What’s a Super Bowl without wings? In this chicken wing recipe we are seasoning the wings with Old Bay, a favorite spice blend for crab which works just as well with chicken.
The wings are tossed with in a sauce make with Old Bay, butter, and lemon juice, then baked, broiled, and served with cocktail sauce.
Continue reading "Old Bay Chicken Wings" »
Help is coming to Powell east of 122nd, but will it be enough to attract a wider swath of bicycle riders?
18 months of debate about how to provide safe bike access on a 14-block stretch of Southeast Powell Boulevard is finally coming to an end. At least the Oregon Department of Transportation hopes it is.
Saying they are now months behind schedule, ODOT wants to move forward into the final design stage of a project that will make significant changes to Powell between SE 122nd and 136th. With $17 million from the State Legislature and another $3 million from Metro, the latest incarnation of ODOT’s Outer Powell Safety Project will add a host of updates to this state highway (U.S. Route 26), which has one of the worst crash records of any road in Oregon. This project will bring long-awaited changes and additions to signals, sidewalks, intersections, landscaping, crosswalks, and bike lanes.
The main elements of ODOT’s current plan for Outer Powell.
It’s those bike lanes that have been the sticking point: ODOT, project advisory committee members, east Portland neighborhood advocates, and the City of Portland all have different ideas about what type of bike facility should be implemented. Where ODOT sees a state highway with 20,000 cars per day passing though, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) sees a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a high-quality biking and walking environment that will help east Portland grow in a much safer, healthier and more efficient way. And residents who live in this area just want a street they can use and cross without fear of being killed.
For months now, the East Portland Action Plan (EPAP, a City of Portland funded neighborhood group) has been a thorn in ODOT’s side in an effort to push the agency further on the bicycle facility. I rolled out to their meeting at David Douglas High School last week to learn the latest.
ODOT Region 1 Transit and Active Transportation Liaison Jessica Horning at East Portland Action Plan general meeting Wednesday night.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)
At the EPAP meeting on Wednesday, ODOT announced they plan to implement their first-ever physically protected bike lane on a state highway. ODOT also says they’ll consider a “potential” raised cycle track for a short segment of the street — something that will require formal design exceptions to be granted by the state traffic engineer and something EPAP’s representative on the project doesn’t even trust ODOT to actually follow through on.
ODOT’s Region 1 Transit and Active Transportation Liaison Jessica Horning was at the meeting to clarify the agency’s intentions. She brought with her two sets of white, plastic “Tuff-Curbs” with vertical delineator posts attached to them. Horning said ODOT’s plan is to use this product to create physical separation in the two-foot buffer zone that will separate the six-foot bike lane from motor vehicle traffic. “This is going to be our first physically separated bike lane on an ODOT facility in the state,” she told me after the meeting.
This section of Powell currently has one standard lane and one bike-only lane in each direction — and lacks complete sidewalks. A major safety concern is how people drive into the bike lane in order to swerve around other drivers who stop to make turns. The center turn lane and plastic posts and curbs separating the bike lane them will hopefully end that behavior. Take a look at the proposed cross-section below and keep in mind it doesn’t show the plastic curbs or the concrete that will be used for the bike lane in order to make it stand out visually:
And here’s the new traffic signal ODOT will install at the intersection with 122nd to prevent right-hooks:
There’s no guarantee it will happen, but here’s what ODOT is considering as a pilot project between 132nd and 136th:
Horning feels this is a big step for ODOT. “When you think about our standard treatment for a highway like Powell, if you just look at the [design guideline] books, it’s a six-foot bike lane and six-foot curb-tight sidewalk and we’re going to have an eight-foot buffered bike lane with physical separation that’s a different material than the pavement itself, a landscape strip with stormwater treatment, and a sidewalk. I’m excited about that.”
Some advocates and the City of Portland don’t share her enthusiasm. While eager for any safety improvements to Powell after fighting decades for changes, they want ODOT to get it right the first time.
Coming soon to Powell Blvd. ODOT says these are rated to withstand a dead load of 20,000 pounds. They’ve used them to separate motorized traffic lanes, but never for a bike lane.
