BikePortland

Portland’s 2015 World Naked Bike Ride starts June 27 in Colonel Summers Park

Gearing up in Normandale Park in 2014.
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Portland’s annual Pedalpalooza festival starts on Thursday and will wrap up June 27 with Oregon’s biggest pay-what-you-will bike ride of the year, which also happens to be the largest clothing-optional bike ride in the world.

The 2015 edition of Portland’s World Naked Bike Ride will begin gathering in Colonel Summers Park, at Southeast 17th Avenue and Taylor Street, at 8 p.m. The roll-out will start at 9 p.m. and the ride is so big it usually takes an hour or more before all of the participants are moving.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

An infographic by the League of American Bicyclists showing the average performance of the communities they identify as bike-friendly.
(Zoomable PDF.)

Though Portland has been justly praised for regularly making it through many calendar years with zero deaths of people biking, it is clearly the most dangerous of the four cities recognized as the nation’s bike-friendliest.

For the years 2009-2013, Portland’s fatality rate per bike commuter was 75 percent higher than the officially listed average for the League of American Bicyclists’ four “Platinum” cities: Portland; Fort Collins, Colo.; Boulder, Colo.; and Davis, Calif. Its reported collision rate per bike commuter was 94 percent higher.

The new Urban Racer from The Vanilla Workshop, the latest in Sacha White’s Speedvagen line.
(Photos by John Watson)

Sacha White, the southeast Portland-based maker of fine bicycles who has sat among the top American framebuilders for years, has just released a new bike: the Urban Racer.

SE Clinton Street.
(Photo: M.Andersen/BikePortland)

Southeast Portland has always been the heart of Portland’s biking culture. But as the last few weeks have made horrifically clear, it’s still full of problems.

In an article published Friday on the Southeast Uplift neighborhood coalition’s website, a new member of that organization’s board laid out three concrete and seemingly achievable suggestions for making the area a bit better — as well as a perceptive theory about the recent problems on Southeast Clinton Street.

Cycle Oregon Day 4 - Lake Selmac to Glendale-22

Go ahead, grab a wheel.
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

This post is sponsored by Cycle Oregon, who’d like to remind you that their Weekend Ride is coming up on July 10-12 and there are still spots available.

Do you remember your first time riding in a group? When you finally got up the nerve to ride a bit closer to someone’s wheel and managed to cheat the wind?

Portland Bike Lobby founder Sam Oakland
received a Bud Clark Award for lifetime achievement
from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance in 2001.
(Photo courtesy BTA.)

— This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by the Ride for Schools, a ride to raise money for Oregon’s public schools that takes place in Hillsboro on June 27th.

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

Time capsule: What did it feel like to run a bike shop in the middle of Oregon’s 1971 bike boom? “They’ve taken all the fun out of the business,” complained Portland retailer Pat Patterson in this newspaper article from that spring. Leading the activism charge at the time was the late PSU English professor Sam Oakland, who said “We want to redesign Portland to make it a city for people — particularly in the downtown business area — instead of what it is now, a giant, smelly parking garage for commuters.”

Kerry’s cycling: Secretary of State John Kerry, who broke his femur while biking in France on Sunday, is quite an athelete. “If he raced in his age category, he’d be one of the top riders in the U.S,” says former pro racer Jonathan Vaughters, who’s ridden with the 71-year-old politician.

Coming to the table.
(Photo J. Maus/BikePortland)

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales and City Commissioner Steve Novick have just announced an “urgent meeting” that will take place next week at City Hall to discuss bike safety following a spate of collisions that has sparked widespread concerns.

Novick is the commissioner in charge of the transportation bureau, which has committed to the concept of “Vision Zero” which is a policy and set of actions that aims to eliminate traffic deaths.

Here’s the official word about the meeting that just came down from Novick’s Transportation Policy Advisor Timur Ender:

They heard you.
(Photo: J Maus/BikePortland_

As hundreds of people take to the streets in an expression of frustration about unsafe biking conditions in Portland, the Oregon Department of Transportation has just announced plans to install new left turn arrows at SE Powell and 26th Avenue — an intersection where two people have sustained serious injuries in collisions this month.

