November 27, 2007
For Wonky Wonks : Great Presentation
On Thursday November 29th, 2007 Gordon Price will give a free presentation on the effective integration of transportation in high-density environments, with an emphasis on land use. Price is a former City of Vancouver, B.C. Councilor and current Simon Fraser University and University of British Columbia Professor who teaches, researches, and writes extensively on urban development and planning.
I attended this in the past and it was very interesting.
Thursday, November 29, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Portland Building, 1120 SW 5th Ave, 2nd Floor Auditorium. Free
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November 23, 2007
Kruger's Crossing
This Sunday, Portland Racing brings you the second edition of the Kruger's Crossing Cyclocross Classic - so awesome last year they had to bring it back. This epic race is held at Kruger's Farm, located in the beautiful countryside of Sauvie Island and only 20 minutes from downtown Portland.
In addition to the challenges November weather gods will throw at racers, you can expect a wild course that leads you along rutted farm roads, through berry fields, pastures, a barn, a beer garden and of course the much-heralded corn maze. And don't worry about getting cold - the organizers are staging a bonfire along the course to keep people toasty. Indeed, not your standard cross race.
The party that surrounds the racing features beer, hot wine, hot cider and gourmet food catered by Kruger's Farm Market and Salvador Molly's. Family racers and aspiring kids can participate in the free kiddie race.
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November 20, 2007
Give Cyclists Three Feet
As part of our ongoing series on safety tips, I came across this great campaign from the Cascade Bicycle Club in Seattle that encourages motorists to pass cyclists with care. The Washington State driver's manual mandates allowing at least three feet of space when passing a bicycle.
Cascade embarked upon a public awareness campaign begging people to remember to give three feet. "Whether it's a Sharpie to the forehead, a tattoo on your knuckles, Give 3 Feet Buddhist chants for your 8-Track player, or "3 Feet" painted on your finger nails...thank you for doing whatever it takes to make the road a safer place for everyone."
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November 17, 2007
Holiday Bike Drive Update
The holiday season is right around the corner and for the Community Cycling Center that means Holiday Bike Drive time. The little elves of the CCC are hard at work getting bikes shiny, fixing flat tires, putting on new seats and making sure that hundreds of donated bikes (550, to be exact) are the best gifts for the little tykes who will take them home.
Volunteers have been coming in just about every day but the CCC doesn't have 550 bikes just yet - they've got 464. And they definitely have not reached the $46,000 they need to fund the program - they have raised $13,780 so far.
So the CCC is asking for your help. You can donate a bike, donate your time or donate a financial contribution to ensure a successful Holiday Bike Drive. Check out their website for details
This article is part of ORbike's ongoing coverage of the Community Cycling Center's Holiday Bike Drive.
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November 14, 2007
Bike Lights from Percolators : BikeCraft III
BikeCraft III, the annual craft fair hosted by BikePortland.org. The event is Thursday night at the Lucky Labrador Brew Hall, NW 19th and Quimby, from 6-10pm.
This is a great opportunity to hang out with other bike enthusiasts while perusing truly creative bicycle works of art and craft.
[ more info ]
Comments (1) | Posted by orbike at 10:26 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
November 13, 2007
Get your Safety on
Sometimes we don't want to think about or, more so, talk about safety because it's not very sexy. Well, let me tell you about two events in Portland that are striving to make safety fun. Both are on November 15th. Here's more info from Transportation Options employee Timo Foresberg:
Bicycle Brown Bag: See & Be Seen and I Share the Road - we can all get along!, Noon to 1 pm, Portland Building Auditorium (1120 SW 5th Ave, 2d Floor).
Whether you walk, drive, bike, or ride transit, you're in the enviable position of traveling in Portland. Learn and discuss how we can all work to make the road safer for ourselves and our neighbors.
Presenters include: Judge Chris Larsen and Karl Rohde, Legislative Director for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. [ more info ]
See & Be Seen Bike Light Parade 6 pm, meet at W Burnside and SW Park Ave
Help kick-off the See & Be Seen safety campaign
[ more info ]
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November 6, 2007
Safety Tips from your Friends at ORbike
Today another biker was struck by a motorists at the exact same intersection where where Brett Jarolimek was killed two weeks ago. We here at ORbike are dedicated to promoting cycling in Oregon, and we want to help keep you safe! The days are shorter - meaning darker and with the recent bike-vehicle accidents in the Portland area, there is even more of a need for smart riding. Here are some of our best tips and advice. What are your recommendations?
LIGHTS
Keep your light on you at all times, just in case you find yourself out riding later than expected. Front and rear lights are a must if you want to be safe, and investing in quality lights is worth it. Make sure your lights have fresh batteries. The few bucks and little bit of time it takes to brighten up your light are well worth it.
RIDE WITH CONFIDENCE + CAUTION
Follow the rules of the road, share the road, ride respectfully and don't assume a motorists will yield to your right of way (when they're making a right turn through your bike lane, for example). Make eye contact, slow down, take the extra time to proceed with caution in potentially-dangerous situations. Just because you're an expert rider doesn't mean you're surrounded by expert drivers.
JUST WAIT
Oh I know, sometimes it's so hard to wait when you want to bust ahead, but relax, take a breath and wait. Allow cars to go ahead, make sure situations are safe, wait, think, then ride like the devil. That extra moment could save your life.
GET OUT THERE
Studies have shown that streets are safer when there are more people on bikes because drivers are more clued in to our presence, they start to look for us and watch out for us. So keep riding your bike, encourage your friends to ride, and get ready for an awesome winter of riding.
YOUR TIPS
Comment below and share your tips and advice for safe riding.
Comments (12) | Posted by orbike at 7:38 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
November 1, 2007
A Renewed Vision for the CCC
The Community Cycling Center got its start as a community resource center in the most authentic of ways. Brian Lacy, a cyclist with mechanic skills, was fed up with seeing children on the street without supervised activities and without functioning bikes. He decided to combine those two needs with his skills by bringing a repair stand out onto the sidewalk and offering to fix the kids' bikes if they would stick around to watch and learn. That was over 13 years ago. The Community Cycling Center now has a large building (that's still not large enough), a community bike shop, 2,000 volunteers and programs that serve hundreds of kids every year. And after all this growth, the staff decided that maybe it was time to stop, take a breath assess where they were headed and how they should get there.
This intensive visioning process resulted in a refined mission statement, a renewed commitment to the community, a huge open house party and great hope for future growth. So what is their mission now?
The mission now states that "The Community Cycling Center broadens access to bicycling and its benefits through our hands-on programs, volunteer projects, and neighborhood bike shop. We believe bicycles are a tool for personal empowerment and a vehicle for social change." Instead of their former system of providing programs to youth and happening to have one adult program, the CCC has solidified their commitment to the entire community. "Getting kids on bikes is great" says Director of Development Alison Hill-Graves. "But getting the entire family on bikes is even better."
The CCC provides clubs and camps for kids and classes and clinics for adults. They integrate paying workshop attendees with low-income scholarship-funded participants to bring the community together in a learning environment. They will also be assessing what the community really wants and needs and working to create new programs. They will be providing programs for women and hope to develop programs for teens.
Alison says their open house was "a new chapter in the future of the CCC." 2007 was their most financially successful year in the bike shop. They're financially stable and have reserve funds to help them get through the winter season, a time that's always difficult for bike shops. "We're stronger than we've ever been" Alison says.
This article is part of ORbike's ongoing coverage of the Community Cycling Center's Holiday Bike Drive.
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