Bicycling

The May 30, 2022 issue of The New Yorker has a terrific book review by Jill Lepore that is a whole lot more than a typical review, since Lepore describes her love affair with bicycles in the course of describing Jody Rosen's "Two Wheels Good: The History and Mystery of the Bicycle." I encourage you to read the entire piece. But if that link doesn't work for you (I'm a subscriber), here's excerpts from what was called Easy Rider in the print edition, and the title below online. The New Yorker has some of the best writers anywhere. Lepore is…

Yesterday I started a petition that asks the Salem, Oregon City Council to support a proposal by Salem Bike Vision to build a network of protected bike lanes in our city. You can sign it by clicking this link. Here's what the petition says. Riding a bicycle in Salem should be much safer and more fun than it is now. Sign this petition to urge the City Council to add protected bike lanes to the projects in a $300 million community improvement bond measure.I'm excited about this Salem Bike Vision proposal. A "bike lane" consisting of white lines on the…

I'm super-excited about the very real possibility that fairly soon Salem could have more than 55 miles of new protected bike lanes -- which now basically exist only in Minto Brown Park and a few blocks of downtown. This photo showing a protected bike lane elsewhere comes from a must-see web site that describes the Salem Bike Vision. At least, you must see it if, like me, you enjoy riding a bicycle but aren't wild about riding your bike in Salem on paths that are either nonexistent or consist of painted lines on the edge of a busy road. Here's…

Bicyclists, walkers, skateboarders, and other fans of non-motorized getting-around here in overly autocentric Salem, I've got some bad news and good news for you. Bad news. There won't be a Salem Sunday Streets event in 2016. One happened in 2013, 2014, and 2015, but it has been cancelled this year.  Salem Sunday Streets is part of the burgeoning "open streets" movement.  Open streets initiatives temporarily close streets to automobile traffic, so that people may use them for walking, bicycling, dancing, playing, and socializing. With more than 100 documented initiatives in North America, open streets are increasingly common in cities seeking innovative…

Yesterday I tossed my folding Bike Friday Silk into the back of my two-door Mini Cooper (try that with a regular bike) and headed off to Englewood Park in north Salem for a Salem Bike Boulevards Advocates Slow Roll ride to Riverfront Park.  Living as I do in a rural area outside the Salem city limits, I don't ride my bike much on city streets. So I was eager to take part in a ride with people who knew a lot about urban cycling. I liked how the ride was described: The group will go at a slow, comfortable pace…

One brief near-encounter with a clueless driver spoke volumes to me about what needs to change if downtown Salem -- and the rest of this town -- is to become friendly to walkers and cyclists. I'd left my Tai Chi class at Pacific Martial Arts, above Court Street's Dairy Lunch restaurant. Heading to my parked car, I stepped onto the clearly-marked mid-block crossing that connects two alleys. Court Street has three lanes. Stepping into the crosswalk near the left side of the street, I had to stop suddenly when a driver zoomed by close to me, heedless of the fact…

Yesterday I took part in my second Portland Sunday Parkways bike ride. After my first experience, I wrote "What Salem Sunday Streets can learn from Portland Sunday Parkways."  Now that I've been to two Portland Sunday Parkways, I've got a better understanding of what I like about these open streets events, where 7-8 miles of streets in various parts of Portland are completely closed off to moving vehicles. People cycle, scoot, skateboard, walk, or whatever along the route, which leads to several public parks where booths and activities abound. After driving up from Salem, my Bike Friday folding bike ("Silkie,"…

"Now we want to move to Portland." I heard this from some people who had recently moved to Salem and, like me, had just finished a 10 mile tour of Portland's highly-acclaimed Neighborhood Greenways. They may not have been completely serious, but they sure sounded like it. Hopefully Salem's City officials and Chamber of Commerce types will take those words -- Now we want to move to Portland -- to heart. People of all ages are putting more importance on favoring towns that are walkable and bikeable when deciding where to move themselves or a business. So kudos to the…