The Monday Roundup: A gallery of street changes, L.A.’s road rethink & more

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
before after

Same space, different vision.
(Images: Google Maps via URB-I.com)

This week’s Monday Roundup is brought to you by Metro’s Bike There! Map, now available at local bike shops.

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

Before/after gallery: A new website from Brazil documents public space transformations from around the world.

Los Angeles turns: Its Mobility Plan 2035 abandons the practice of street widening in favor of 300 new miles of protected bike lanes, 240 new miles of bus-only lanes and in 20 years, it says, zero traffic fatalities.

Biking vacation: Fox News host Megyn Kelly’s plan for cooling off this week in the wake of being attacked by Donald Trump for asking aggressive debate questions: turning off her phone and riding her bike.

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Vision Bear-o in Yosemite National Park

speedingkillsbears-1

Slowed me down.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Traffic violence in America knows no boundaries.

Even in our national parks, which are set aside as sanctuaries for wildlife, road authorities are forced to address this issue. In Yosemite National Park, where I spent eight days earlier this month on a family vacation, the National Parks Service estimates that over a dozen black bears are killed each year after as a result of park visitors who run into them with their cars. In 2010, the NPS reported 28 “vehicle-bear collisions.”

To “increase visitor awareness of the high frequency of vehicle-animal collisions” and encourage people to drive more carefully, the NPS started an awareness campaign in 2007. It consists of roadside signs and posters throughout the park that feature a red bear and the simple phrase, “Speeding Kills Bears.” The signs are placed in locations where the animals have been hit. They’re like ghost bikes for bears.

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Weekend Event Guide: Alleycat alumni, Grease sing-along & more

Midnight Mystery Ride -10

It’s Midnight Mystery weekend, but that’s not all.
(Photo © J.Maus/BikePortland)

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

Today may be starting out pleasantly brisk with a dose of drizzle, but things are expected to turn around Saturday and Sunday and hit highs in the 80s. So get ready to take a ride and catch some rays. Here are the organized bike events we’ve heard about happening this weekend so far…

Friday, Aug. 14

Clinton Social Ride – 5 p.m. at PAZ PDX (SE 16th and Woodward)
Latest edition of the “positive and non-confrontational” monthly social ride down the middle of Clinton with the goal of communicating that Clinton Street is in fact supposed to prioritize bike traffic. More info here.

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Southbound sidewalk of Interstate Bridge over Columbia is closed today

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Plan ahead.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

Repairs to the pedestrian gate on the bridge between west Vancouver and north Portland will close its western (southbound) sidewalk from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Freeway lanes and the opposite sidewalk will be unaffected.

The Interstate 5 bridge’s sidewalks double as bike routes. Detours from one to the other are time-consuming because of the way the ramps are built.

“The sidewalk will be closed to make way for equipment needed for installation of a new traffic gate across the southbound lanes,” the Oregon Department of Transportation said in its news release. “The new gate replaces a gate damaged in a June crash on the bridge.”

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State’s proposal to improve bike crossings of Powell: Remove bike lane from 26th

26th powell bike box

About 600 to 800 people a day currently bike on 26th to cross Powell. The city wants to create a second, more comfortable crossing at 28th, but the state says it won’t allow one unless the lanes and bike boxes at 26th are removed.
(Photos: M.Andersen/BikePortland)

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is facing pressure from its counterparts at the Oregon Department of Transportation to do something it’s almost never done before: remove bike lanes from a street.

An ODOT official said she could not cite evidence other than the site-specific judgment of her engineering colleagues that removing the bike lane on SE 26th Avenue would improve overall road safety. But she said that because 26th is not as safe to bike on as 28th would be, it stands to reason that the bike lane on 26th should be removed in order to encourage people to cross at 28th.

Therefore, ODOT has agreed to approve the city’s request to add a new traffic signal at 28th and Powell only on the condition that the city remove the bike lane and bike box from 26th.

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Another bike touring boost: Two nearby state parks get bike facilities

Bike camping at Champoeg St. Park-50

Bike camping at Champoeg State Heritage Area in 2009.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

It’s fun to report two separate bits of news about bike friendliness in the state park system on the same afternoon.

Milo McIver State Park and Champoeg State Heritage Area are both upgrading their bike amenities, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said Wednesday. They’ll get new lockers for gear and food storage; phone charging stations; and bicycle fix-it stations, plus new group shelters. A third park, Bullards Beach State Park on the southern Oregon coast, will be upgraded too.

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State parks office will sponsor a free beginners’ bike tour through the Gorge

Biking Break in Lee Vining Ca

Ride leader Stephen Dodson.
(Photo courtesy Dodson)

A seasonal Oregon State Parks employee is leading a free introduction to bike touring in the Colombia River Gorge this month.

The 30-mile trip on Saturday, Aug. 22, will start at 9 a.m. outside Hood River, and loops to Mayer State Park and back by 5 p.m. Here’s the description from Oregon State Parks:

You will learn what equipment is necessary, how do you plan a route and pack panniers or a trailer to be successful. We will discuss the light impact of bike touring is on the environment and other traffic, and the positive effects on small town economies. By the end of the program you’ll have resources to take away and learn more about this exciting way to see the world around you!

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Guest post: Los Angeles could teach Portland a thing or two about open streets

ciclavia bridge

Los Angeles’ answer to Sunday Parkways: welcoming frequent car users with big streets and open arms.
(Photos: Ted Timmons)

This is a guest post from BikePortland reader Ted Timmons, who visited L.A.’s version of Sunday Parkways this year and was moved to write up some of his observations.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Los Angeles was late to the ciclovia scene, even by American standards. However, they have had several per year since late 2010.

While the stereotype of Los Angeles revolves around its infatuation with the car, it’s arguably the densest urban area in the country. The percentage of trips in Portland by means other than car is about 16 percent; in Los Angeles, it’s 25 percent.

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