Here’s what PBOT wants to do with $173.8 million in new transportation revenue

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PBOT staffer Mark Lear updated advisory
committee members on the Our Street
funding effort.
(Photo J. Maus/BikePortland)

This morning in a conference room in the Portland Building, Bureau of Transportation staff laid out how they intend to spend $173.8 million in new revenue they hope to collect from residents and businesses in the first six years of the “Our Streets” funding plan.

While 42% of all the new revenue go toward paving (about $75 million), bike-specific investments are also on the list. A new carfree bridge over I-405 at NW Flanders Street and a protected bike lane on NE Broadway from 24th to the Broadway Bridge make up a list of about $7 million in projects that would dramatically improve biking conditions.

PBOT called this meeting to share an update on the funding plan to their various advisory committees. Among the 12 people in attendance at the meeting, six were city staff and the others were representatives from the City’s freight, bicycle, and pedestrian advisory committees. Members of the City’s Transportation Needs Funding Advisory Committee and Business Workgroup — both put together specifically to address the Our Streets plan — were also at the meeting.

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The Monday Roundup: A clever road-space demo, Seattle gets bike share and more

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Now that’s taking the lane.
(Photo: Let’s Bike It!)

[This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by North St. Bags, celebrating their 5th year of making great bags in Portland.]

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

Road space demo: Latvian bike commuters came up with an evocative (though probably wobbly) way to show how much space bikes save on the road.

“The Wash Cyclist”: A Philadelphia startup is preparing a national rollout of a cargo-trike laundry delivery service.

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Comment of the Week: For this rider, driving is a necessity

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(Photo: Amanda)

Even in Portland, people who bike more than they drive are a pretty small minority.

What sets us apart, in fact, might actually be the percentage of Portlanders who drive while wishing they were on a bike.

In a comment beneath our post about a road diet on Burnside that probably improved safety at a cost to fast driving (but might have also made biking less convenient), reader Edwards shared some compelling thoughts from the perspective of someone who loves to bike but also needs, at least for the moment, to drive.

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Smiles, fire, kids, crashes, and mud: A Cross Crusade gallery

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(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

On the eve of the opening race of the Cross Crusade, I find myself getting a bit nostalgic. This season marks the ninth year I’ve photographed these epic spectacles.

Looking through the 1,500 or so images in my Cross Crusade archives brings back all sorts of memories. There has been so much great racing and shenanigans over the years!

Scroll down and browse through this selection of images as you get ready for yet another season of the world’s most photogenic cyclocross race series…

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Bike Commute Challenge participants toast 1.2 million miles ridden in September

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People wait for awards to
be presented to workplaces with
the most dedicated bike commuters.
(Photos: M.Andersen/BikePortland)

Well over a hundred biking fans packed City Hall’s courtyard with their vehicles and stepped inside for beer and pizza Thursday night to celebrate the end of the annual Bike Commute Challenge.

The event run by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance drew 10,350 participants this year from 1,190 workplaces in a friendly competition that saw the most dedicated commuters logging more than 1,000 miles during September. In all, participants logged 1,212,271 miles of bike commuting this year.

“At the same time as you saved money on gas, you saved our communities money on road maintenance,” BTA Deputy Director Steph Noll said.

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BTA calls on members to back income tax for street funding

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BTA Annual meeting-2

BTA Director Rob Sadowsky, part of a coalition
of local nonprofit leaders offering to
endorse a city revenue proposal.
(Photos: J.Maus/BikePortland)

For months, almost no local institutions have been willing to voice public support for one of Mayor Charlie Hales and Transportation Commissioner Steve Novick’s signature agenda items: a new revenue stream for city transportation budgets (a.k.a. the Our Streets Transportation Funding Conversation).

On Thursday, a group of nonprofits, many of which focus on transportation, offered to do so — with conditions.

In a separate but related action Wednesday, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, which is among the nonprofit coalition, issued a rare action alert calling on its members to contact Portland City Council in support of “a new progressive street fee with strong discounts for low-income members of our community only if it prioritizes safety.”

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A day to appreciate bicycle messengers

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After a long and illustrious career, Eric “Sharky” Young hung up his messenger bag this year. He was a credit to his profession (and, given the speed and skill with which he operated his bicycle, he was not easy to photograph.)
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

If you see a bike messenger in your office or in your lane today, give ’em a nod or say “thanks.”

You should probably always do this, given the importance and symbolism of their chosen profession; but today is special because it’s 10-9 Day, a.k.a. Messenger Appreciation Day.

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Weekend Event Guide: Crusade, Ghostbusters, 3-speeds, and more

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The wait is over.
(Photo: J Maus/BikePortland)

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

Now that we’re well into October, I guess it’s not too early to get into the Halloween mood. If you need some inspiration on that front, look no further than the Ghostbusters ride happening on Sunday. They’ll stop for a behind-the-scenes look at a graveyard, eat Ghostbusters-themed donuts, and ride bikes — that’s a lot of birds to kill with just one stone.

This weekend also ushers in the official start of cyclocross season. Yes, we know races have been happening for over a month now, but the start of the Cross Crusade is so momentous that it has earned its season-changing status.

Oh, and it looks like the rain will hold off until Monday! Have fun out there…

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A newbs-eye view of ‘cross: Fighting fear with practice

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Training ground.
(Photo by Ben Salzberg)

There’s just one race left in the Blind Date at the Dairy cyclocross series and I’ve got my work cut out for me. With the exception of my wipe-out in Week 2 that left me in 14th place, I’ve been stuck in 3rd and can’t seem to budge. The rider who has been finishing first usually does so with such a large margin that I can’t even see her after the first minute of the first lap.

That’s quite a gap to close, but I’m an unreasonable person and let’s be honest – I want to win.

I know from my extensive experience in adult beer-league kickball that practice is essential to improving on-field swagger as well as performance, albeit to a lesser degree. So I’m ready to put some work into this. But where to begin?

For me, cyclocross can be broken into 3 categories: things that are hard, things that are tricky, and things that terrify me.

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Bike Theft Chronicles: ‘They snapped the sign off the pole’

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This installment comes in the form of a Twitter conversation:

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Bike-friendly convenience store blows past sales targets and prepares to expand

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Bike parking at Green Zebra Grocery.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

The “healthy convenience store” startup founded by the former CEO of New Seasons Market says it’s exceeded its sales expectations thanks in part to even more non-car traffic than expected.

Last year, Green Zebra Grocery founder Lisa Sedlar told us she needed about 400 to 600 transactions a day for her model — higher quality, higher prices — to be viable. She was also counting on 30 percent of those customers to arrive by means other than a car — if only to prevent the 14-space parking lot from filling up.

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