Jim Chasse, who lives near 116th and Powell and rides on the street almost daily, has advocated for safety on the street for nearly 20 years (we profiled him in 2014). “The neighborhood’s position is, we just want it fixed,” he told me in a phone interview last night. “Fixed to the best standards we can get. We told ODOT, we’re willing to work with you, but you need to be willing to work with us.”
Chasse is also concerned about how hundreds of white plastic posts and curbs will look. “We want something that’s aesthetically pleasing. It’s our neighborhood. To have these reflective wands going down the street… It may be safer, but how would you feel about looking at those things day-in and day-out? I’m OK with them but I’m not a big proponent.”
From ODOT’s perspective, they have worked with EPAP. The vertical posts and potential cycle track plans go further than the agency initially wanted to go. When the project began in July 2015 only buffered bike lanes — with no physical separation — were on the table. But that didn’t sit well with advocates or with the City of Portland. Advocates wanted raised bike lanes/cycle tracks that would be at sidewalk level (similar to ones on SW Multnomah and NE Cully) and they were optimistic that ODOT was at least receptive to the idea. A year later however, ODOT nixed the raised lane idea. After analyzing the design, state traffic engineers felt it would be too challenging. They cited potential issues with stormwater drainage, freight truck movement, the over 300 driveways in the corridor that would interfere with it, and the difficulty of sweeping the relatively narrow lanes. And on the north side of the street, ODOT said any type of raised bike lanes would be out of the question because of a 52-inch, 100-year old water pipe that sits just three feet below the surface.
“Each [one of these issues] on their own wasn’t a dealbreaker,” ODOT’s regional engineer on the project told us in July 2016, “but taken in aggregate [a raised bike lane] presents a long list of challenges.”
While ODOT was able to convince their official project advisory committee that buffered bike lanes would suffice, advocates with EPAP were not satisfied. EPAP vowed to continue fighting for more significant physical separation between bicycle and car users — especially on the south side of the street where there’s no issue with an old water pipe. EPAP wanted to know: If ODOT is willing to consider a cycle-track on four blocks on the south side of the street, why not do it on the entire stretch?
Because of EPAP’s persistent advocacy, ODOT decided to pause the project and work with them and the City of Portland to try and find a bikeway treatment that would satisfy everyone. By last fall, ODOT made some progress, but not everyone was on the same page.
At their October Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting, PBOT made a rare move to influence the project: After ODOT shared their plans, PBOT stepped up and shared theirs. Keep in mind, this is ODOT’s road and ODOT’s project; it was an extraordinary step for PBOT to present a dueling design at this late stage of the project. It was clear that PBOT was frustrated. They felt ODOT was not trying hard enough to create a bike facility that would attract “interested but concerned” riders.
Powell might be ODOT’s road, but the goal of 25 percent bicycle mode share by 2030 — officially adopted by City Council in the Climate Action Plan — is squarely on PBOT’s shoulders.
Instead of the six-foot bike lane and two-foot buffer in ODOT’s plans, PBOT traffic engineer Lewis Wardrip presented a plan for seven-foot wide raised cycle-tracks on both sides of Powell that would be separated from motorized traffic by a four-foot planting strip. Here’s PBOT’s cross-section:
PBOT’s recommended design elements proposed at an October meeting were not adopted by ODOT.
Wardrip also presented a list of “design elements” they’d like to see on the project. They included: a speed limit of 30 mph (instead of 35); the use of button-activated hybrid traffic signals (aka “HAWK” signals) instead of flashing beacons; keep the bikeway at sidewalk elevation at all driveways (ODOT assumes a raised lane would have to dip down, then go back up at each driveway); and maintain raised crosswalks and bikeway at local streets.
“How people move through a space is more important than how water moves through a space. We’re here to tell you to push the envelope further.”
— Ian Stude, chair of the City of Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee
In response, ODOT said the type of bike facility PBOT wants is simply not possible right now. At that October BAC meeting, ODOT project manager Mike Mason said the water pipe under the north side of the street is too big of a challenge to deal with. Upon hearing those concerns, BAC Chair Ian Stude said, “How people move through a space is more important than how water moves through a space. We’re here to tell you to push the envelope further.”
