Bowls With Stamped & Fluted Rims

Tonight I did a little detailing… some stamping & fluting of the rims on my latest batch of bowls. Gotta re-stock the inventory for the next wave of art fairs!

from Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery http://ift.tt/2eJdE97

Wind. Waves. Tragedy.

Quite the windy morning with waves crashing all around. Breaking up & over the bike trail on Lake Shore Drive. Blowing over towers at the AVP Tournament. Flags flapping in the breeze. Dramatic clouds blowing through as I LOVED the tailwind going south… and not-so-much fighting the wind riding home.

Quite the morning ride… until it ended with a bit too much drama with tragedy on the lakefront.

I ended my ride watching a search & rescue mission between Montrose & Foster Beaches. Apparently someone decided to go swimming late last night… he got caught up in the waves & riptide… and the search for him was ceased last night due to darkness & waves. The search resumed this morning.. and sadly, they recovered his body near the Montrose Dog Beach.

Save

from Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery http://ift.tt/2xCaLyK

Weekend Event Guide: Cyclocross racing, camping on the Columbia, Tour de Lab, and more

Ready?
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

The weekend is almost here — and so is cyclocross season!

As we slide into September and get ready for Women’s Bike Month (we’ll have special coverage all month — stay tuned for details!), our event calendar isn’t quite as full as usual. It’s probably a mix of being in the shoulder season and the fact that local weather is so hot and smokey.

But it’s also Labor Day Weekend so for many people it’s one of the last chances for a big adventure. If you need some ideas and inspirations, we’ve great suggestions. Check them out below…

Friday, September 1st

Art Ride on the Eastside – 5:30 pm at Eutectic Gallery (1930 NE Oregon)
It’s the first day of Women’s Bike Month and The Street Trust is leading a tour of art galleries on the east side. More info here.

Saturday, September 2nd

The Weekend Event Guide is sponsored by Abus Bike Locks. Thanks Abus!

GPCM #1 David Douglas
Cross is here and this is the first big race of the year. All categories are offered and this is a series, so it’s time to start counting up your points for that podium finish you promised yourself last season. More info here.

Saturday Casual Ride to Mt. Tabor – 9:00 am at Milwaukie City Hall (10722 SE Main St)
Based out of Milwaukie, these slow and chill rides are being hosted by a local advocate (Todd) to help build community. Route will leave from City Hall and venture up 19th Street Greenway for a morning on Tabor, then return via the 50s. More info here.

Coffee then Camping on the Columbia
Join a group ride from southeast to an out-of-the-way spot on the Columbia. About 20 miles of riding and organizers say there will be “a river crossing or two”. Camping is optional. More info here.

Sunday, September 3rd

Tour de Lab
A benefit for a local pet hospital Dove Lewis, this ride will tour Portland beer pubs and promises a post-ride feast. Get your dog-themed costumes ready! More info here.

Sauvie Shootout – 9:00 am at Ovation Coffee (941 NW Overton)
This is Portland’s premiere weekly group training ride. Sauvie, West Hills, and lots of speed (that breaks into groups depending on fitness level). More info here.

Tour of Westside Suburbia – 10:00 am at Shute Park in Hillsboro
A 37-mile jaunt led by the Portland Wheelmen Touring Club. Go from the Tualatin Valley to Beaverton, exploring the best bike streets in the process. Expect pace in the 10-13 mph range. More info here.

Did we miss anything? If so, give it a shout out in the comments. And have a great weekend!

Stay plugged into all the bike and transportation-related events around the region via our comprehensive event calendar and sign up here to get this Weekend Guide delivered to your inbox.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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2017 Cycle Oregon cancelled due to wildfires

(Graphic: Cycle Oregon)

Cycle Oregon 2017 has been cancelled. Below is the statement from Executive Director Steve Schulz:

Wildfires in Central Oregon Force Cancellation of 2017 Cycle Oregon Classic Ride

Forty-four percent of acres burning nationally are in Oregon. Fifty percent of individuals fighting fires nationally are in Oregon and Washington. Eight of the highest trained firefighting teams in the nation are working on the fires in Oregon. These fires are spread throughout the entire state, with the heaviest fires being in central and southern Oregon – encompassing our 2017 Classic route. Currently, fires are impacting five of our seven days with smoke and air quality levels ranging from unhealthy to hazardous. Previously designed alternate routes are now affected with fire and smoke from both new and existing fires. Statewide weather forecasts for the foreseeable future are for more hot, dry and windy weather with an associated increase in fire activity and smoke production.

After discussions with numerous authorities including the Oregon Department of Forestry, the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Oregon Department of Transportation and others and conducting on site personal meetings with Incident Commanders at the fires, we have come to the most difficult decision to cancel the 2017 Classic event.

This is an enormous disappointment for all of us. We as a community rise to challenges, but sometimes the risks far outweigh the potential benefits. We have exhausted the options and possibilities of doing anything but cancelling. The one priority that we won’t jeopardize is safety; we feel we cannot go forward without doing just that.

