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Job of the Week

J.R. — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:23:06 +0000

If you are looking for a fun and rewarding part-time position that can make a positive lasting impression on area school kids this spring, please consider this week’s job posting of Bicycle Safety Education Instructor.

For detailed information including duties and how to apply, here is the link:

Bicycle Safety Education Instructor — BTA

click here

Job Listings page

You can sign up for the all the latest job listings via RSS, email, or by following us on Twitter.

These are paid listings, so when you apply, please remember to tell them you saw the ad on BikePortland.

Weekend Event Guide

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:18:16 +0000

Portland’s Dropout Bike Club
turns five this weekend.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Hope you’ve got some time this weekend to enjoy one of the great events below. From a race team launch party to getting your hands dirty planting trees — enjoy the diversity of events Portland offers up to you…

Friday, March 19th

5:30pm: Hanami Ride
Meet in Irving Park and enjoy Japanese libations (sake) under the cherry blossoms.

7:00 – 10:00pm: Team Veloforma Launch Party
Join the ladies of Portland’s hottest team, Veloforma, for their annual launch party. Raffle, food, drink, a “Clunker Criterium” and much more.

9:00pm: Dropout Bike Club – 5th Anniversary
Portland’s Dropout Bike Club turns five this weekend! Join this fun-loving crew of freak bike builders for their weekly ride on Friday night and then get plugged into a full weekend of fun. Visit the Dropout blog for more info.

Saturday, March 20th

All Day: Saturday Sweeps
Help keep Portland’s streets free and clear of debris for a smoother, safer ride. Join citizen do-gooder Jacob Cummings and bring your own broom! For more information, email pdxsweeps@gmail.com.

8:45am – 1:00pm: Massive Tree Planting by Bike
Join Friends of Trees to continue their immense effort to plant thousands of trees throughout Portland. Bring your bike (and trailer if you have it) to help carry trees, soil, tools, and other supplies.

10:30am: Wanderlust Men’s Ride
This week’s ride will venture to the North bluffs, through Overlook Park, the Adidas campus, along Willamette Blvd, and more.

10:30am – 3:00pm Northeast Mega Outdoor Sale
A bunch of people in Northeast Portland are getting together for a used outdoor gear sale. Bikes, bike parts, wheels, bags and panniers, snowbards, shoes, and much more. Check it out at 1158 NE Morton Street in Woodlawn.

1:00pm: Awesome Architecture Ride
This ride will discover and explore 20 unique homes in and around the Humboldt/N Irving areas. “More fun than educational; more architectural than super-bikey” say the organizers.

5:00pm: Bike Temple Potluck
It’s a bittersweet event for the Bike Temple. They have to move, so they’re invited everyone over to The Lotus Seed for one last get together. Help them brainstorm summer activities and wish them well in their upcoming incarnations.

Sunday, March 7th

1:00pm: Bike Polo
Bike polo is enjoying a healthy resurgence here in Portland. Come out to Alberta Park to watch and learn why!

9:00pm: Zoobomb
It’s a Portland tradition like no other. Join them for a night you’ll never forget.

Did I forget something? Fill me in via the comments or drop me a line and I’ll add it to the list.

Mayor’s office releases new video on green streets

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:18:13 +0000

Portland Green Streets from Mayor Sam Adams on Vimeo.

Mayor Sam Adams’ office has just released a new video that explains “green streets.” The video features Adams’ transportation policy director Catherine Ciarlo giving a short primer on how the bioswale features on SE Clay near 12th impact the perception of safety and the movements of vehicles around the intersection.

It’s good to see more information about green streets coming out of the Mayor’s office — it’s just too bad they didn’t have this sort of communications piece ready before Adams introduced his $20 million green street/bike boulevard funding plan. If so, they might have helped quell some of the bad PR and “Don’t use my sewer money for bike lanes!” backlash that ensued.

With passage of the $20 million plan yesterday, we can expect to be hearing a lot more about green streets from the Bureau of Transportation in the months to come.

Does this bike lock belong to Tyler Brady?

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:17:23 +0000

Did this lock belong to Tyler Brady?
(Photos by Dan Schafer)

Several local media outlets are reporting that the autopsy results of 22-year old Tyler Brady showed that he died of an accidental drowning. Brady was reported missing on February 27th, was last seen riding his bicycle in Southeast Portland, and his body was found in the Willamette River near OMSI yesterday.

The news of Brady’s accidental death came as I was working on a story speculating about the same scenario — that he accidentally fell into the river and drowned. This speculation began with a comment left yesterday on this site that bicycle matching the description of Brady’s had been locked to a tree just upriver from where his body was found.

