Riding on 34th between Clinton and Division.
(Photos: M.Andersen/BikePortland)

After nine months and 270 petition signatures, the people who live on SE 34th Avenue between Clinton and Division just can’t seem to persuade the city to remove five parking spots in front of their houses in order to add a bike lane.

“We’re just framing the argument as safety on this block vs. parking spots,” said Mark Zahner, who lives at 34th and Clinton and has led the campaign. “We see there’s a lot of near misses, we’ve acknowledged the problem, we’ve got support from the neighbors. Where do we go from here?”

[Read more…]

New bike lane on SE 112th near Powell Blvd.
(Photos: Gretchin Lair)

I love receiving dispatches about bike stuff from readers in parts of town that I don’t often get to myself. I rely on your eyes and ears to help me cover more than just the central city.

Case in point is reader Gretchin Lair. She noticed some lane re-striping and a new bike lane on an intersection she frequents in outer southeast Portland so she snapped a few photos and shared her thoughts.

Take it away Gretchin:

“I noticed new bike lane markings at the intersection of SE 112th & Powell. They’re short bike lanes, lasting for about a block on either side of the intersection, and they exist in both directions. Additionally, a left turn lane has been added in both directions.
[Read more…]

For the second time since November of last year, people who bike on the Springwater Corridor (in blue) have raised concerns about emissions from nearby factories.

[Read more…]

Drawing of new senior housing planned
for corner of SE 12th and Ankeny.

This morning, a reader tipped us off about a property development that could have an impact on one of Portland’s busiest bikeways, SE Ankeny Blvd.

A permit request (PDF) submitted to the City’s Bureau of Development Services says the Foursquare Gospel Church plans to develop a surface parking lot at SE 12th and Ankeny into “Foursquare Senior Living.” The four-six level structure would have 132 units of senior housing and 7,200 square feet of ground floor retail space with two levels of underground parking (the existing parcel is an underutilized surface parking lot). While the main entrance will face SE 13th Ave, plans also call for a new driveway on Ankeny just east of 12th…[Read more…]

Detail of new “channelizing islands” recently
installed on SE Spokane St.
(Photos © Adams Carroll)

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation is just weeks away from unveiling one of the most important bike-related infrastructure projects in years. Their new bike boulevard on SE Spokane Street in Sellwood is the first of their “next generation” bike boulevards and the first of 60 miles of bike boulevards they have planned for completion between now and 2013.
[Read more…]

Enjoying a carfree Peacock Lane.
(Photo by Greg Raisman)

A longstanding holiday institution in Portland is taking a stroll — or, more prevalently, a slow, idling drive — down the one-block Peacock Lane to gaze at the elaborate holiday light displays that residents drape over their houses, trees, and yards.

Last year for the first time, neighbors on the Southeast Portland street decided to open a night early and make the event carfree. This year they’ll be doing the same — on December 14th, from 6pm to 11pm, the street one block east of SE 39th Ave between Stark and Belmont will be closed to all but foot traffic.[Read more…]

An example of a curb extension
with a bioswale (at SE Clay and 11th)
(Photo © J. Maus)

The city plans to turn SE Division Street into a “green main street” between SE 6th and SE 39th.

Division Streetscape and Reconstruction project manager Elizabeth Mahon presented draft intersection redesign plans to the city’s Bicycle Advisory Committee last night, requesting feedback.

The project will give SE Division a green makeover, largely focused on capturing stormwater runoff in new curb extension bioswales. Project staff are currently looking at installing these and making on-street parking for cars and bicycles permanent along much of the corridor. [Read more…]

The Sellwood Bridge affects the
bikeability of Milwaukie.
(Photo © J. Maus)

We’ll be bringing our next BikePortland Get Together event to Milwaukie, Oregon, our neighbor to the immediate south.

Anyone who lives, works, commutes, rides through, or otherwise spends time in Milwaukie (or its general vicinity) is invited to join us.

Milwaukie seems to be quietly experiencing a bicycling renaissance.

Back in 2007 the city held a series of Transportation System Plan meetings, out of which came a more coherent vision for biking in Milwaukie, as well as a bike map has been created and bike parking has been installed downtown. Another result was the grassroots formation of MilwaukieBIKES!, a group centered around an email listserv and billed as “a convenient communication hub for the bicycling community of Milwaukie, Oregon.” [Read more…]

A group merge during a Bicycle Advisory
Committee tour of east Portland last July.
(Photo © J. Maus)

You’re invited to our next BikePortland Neighborhood Get Together in the Powellhurst neighborhood of outer Southeast Portland — that’s right, we’re going east of I-205.

Anyone who lives, works, commutes, or otherwise spends time in outer Southeast Portland is invited to join us.

This is an informal social event to meet each other, talk shop, compare notes, and generally have a fun evening. Come discuss bike routes, connections, and pavement maintenance, the new MAX light rail line under construction in the neighborhood, and more. [Read more…]

The Bureau of Planning has canceled a community workshop that would have began a discussion about a preferred strategy to tackle a re-design of the 7 Corners intersection (where SE Division, Ladd, 20th, and 21st streets converge).
[Read more…]