Sprockettes Foil Bike Thief

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PORTLAND, OR - Agent Chaos and Agent Trouble of The Sprockettes reenact their amazing recovery of a stolen bicycle. FIGHT EVIL CRIME!

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Portland Cyclists Rally for Bike Master Plan

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Report by Jonathan Maus of BikePortland.org
PORTLAND, OR - Nearly 200 cyclists, well over twice the usual amount, joined city bike coordinator Roger Geller on his Bike Master Plan Ride last night. Riders of all stripes came out to show support for the embattled Master Plan, which Mayor Potter recently decided to cut from his proposed budget.
As expected, Transportation Commissioner Sam Adams, flanked by his policy analyst Roland Chlapowski and his Chief of Staff Tom Miller, made an appearance. During interviews with the various media outlets he said,

“I just think that this (the Bike Master Plan) is more important than some of the other items proposed in the Mayor’s proposed budget…It’s absolutely critical that we continue to be a leader in bike mobility and that comes by having a good plan…Bikes have never been more important to the mobility of this city. It’s an affordable way to get around; in some cases, it’s the most reliable way to get between two places; it’s good for your health; you burn fat instead of oil; and it’s good for the environment.

The Bike Master Plan allows us to develop a bike system, not just do it piecemeal, but develop a system…As transportation commissioner I have a responsibility to get people around the city safely and bikes are a key part of my strategy. I think you can argue that we don’t spend enough money on bikes, not that we need to cut back on our spending.”

After Adams’ remarks and brief words from Roger Geller, the ride began amid the chaotic cacophony of May Day Parade revelers, which passed by Terry Schrunk Plaza right as we rolled out. After a quick loop around the South Park Blocks, we made our way over the Willamette River (via the Hawthorne Bridge), up the Eastbank Esplanade, and onward through North Portland.

As we made our way to our destination (Kenton Park), we experienced a diverse array of bikeways and environments;
Bike Master Plan Ride #4

* We rode through the innovative, bike-only “scramble” signal near the Rose Garden Arena,
* worked the sometimes tricky connection from Weidler to N. Williams,
* enjoyed the serenity of residential streets near N. Ainsworth,
* got a first-hand look at the new bike/ped refuge medias at N. Portland and Willamette Blvd.,
* shared a narrow bike lane with fast-moving motorists on N. Willamette near the University of Portland,
* basked in the bucolic splendor and spring time aromas of the Peninsula Crossing Trail,
* pedaled over the bike/ped bridge over the Columbia Slough,
Bike Master Plan Ride #4
* rode next to nature along the Columbia Slough Trail while huge packs of lycra-clad racers careened through corners at Portland International Raceway,
* and finally, we passed by Paul Bunyan at the entrance to up-and-coming Kenton.

I talked to several people on the ride (unfortunately I can’t use the audio due to excessive wind noise), and they all expressed a deep concern about the Mayor’s decision to cut funding for the plan.

Dave Sohigian was there with his wife and two kids. They live in Lair Hill, just south of Portland and as a carfree family, the continued improvement of Portland’s bikeway network is very important to them. Another women I spoke to said she moved to Portland (from Ohio) in large part because of it’s bike-friendly reputation and she wants to see that continue.

Shamus Lynskey of St. Johns towed his young daughter along and said he has a vested interest in improving bikeway connections from that area to downtown. BTA volunteer Lee Hoffman lives in Tanasbourne and came out to show his support for the Master Plan.

Once at Kenton Park, we re-assembled, filled out comment forms had a Q and A session with Roger Geller. It was a constructive, informative discussion that brought up a wide range of topics; from the potential of a bike-only lane on the Hawthorne Bridge (Geller said bikes were 16% of the total trips last summer), to problems with the new bike/ped refuge island at N. Willamette and Portland.

It was inspiring to see both the large showing of support for the Bike Master Plan, and the high level of concern and engagement for improving the bikeway network.

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Hal Grades Your Bike Locking

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New York City - In honor of Bike Month, Clarence Eckerson, Jr. of SteetFilms resurrects this 2003 bikeTV classic. It was his first work to gain worldwide noterity in the alternative transportation world.

