BikePortland

DeFazio leads trio requesting GAO investigation into bike/walk safety

Rep. DeFazio in September 2010.
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio — who likes to mention in speeches that he’s the only member of Congress who has ever worked as a bicycle mechanic — is taking his fight for safer bicycling to the United States Government Accountability Office.

Citing a “troubling increase in pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in recent years,” Rep. DeFazio has joined with fellow House Democrats Rick Larsen from Washington state and Eleanor Holmes Norton from the District of Columbia to request a GAO investigation into the issue.

In a statement released today, the trio said they want the GAO to investigate, “trends and causes of accidents involving pedestrians and bicycles and to make recommendations about improving safety.”

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

An organized ride on Barbur last year.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

A few times each day on the wooded four-lane stretch of inner SW Barbur Boulevard, state data released last week suggest, someone decides to hit the gas and zoom through at an average 55 mph or more.

And about a dozen times each year, Barbur’s crash history suggests, someone on this part of Barbur loses control of their vehicle and hits something. Once or twice a year, someone dies.

Since narrowing the road in this stretch to one lane in each direction appears to make many fewer people choose to hit the gas, a redesign that would replace one of the northbound lanes with a bike lane and walking path in each direction could be seen as a perfect test case for Vision Zero. That’s the principle, endorsed by Portland’s transportation director, that safety is always a higher priority than convenience when it comes to road design.

The law has caught up to a teenager who threw bricks at three men riding their bicycles in northeast Portland back in April.

16-year-old Marquise D’Angelo Murphy was picked up by police in Keizer, Oregon Tuesday night in connection with a shooting at a high school in north Portland on December 12th. Murphy was also arrested by Portland Police on April 20th for his role in the brick-throwing incident that injured Adrian Richardson.

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance wants more of the community to step up and become their own advocates for better biking. Tonight they host a Bike Advocacy Clinic that aims to give people with bike-related concerns and issues the tools they need to fix them.

The BTA has done free bike legal clinics for many years, but this is the first time they’ve offered a clinic on advocacy. The group’s engagement manager Carl Larson said today that they recognize there’s, “A need for informed advocates in our community and we can’t tackle every little problem.” “With some basic tools and and tactics,” he added, “our members and the public can make biking better.”

It’s sort of like getting to tap into the BTA’s 25-years of lessons and expertise. Topics that will be covered at tonight’s clinic will include messaging, defining success, figuring out who holds influence on your issue, finding allies, and the difference between pressure and persuasion.

Commissioner Fish on his bike in May 2011.
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Portland bike thieves’ latest victim works in City Hall.

Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish got his bike stolen last night. According to an update to his personal Facebook page, Fish parked his bike in the racks in front of 24 Hour Fitness in Hollywood and went in for a workout. When he returned 30 minutes later his bike was gone.

“I have been reading about friends who had their bikes stolen recently,” Fish wrote, “Well, tonight I joined the club.”

The bike, which was locked with a cable lock, was a grey and black Trek hybrid that Fish says he bought with his Obama stimulus check.

Fish isn’t the first high-profile city official to get his bike stolen. Back in September 2013, Bureau of Transportation Director Leah Treat got her beloved bike stolen after leaving it overnight outside the Portland Building on SW Madison. Fortunately for her, it was recovered a few days later.

OHSU covers the costs and reaps many benefits from the South Waterfront’s free-to-use bike valet. If we’re willing to listen, its success could be a lesson.
(Photo: Go By Bike)

Part of our series of guest posts, America’s Next Bicycle Capital, where we share community voices about the future of biking in Portland. This week’s guest writer is Kiel Johnson, owner of the Go By Bike shop and operator of the Go By Bike valet.

Repeat after me: it is not your fault your bike got stolen. Even if you were a dummy and left your custom bike unlocked only to return several hours later and find it stolen, it is not your fault.