That was October. Between then and now, ODOT has decided to keep their plans essentially the same. In addition to what they feel are myriad technical challenges with a more robust bike facility, they are feeling pressure to finalize the decision. In June 2016, four months prior to the BAC meeting with PBOT, ODOT Interim Area Manager Shelli Romero (according to meeting minutes) told the project’s advisory committee that, “This is a critical time for the project to move forward and not be delayed… If it doesn’t continue to move forward now it can threaten the project and timeline.”
Now six months later, EPAP is still uneasy with ODOT’s plans.
“We’ve now spent two years reviewing and reconsidering the bike improvement options for Outer Powell… ODOT has given the design team the go ahead to move quickly.”
— Rian Windsheimer, director of ODOT Region 1
In November, EPAP sent a letter (PDF) with a list of demands to ODOT Region 1 Manager Rian Windsheimer, (former) PBOT Commissioner Steve Novick, and PBOT Director Leah Treat. The letter was signed by five Oregon State Representatives, former Bicycle Transportation Alliance (now The Street Trust) Executive Director Rob Sadowsky, and six representatives of the East Portland Action Plan.
In that letter EPAP said they understand the limitations presented by the water pipe on the north side of the street and they’d be willing to support the buffered bike lane with vertical delineation. Beyond that, they demanded the same things PBOT presented at the BAC meeting a month prior: a cycle-track treatment for the entire length of the project on the south side of the street; hybrid “HAWK” traffic signals instead of flashing beacons; a speed limit reduction to 30 mph; and a bike-only signal at Powell and 136th to prevent right-hook collisions.
“After careful review of the proposed update to the Transportation System Plan and the Bicycle Plan for 2030, as well as discussions with PBOT staff, we feel that the current proposed buffered or tuff curb design does not meet the City’s goal to design facilities that will attract all ages and abilities, nor does it utilize best practice design that is suitable for main arterials in Portland.”
— from a joint letter to ODOT Region 1 Director signed by the Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
It took ODOT nine weeks to reply (a fact that has frustrated EPAP, given the timeline concerns expressed by ODOT staff). In his January 18th letter in response (PDF), Windsheimer thanked EPAP for their advocacy and support, but made clear his intention to move on. “We’ve now spent two years reviewing and reconsidering the bike improvement options for Outer Powell… Now, having reached a decision for moving ahead on the bike treatment, which was the only outstanding element from the decision committee’s recommendation back in 2015, ODOT has given the design team the go-ahead to move quickly…”
Windsheimer also addressed each of EPAP’s outstanding demands.
He said ODOT won’t consider the pilot cycle-track beyond the four-block segment. “Due to the large number of driveways, side streets, and service vehicle conflicts in the remainder of the project area,” he wrote, “we feel the ‘Tuff Curb’ is a more compatible solution.” (Region 1 planner Jessica Horning explained ODOT’s rationale for the small segment like this in an email yesterday: “We want to try out the cycle track design on a smaller segment where the conditions are most conducive first so that we can make sure that it operates/looks/feels the way that everyone wants it to before we start trying to adapt the design to more challenging/constrained segments of Powell.”)
Windsheimer also denied the request to install HAWK signals instead of flashing beacons and medians, citing high motor vehicle user compliance with existing beacons on other ODOT highways.
As for the speed reduction request, Windsheimer said the right time to consider that would be after the project is complete to see if the new cross-section results in slower speeds (speeds are set by a Speed Review Panel that takes into account current speeds in setting new ones). And finally, Windsheimer said ODOT won’t install a bike-only signal at 136th because of space constraints. They’ll look to use signage instead. (ODOT does however, plan to install a bike-only signal at 122nd.)
While ODOT marches forward, representatives from EPAP aren’t satisfied. They want a meeting with Windsheimer to hear further clarifications about why ODOT is unwilling to extend the south-side cycle-track. They also want to know more about the underground water pipe concerns ODOT has on the north side of the street. “I do think we need some answers about the stormwater system,” EPAP’s representative Jim Chasse said Wednesday night, “And we think the south side of Powell would be a good place for a complete raised facility. If we don’t get it right here, it’s going to reflect on the rest of the corridor.”
—
Chasse’s comments were echoed by EPAP Co-chair Arlene Kimura. “If you’re going to ask for an [design] exception for four blocks, why not go the whole mile?”
And it’s worth noting that ODOT hasn’t promised the cycle track pilot will happen at all. It’s listed as “potential” in their presentations. Asked whether he felt the four-block cycle track pilot would actually become a reality, Chasse didn’t mince words. “No, I think that was thrown in as bait,” he said.
