BikePortland

Regional Safe Routes program is one of many winners from Metro grants

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Mayor Adams at Safe Routes to School ride-2

A Safe Routes to School event in Portland, 2010.
Other cities will get regional funding
for the programs thanks to new Metro grants.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

With the federal government’s support for early biking education shrinking, the Portland area’s regional government is making a significant investment.

Safe Routes to School programs in Tigard, Beaverton and across the region are among the winners of $2.1 million in Metro grants announced Monday. Other highlights include a new active transportation staffer for Portland Community College, a bicycle tourism initiative in the Gresham area and continued support for the City of Portland’s marketing of biking, walking and public transit.

The $2.1 million in two-year grants were chosen from among $4.6 million requested by various nonprofits and government agencies around the region.

The lean and mean S-Works McLaren in southeast Portland last week.
(Photo: River City Bicycles)

It’s not every day that a local shop builds up a $20,000 bike that was made in collaboration with a legendary auto racing company.

The full line-up from ZEN Bike Co.

Zen Bicycle Fabrication, a bike frame manufacturer based in north Portland, has launched an in-house brand of bicycles under the Zen Bike Co. label.

Zen launched back in October 2011 and has found a niche for themselves by making production runs of frames for many other brands.

The driver might not see, but the car does.
(Image: Jaguar)

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

Automatic lifesaving: Street-scanning, self-braking technology is already saving lives. So why isn’t it required in every car yet?

Handlebar cam: The Fly12 is a combination headlight/video camera.

Swan Island TMA Executive Director Sarah Angell cuts the ribbon in 2013 on a bike parking facility at Daimler Trucks North America. A Metro committee has recommended cutting funding for Angell’s 15-year-old advocacy and education organization.
(Photos: J.Maus and M.Andersen/BikePortland)

The densest major industrial park in Portland seems likely to lose its tiny transportation advocacy organization after a proposed funding shift from the Metro regional government.

The Swan Island Transportation Management Association currently relies on Metro for 59 percent of its revenue, with businesses based in the North Portland industrial park providing the remainder. In a round of grants announced Friday, Metro cut all its funding for the Swan Island TMA as well as for the similar organizations in the Lloyd District and Washington Park.

The Burnside’s bike lanes are OK;
it’s the landings that hold it back.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

From afar, Portland’s bridges are civic treasures. Up close, they’re little slices of rural highway in the middle of the most beautiful part of the city.

To its credit, Multnomah County asked for ways to change this, and this week BikePortland readers certainly delivered — none more comprehensively and persuasively than reader MaxD, whose Tuesday morning comment on the subject picked up on points raised by many other readers.

It’s sometimes possible to talk bikes onto an Amtrak
bus, but the variety of contractors is an obstacle.
(Photo: Mark Hogan)

As Amtrak invests in improving its trains to carry bikes, some customers are warning that Amtrak’s buses are falling behind.

The Amtrak Cascades line, between Eugene and Vancouver BC, is both one of the most-ridden regional rail lines in the country and maybe the bike-friendliest. For $5 on top of your fare, you can easily check an unboxed bike to most stops on the line and reclaim it like any other bit of luggage.

The service has been so popular that the hooks in Amtrak’s baggage cars started filling up. So two years ago, the Cascades added more hooks, boosting its bike capacity by 67 percent.

Tall bikes are for everyone. Ride with freak bikes and the people who love them at the Dropout Bike Club ride tonight.
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Welcome to your menu of weekend rides and events, lovingly brought to you by our friends at Hopworks Urban Brewery.

Looks like we’ve got another weekend of stellar weather ahead. Might as well take advantage of it with a bike ride right?

If you don’t already have something planned, perhaps we can entice you to one of the rides below. Whatever you do, have a great weekend!

Friday, February 20th

Dropout Bicycle Club Ride – 9:00 pm at Colonel Summers Park (SE 20th & Belmont)
Join the Dropouts for their monthly “freakbike social ride.” Show off your latest creation and/or check out what other two-wheeled creations other people have dreamed up. The ride will go late and you will have fun and/or an adventure. More info here.

