Our first video is an obligatory Christmas-themed video: someone riding a tree-equipped tallbike around Paris.
Wednesday Video Roundup: Christmas tallbike, the ‘Boncho’, and a wet Saltzman
Advisory group backs bike lane separation on outer Powell, co-chair says
A low mountable curb like the one on NE Cully
is among designs being seriously debated for
SE Powell east of I-205.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)
is among designs being seriously debated for
SE Powell east of I-205.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)
Bike lanes separated by a low curb and/or Copenhagen-style raised bike lanes continue to look likely for parts of Powell Boulevard between Interstate 205 and 172nd Avenue.
At least, that’s the word from Paul Grosjean, the co-chair of the Outer Powell Community Advisory Group and a member of the Outer Powell Decision Committee, both part of the state-run Outer Powell Safety Project.
“Separation between the bike and the travel lane has been a priority of all the committees,” Grosjean, who also serves as vice chair of the Pleasant Valley Neighborhood Association, said in an interview Monday.
Transportation and tech collide in our latest podcast
Left to right: Michael Andersen, Mychal Tetteh, Noel Mickelberry, William Henderson and Chris Smith.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
The BikePortland Podcast has returned with a vengeance.
Sinkhole on Springwater in Gresham leads to path closure
Sneaky sinkhole.
(Photo: Portland Parks & Rec)
(Photo: Portland Parks & Rec)
A section of the Springwater Corridor path about 20 miles east of downtown Portland has been closed due to a sinkhole.
Looking beyond city core, Better Block PDX wants your ideas for 2016
Naito Parkway last summer.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)
The volunteer organizers of Portland’s three-year-old team of street rethinkers say they’re in the “off season” but getting ready to scale up.
Better Block PDX is the group behind a much-praised temporary redesign of NW/SW 3rd Avenue that led to rapid installation of crosswalks and a buffered bike lane and (more recently) a two-week test of walking and biking lanes on SW Naito Parkway that has some in the city talking about permanent changes.
They’re about to begin considering temporary street demos for 2016, and plan to hold a public meeting this February to start the selection process.
Portland’s most wanted bike thief gets unprecedented prison sentence
Leroy Parsons on a video monitor
during a hearing last month.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
during a hearing last month.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
A ruling yesterday by a Multnomah County judge marks a turning point in Portland’s ongoing battle against bike thieves.
Leroy Parsons, a prolific criminal and Portland’s most brazen bike thief, was sentenced to 30 months in prison. That’s the longest sentence ever handed down for bike theft according to Multnomah County Senior Deputy District Attorney Jim Hayden. Hayden and his team also convinced the judge to give Parsons a five-year probation period, much longer than sentencing guidelines dictate.
The sentence was the result of years of hard work by downtown bike patrol officers and it marks a significant change in how the DA’s office handles bike theft cases. It’s also a big win for Portland’s Bike Theft Task Force.
I spoke with DA Hayden on the phone this morning to understand more about why this case matters.
Tilikum Crossing already seems to be boosting bike traffic (for real this time)
Crossing Tilikum.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)
Two months ago, we made an unfortunate error: We ran a post observing that the new Tilikum Crossing was simultaneously boosting bike traffic and reducing bike congestion on the Hawthorne Bridge sidewalks.
Trouble was, the source of our data — the Hawthorne Bridge’s automated bike counter — had been malfunctioning, so the findings were bogus.
Now the better data has arrived … and it shows pretty much the same thing that the fake data had seemed to.
Paving project adds gravel, bumps and closures to 50s Bikeway route
52nd Avenue as of this morning.
(Photos by Benn Schonman)
(Photos by Benn Schonman)
With record rains and wind, Portland road users have had a lot to worry about recently. Now a popular bikeway is impacted by a maintenance project that’s expected to last two weeks.
The Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) announced late Friday night that they’re starting a pavement preservation project on SE 52nd Avenue from Woodstock to Steele (about 0.4 miles). The project started this morning and is expected to last through January 4th.
According to PBOT the street will be an active work zone from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm each word day.
This section of 52nd Avenue is a popular bike route that’s part of the 50s Bikeway that opened in the summer of 2014.
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While the road won’t be completely closed, PBOT says to expect a rough road surface. And keep in mind that lane striping has been torn up. “People riding bicycles should avoid the work zone, and either use alternate routes, open travel lanes or sidewalks,” PBOT says.
BikePortland reader Benn Schonman rolled up on the project this morning. He sent in some photos and offered this report:
“SE 52nd between Woodstock and Ramona are really chewed-up for repaving… lots & lots on gravel in bike path as well as all over both sides of road….no crew on site @ 10am.”
— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org
Bike parking review: Planet Granite in the Pearl District
Bikes parked outside Planet Granite on NW 14th and Pettygrove.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)
I have a thing for bike parking.
The Monday Roundup: Chicago’s Loop links up, car seat problems and more
Chicago’s new Washington Street.
(Image: CDOT)
(Image: CDOT)
Here are the bike-related links that caught our eyes this week:
Chicago buses: The city’s new downtown bus-only lanes, which include some protected bike lanes too, are opening this week.
Car seats: They aren’t tested at more than 35 miles per hour, but medical workers never insist that you to avoid freeway driving with your infant.
Three new Portland bike shops so small you might have missed them
Small is the new big when it comes to bike shops in Portland. Over the past few years we’ve seen a clear trend in what type of shops are opening up. They are small and service-oriented, tucked away in places that often only a loyal stable of local customers know about.
In the past few months three new small bike shops have opened up in Portland. Here’s what you need to know about each one of them…
Tuite Bicycle Repair – 2234 N Lombard (Google Map)
Tommy Tuite opened up his shop back in September. With over 10 years of experience at local stalwarts like Veloshop (now Portland Bicycle Studio), Western Bikeworks, and Velotech.com, Tuite offers a little something for everyone. He and his (growing) family live just a few blocks from the store, so it’s truly a neighborhood place where you’re certain to feel welcome. “We aim to add a positive space for the community to discover bicycles for racing, health and transportation,” Tommy said in an email to us a few months back.
Comment of the Week: A map should not be an important safety tool
If you haven’t read Jonathan’s haunting, exclusive report that Martin Greenough seems to have been killed on his very first bike commute, two weeks after moving to Portland, it’s not one to miss.
Part of the story is that the city’s official bike map inaccurately suggests that Lombard is a fine place to bike. But as BikePortland reader El Biciclero pointed out in a must-read response, the problem here is not really with the map.
The problem is that the only way to bike around Portland without near-death experiences is to use a map.