The City of Portland’s Bicycle Advisory Committee isn’t satisfied either. In a November 16th letter (PDF) — which was co-signed by the City’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee — they said, “After careful review of the proposed update to the Transportation System Plan and the Bicycle Plan for 2030, as well as discussions with PBOT staff, we feel that the current proposed buffered or tuff curb design does not meet the City’s goal to design facilities that will attract all ages and abilities, nor does it utilize best practice design that is suitable for main arterials in Portland.”
For their part, ODOT isn’t closing the door to debate completely yet. Horning says they’ll still be open to discussions about minor design details, but she feels the agency is set to move forward. “There will be more opportunities for discussion,” she wrote in an email yesterday. “I think we are headed in a really good direction and that this project is going to be a game changer for this section of Powell Blvd. I’m very excited to be moving forward with design of ODOT’s first separated bikeway.”
The project is slated to begin construction at the end of 2018 and be completed in 2019. Learn more at OuterPowellSafety.org
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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The post City, advocates say ODOT’s first-ever protected bike lane on a state highway isn’t good enough appeared first on BikePortland.org.
Over the past year I’ve talked a bit about my new furniture line with Selamat Designs. They are a family-owned San Francisco design company that uses sustainable timbers and easily renewable resources, like rattan, to make really beautiful furniture. Our collection was a great learning experience for me. I learned a TON about materials, engineering and functionality from their team and am seriously so proud of the collection that we developed together. My original vision for the collection were pieces that felt like design classics that have a modern/boho twist. The pieces are mostly in natural/neutral colors so that they will be the perfect framework to add layers of color and pattern on top of to create that maximal boho vibe I love.
Here on the blog, I’ve shared some of the details of the making of the Zahra Peacock Chair. Over on the JustinaBlakeneyHome instagram, you can find a peek behind the curtain and check out some of my original renderings for the collection, like the Bette and Arthur planters (named after my grandparents) and the original drawings for the Lucia Mod seating.
And today, after almost two years of design and development, I am over-the-moon excited that our collection is available for purchase! Currently, you can find the collection online at Lulu and Georgia and Candelabra. The above collage is a selection from the 37-piece collection.
We took these photos of the collection at the sweetest little airbnb ever, Bungalow and Breakfast in Venice. Photos snapped by my amazing BFF Dabito. A huge thanks goes out to Shannon, Thatcher, Jessica and the Selamat family as well as Jesenia, Kim, Danae and my team and family for helping to bring this collection to life.
Need a quick side dish of vegetables to go with your meal? Steam-frying is the way to go.
With this method, you quickly stir-fry vegetables to develop some color, and then steam them until tender. It uses less oil than a regular stir-fry, but the vegetables still quickly cook through.
The veggies also pick up a little browning from the stir-fry step and some flavor from the liquid used for the steaming step, making them more exciting than plain steamed vegetables.
You can use this technique to cook just about any vegetable in the fridge, from cauliflower to green beans. So what are you waiting for?!
Continue reading "How To Steam-Fry Vegetables" »
Job Title *
Frame Builders Assistant
Company/Organization *
The Vanilla Workshop
Job Description *
We do a lot of things here at The Vanilla Workshop. At the core of what’s going on here is the design, innovation and refinement of the bicycles we craft for our customers. We’re looking for someone that likes challenges, who communicates well, is good-natured and who feels at home in a shop environment. A mantra at our shop is that if it isn’t going to be 100%, or damn close, we’re not going to do it. As part of this, we will hire someone who is very particular about details. The person we hire for this position will be introduced to every aspect of frame building.
Typical duties will include, but not be limited to:
-Final machining before and after paint
-Shaping and affixing our stainless steel head badges
-Polishing metal such as dropouts and dropout faces, headsets, hubs, and other stainless parts
-Small parts fabrication like cable stops and brake bridges
-Paint prep
-Mechanic support
-Machine maintenance
-Frame building inventory management
-Generally helping out around the shop
The Candidate:
-Knowledge of bicycle industry and passion for bikes and craft
-Experience in manufacturing, fabrication or custom workshop environments
-Minimum high school diploma
-Have a can do attitude, willingness to learn new things as well as support team where needed
-Ability to lift 50 lbs
Pay and Benefits:
The pay for this full time position will be based on the person’s level of experience. We’re committed to a good standard of living. On top of the base wage, we offer an excellent benefits package including health insurance, profit sharing and paid time off.
