BikePortland

Photos of ODOT’s new Division Street undercrossing on I-205 path

New and smooth.
(Photos: Joe Hamilton)

Thanks to a newly built undercrossing of SE Division, people on bikes have one less stop to make while riding on the I-205 path. ODOT put the finishing touches on their $750,000 I-205 Shared-Use Path Division Undercrossing Project earlier this month and they’re hosting a “celebratory gathering” this morning to show it off.

As we shared back in October 2012, the new path takes riders and walkers down near the MAX light rail tracks under Division Street. South of division, the path begins at the MAX station and it re-joins the I-205 path at the intersection of SE Caruthers and 93rd. The project was originally planned for 2009 to coincide with the construction of TriMet’s Green Line MAX project. ODOT received a federal stimulus grant for path improvements but the funding ran out before the undercrossing was completed.

Reader Joe Hamilton sent us some photos of the new path…

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

This just in from the PPB:

PORTLAND POLICE DONATING BICYCLES FOR WEST AFRICAN VILLAGES

On Thursday August 22, 2013, at 10:30 a.m., the Portland Police Bureau will be donating approximately 100 bicycles to Alaffia’s Bicycles for Education Project.

This event will be held at and in partnership with Whole Foods Market Hollywood, located at 4301 Northeast Sandy Boulevard. Members of the media are invited to attend.

Members of the community may also donate adult sized bicycles in any condition at this location from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. All donations are tax deductible.

Speakers will include Portland Police Bureau Assistant Chief Donna Henderson and Alaffia Founder Olowo-n’djo Tchala (pronounced “Olo-Wanjoe Chala”)

The donated bicycles are from the Portland Police Property and Evidence Division and are unclaimed or disposed of property no longer needed.

Read more

Police (finally) issue statement on Barbur hit-and-run case – UPDATED

Police are looking for a Subaru like this one.
(Photo: PPB)

The Portland Police Bureau just released a media statement about a serious injury hit-and-run that occurred on Friday, August 16th on SW Barbur Blvd. The collision left 20-year old Henry Schmidt with multiple injuries including shattered bones, damaged organs, and extensive road rash. Since first reported by KATU-TV, the PPB has come under fire from friends of the victim and other people in the community for their handling of the crime scene and a lack of urgency around their investigation.

Dave Cassidy, a close friend of the Schmidt family, has been sending emails to local media describing his concerns about the PPB’s lack of attention to Schmidt’s case. Here’s an excerpt from an email Cassidy sent to local media outlets yesterday:

Advocates want a safer and more pleasant way
to ride along Lower River Road.
(Photos: Todd Bachmann)

This story was written by our Vancouver correspondent, Madeleine von Laue.

Bicycle activists in Vancouver are organizing a ride with elected officials along Lower River Road this Friday (8/23). The ride is an attempt to raise support for a project that would complete the path along the high-speed road that connects downtown with popular recreation areas west of town such as Vancouver Lake and Frenchman’s Bar along the Columbia River. The Port of Vancouver recently received a federal grant to construct one segment of the path, and advocates want to build on that momentum.

Sorry. This job has been filled.

Job Title
SoupCycler Extraordinaire

Company/Organization
SoupCycle

Job Description
Do you get excited by the challenge of working on your bike, pulling a hefty trailer and delivering awesome organic foods? We’re a small Portland company that makes and delivers organic soups using local ingredients. Each week we cook three different soups (meaty, veggie, and vegan) and then deliver them to the masses of Portland by bicycle. So far we’ve done 97,000 bicycle deliveries and we’re hiring a new SoupCycler. Are you our SoupCycling match made in heaven?

We have a great crew of people who are passionate about bicycle delivery. We’re looking for an energetic, upbeat and strong-legged person who can brave the winter rains of Portland and still be smiling when they deliver soup to customers. This position is pretty rad if we do say so ourselves. It’s a combination of working in the kitchen one day each week and delivering soups two days/week. One lucky candidate will be chosen for this position.

Here’s what we’re looking for:
-An authentic people-person. There’ll be a lot of customer interaction while you deliver and strong customer service is a must.
-A safe cyclist (uses hand-signals, wears helmet, respects drivers, etc)
-Excitement about food and sharing that with customers during deliveries.
-Ability to commit to working with SoupCycle for a one-year minimum
-Excitement to work with a small, local business.
-Ability to wield a kitchen knife and chop vegetables like it’s nobody’s business.
-Physically able to lift 75 lbs and pedal a bike trailer carrying up to 215 lbs.
-A sturdy bike to attach to our soup trailer for deliveries (you get to use your bike, we provide the trailer).
-Other business skills are a major plus, including sales and kitchen experience.