We are sensitive to the current struggles throughout our communities and our state. Right now, Oregon needs our support; Cycle Oregon will not add to these already challenging times.

This situation is unprecedented in Cycle Oregon history; we are in uncharted territory. As we work on next steps, we ask for time as we determine the best path forward. We realize you have many questions and we are committed to answering them. We will focus our current efforts on taking care of our communities as they deal with their struggles, being as generous as possible to our riders and partners, and supporting our state and those standing up and fighting these perils on our behalf. Cycle Oregon is something that we all embrace, and want to experience, but there are much bigger things at play here.

Over the next number of days, we’ll be working on how we stop this freight train and assess. We will reach back out to you by next Wednesday with our next steps.

Cycle Oregon is more than just a brand or a bike ride. It’s a way of being. We will move forward. We will embrace the environment that surrounds us – good or bad – find meaning in it, and remember that we are here to make a difference. And we will ride on.

We’ll be updating this post so check back in the next hour or so.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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Backers say I-5 Rose Quarter widening could be model for future freeway projects

“We would love to see this project successfully set a new precedent for how we address urban highways in Portland.”
— The Street Trust (formerly the Bicycle Transportation Alliance)

Technically speaking, not all freeway projects are created equal. But they all pretty much have the same goal: Make it easier for people to drive cars.

That being said, is it ever a good idea to widen a freeway in a dense, urban area? In 2017?

From an engineering perspective, the Oregon Department of Transportation’s current plan to add lanes to Interstate 5 at the Rose Quarter is a far cry from the 1950s-era plan to build the Mt. Hood Freeway through southeast Portland or the more recently vanquished Columbia River Crossing project.

A major theme of the current debate is whether the I-5 Rose Quarter project is qualitatively different. What if — as its backers (and fence-sitters) say — it represents a new era of highway building? One that’s kinder and gentler? One that even (supposedly) progressive Portlanders should get behind? What if this one is worth it and the “No More Freeways” mantra from activists is a knee-jerk reaction to an old boogeyman that deserves a chance to make good?

These are just some of the many question I want to address in the coming days.

The debate around this project is heating up as we’re just about one week away from a Portland City Council hearing that a new coalition group has targeted as the place to stop it.

While this coalition sees the project as a waste of money that will encourage auto use (among other things) — people who support it see it as a golden opportunity to fix local streets and bridges in the Lloyd District that serve thousands of daily bikers and walkers. Some even push back at the notion that it’s a “freeway widening” project at all.

Back in March, Portland Bureau of Transportation Planner Mauricio LeClerc told the Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission that, “This is an innovative project that really makes a freeway project something that is about place-making and that improves conditions for all modes.” LeClerc also warned that if the project doesn’t go forward, funding for surface street updates and new overpasses would improve convenience and safety for bicycle users could be lost. “How else are we going to fix those five bridges over the Rose Quarter now, unless we come up w $200 million ourselves?”

BikePortland commenter Beeblebrox (a regular commenter who I can verify is well-informed on the issues) has said, “It should be noted that the project does not actually “widen” I-5… [what it does is] connect the I-405 on-ramp to the I-84 offramp without a merge required, and vice versa in the other direction.” Furthermore, Beeblebrox justified the project yesterday by saying, “The fact we’re getting handed state money that otherwise would go to a true freeway widening project, and instead it’s going to a small operational improvement and a ton of surface improvements should be celebrated, not opposed. This really is a model for how urban freeway projects should be.”

Even The Street Trust (formerly the Bicycle Transportation Alliance) is giving this project plenty of breathing room. Even though they, “Agree with many of the concerns raised by opponents of the project,” they don’t oppose the project. The Street Trust has decided to not sign the No More Freeways coalition letter to City Council. And echoing PBOT and Beeblebrox’s optimism, The Street Trust says, “We would love to see this project successfully set a new precedent for how we address urban highways in Portland.”

It feels like we’re putting a lot of trust into ODOT. Should we?

Faced with massive opposition from Portlanders and the City of Portland (my how times have changed) to their Mt. Hood Freeway plan in the 1970s, ODOT tried adding other elements to make the project more palatable. “Among the proposals were increased landscaping and bike paths along the route as well as parks and community centers built over the freeway’s ‘air rights’ and a ‘transitway’,” reads the Wikipedia entry. “These efforts, however, were not enough to sell the project.”

And we know what happened with the CRC: All ODOT wanted to talk about was “the bridge” and plans for a bike path and light rail that would connect Portland and Vancouver. ODOT made enough promises that major environmental and transportation nonprofit groups — including The Street Trust, Oregon Environmental Council, Oregon League of Conservation Voters, and others — sat on the sidelines and didn’t fight it. This was despite the reality that the CRC was a massive freeway project that would have built huge on and off-ramps for miles in both directions at great cost to our region’s finances and health.

