Bikes
February 1, 2012
KBOO Bike Show: Funding, Summit
Listen to the show (mp3, 26.5MB)
Steph and Tori talk with Gerik Kransky (of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance) and Chris Rall (of Transportation for America) about funding challenges at the Federal and local levels and Tara Corbin from Cycle Oregon discusses the upcoming Oregon Active Transportation Summit (April 16th and 17th in Salem).
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:17 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
January 4, 2012
KBOO Bike Show: Mayoral Candidate Eileen Brady, CRC
Listen to the show (mp3, 27.7MB)
Michelle, Tori and Steph talk with Mayoral Candidate Eileen Brady. Economist Joe Cortright discusses the Columbia River Crossing.
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:17 PM | Comments (22) | Permalink
January 3, 2012
Coming Up on the KBOO Bike Show: Mayoral Candidate Eileen Brady, CRC
This Wednesday at 11:00 am we're interviewing Eileen Brady about her candidacy for Portland Mayor; then at 11:30 am we'll talk with Joe Cortright, a Portland economist, about the Columbia River Crossing
11AM-Noon, Wednesday, January 4th
KBOO FM 90.7
Streamed live at KBOO.fm
Podcast here later that day
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:38 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
December 12, 2011
Heartwarming!
Yesterday I had the chance to attend the Community Cycling Center's 2011 Holiday Bike Drive, and watch some of the 400 kids who received a bicycle (for many of them, their first).
I can't imagine a better way to kick off the holiday season.
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
December 7, 2011
KBOO Bike Show: Bike Sharing
Listen to the show (mp3, 26.7MB)
Bike Sharing! Since December is the month of giving and receiving, we're looking at what it takes have a city with Bike Sharing. Tori and Michelle are joined by Jocelyn Gaudi, a main player in NYC's new system, Mitch Vars from Nice Ride of Minneaplois, and Ricky Rios of Caribbean Green Bikes in Puerto Rico to talk about different systems, different cities, and if Bike Sharing has a real future in Portland.
Posted by Chris Smith at 1:16 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
December 6, 2011
Cycling and Equity
Two recent pieces worth note on issues of equity surrounding cycling:
- It matters where the facilities are and where they go - as areas surrounding London argue that the design of the bikeways favors the central city over local neighborhoods.
- The "elitist" cyclist is largely a myth
Both via Planetizen.
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:03 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink
December 5, 2011
Coming Up on the KBOO Bike Show:
This month we're taking an in-depth look at Bike Sharing programs and how they affect American cities. Is Bike Sharing a good fit for Portland? What do you want to know about Bike Share?
11AM-Noon, Wednesday, December 7th
KBOO FM 90.7
Streamed live at KBOO.fm
Podcast here later that day
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:56 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
November 18, 2011
The Smartphone App I'm Waiting For
One of my key bicycle 'gateway' corridors is Naito Parkway. I use it to get from my neighborhood in NW Portland to the parts of downtown closest to the river, and to any east side destination south of Burnside (by crossing the Steel Bridge and accessing the Esplanade).
But there's a problem. The route is not reliable. A heavy rail line with both Amtrak and freight traffic crosses Naito twice. And the Steel Bridge can lift for river traffic (and sometimes for reasons that don't seem obvious).
There are alternatives. I can take 9th Ave instead of Naito through the Pearl, I can use other bridges to cross the Willamette. But these alternatives take longer.
What I need is information. Will there be a blockage when I plan to travel? How long will that blockage be? With that information I can make rational decisions. Without it, I'm watching a freight train or a lifted bridge, wondering how long before I can continue my trip, and whether I should turn around...
The railroad dispatchers and the bridge tenders have the information I want. We just need a way for them to get it me. And that's where a smartphone app comes in. If we had a web site where the dispatchers and tenders could easily enter blockage info (not just for my routes, but for all the Willamette River bridges and central city rail crossings), it would not be much of a technical hurdle to create an app to display it.
It's not a technical challenge, it's a relationship challenge. Could we engage the organizations involved (Multnomah County, are you listening?) to make this happen?
Posted by Chris Smith at 6:43 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink
November 2, 2011
KBOO Bike Show: Streetcar Tracks, Mayoral Candidate Jefferson Smith
Listen to the show (mp3, 25.7MB)
AROW's Steve Bozzone discusses the challenges integrating streetcars and bikeways. Mayoral candidate Jefferson Smith is interviewed by Michelle and Steph.
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:28 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
October 19, 2011
Connecting Bicycle and Rail Networks
Portland State University
Center for Transportation Studies
Fall 2011 Transportation Seminar Series
Speaker: Ronald Tamse (City of Utrecht, Netherlands)
Topic: Lessons from Utrecht: Connecting Bicycle and Rail Networks
When: Friday, October 21, 2011, 12:00 - 1:00pm
Where: PSU Urban Center Building, SW 6th and Mill, Room 204
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:25 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink
