BikePortland

As legislators hold hearing on CRC, some are already looking at cheaper plans

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

A 2011 rendering of the proposed
Columbia River Crossing.

Two veteran state legislators, one of whom was a key swing vote in support of last year’s Columbia River Crossing funding plan, say consensus is building for scrapping the freeway-rail expansion plan and starting over.

Both said they doubt their colleagues will re-approve the existing proposal, though a public committee hearing Wednesday afternoon is likely to advance the debate.

State Rep. Mitch Greenlick and state Rep. Lew Frederick — neither of whom have conferred on the issue — both said Tuesday that a new, much smaller truck-and-train freight bridge would solve the key problems facing the river crossing with far lower costs.

Bad biking conditions made the evening news.

With the worst of the snow and ice storms behind us, the roads are slowly returning to normal. That is, unless you are trying to walk or bike.

As auto traffic volumes return to normal, people are finding that the conditions of bike lanes, neighborhood greenways, and off-street bike paths are full of a dangerous mix of slush, snow, and ice. This isn’t a surprise given that it’s the current policy of the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to only plow major roads and arterials.

Alison Graves at the 2011
Oregon Active Transportation Summit.
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Alison Graves is the new executive director of Cycle Oregon, the Portland-based non-profit organization known for its week-long bike ride.

Graves’ name is familiar to many in local bike advocacy circles given her seven year stint with the Community Cycling Center. Graves stepped down as the CCC’s executive director last March and she is also on the board of the League of American Bicyclists. In May 2013, Graves won an Alice Award from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance for her work in “ushering in a new way of thinking around equity and inclusion for the bicycle movement.” While at the CCC, Graves was best known for her strategic embrace of programs and outreach that sought to break down bicycling’s “color barrier”.

At the CCC, Graves led the organization on a mission to use bicycles as a tool of empowerment for people of color in under-served communities. While the public face of Cycle Oregon is nearly the exact opposite demographic, the lesser-known mission of the organization is actually quite similar. Cycle Oregon, like the CCC, uses bicycling to make a positive impact on people and their communities. In Cycle Oregon’s case, the people impacted are Oregon’s many rural residents who benefit from the ride’s economic boost and from community projects funded through the Cycle Oregon Fund.

Side by side: skateboards are common in Denmark, too.
(Photo by J.Maus/BikePortland)

Its users are belittled, harassed and ignored, but people keep doing it because it’s practical, affordable and fun — and Portland is leading the nation in thinking about it as a useful form of transportation.

It’s skateboarding, and the new episode of BikePortland’s half-hour monthly podcast asks whether it’s following in biking’s trail.

In celebration of OMSI’s new skateboarding exhibit and Portland’s increasingly sophisticated skateboard advocacy movement, we invited two smart advocates to join us and talk about the parallels between skating and biking and the future of skating in the first major U.S. city to make skateboards street legal (that’d be ours).

A map of possible routes along the Clackamas River.
“Principal” proposed routes are in red and “alternative”
routes in green. See below for more maps.

A two-week virtual open house launched Monday to give people who bike and walk in Clackamas County a chance to share their expertise and opinions on the best routes for the county to improve.

It’s part of the county’s year-long Active Transportation Plan, an effort to improve healthy mobility, access, safety, and tourism in the county on the south side of the metro area.

For the new virtual open house, much of the focus is on a series of possible walking and biking routes that have been selected from many submitted earlier in the process.

Year: 2013
Brand: Vertigo
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11712501@N04/12459311925/
Stolen in , OR
Stolen:2014-02-11
Stolen From: Broadway and Main, across from the Schnitzer auditorium.
Owner: david ralley
OwnerEmail: ralley.2(AT)osu.edu
Description: Custom Vertigo road bike. 63cm titanium frame, carbon fork, Shimano ultegra components. Yellow cable housing and bottle cages. If it appears, it be easy to spot!
Police record with: portland pd
Police reference#: T14001314
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Black and red with with lettering and white bar tape BMC TeamMachine SLR01 2012

Year: 2012
Brand: BMC
Model: TeamMachine SLR01
Color:Black and red with with lettering and white bar tape
Size:50cm
Serial: Y0112TDI500090
Photo: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/723252/stolen/BMC_TeamMachine_SLR01-Y0112TDI500090-2.jpg
Stolen in San Francisco, CA 94108
Stolen:2014-02-2
Stolen From: Stolen in San Francisco, CA from inside a car that was broken into while parked on the corner of 7th St and Howard St (SoMa neighbourhood) on Sunday, 2nd Feb between 10:40am and 11:10am.
Neighborhood: Soma, San Francisco, CA
Owner: Adriano Castro
OwnerEmail: adrianobrancocastro(replace with at sign)gmail.com
Reward: Substantial
Description: – Make/model: BMC TeamMachine SLR01
– Year: 2012
– Color: black and red with white lettering. White bar tape. White bottle cages.
– Saddle: Fizik Arione, black with white line down the middle
– Serial: Y0112TDI 500090
– Size: 50cm
– Components: Shimano Ultegra Di2 (electronic shifting)
– Wheels: HED Ardennes FR (black rims with white lettering)
– Other noticeable features: scratch on right brake lever, chip on left seat stay

Contact via cell (415-216-5119).
Police record with: SF PD
Police reference#: 140096666
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Orange/Black Specialized RHAICOMPES (?) 2000