The deadline for submissions is 2/15/17
How to Apply *
If you feel that you’re a good fit, please apply by email. In the body of the email, state the length of your last two jobs and your highest level of education completed. Also attach a one-page resume and a one-page cover letter describing your life experience as it applies to this job, including three work references and any experience with bicycles or the making of things to: hiring@vanillabicycles.com
The post Job: Frame Builders Assistant – The Vanilla Workshop appeared first on BikePortland.org.
Dear Portland Bike Community,
We wanted to give you a heads up about next week’s Portland Winter Light Festival (Wednesday-Saturday evenings, February 1-4th around OMSI and the Eastbank Esplanade). We expect that a lot of people will be on and around the esplanade for nighttime light art viewing and evening festival participation. This will cause more congestion than usual and therefore we suggest biking through Water Avenue for a faster commute. Otherwise, we suggest walking your bike through the festival area and enjoying the event — it’s 100% free to the public!
Wednesday, February 1st 6PM – 10PM
Thursday, February 2nd 6PM – 10PM
Friday, February 3rd 6PM – 11PM
Saturday, February 4th 6PM – 11PMWith love and respect,
The fellow riders (and organizers) of the Portland Winter Light Festival
The post Route advisory: Esplanade detour recommended during Winter Light Festival (2/1 – 2/4) appeared first on BikePortland.org.
Notice of Trail Closure on 40-mile loop.
Trail users should plan for the section of the 40-mile loop between Sundial Rd. and Graham Rd. in Troutdale to be closed during daylight hours from Monday January 23 to Friday January 27 and again from Monday January 30 to Friday February 3, 2017.
Heavy Machinery will be operating on the path. Trail users should stay off the trail on these dates and use an alternate route via Marine Drive and Frontage Road.
This section of the 40-mile loop is on top of a federally constructed levee system. The levee under the path is being evaluated for compliance with safety standards set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The results of the test will be used to identify areas of risk, necessary repairs, and to assess needs for flood risk management.
Additional closures along the 40 mile loop adjacent to Marine Dr. will be necessary in February. We are working to minimize disruption and delay as much as possible.
For more information about the closure, a map of the closure and detour route, or any further questions about Levee Ready Columbia, please contact Joel Schoening at (503) 281-5675 or visit our website.
The post Route advisory: 40-Mile Loop closure in Troutdale through February 3rd appeared first on BikePortland.org.
Welcome to my mostly-weekly video roundup! I’ve gone through about a hundred videos this week, and I’m starting off by featuring this fantastic video of Darren Alff’s tour of Norway and Sweden. He has a great recording style and the terrain is beautiful. Also, he’s riding a Co-Motion, how great is that?
Gabe Klein, transit wonk and author of ‘Start-Up City‘ did a great TEDx presentation on how to heal our cities, post-car: (via TB)
Brompton put up a factory tour. All their manufacturing is done in Britain, not just “made in China, assembled in Britain”. (also: here’s their new factory)
Self-driving cars have let people to discover the ‘trolley problem’. It’s nice to see someone resisting that as being a legitimate concern towards the adoption of the cars:
GCN has this smart and snappy video about how to walk (with) your bike. They’ve done several of these, they are funny and generally accurate for capturing roadie styles. (I prefer the stem hold)
This is a ride test of a relatively cheap e-bike. The complaints about the oversized box are strange, but the ride test is really good. He abuses the bike a bit in the name of science. He comes around to the realization that he isn’t the target market for the bike.
Are you a road cyclist trying to get ready for the summer? Here are some good (though basic) tips on how to train for long climbs. Start now and you’ll be ready for De Ronde.
GMBN has been having a lot of fun lately. Here’s their third “game of B.I.K.E.”:
A cyclist in London was knocked over by a driver who was in a hurry:
Inclusion criteria: If I’ve missed something, post it in the comments! I prefer videos published in the last week or so. Note if there’s a specific point in a long video that is worth highlighting. Also note if there is colorful language. I will delay videos containing pro racing spoilers by 7 days.
