All sports are better when played on a bike

Bikesketball-1.jpg

He shoots! He scores!
(Photos © BikePortland)

Last month during Pedalpalooza I organized a bike ride called Bikesketball. My goal was twofold: I wanted to play basketball in the streets and I wanted to see if we could actually play basketball while riding our bikes.

Unfortunately, things didn’t really go as planned. Only one other person showed up to the ride, so Alex Geraci and I spent about an hour clowning around the courts at Dawson Park (off North Williams Ave) and tried to play some bikesketball.

It was fun! And very challenging. But I’m sure that with more practice it could actually be played. I’ve been planning to share a few photos from that day just for fun, but just haven’t gotten around to it.

Then today I saw this story on FoxSoccer.com about the sport of “radball” being played in Germany (where it translates into “wheelball”).

Read more

People on Bikes: SE Clinton and 25th

pplbikesclintonlead

(Photos © Will Vanlue)

Welcome to the latest installment of People on Bikes.

I started this series in 2011 and have been doing them infrequently ever since. This time around, for the first time ever, I’m featuring someone else’s images: Will Vanlue. Will is a man about town in Portland. You might have read his work on The Prudent Cyclist and you probably remember his name attached to local activism efforts. He’s one of the people behind the Downgrade Portland petition and he’s very active on Twitter.

This morning, Will was out at the free coffee event hosted by Pedal PT and K&F Coffee Roasters on SE Clinton Street and 25th this morning. He shot photos of people as they streamed by.

Read more

Weekend Event Guide: Camp, race, make peace, join a fiesta, visit farms and more

fiesta1

Bring the kids to St. Johns for the PPB Bicycle Safety Fiesta on Saturday.
(Photo: Portland Police Bureau)

This menu of delicious rides and events is brought to you by our friends at Hopworks Urban Brewery. Their support makes BikePortland possible.

The heat is back; but fear not, esteemed lovers of bicycling, there are ample ways to deal with it. This weekend you can choose to head for rivers or the Gorge and do some camping, eat lots of ice cream (Sunday is National Ice Cream Day!), kick-back and watch some racing, and more.

And if you’re looking for family-friendly events you’re in luck. Peruse our suggestions below and have a great weekend!

Friday, July 17th

Read more

Job: Service Manager – Bike Gallery

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title *
Service Manager

Company/Organization *
Bike Gallery

Job Description *
The Clackamas location for the Bike Gallery is looking for a Service Manager.
This is a permanent full-time position.
The purpose of the Service Manager position is:
• Reinforce the protocols and procedures used for service intake and customer interaction.
• Participate in training and coaching to develop the critical skills needed to perform these functions to a high level of performance.
• Reinforce consistent standards and procedures for service writing, and creating service tickets.
• Reinforce consistent standards and procedures for closing service tickets and delivering completed service jobs to customers.
• Reinforce clear time and quality standards for the completion of uniform service tasks such as overhauls and tune ups.
• Make use of established systems to measure staff performance against company standards.
• Reinforce standards for the maintenance and appearance of the physical environment of all service departments and individual work stations
• Evaluate the production capacity of the store service department in terms of both service work and bike building potential.
The right person will have the following attributes:
-Friendly
-Outgoing
-Helpful personality
-Detail oriented
-Experience with POS systems
-Experience running a service department

The Bike Gallery offers medical/dental/401k/supplemental insurance options for all full-time permanent positions.

How to Apply *
Send cover letter and resume to BGResumes@bikegallery.com

58 traffic stops in four hours at latest PBOT crosswalk enforcement action

Crosswalk enforcement action NE Killingsworth-2

Makes you wonder: What will it take for people to stop driving
with disregard for the law and consequences?
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Despite the serious risks to their pocketbooks, their community, and themselves, a large number of Portlanders continue to display rampant illegal and dangerous behaviors when behind the wheel of an automobile.

Last month we shared that Portland Police Bureau officers, working in partnership with the Bureau of Transportation, issued 60 violations in under four hours during an enforcement action at SE 24th and Powell back in May.

Read more

Wonk Night is back: Join us Thursday 7/23 to talk about activism in Portland

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
Wonk Night - Romp in the Comp Plan-3

A scene from our last Wonk Night in October 2014.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Bicycling and safe streets activism in Portland is in a strange place these days. It seems to be simultaneously at its best and at its worst.

While there’s lots of action at the grassroots and independent activists make headlines almost weekly, more established groups are, in my opinion, struggling to find their place. The rise of social media has led to a disintermediation in the advocacy landscape that on one hand is empowering; but on the other often leads to many scattered voices that aren’t singing in tune — or in most cases, aren’t even reading from the same sheet of music.

Our advocacy ecosystem is full of life; but could it be healthier?

Let’s talk about this at a Wonk Night next Thursday (July 23rd), 6:00 pm, at 321 SW 4th Ave (4th Floor) in downtown Portland. Once again, we’ve partnered with our friends at Lancaster Engineering to host this event.

Read more

Portland aims to finish ‘Vision Zero Action Plan’ by October 2016

vzlogo

PBOT’s Vision Zero logo.

At the same time 1,000 people were rallying for Vision Zero in the streets of New York City last night, Portland’s active transportation advocates and influencers were in a meeting learning about how our city plans to move forward on the issue.

Last month we shared what steps Mayor Charlie Hales and the Bureau of Transportation are taking to make good on their commitments to Vision Zero. And last night, PBOT’s Operations & Safety Manager Gabriel Graff, shared a presentation about Vision Zero with members of the City’s Bicycle Advisory Committee.

Read more

Latest Headlines

Councilor floats using climate tax funds to reverse TriMet service cuts

Monday Roundup: Why I’m a great driver, suburban transit, cost of cars, and more

A quest to ride all of Washington County’s historic communities

Video: Joe Cortright says massive new cost estimate means I-5 Bridge project is “dead”

From the Archives

With six kids and no car, this mom does it all by bike