The simple way to end bike theft: Externalize the costs

go by bike overhead

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)

America's Next Bicycle Capital

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.

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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.

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

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
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.

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Job: Bike Mechanics and Tour Guides – Trek Travel

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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 Blvd-5

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.

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

First meeting of BikeLoudPDX-7

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.

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

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.”

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

copwatchvid

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:

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Job: Graphic Designer – Chris King Precision Components

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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

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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

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

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.

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