If you build it…
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

Thursday on the political blog BlueOregon, veteran Portland transportation wonk Ron Buel warned Oregonians eager for a gas tax hike to be careful what they wish for.

Though there’s almost universal consensus among Oregon Democrats that human-caused global warming is a catastrophic threat to the state, Buel writes that

It’s also an article of Democratic Party faith in Oregon that our highway infrastructure needs to be built out at breakneck speed in order to deal with growing congestion on the state’s highways, so that our economy can thrive. The annual Oregon Business Summit, held earlier this year, attended by thousands of businessmen, and capturing our leading politicians of both parties to speak there, recently proclaimed this congestion as the state’s number one issue. The Democratic Party in Oregon seems led by the nose by unions who also love that argument, including particularly the building trades and the AFL-CIO, who are dying for these local union highway construction jobs that used to be so numerous but have virtually disappeared as people drive less and drive vehicles that use less gas per mile.

We’ve had seven great job opportunities listed this week. Check them out via the links below…

Lead Mechanic – Pedal Bike Tours
E-bike Sales & Bike Builder – Cynergy E-Bikes
Bicycle Mechanic – West End Bikes
Bike Mechanic – Bike Commuter
Shipping/Receiving Specialist – Velotech, Inc.
Mechanic – Western Bikeworks
Retail Sales Associate – Western Bikeworks

Sorry, this job has been filled. Browse more great jobs here.

Job Title
Lead Mechanic

Company/Organization
Pedal Bike Tours

Job Description
Pedal Bike Tours is seeking a Lead Bicycle Mechanic.

Qualified candidates will be familiar with a wide range of bicycle technologies as necessary to service wheels, brakes, shifting systems, bearing assemblies, and suspension.

We see vintage, mountain, road, bmx and kids bikes. Our customers include fair weather cyclists to couriers and racers. No matter the bike or style, we take care to address our customers’ concerns and keep them biking safely.

We also have a fleet of roughly 90 rental bikes that require regular maintenance.

In addition to servicing bikes, the Lead Mechanic is responsible for repair shop organization, parts ordering, and retail sales.

Two years of experience as a professional bicycle mechanic is required. UBI or a similar certification is recommended.

This position is for year-round employment. Hours vary seasonally from 25 to 40 hours per week. Compensation is dependent upon experience. $13-15/hour.

How to Apply
To apply, send your resume and a brief paragraph about your interest in working here to:
info@pedalbiketours.com

Pedal Bike Tours is a friendly and cooperative workplace. We’re looking for a positive, motivated, and passionate individual to join our team!

~~www.pedalbiketours.com~~

ODOT is building its first complete wishlist of biking and walking projects

82nd Avenue: a priority, but how high?
(Photo: Elly Blue)

As Oregon creates its first-ever comprehensive biking and walking wishlist, it’s run into a hard question: how should it rank the importance of the many projects on its list?

The question comes three years after a round of ODOT’s federal grant applications for Portland-area biking and walking projects came up completely empty. As the next federal grant deadline approaches, ODOT is hoping that by creating a more sophisticated system to choose its top projects — a complete sidewalk along 82nd Avenue, maybe, or a crosswalk beacon on North Lombard street — it won’t miss out on the next round of federal grants.

Regional Safe Routes program is one of many winners from Metro grants

Rare, $20,000 Specialized-McLaren road bike sold at local shop

Industry Ticker: Zen Bicycle Fabrication launches in-house brand

The Monday Roundup: Automatic lifesaving, handlebar cams and more

Swan Island transportation group may shut doors after Metro funding shifts

Comment of the Week: A definitive wishlist for Portland’s bridges

Amtrak’s trains keep getting bike-friendlier, but its buses aren’t keeping up

Weekend Event Guide: Dropout, trail work, time trial and more

Friday, February 20th

Don’t let a state gas tax hike go straight into more freeways, activist warns

Jobs of the Week

Job: Lead Mechanic – Pedal Bike Tours – FILLED

ODOT is building its first complete wishlist of biking and walking projects

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