BikePortland

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.

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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.

Deuchar's battered haddock and chips at The Shore, Leith, Edinburgh

Not actually an intoxicant.
(Photo: Edinburgh Blog)

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

Beer-battered driving: A Wisconsin man pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy said he hadn’t been drinking, only eating beer-battered fish. It would be his 10th drunken-driving conviction.

Minneapolis victory: The Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition says the city’s new budget, with $750,000 for protected bike lanes (3-6 miles’ worth) and eight open streets events, is its “best ever.”

Guilty for “improper position on a highway”.
(Still from Multnomah County Copwatch video)

Portland Police have issued a ticket to a protestor who was taking part in a march downtown yesterday.

The march was organized by Don’t Shoot PDX, a fledgling group of activists who have organized a sustained movement for more police accountability and justice following protests in Ferguson, Missouri that started last month.

According to people involved with the march, there was a collision on West Burnside near Powell’s Books between someone driving a car and one of the marchers. A man who has uploaded video footage from the scene alleges that the driver swerved into protestors and yelled, “Get a job” before running over a man’s foot. The driver did not stop.

There was almost immediate outrage on Twitter once people learned that not only was the driver not charged with anything, but the man whose foot was run over was the one given a citation.

Below is a video from the scene uploaded by Multnomah County Copwatch:

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title
Graphic Designer

Company/Organization
Chris King Precision Components

Job Description
Chris King Precision Components, Manufacturer of precision bicycle components, is seeking qualified applicants for a Graphic Designer Position. This position will be a part of the Marketing Department, leading in the production of graphic design and photography projects.

Requirements include:
• Bachelor degree in Graphic Design
• Must have strong experience in web development and online outreach tactics
• Portfolio review upon interviewing
• Advanced knowledge of Web CMS tools, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Word and Excel
• Prior work experience for in-house marketing/creative services department is a plus

The successful applicant will be detail oriented, highly organized, capable of working independently, and will have a strong commitment to community.

How to Apply
Please furnish cover letter and resume by directly e-mailing to human.resources@chrisking.com (No Attachments will be accepted). A drug free environment and equal opportunity employer.

Job: Communications Specialist – Chris King Precision Components

Job Title
Communications Specialist

Company/Organization
Chris King Precision Components
Your Email Address (for listing confirmation) * human.resources@chrisking.com

Job Description
Chris King Precision Components, Manufacturer of precision bicycle components, is seeking qualified applicants for a Communications Specialist position. This position will lead all professional copywriting needs for the Marketing department, develop technical product instructions and videos and run our sponsorship program.

Requirements include:
• Bachelor degree in Marketing, Copywriting, Creative Arts or other related field
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Web CMS tools, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Word and Excel
• Prior work experience for in-house marketing/creative services department is a plus

The successful applicant will be detail oriented, highly organized, capable of working independently, and will have a strong commitment to community.

How to Apply
Please furnish cover letter and resume by directly e-mailing to human.resources@chrisking.com (No Attachments will be accepted).

Job: Marketing Manager – Quality Bicycle Products

Job Title
Marketing Manager

Company/Organization
Quality Bicycle Products

Job Description
This position is a key role within the QBP Brand Marketing team and he/she will be responsible for developing strategies, positioning and activation plans for key sales initiatives at QBP. It is essential that the position focus on growing the brand and driving sales by delivering dealer-focused strategies that connect with specialty bicycle retailers worldwide.

The QBP brand Marketing Manager will work to coordinate the building of unified marketing materials across all channels. This leader will ensure QBP products and services are powerfully placed in the market to connect with dealers and drive sales.

See more about this job and other listings on our careers page: http://www.qbp.com/#career

How to Apply
Go here to apply http://www.qbp.com/#career and click on QBP career opportunities.

What do you think? Encouraging high-vis gear

People on Bikes - Copenhagen Edition-48-48

Can’t miss this guy.
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Publisher’s note: “What do you think?” is a new series we’re trying out where we gauge your opinion and ask for feedback on a specific topic. Think of it as our version of those ridiculous and annoying reader polls you see on other sites so often. — Jonathan

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It seems innocent enough: When days get shorter and people are commuting in the dark, transportation agencies will often encourage people to wear bright-colored and reflective clothing, use lights, and so on. That might sound like important, common sense information to some of you; but to others it’s a cringe-worthy offense. To them it’s a form of victim blaming that actually results in ever more dangerous streets.

This week, both TriMet and the Portland Bureau of Transportation promoted high-visibility cycling.

TriMet did it as part of their annual “Be Seen. Be Safe.” campaign. I got an email yesterday asking me to enter a contest to win a “bike visibility kit”. The $135 kit includes a flourescent yellow helmet cover, a reflective safety patch, hi-vis gloves, and a rear light. “Make yourself visible to drivers and cyclists around you!” the promotion urged.

Marine Drive path = year-round fun.
(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.

I hope everyone is OK after that very crazy windstorm last night. With that behind us, the weekend forecast looks clear. It’ll be a bit cooler as a result, but at least it’ll be dry.

If you’re looking to stay sharp this winter, we’ve got some great suggestions below. And if you are looking to add a few key pieces to your winter riding kit, or finally get that new bike you’ve been waiting for, we’ve got the details on a major sale.

Have fun out there!

Just one job posted this week, but it looks like a great opportunity. Check it out below…

Recumbent Bike Mechanic – Recumbent PDX

(Photo: car2go)

After what they call a “tremendous response” from a member survey, car2go announced today that they plan to outfit 50% of their Portland vehicles with bike racks.

Last month we reported on the company’s pilot of a bike rack for their Smart cars in response to requests from members. They put a few of the racks out on the road, got them in the hands of testers, and launched a member survey. Car2go’s Chief Marketing Officer Paul DeLong announced the results of that survey in an email to members today.

Chief O’Dea in 2008.
(Photo J. Maus/BikePortland)

Incoming Portland Police Chief Larry O’Dea appears to be making good on his promises and his potential. The new Chief, who community advocates have hailed for his record on community policing, announced a host of changes to the bureau today.

Effective January 8th, 2015, the bureau will have a fourth branch: Community Services. This new branch will include the Traffic Division (previously under the Operations Branch), which is a part of the bureau that interacts closely with our community. Traffic Division officers write the vast majority of traffic tickets, they investigate collisions and hit-and-runs, they work targeted enforcement actions, parades, protest marches, Sunday Parkways, and so on.

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

The Monday Roundup: Beer-battered driving, a Minneapolis bike win and more

Police ticket man who was run over during ‘Don’t shoot’ protest

Job: Graphic Designer – Chris King Precision Components

Job: Communications Specialist – Chris King Precision Components

Job: Marketing Manager – Quality Bicycle Products

What do you think? Encouraging high-vis gear

Weekend Event Guide: Bike parade, Alleycross, a huge sale, and more

Job of the Week

After successful pilot, car2go will put bike racks on half their Portland fleet

New Police Chief puts Traffic Division in new ‘Community Services’ branch

Latest Headlines

Five rides to roll in the new year

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

From the Archives

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