This announcement comes as a surprise and is very likely a response to the collision that happened at the intersection today and the resulting public pressure that has come from it. ODOT rep Shelli Romero told me back on May 11th at the protest event at Powell and 26th that they want to “redo this signal” but no one expected such a quick timeline.

Busted.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

Sex crimes are horrific, and — despite the concerns of some about civil liberties — many states respond to their horror by publicly shaming people who commit them.

Maybe traffic crimes should be punished similarly, BikePortland reader invisiblebikes suggested in a comment Wednesday beneath our post about the newly launched Vision Zero PAC, which aims to put a spotlight on politicians who defend unsafe driving. As invisiblebikes describes it, the government wouldn’t even be involved.

Job Title *
ACCOUNTING SPECIALIST

Company/Organization *
CASTELLI USA

Job Description *
Castelli USA is looking for a self-motivated and resourceful individual with a positive can-do attitude and a willingness to take initiative. This individual will have exceptional communication skills and be a team player. This position is responsible for various accounting duties including assisting with collections and customer service. Requirements include a strong understanding of basic accounting principles and an accounting or finance degree.

EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCE
• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance
• 2+ years of accounts receivable experience, including collections/customer service

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Post customer payments to individual accounts on a daily basis and resolve account discrepancies as they occur.
• Respond to accounting-related customer inquiries regarding AR accounts.
• Review AR accounts to determine the appropriate action for collection.
• Collect on past-due accounts by sending statements and communicating with customers via phone and email while maintaining a strong focus on customer service.
• Use weekly holds report to monitor and follow up on accounts that are on hold.
• Work in tandem with Inside Sales to get holds released so orders can be shipped.
• Take on other various accounting related tasks on an as needed basis.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES
• Outstanding organizational skills with high attention to detail.
• Proficiency in MS Office, particularly strong in Excel, as well as, familiarity with accounting and database reporting software.
• Ability to adapt to change and learn quickly.
• Ability to work well under pressure and quickly respond to customer requests.
• Strong business acumen with ability to make lower end decisions and give constructive feedback on accounting matters.
• Ability to work independently and as a collaborative member of a team.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills.

Compensation: Castelli USA offers competitive pay; health, vision and dental insurance; 401(k) plan with company match; profit sharing; and paid vacation. Castelli USA is an equal opportunity employer.

How to Apply *
For job consideration, please submit resume and cover letter to accounting@castelli-us.com

Job: Floor Sales – Athletes Lounge

Job Title *
Floor Sales

Company/Organization *
Athletes Lounge

Job Description *
Athletes Lounge, Portland Oregon’s shop for Triathlon is looking for a very experienced bicycle sales person. This position is full time and would start immediately. We are looking for retail and bicycle specific experience. Pay depends on experience. We offer full medical and paid time off.

How to Apply *
Please Send Resume and Cover Sheet to gary@athleteslounge.com

Portland’s 2015 World Naked Bike Ride starts June 27 in Colonel Summers Park

Seven years after ‘Platinum,’ Portland’s collision and fatality rates remain well above its peers

Industry Ticker: The Vanilla Workshop launches ‘Urban Racer’ model

Fixing Southeast: Three achievable proposals from a fast-rising advocate

Cheat the wind, make a friend: A few tips for riding in a group

The Monday Roundup: A bike-boom time capsule, the Blazers’ latest bike fanatic and more

Mayor Hales, Commissioner Novick call ‘urgent meeting’ in wake of collisions

ODOT says new signals with left turn arrows coming to SE Powell next week

Comment of the Week: What if there were a national campaign to shame people who drive illegally?

Job – Accounting Specialist – Castelli USA

Job: Floor Sales – Athletes Lounge

Latest Headlines

Video: Good bike infrastructure vs bad drivers

Merry Christmas! Portland’s upgraded automated speed cameras are ticketing drivers once again

Monday Roundup: Golden gravel route, too bad for Rad, Uber is sad, and more

Video: Meet a nursing student who received one of Portland’s first e-bike rebates

From the Archives

Portland’s invisible machine: Behind the scenes at the World Naked Bike Ride