “no” campaign has raised $165,000 so far, half of it from out of state) claiming that a tax on their product would be the worst idea ever.

This is worth fighting for. Please take the survey and email the mayor and Commissioner Novick about it. (Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland) — This is worth fighting for. Please take the survey and email the mayor and Commissioner Novick about it.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

I’ve been out on NE Broadway several times this week. And I love what Better Block has done with the place. The transformation of the street from auto-centric thoroughfare to a pleasant street that welcomes a mix of uses has been nothing short of amazing.

But I’m here to let you in on a secret: Not everyone is pleased. I’ve heard from several sources that the project is coming under fire by people whose hate equals my love.

Much of the anger is apparently coming from people think Broadway should remain a fast, crowded arterial mostly for driving on. While people out on the street are supportive and Better Block PDX has many fantastic neighborhood partners, there are some (who just so happen to have very powerful voices) who see this temporary street transformation as evil incarnate.

For better or worse.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales wants to go out with a bang. And in the process he just might blow up his chance to make “Better Naito” permanent.

As we gleefully reported on May 2nd, Hales’ last budget proposal included $1.46 million to redesign Naito Parkway to include a protected bikeway. It’s an idea he’s been talking about for nearly two years now and it makes a lot of sense from a transportation planning perspective. That’s why it’s a shame it might go down with a sinking ship.

Naito should be a marquee street in Portland but it’s held back because it’s dominated by auto traffic. Creating more space on the street to bike and walk would enliven Naito-facing hotels and restaurants and improve safety for everyone who uses it. A report published after “Better Naito” last year showed that auto travel times were not significantly impacted by the new lane configuration, biking went up 56 percent, and the majority of public feedback was “overwhelmingly positive.”

Better Naito was such a success that the City decided to bring it back for three months this summer. Unfortunately Hales’ proposal to make it permanent might be dead within a week.

Trillium Charter School bike train-24-19

A bike train at Trillium Charter Schoool
in north Portland.
(Photos: J.Maus/BikePortland)

The regional Metro committee that controls $130 million in federal funds continues to consider an increase in money for road widening rather than for safety improvements to streets near schools.

JPACT, the committee of 17 regional officials, was due to vote last month but decided to postpone its vote until next Thursday.

At play are $17.4 million in new money created by last year’s federal transportation bill. The Bicycle Transportation Alliance and other nonprofits in the For Every Kid Coalition have led a two-year campaign to secure much of that money for Safe Routes to School infrastructure across the region, which improves crosswalks, sidewalks and bikeways near schools. Their proposal would prioritize “Title 1” schools, those with higher rates of child poverty.

Inside the Lloyd Cycle Station, where you can catch a game on the tube while you chill after a ride.
(Photos: M.Andersen/BikePortland unless noted)

Generally speaking, Portland does bike parking better than any city in North America. And one of the continent’s biggest bike parking projects is about to open in the middle of it.

The Lloyd Cycle Station, which opens to the public next month in the basement of the Lloyd 700 Building at 700 NE Multnomah Street, will offer half of the record-breaking 1,200 indoor bike parking spaces constructed as part of Hassalo on Eighth in the Lloyd District. But unlike most residential bike parking projects, this facility will also be open to people who work or shop in the area.

The 24-hour facility will offer service from on-site mechanics, paid lockers, showers, a bike-repair stand, extra-large cargo bike parking, a bike wash and free “commute consultations.”

ODOT hosts event to highlight bicycle access through work zones

Next-gen traffic signals and vehicles could be new boost to bike safety

Industry Ticker: Cyclone Bicycle hires Mark Mollenkopf as national sales director

A glimpse at Portland’s future — and better — bike network

Job: Sales Associate – Rack Attack Car Rack & Hitch Centers

City puts future of transportation on display today at Smart City Tech Expo

The Monday Roundup: Sidewalk delivery robots, Tacoma teen Tazing and more

Five myths and a fact about the gas tax on Tuesday’s ballot

Lovers of great streets: Better Broadway needs our help

Opinion: A permanent “Better Naito” deserves better than this

After delay, Metro again faces vote that pits Safe Routes money against highways

Portland’s biggest, baddest bike parking facility is about to open

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