– Ted Timmons, @tedder42 on Twitter
BikePortland is supported by the community (that means you!). Please become a subscriber or make a donation today.
The post Ted’s Video Roundup: Post-car cities, Brompton factory tour, and more appeared first on BikePortland.org.
To help mark the 100th birthday of the Interstate Bridge a group of organizations is hosting an essay contest.
When we saw the theme — “My Interstate Bridge Adventure” — we figured people who bike across the bridge might be inspired to enter. That’s because on a bike it feels like an adventure every time I cross the narrow path just feet from rumbling motorized traffic.
Unfortunately we just heard about this and deadline for entries is tomorrow night (1/31).
Like many of you, I have mixed feelings about this bridge. I of course love the fact that it connects me to downtown Vancouver; but it’s hard to access and once on the bridge it’s not always pleasant to ride on. Add in the controversies surrounding the Columbia River Crossing project and it’s no wonder I’m much less enamored with this bridge than others like the Steel, Hawthorne, or Broadway.
(Photo: Oregon Historical Society)
I’d love to hear from those of you who ride this often.
If you’d like to join the official celebration, mark your calendar for February 11th. The festivities will happen at the Red Lion on the River (Jantzen Beach) from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. “This is going to be a fun and educational event honoring a bridge that helped connect vibrant communities and the broader region,” said Nancy Chapin, from PDX Bridge Festival. “Prior to the bridge opening in 1917, the only way to cross the Columbia River was by ferry boat.”
You can learn more here.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
BikePortland is supported by the community (that means you!). Please become a subscriber or make a donation today.
The post Interstate Bridge 100th birthday essay contest wants to hear your “adventures” appeared first on BikePortland.org.
Volunteers sweeping a bike path on SE Division near 87th.
(Photos: Ted Timmons)
I inquired what was going on and found out the project was to do some winter gravel cleanup. I thought that sounded like fun!
Ultimately five of us showed up. PDX Transformation loaned some safety equipment, and we each brought brooms. We rode out to the raised bikeway at 85th and Division and went to work. The raised bikeway was a good choice, because I assume it’s one of the harder places for PBOT to run a sweeper, and it also doesn’t get any vehicle traffic to help push the debris away.
See more photos below the jump…
We then continued down the street, heading east.
We shared the pictures with PDX Transformation and they tweeted them:
Sometimes, you just have to take a break from the national news and just get stuff done. http://pic.twitter.com/f2tYY2E5gj
— PDX Transformation (@PBOTrans) January 28, 2017
Which do you prefer: http://pic.twitter.com/Xt6dfmglNo
— PDX Transformation (@PBOTrans) January 28, 2017
And there were some kind responses:
"Adopt-A-Bikelane: PDX Transformation" https://t.co/IsbVbHpG3U
— NE Seattle Greenways (@NEGreenways) January 29, 2017
The transformation department that works! https://t.co/xXxdROLjqZ
— Bike Loud PDX (@bikeloudpdx) January 28, 2017
Portland, OR advocates are sweeping the bike lanes themselves after the winter snow storm. #DIY #PDX https://t.co/klu4B77EtI
— Nick Falbo (@nickfalbo) January 28, 2017
@PBOTrans The City that works. (If you do it yourself.)
— Retro Lance (@RetroLance) January 28, 2017
DIY FTW!
Thank you @PBOTrans
— BikePortland (@BikePortland) January 28, 2017
I’m really proud to have done this. It wasn’t done to shame PBOT or anything else- just because we like to have a cleaner lane to ride in.
– Ted Timmons, @tedder42 on Twitter
BikePortland is supported by the community (that means you!). Please become a subscriber or make a donation today.
The post I helped sweep bike lanes this weekend (and it felt great) appeared first on BikePortland.org.
Bethany Bike Repair is starting two weekly road rides from Bethany Village Centre.
The first ride will start tomorrow and every Sunday at 8:30am. This will be a 3 hour ride best suited for intermediate level cyclists. We will be riding all over the West side of Portland through the hills and country. We will pick roads where we can ride in a structured formation (pace lines) with varying pace levels.