And here we are with I-5 at the Rose Quarter: It’s either going to be a “precedent” setting, “innovative” and “place-making” project that sets a new standard for urban freeway project — or it’s just an example of how much better ODOT has gotten at green-washing, bike-washing, and safety-washing yet another massive investment in automobile-oriented infrastructure.

Stay tuned for more coverage. We value your input. Thank you.

===
(NOTE: We will address more issues with this project in the coming days including the role of congestion pricing, what we know about the project details, the financing, and so on.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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Portland now offers online bike share memberships for food-stamp card holders

Biketown for All member Jon Horton.
(Photo: PBOT)

The City of Portland just announced an important update to its Biketown for All program that makes it even easier for low-income residents to access to bike share.

As of today, anyone with an Oregon Trail Card is now automatically eligible to take part in the program. PBOT has launched a new online registration form that streamlines the sign-up process. The latest data from the Oregon Department of Human Services indicate there are about 70,000 individuals in the Portland area who have an Oregon Trail Card.

When Biketown for All first launched last year, would-be participants had to be referred into the program by social service organizations (which include: Alder House, Harsch Properties, UGM Women and Children, Home Forward, Central City Concern, Street Roots, Native American Rehabilitation Association (NARA), Pacific Towers, Lagunitas, Sisters of the Road, Elders in Action NW, Cascade AIDS Project, Impact NW, and Humboldt Gardens). After the referral, a workshop was mandatory to establish eligibility. (Program partner The Community Cycling Center has hosted 38 workshops since last October.)

Now people who have an Oregon Trail Card can sign up for a membership online (and the workshops are optional).

Biketown for All memberships are just $3 per month — compared to $12 a month — and come with unlimited free rides of up to 90 minutes per trip. One other perk enjoyed by Biketown for All members: They don’t get fined $2 for parking bikes outside of a designated station.

In 2015 we reported that PBOT wanted to expand Biketown to food stamp card holders; but faced several hurdles including privacy concerns. Another concern was that the system has a limited number of bikes (1,000) and it has to turn a profit. If too many bikes are used by people not paying full fares, it would eat into system revenues. “We can’t run a system based on people who can’t pay,” Biketown Project Manager Steve Hoyt-McBeth told us at the time.

PBOT has mitigated that issue by using a grant from the Better Bike Share Partnership and an in-kind donation of up to $54,000 (good for 500 annual memberships) from Biketown operator Motivate, Inc. to subsidize the program. PBOT says there are currently 166 Biketown for All members.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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Portland’s ‘Growing Transit Communities’ worth supporting for bikeways, bus upgrades

From PBOT’s Enhanced Transit Corridors plan.

If we don’t want these additional buses stuck in the same traffic, we need to provide dedicated space on our streets for them.

This post was written by Luke Norman, a BP subscriber and volunteer with Portland Bus Lane Project.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Growing Transit Communities Plan is slated for a hearing (and possible adoption) on September 6th. Now is the time to learn about it and consider sharing your feedback.

The plan is primarily focused on improving access to TriMet bus lines 20, 77, & 87, which include some great safety and connectivity projects for people walking and biking. However, hidden in the document are two corridor studies that have the potential to significantly increase transit connections for East Portland residents.

The Outer Stark Corridor Plan will study the potential of providing bus lanes and safety improvements on SE Stark east of Gateway to Portland’s city limits at SE 162nd Ave.

Over 10,000 residents who live along the Outer Stark corridor commute across our region for work. And many of them take Line 20, with the busiest stops serving over 800 riders daily.

Unfortunately for residents who rely on Line 20, the Outer Stark segment is one of the most delayed transit corridors in Portland:

For perspective, here’s what SE Stark at 162nd Ave (facing west) looks like today:

And here’s what it could like if the Outer Stark Corridor Plan was funded and implemented, so people biking and taking the bus were prioritized:

(Graphic: Streetmix)

The second important corridor study is the Airport Way & I-205 Transit Study. NE Airport Way plays an important role in Portland’s economy as it is home to over 20,000 jobs. However, transit isn’t a reliable option for workers as traffic merging onto I-205 regularly backs up to NE 122nd.

For perspective here’s what Airport Way at 122nd Ave (facing west) looks like today:

The Airport Way & I-205 Transit Study would evaluate providing a center bus lane, so buses headed west can make a left turn to access Gateway Transit Center at NE Holman St.

Here’s what it could like if that study was funded and implemented so people biking and taking the bus were prioritized:

(Streetmix)

An additional reason these studies are important is that TriMet considering increasing the service on Line 20 & Line 87 to frequent service status.

(via TriMet)

If we don’t want these additional buses stuck in the same traffic, we need to provide dedicated space on our streets for them. Asking City Council to fully fund these studies is an important first step in making that happen.

City Council will be holding a hearing on the Growing Transit Communities Plan at 10:00 am (time certain) on September 6 in the Council Chambers at 1121 SW 4th Ave.

For more information on the Portland Bus Lane Project visit: https://portlandb.us.

— Luke Norman

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