This morning, I spoke to the author of that comment, Dan Schafer. Schafer also sent me several photos from an area just south of OMSI (map) where he thinks Brady locked up his bike. Schafer said he commutes on the Esplanade through that location every day and about a month ago (Brady was last seen on February 17th), he noticed a bike locked to a tree adjacent to and on the eastern side of the path:

“I ride through there every morning, and there was a bike locked to an oak tree that just wasn’t right. I watched it every morning.”

Schafer says the scene “made no sense” because no one ever locks bikes up there. He also said the bike he saw was a black single-speed and that it took about two weeks before the bike began to get parted out by thieves. It eventually disappeared completely, leaving only the lock in its place (see photo).

Note the security surveillance
warning sign in the upper left.

“It was obviously a bike someone cared about.”

Schafer also noted that there was a foot trail leading down to the river right across from where the bike was locked up. There’s also a sign on a fence near the lock (see upper left in photo) stating that the area is monitored by video surveillance.

Surveillance photo of Brady.

The location of the lock and the sign is near a small bridge that goes over the trail (I think it’s for a construction project?). The location of the bike and the lock also give weight to speculation that it belonged to Brady. The Portland Mercury reported last week that the last place Brady was seen was a bar in NW Portland called Tube, where he was refused service for being drunk. Brady was living at SE 11th and Division, which makes this part of the river one of the closest access points from his house.

Before hearing the autopsy results, Schafer speculated that perhaps Brady stopped along the Esplanade on his way home from the bar (or, after dropping some stuff off at his house and going back out for some fresh air), then wandered down the trail to the river’s edge, hit his head on something, and fell in.

I’ve left messages with the Police Bureau throughout the day but have yet to hear back. Hopefully they can view the surveillance video (if it exists) and check out the area near the bridge closely for clues (shoe tracks on the trail perhaps?).

Regardless, this is a tragic story. If indeed this was where Brady was last alive on the earth, perhaps it’s a fitting location for a memorial. My heart goes out to his family and friends.

Bike business entrepreneur launches “Pedalivery” service

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:53:01 +0000

Pedalivery’s flatbed trailer delivery bike.
(Photo: Evan Ross)

Evan Ross, owner of Portland Bicycle Tours, has added yet another bike-based business to his repertoire — Pedalivery.

Ross already offers bike tours, rentals, bike-share, service and repair from his large shop in Old Town (that he shares with Cascadia Pedicabs). Now he’s got a delivery service too. Ross says he launched Pedalivery back in December when his other businesses slowed down in the off-season. “Tours and rentals were slow and I had enough random inquiries and interest in deliveries, so I decided to build a website and roll with this idea.”

Serial bike entrepreneur
Evan Ross.
(Photo © J. Maus)e

Ross says response has been great so far and he’s getting work delivering everything from freight to food cart orders on his various cargo bikes. He’s got a flatbed trailer, a “pick-up truck” trailer, and several converted kid trailers (that he also rents out).

The cost is $10 per delivery in central downtown (an additional $3 to cross the river to the eastside). “I was worried at first that I needed to charge more,” says Ross, “but people seem to tip well because they understand that I’m human-powered and they like the idea… That’s made the difference, people’s generosity and tips.”

Ross has an intern starting later this month and he plans to keep the delivery service going, even as his other businesses ramp up in spring and summer. “It’s been a real positive response.”

Check out Pedalivery.com for more info.

Four schools to get covered “bike shelters”

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:14:21 +0000

Newly installed bike shelter at Boise-Eliot.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation is putting a roof over the bike parking at four local schools. The work is being done through PBOT’s Safe Routes to Schools program and construction is set to be completed by the end of April.

One of the new shelters, at Boise-Eliot Elementary School in north Portland is already installed. The three other schools that will get what PBOT calls “bike shelters” are Sacramento Elementary, Lewis Elementary, and Kelly Elementary. These schools prioritized covered bike parking in a detailed engineering report they (and 23 other schools) received through the SRTS program.

Hey, that’s not a play-gym!

According to Gabriel Graff with the City’s Safe Routes to School program, the Shelters cost $11,500 each and were designed and manufactured by Minnesota-based Dero Bike Racks. Graff says, “We hope that safe, protected bike parking will encourage more parents and students to ride their bikes to school whatever the weather.”

Learn more about the City’s Safe Routes to School program here.