Year: 2000
Brand: Specialized
Model: RHAICOMPES (?)
Color:Orange/Black
Size:19
Serial: MOAI11966
Photo: http://www.pedalroom.com/p/specialized-rockhopper-92-yelloworange-10594_1.jpg
Stolen in SE Portland, OR 972022317
Stolen:2014-02-5
Stolen From: 3814 SE 16th Avenue – Townhouse in the storage which is across from the SE School Brooklyn park nearby the Winterhaven K-8 school…
Neighborhood: SE Brooklyn Neighorhood
Owner: Steven Brown
OwnerEmail: sbrown(replace with at sign)my.adler.edu
Reward: Contact me about this… Thank you
Description: Please note that a photo of a bike is similar to my orange and black bike. Bike has a black rack with a light on the bar. It has a lock attached on bike it is a yellow and black “U” shape. A mobile black air pump attached on bike frame and there is a tire replacement kit attached under the seat. It is a specialized mountain bike…
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 14-10705
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

City planning commission seeks young member for two-year term

The City of Portland is looking for a person under age 25 to be a voting member of its prestigious Planning and Sustainability Commission.

Here’s an email from city staffer Susan Anderson:

The City of Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission (PSC) currently has a vacancy, and we are looking to fill it with a younger member of the community. While PSC terms are usually four years, this youth position (18-25 year old applicants) is designated as a 2-year term, but will have all the same responsibilities and opportunities as other PSC members.

Applications, as for all City commissions, will go through the Office of Neighborhood Involvement. Applications will be reviewed by BPS and Mayor’s office staff. A final selection and appointment will be made by the Mayor.

You can read more about the appointment process in this PDF circulated by the city.

Only 32 bikes crossed the Hawthorne Bridge Sunday, counter says

The Hawthorne Bridge bike counter on
Friday, in a lull between the storms.
(Photo by Roger Geller.)

Mother Nature finally found a way to keep Portlanders off their bikes on Sunday: a foot of fresh snow followed by a dangerous ice storm.

The Hawthorne Bridge bike counter (which was donated by Cycle Oregon) detected only 32 pairs of wheels crossing in both directions during the entire day. It’s by far the lowest total recorded since the counter was installed in August 2012.

On Friday, the counter picked up 308 bikers, the second-lowest weekday traffic to date after Christmas Day, 2013. On Thursday, when the storm hit midday, 1,773 people made it across the bridge westbound.

Big detour in store for a 5-day closure of the Sellwood Bridge. See full announcement from Multnomah County below:

Traffic changes for Sellwood Bridge closure February 15 – 20

Traffic changes are in store for Sellwood Bridge users when the bridge is closed for construction February 15 – 20. The bridge is scheduled to close at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday and reopen by 5 a.m. on Thursday. The closure will allow a contractor to install steel soldier piles across traffic lanes at the west end of the bridge. The piles will support the walls of a new two-level interchange where the bridge connects with Highway 43. The closure is scheduled over a holiday weekend to minimize the number of commute days that the bridge is closed.

Highway 43 will remain open to two-way traffic at all times while the bridge is closed. Turn lanes from Highway 43 to the bridge will be closed and used by construction vehicles only.

The bridge will be closed to motor vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians. Here are tips for bridge users:

Motor Vehicles: The posted westbound detour routes during the closure are:
Northbound: Hwy. 99E to Ross Island Bridge to Hwy. 43
Southbound: Hwy. 99E to Interstate 205 (Abernethy Bridge) to Hwy. 43

Eastbound routes are the reverse.

Congestion is expected on the north detour route during weekday commute hours, especially Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday is a public holiday. Travelers should plan their alternate route in advance and expect longer trips during the closure, especially on peak commute days.

Bicyclists and Pedestrians: Bicyclists and pedestrians may prefer the Hawthorne Bridge for the northern detour. The Hawthorne Bridge can be accessed from the Sellwood neighborhood by the Springwater Trail. The westside trail between the bridge and the Macadam Bay driveway to the north will be closed, due to heavy construction in the area. Westbound bicyclists and pedestrians can choose from several routes, including:
– Taylors Ferry Road to Lakeview Drive to Corbett Avenue to Custer Street
– Taylors Ferry Road to north River View Cemetery entrance to Palatine Hill Road (cemetery road closed from dusk to dawn)
– Caution should be used on this section of Taylors Ferry Road, which is busy and steep. The Lakeview Drive route includes roads with low traffic volumes.

Multnomah County is the lead agency for the Sellwood Bridge project. The new bridge is scheduled to open in the early fall of 2015 and the entire project will be completed in 2016. For more project information, visit www.sellwoodbridge.org.

‘Sneckdown’ at Broadway and Burnside reveals potential public plaza

There is a lot of unused roadway space on SW Broadway between Burnside and Pine. Why not make it an official public plaza?
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

When snow falls on city streets it eventually melts and goes away thanks in large part due to the self-plowing effect of motor vehicle tires. But where cars and trucks don’t go, the snow remains as visual proof of unused roadway space.

As legislators hold hearing on CRC, some are already looking at cheaper plans

Mix of snow, slush and ice make for tricky biking conditions

Alison Graves picked as new executive director of Cycle Oregon

BikePortland Podcast: Bikes and the future of skateboarding

Clackamas County wants your input on biking and walking connections

Vertigo 2013

Black and red with with lettering and white bar tape BMC TeamMachine SLR01 2012

Orange/Black Specialized RHAICOMPES (?) 2000

City planning commission seeks young member for two-year term

Only 32 bikes crossed the Hawthorne Bridge Sunday, counter says

Sellwood Bridge will close to all traffic February 15-20

‘Sneckdown’ at Broadway and Burnside reveals potential public plaza

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From the Archives

Protestor blocks bus and bike lanes on Division with his car