The next ride will start this Tuesday and every Tuesday at noon. This fast-paced DROP RIDE is open to all levels & all teams. Test your strength and stamina against some of Portland’s top cyclists. The ride will last 90-120 minutes and will encompass a lot of area throughout the west side of Portland. We will meet under the clock in Bethany Village Centre between Bethany Bike Repair and Sherrie Weitzel Interiors. Be ready to get smoked!
For more info, check out http://ift.tt/2jLheSJ
The post Weekly Group Rides Starting from Bethany Village appeared first on BikePortland.org.
This week’s Monday Roundup is brought to you by the Worst Day of the Year Ride, coming up February 12th!
Beast Mode on a bike: I’m not a fan of the NFL these days but I am a big fan of what Seahawks retired star running-back Marshawn Lynch did in Scotland on a bike last week.
Change or die: The neighborhood bike shop faces major threats from innovative options like mobile bike repair and e-commerce, so says the NY Times.
Phone blocker: A Dutch company has created a device that will block your cell signal while biking over 10 mph.
E-bikes lacking charge: Another sign that America’s bike culture needs a refresh is how we still haven’t embraced electric bikes. This LA Times article points to a lack of safe infrastructure and a macho cycling culture as just some of the reasons why.
NYC goes big for Vision Zero: Seems just a few weeks ago we shared a link about NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio not doing enough for Vision Zero. That was then, and now he’s announced an additional $400 for the program — bringing the total funding up to $1.6 billion through 2021.
NYC voters looove Vision Zero: We’re not sure if this is related to the item above, but a new poll from TransAlt shows NYC residents — even those who mostly drive — overwhelmingly support safer street measures.
The problem with the Women’s March: Los Angeles-based Streetsblog writer Sahra Sulaiman explains why she didn’t take part in the Women’s March, and it’s an indictment on white privilege in the urban planning sector.
Race and enforcement: A survey conducted by an insurance company showed that white people have a much easier time than African-Americans in talking there way out of traffic tickets.
Horrible irony: A man walking across the country barefoot to raise awareness of climate change was struck and killed by an auto user in Florida. Ugh.
The sexism in cycling is real: Former champion racer Nicole Cooke testified in a doping trial that the sexism in cycling manifests itself in the enforcement of drug use.
Profiling fears are real: Another piece of the racial discrimination puzzle is research that shows 20 percent of black and hispanic men say a fear of being unfairly pulled over prevents them from cycling.
No future for freeways: The Congress for New Urbanism has released a list of “Freeways Without Futures” and a guide on how to dismantle them.
Where the protests hit the road: A growing number of states want to make it more dangerous and difficult for people to block freeways and other roads during protests. “It’s time we get tough on people who block freeways,” said a state rep from Minnesota.
Trump and transpo infra: Trump’s team has unveiled a list of 50 “emergency” infrastructure projects. There are several transit projects on it, but none for Oregon.
But an infra deal looks unlikely: Given the growing public opposition to Trump’s other policies, a deal on transportation that includes Democrats looks extremely unlikely.
Undercover cops on bikes: In an effort to crack down on dangerous drivers, cops in London will go undercover by pretending to be mere bicycle riders.
Thanks to everyone who flagged great stories for us this week.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
BikePortland is supported by the community (that means you!). Please become a subscriber or make a donation today.
The post The Monday Roundup: Beast mode on a bike, transpo bill under Trump, no love for e-bikes, and more appeared first on BikePortland.org.
Where I live in Boston, seeing “fish and chips” on a restaurant menu is as common as salt. Every fish shack serves them by default, and you’ll find fancy versions at high-end restaurants, too!
When making fish and chips at home, I say leave the deep-frying to the pros and opt for the oven instead.
Continue reading "Sheet Pan Fish and Chips" »
This month we’re sharing a few recipes from our friend Tess Masters, The Blender Girl! Tess is our go-to gal for fantastic vegan and gluten-free blender recipes. Check out her newest book The Perfect Blend, available now on Amazon.
Have you ever tried making a savory smoothie?
This non-alcoholic, breakfast-worthy spin on a traditional Bloody Mary cocktail is a splendid (s’blended!) introduction to veggie-based smoothies.
Continue reading "Bloody Mary Smoothie" »
(Photo: PBOT)
All eyes will be on the Portland Aerial Tram as the beloved transit mode turns 10 years old this weekend. While the Tram deserves all the attention, a big part of its coming-of-age story is the symbiotic relationship it has had with cycling.