On Test: Austin bike shoes by Keen Footwear

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:13:48 +0000

(Photos © J. Maus)

Portland’s bike-friendly vibe continues to wear off on Keen Footwear. When they moved their corporate headquarters here in 2006, they wasted no time in putting bikes in their product catalog. Two years later, they promised to expand their cycling-oriented product line.

They’ve kept their promise.

They started by putting an SPD-compatible sole on their well-known sandal design. Then they came out with a closed-toe, cleated bike shoe dubbed the “Springwater“. Now they’ve added two more models to their “Pedal” line — the “Coronado Cruiser” and the “Austin“.

I’m currently wearing a pair of Austins (which, for the record, were given to me free of charge by a Keen rep).

I go back and forth between using cleated pedals and big platforms on my daily commuter bike. I like the efficiency (and option to go fast when I want to) SPDs give me. Also, I’m constantly on my bike and going in and out of meetings of varying formality, so I like to wear something a bit more classy than tennis shoes. Also, waterproof material is key for me.

The Austin delivers on many of those fronts. I’ve been wearing them a week and so far I’m pretty impressed. The shoes are very well-made, they’ve got a stiff, yet comfortable sole and insole, and they look pretty sharp. The SPD cleat is nice and recessed and I only know it’s there when I stomp into my pedals.

The Austin retails for $100. More info on Keen’s website. Also, check out the full review of the Keen Springwater we published in February 2009.

TriMet GM Fred Hansen resigns

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:30:25 +0000

The Oregonian reported last night that TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen has decided to resign from the agency. Hansen has been TriMet’s GM since 1998.

In light of Hansen riding the MAX into the sunset, I checked the BikePortland archives and found that his name popped up several times.

The first time was back in 2007, when he signed his name onto a set of rules that were handed out to Zoobombers during one of their weekly rides. Among them: “No part of a bicycle may block the stairwells or aisles” and “Bicycles must be reasonably clean.”

The next time Hansen figured prominently on these pages was March 2007, when Portlander Sharon Fekety informed me of a horrible crash she had while crossing a set of MAX tracks. Ms. Fekety, an experienced rider, fell and broke her arm on what she alleged were greasy tracks.

Hansen admitted they use lubricant on tracks, but he denied that it was placed at the location where Fekety fell. Either way, the incident led Hansen to officially amend TriMet bike safety policy so that it encouraged people on bicycles to walk their bikes across some intersections.

On a much more somber note, also during Hansen’s tenure was the collision that claimed the life of 15-year old Beaverton high school student Austin Miller. Miller was riding home from school when he collided with a TriMet bus whose operator was pulling into a stop.

A TriMet investigation cleared the bus operator of any wrongdoing and Miller’s family sued TriMet for $2 million. A year later TriMet settled the case for $200,000, an amount that Stephanie Miller (Austin’s mom) said, “proves that Austin’s death was the result of a bus driver’s carelessness.”

In the wake of the Austin Miller tragedy, Hansen announced a slew of bus/bike safety initiatives. He actively sought out the partnership of the BTA and the fruits of that collaboration led to the green bikeways and other bike safety improvements to the Rose Quarter Transit Center.

Read more about Hansen and his departure in The Oregonian.

City launches “CivicApps” contest: Will anyone utilize bike data?

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:05:28 +0000

The City of Portland’s new CivicApps program is looking for software developers to take city data and turn it into applications “that address civic issues and benefit the greater Portland community.”

The contest comes with the release of more than 100 open source datasets from jurisdictions around the region, like Metro, City of Portland, TriMet, and others. Among the datasets released — along with crime, permits, parks, and so on — is one for the bicycle network. This of course begs the question — Which one of you bike-loving code junkies out there will turn this bike wonkery into the next great mobile or web-based app?

To whet your appetite, here’s the bike network dataset description:

“This linear feature class contains the citywide network of the following bicycle facility types: bicycle boulevards, bike lanes, multi-use trails and signed connections. A status field indicates if the network feature is active, planned or recommended. Other attribution includes segment name (location description), project ID, year built and some pavement marking information.”

Check out CivicApps.org for more info.

Police: Body found in Willamette River is Tyler Brady

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:30:16 +0000

Tyler Brady

A body pulled from the Willamette River near the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry today has been identified as 22-year old Tyler Brady. Brady, who was last seen riding his bicycle in Southeast Portland, was reported missing on February 27th.

On Monday, the Police released the last known images of Brady and he was seen on his bike near a local Safeway supermarket.

Portland Police say an autopsy will be conducted tomorrow to determine the cause and manner of death. They searched for his bicycle near the submarine dock at OMSI today but did not locate it.

Read this recent story in the Portland Mercury for more about Tyler.