The solution to ending bike theft is easy. It starts with this fact: we are already dealing as individuals with the costs of theft.

Police observe while people ride down Clinton and City of Portland crews work to remove the unpermitted traffic diverters.
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Stolen bikes at drug bust in Old Town-14

Over $2 million worth every year.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

When it comes to the battle against bike theft, data plays a huge role. Online registration and listing services rely on data to aid in your bike’s recovery, the police use data to determine whether a bike is stolen or not, the public can use data to measure progress (or failure) over time, politicians often use data to determine whether or not a specific issue is worthy of their attention, and so on.

The latest numbers released by the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) are definitely worthy of attention. They show that bike theft is costing Portlanders well over $2 million a year and that at least 8 bicycles are stolen in our city every single day.

Estimated rates of zero-car households in Washington County.
(Map: Census Reporter – click image for interactive version)

Central Forest Grove, Hillsboro and Beaverton are now as car-lite as many parts of east-central Portland.

Job Title
Bike Mechanics – Tour Guides

Company/Organization
TREK TRAVEL

Job Description
Do you want to bike around the world while getting paid? GREAT! We can’t wait to hear from you!

TREK TRAVEL, the world’s leading cycling tour company is currently looking for individuals who are passionate about people, cycling and travel to lead unforgettable bicycle vacations for us this upcoming season worldwide. We are especially interested in candidates with strong bike mechanic skills, travel experience and fluent in another language.

How to Apply
If you are interested in finding out what it takes to be a Trek Travel Guide, please use the following link to read the full job description and apply online via Trek Travel’s website:

http://www.trektravel.com/employment/be-a-guide/

Application deadline is fast approaching, completed applications are reviewed and processed in the order they are received.

ODOT’s Barbur Blvd lane closure analysis finds 1 minute delay, big cut in speeding

SW Barbur in August, when repaving work created a temporary simulation of a possible road diet. The state studied the results, and they make a redesign seem feasible.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

Converting one northbound traffic lane on 1.9 miles of SW Barbur Boulevard to two protected bike lanes with sidewalks would apparently prevent unsafe weaving during off-peak hours without massive impacts to morning traffic.

That’s one conclusion from data released Friday that analyzed changes to people’s driving habits during construction work on Barbur this summer. A repaving project had temporarily closed one traffic lane in each direction.

Alex Reed.
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Publisher’s note: We’ve been covering the work of local bike activist group BikeLoudPDX since their first meeting back in August. Since then they’ve been busy with their campaign to tame traffic on SE Clinton. The update below was written by their founder, Alex Reed. It follows a meeting the group had with top-level PBOT staff last week.

——

Since August, BikeLoudPDX has been advocating for the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to take action on SE Clinton Street. Clinton was one of the city’s first two “bike boulevards” and continues to be one of the busiest bike streets in Portland. However, as more people have moved to Portland, and especially as more buildings have been built on close-by SE Division Street, Clinton has felt less comfortable to bike on. The reason is simple: Too many people are driving on it.

In the meantime, PBOT has done nothing to deter people from using Clinton to get to or bypass the new destinations on Division.

DeFazio leads trio requesting GAO investigation into bike/walk safety

With or without Vision Zero, a safer Barbur might be an economic win

Teen involved in throwing bricks at bike riders implicated in high school shooting

Tonight: BTA hosts first-ever Bike Advocacy Clinic

Portland Commissioner Nick Fish “sad” after getting his bike stolen

The simple way to end bike theft: Externalize the costs

Guerrilla traffic diverters installed – then removed – on SE Clinton

5 takeaways from the PPB’s latest ‘Bike Theft Trend Report’

New Census data shows zero-car households on the rise in Washington County

Job: Bike Mechanics and Tour Guides – Trek Travel

ODOT’s Barbur Blvd lane closure analysis finds 1 minute delay, big cut in speeding

Guest Article: Four things BikeLoudPDX has learned in their campaign for SE Clinton

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