Downtown bike shop, Pedal Bike Tours, will be serving up FREE coffee and Voodoo donuts every weekday morning starting Monday, 11/5 through Friday, 11/16.  The local business (also the folks behind this mural in downtown) want to say "thanks" and give a little extra encouragement to people bike commuting in the less-than-glorious weather of November. 

There's one little catch though:  You've got to follow them on one of their social media outlets to find out where the next days breakfast is going to be.  Or, you can just hope to be surprised as you roll into downtown over the next two weeks. 

I've included their press release with more information, below:

Pedal Serves AM Commuters Donuts and Coffee
Rewarding hardy bike commuters on Portland’s Bridges

Portland, OR (November 1, 2012) – Pedal Bike Tours will be serving coffee and donuts to downtown’s commuters every weekday morning, November 5-16 to congratulate and encourage Portland’s downtown bike commuters for riding to work in the recent less than sunny weather.

Each weekday morning from 8-9:30AM, Pedal will be on one of Portland’s four main bike-friendly bridges pouring hot cups of coffee from Pedal’s coffee partner World Cup Coffee and serving scrumpdidlyicious Voodoo donuts.  

Morning commuters can also sign up to be entered in a raffle for a free bike tuneup.

Follow #PedalBikeTours on Twitter or on Facebook at pedalbiketours where the next day’s location will be posted daily.

For more information visit www.pedalbiketours.com, or call 503.243.2453.

Contact Info:  Scott Klees
503.243.2453
info@pedalbiketours.com
pedalbiketours.com

In just three months time, the Hawthorne Bridge bike counter has counted over 500,000 bike trips.  

The nonprofit group Cycle Oregon donated the bike counter to the City of Portland. On August 8^th, the counter began tracking each bike crossing the sidewalks along the Hawthorne Bridge. By the end of Election Day, the counter had logged 505,393 bike trips across the bridge since the installation.

Increasing the number of people who bicycle is a long-range city goal to reduce congestion and air pollution, improve personal health and save Portlanders money by making a low-cost transportation option attractive and safe. A visual bike counter raises public awareness of these goals and highlights the city’s progress in reaching them.

“Today is about getting more people decent paychecks. Rising healthcare costs continue to cripple job creation in our city. We have to find ways for urban dwellers to enjoy more active lifestyles,” said Cycle Oregon Co-founder Jonathan Nicholas at the opening event on August 8^th, 2012. 

The number of Portlanders crossing the Hawthorne Bridge has increased dramatically since the City began conducting bike counts in the early 1990s. Since 1992, peak bike trips across the Hawthorne Bridge have increased by over 400% from 1,500 to 8,044 in 2011.  November 2011 bike counts are higher than some summer counts from the early 2000s.

With the increase in bicycling, more people are using the Hawthorne Bridge to work, shop, and play while the number of cars using the bridge remains relatively constant.

In the same way that counting automobiles is the basis for transportation spending and policymaking, counting bicycles informs the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) about its progress toward making bicycling a fundamental part of life in Portland and gives feedback about the usefulness of its investments in bicycle infrastructure and city streets.

With the assistance of volunteers PBOT also conducts bicycle counts at over 125 locations throughout the city. The 2011 Bicycle Count Report documented a 6.4% citywide increase in bike trips over 2010.

Portland’s bike counter was the first of its kind in the United States. Since its installation, Seattle has installed a bike counter on its FremontBridge.

Hawthorne Bridge photo courtesy of Jonathan Maus, BikePortland.

Daylight-saving time is officially over, and it’s time for you to show TriMet your flashy fashions and shiny stuff!

The “Bright Ideas” contest, part of the “Be seen. Be safe” campaign, started Nov. 1, and you have until 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12 to submit a photo of your favorite way to be visible when you’re walking or biking in the dark.

A panel of safety experts will select the best photos, then those will be posted for “fan favorite” voting from Nov. 23 through December 3.  Winners will be posted on Dec. 10.

What can you win? The Grand Prize winner gets three monthly passes plus cool reflective items, all valued at $400. The 1^st runner up prizes are valued at $300, and the second runner up gets goodies valued at $200. 

You can’t win if you don’t enter! Go now to trimet.org/beseen for contest rules and submit your photo by 5 pm on Nov. 12!

This Thursday evening (11/15), Gordon Price will give a free presentation on the effective integration of transportation in high-density environments with an emphasis on land use. If you’ve seen Price speak before, fear not! He always has a new presentation and a trick or two up his sleeve…

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.

To learn more about Price check out his electronic magazine, Price Tags or his daily blog on Vancouver and worldwide urban affairs.

What: Gordon Price Presentation
When: Thursday 11/15, 6:40 – 8:40 p.m.
Where: Portland State University, 506 SW Mill - Urban Center, Room DLC 204
Cost: Free and Open to the Public

Questions?
Contact: Scott Cohen
City of Portland Bureau of Transportation
scott.cohen@portlandoregon.gov
(503) 823-5345

Portland By Cycle Autumn Rides: Stormwater Gardens and Swales

Hawthorne Hostel, SE Hawthorne Boulevard and 31st

Saturday, November 17, 2012

10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Portland is known nationally for its extensive bike facilities and its innovative treatments for stormwater water runoff . Put these two things together, and you have this Saturday's Portland By Cycle Autumn Ride.

The forecast  is rain, which is actually a good thing as you will see these bioswales and raingardens doing their work. 

This is a moderately paced ride, no one will be left behind.

Helmets required.

Questions? Contact Timo Forsberg, 503-823-7699

Photo courtesy of Dutch Dialogues