The tram and bicycles were an unlikely couple at the start but in the past decade they have become inseparable. At a lunchtime presentation in City Hall last week, Art Pearce, the City of Portland staffer who managed the project for the Bureau of Transportation, credited the Tram for putting bicycle access front-and-center in the South Waterfront District. He also confessed that no one expected the Tram and cycling to be such a perfect pair.
Pearce (who I interviewed before the Tram officially opened in 2006) is now PBOT’s manager of policy, planning and projects. He said the aim of the project was to “knit together” the “island” of the South Waterfront to the rest of the central city. “At the time, you wouldn’t imagine biking or walking from South Waterfront to downtown. It seemed so far away.”
“As a cycle commuter,” Pearce recalled, “It was literally the wild west down there at the time.”
Even so, Pearce advocated for bike parking at the base the Tram from the start. The design manuals called for eight spaces. Pearce said he had to “fight hard” to get 16 spaces. That was nowhere near enough. “From day one there were bikes everywhere… the demand surprised even me.”
Bikes parked at the Tram the first summer it opened.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)
When I paid a visit in those first days of the Tram the bike parking situation was clearly a problem. Almost immediately it attracted hundreds of bike users who parked their steeds to every imaginable surface: fences, trees, benches. Pearce said the lack of parking caused upwards of 200 people a day to take their bikes inside the Tram pods, which led the City to consider banning them. “But we ultimately felt like that was the wrong direction to go.” (You can still easily wheel your bike into the pods.)
SW Moody Avenue near the Tram.
(Photo: PBOT)
Instead of fighting against bikes, the City embraced them. “It was a pivotal moment,” Pearce recalled. “As a planner, seeing this demand reinforced for me that we needed to make the areas around the Tram as high-quality [for biking] as we can achieve.”
Pearce said demand for cycling due to the presence of the Tram led to bicycling (and walking) becoming a major priority in the 2009 South Waterfront Concept Plan. That plan set into motion the cycle-track on SW Moody Avenue, all those bicycle traffic signals, bike share stations, the carfree Tilikum Bridge and so on. There will also be high-quality bicycle access from the base of the Tram to the upcoming extension of SW Bond Avenue. (We took a deeper dive into the success of this multi-modal infrastructure surrounding the Tram in 2012.)
Looking back, Pearce says the lesson here is that, “Quality infrastructure can impact behavior. If you build the right infrastructure, people’s behavior will respond to it.”
No one is more familiar with that response than Kiel Johnson. Johnson owns and operates Go By Bike, the bike shop and bike valet service at the base of the Tram. Since he started the valet in 2012, the average number of users has doubled from 165 to 328 in 2016. And according to OHSU Transportation Options Coordinator John Landolfe, 24 percent of all Marquam Hill employees who take the tram bike to campus. That’s just five points fewer than the number that take transit or drive alone.
(Data and graphic: OHSU/John Landolfe)
(Data and graphic: OHSU/John Landolfe)
Today the amount of bicycles parked at the base of the Tram is larger than anywhere else in America. Johnson’s record is 420 bikes at his valet alone — not to mention the hundreds of other bike parking spaces around adjacent buildings managed by OHSU. Johnson says he has space for 600 bikes in a space where you could only fit 20 cars.
Would all those bikes be there without the Tram to whisk them up the hill in just 180 seconds? Would the Tram be such a success (no one ever talks about its $57 million price tag these days) without being so easy to bike to?
Johnson sees the bikes — and what he calls their “integration into the tram experience” — as a powerful force that transcends getting from A-to-B. “You have tourists in the Tram who look down and say, ‘What is going on down there? What’s the deal with all those bikes?’ Their first thought is never that all these people rode to work.”
“The biggest thing I want to celebrate,” Johnson continued, “Is the Tram’s ability to inspire people. It inspired me. It inspires all these tourists. That inspiration says, ‘This place is different, and it works.’ It’s this change of reality that’s important. You’re like, ‘Oh, maybe people can bike if we build this kind of infrastructure… As a city we need to continue to focus on building these places. Places that people want to talk about. It’s those places and experiences that give a city its vibrancy.”
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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The post The Portland Aerial Tram’s impact on bicycling has been profound (and vice versa) appeared first on BikePortland.org.
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