The position:
22-26 hours per week split Mondays-Wednesday, with most of your time out on the bike and part in the kitchen.

Approximate hours are…
Mondays (kitchen): 8am-6pm
Tuesdays (deliveries): 8am-4pm
Wednesdays (deliveries): 8am-4pm

If you’re interested in being an integral part of a bicycle-based business then jump aboard our soupy sailboat.

Compensation
$10.00/hour
Monthly bike upkeep stipend
Vacation benefits and accident insurance after one year
The ability to work for a mission-driven company with passionate coworkers
Generous soup allowance

How to Apply
Send an email to yesplease@soupcycle.com, with 2-3 paragraphs telling us why you’re interested in working for SoupCycle, your bicycling background and all relevant skills.

Happy Slurping!
The SoupCycle Crew

Two stolen bike recovery stories (because we can’t get enough of them)

Because we can never get enough of hearing about how people get their stolen bikes back, we present you two more stories of stolen bike recovery success.

But before getting into some good news, we have some not-so-good news about our Stolen Bike Listings. Due to a software issue that’s causing duplicate postings, I’ve decided to disable the listings until we can get it fixed. Sorry about that. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming…

Our first story comes from Vancouver resident Branden Shelby. You might recall that Branden was the subject of one of our Ride Alongs back in April. A few months after our story, the same bike he rode with me that morning, a LeMond Poprad, was stolen from his side yard. Branden had put a lot of love into his bike, upgrading it over the years with a green Brooks saddle, green BMX pedals, and other nice touches. Unfortunately, he posted it to our Stolen Bike Listings on July 23rd with a $100 reward.

Steph Routh in November 2012.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Oregon Walks, a non-profit advocacy group that works to improve walking conditions around the state, has announced that Executive Director Steph Routh will resign in October.

Routh became the organization’s first full-time staffer when she was named to the position in May 2009. In the ensuing years, Routh helped transform Oregon Walks (formerly known as the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition) by making what was traditionally a quiet, behind-the-scenes organization into a public force to be reckoned with. Just months after taking the job, she asked the community to think hard about the state of walking advocacy in Oregon — a movement that has lacked the spark of and cultural identity evident in the local bicycle scene.

Routh’s personal dedication to the task, professional creativity, and natural charisma drew people to her organization and her cause.

“If you’re serious” in Portland commercial real estate,
Melvin Mark broker Peter Andrews says, good
indoor bike parking is no longer optional.
(Photo: M.Andersen/BikePortland)

Portland’s central-city office market is soaring out of the recession, and bike, foot and transit access are driving its desirability.

“It’s the busiest I’ve ever seen our marketplace in 10 years,” says Peter Andrews, a broker for the major Portland-based real estate firm Melvin Mark.

An enthusiastic rider himself, Andrews has been finding bikes and low-car transportation spread through his professional life, too.

Riding “road” bikes on gravel and dirt roads is experiencing a major boom in popularity here in Oregon. On Sunday, I joined a dozen other intrepid riders for the “Women’s Bullshit 100” ride to found out why.

The BS 100 is one of a growing number of events on the annual calendar that lives in a hybrid space between official event and just a bunch of friends getting together for a ride. Thanks to a region full of bike adventure lovers, these type of rides are growing like weeds. A pioneer in this style is the Ronde PDX, an unsanctioned ride through Portland’s West Hills that attracts thousands of eager participants each year. Another prime example is VeloDirt, whose founder Donnie Kolb has become something of a legend for his epic annual events such as The Dalles Mountain 60 and the Oregon Stampede.

Friends of Barbur, a grassroots group working to make SW Barbur Blvd a safer place to drive, bike, and live, is doing what it can to support Henry Schmidt, the 20-year-old Lewis and Clark College student was hit and left for dead while walking his bike on Barbur early Friday morning.

Friends of Barbur is asking people to “Donate a beer for Henry for his 21st Birthday” via their website. Here’s more from an email they just sent out:

Photos of ODOT’s new Division Street undercrossing on I-205 path

BikePortland Podcast: Is carnage worth coverage?

Portland Police donating bicycles for West African villages

Police (finally) issue statement on Barbur hit-and-run case – UPDATED

Vancouver advocates plan ride to push timetable on Lower River Road project

Job: SoupCycler Extraordinaire – SoupCycle – FILLED

Two stolen bike recovery stories (because we can’t get enough of them)

Steph Routh announces resignation from Oregon Walks

Q&A: Peter Andrews on Portland’s bike-powered office boom

‘Bullshit 100’ and the allure of off-pavement road riding – UPDATED

‘Friends of Barbur’ plans ride, launches beer donation drive for hit-and-run victim

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From the Archives

More biking = better driving. So why isn’t this said more often?