They hit the streets of Soho with the help of Bicycle Habitat’s most famous mechanic Hal Ruzal - who humorously grades the bike locking ability of New Yorkers. Sure he’s harsh, but also damn funny while dispensing useful anecdotes from his many decades in the biz. Hopefully you’ll learn how to keep your bike safe and avoid a failing grade.

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Who Wants to Visit a Sprawl Guru Tonight?

PORTLAND, OR-
RECAP:I had an facinating time at the executive club meeting tonight. I rode out with Reverend Phil and met up with fellow cyclist, Toby. We shot some video, saw Mr. Cox's slide show presentation (we may digest that later). For now let's just say he made some points that are worth looking into. We also had some interesting and sometimes lively converstaion with the executive club folks.
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ORIGINAL POST
Anyone wish to accompany me to the lion's den tonight (see below)? I'll probably ride out along the I-205 path or I could meet folks a Lloyd center for a max ride.

Shoot me an email or call me if you wanna come along.

Dan Kaufman
dan (at) pdxk (dot) com
503 267 2862 mobile

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From Portland Tribune Story by Jim Redden.

...the Executive Club, a social organization founded by conservative tax-limitation advocate Don McIntire, is bringing a nationally known [public transit and urban planning] skeptic to town.

Wendell Cox will speak to the group at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Shilo Inn Suites Hotel, 11707 N.E. Airport Way. It is free and open to the public, although there is a charge for those who order dinner.

Cox is the principal of Wendell Cox Consultancy, an international public policy firm based in St. Louis and the editor of three Web sites, Demographia, The Public Purpose and Rental Car Tours, which urges travelers to rent cars and avoid traditional tourist tours.

He also serves as a senior fellow at the Heartland Institute, a Chicago-based think tank that describes itself as a free-market advocate.

“Planning is a religion in Portland. Metro sends missionaries around the world spreading the message, which is false,” Cox told the Portland Tribune.

Cox grew up in Hillsboro before moving to Los Angeles, where he originally championed light rail as a member of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission. Cox said he changed his mind after realizing that light rail in Portland and other cities does not carry enough people to make a difference.
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Bicycles Give Room To Breathe: NYC

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New York, NY - Transportation Alternatives (T.A.) gathered a gaggle of cyclists on 42nd Street in Manhattan to stage a dramatic visual that shows how much street space is gained if more people rode bicycles or took mass transit instead of driving personal cars.

"Room to Breathe" is borrowed from a poster featuring a dramatic series of photos taken by Portland's Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) in the mid-1990s. There have been numerous permuatations over the years in myriad cities, but this is the first we have documented in NYC.

In this StreetFilm, you'll get a little sneak peak into how this event was staged and hear from volunteers and T.A. staff on why spatial efficency is so important to the livable streets movement. T.A. aims to have the poster available by Summer 2007.

Video hosted and produced by Clarence Eckerson.

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Trek Boss "Sees The Light" of Cycle Advocacy

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Taipei, Taiwan - Video provided by QuickRelease.TV.
This may seem like a typically dry trade show presentation. To cycle advocates though, Trek President, John Burke's, 23-minute video-taped speech is industry shaking.

Burke's inspiring slide show (seen here at the Taipei International Cycle Show) earned him the title of the "Al Gore of the bike trade" from Jonathan Maus at BikePortland.org. He implores the bicycle industry to divert cash from marketing and R&D to help advocates and politicians create a 'bicycle friendly world' as a way to combat obesity, congestion, pollution and, of course, earn profits. Burke clearly shows how increased bicycle commuting has a direct impact on these issues and the bottom line of the cycling industry.

Many thanks go to Carlton Reid of quickrelease.tv for editing this video and adding graphs, photos and videos to the presentation.

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BTA Honors Jonathan Maus of BikePortland.org

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PORTLAND, Ore. - Last Saturday The Bicycle Transportation Alliance presemted local cycling advocates with the Alice B. Toeclips award. Noted blogger Jonathan Maus of BikePorltand.org claimed one of these trophies. Here is his acceptance speech.

Video Provided by Portland Bike Documentarians. More on them soon.

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Teenage Bike Gang Overtakes Neighborhood

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Portland, Ore.- The Oregonian ran a great front page story this morning about teenagers from my neighborhood high school who have banded together for their morning commute by bicycle. Best of all they are doing it for all the right reasons. Go Grover Cleveland High School "bike" Warriors!

Video by Rob Finch and Noelle Crombie