Bike Stories

Bike Stories

We've started writing up profiles and collecting stories from neighborhood people who ride bikes to work, for fun, and for fitness. Check out our first installment of "Pedaler Profiles" with Maureen Cassidy. If you know anyone that we should interview, of if YOU want to be interviewed, contact us.

Rider Report: Adrienne Fajen

Adrienne (far right) along with Wind-Blox co-owners and management team

Employer: Co-owner and Managing partner of Wind-Blox
Neighborhood: Happy Valley
Commute Distance: 15 miles, sometimes combines trip with MAX
Ride (s): an old orange bike named Flora
Favorite part of riding: Admiring the beauty on the way, arriving to work happy and calm
Least favorite: Drivers who are unaccustomed to being around people on bikes

Adrienne has been riding bikes for fun, transportation, and for work since she was six years old. She was a teacher before starting her own business; and while she’s now in the bike industry and steeped in all things bike that doesn’t mean she’s competitive or even rides to work every day. Since her commute from Happy Valley is about 15 miles each way, she often combines it with transit, catching MAX at Clackamas Town Center. Combining her trip with MAX makes it much more doable, especially on hot summer days and rainy winter nights.

Adrienne works in the bike industry because she loves riding her bike, and shares her love of biking through her company, Wind-Blox. Wind-Blox makes attachments for your helmet straps that block wind noise, so you can hear the sounds you need and want to. She recently moved her from the Central Eastside to Lloyd because she feels safer riding here. She says the lack of infrastructure there made her feel uncomfortable, and she appreciates all that Lloyd has done to make biking safer and more pleasant. She says it makes a big difference.

Adrienne rides along the Springwater Corridor Trail for most of her commute. She enjoys the beauty and says riding is meditative for her. She’s also happier and able to focus on the day ahead when she arrives to work. Sometimes Adrienne and her husband, who also rides a bike to work in Lloyd, stop for dinner in Sellwood on the way home.

At first Adrienne had to find the right pannier to carry everything, and that took a few tries, but she got it figured out and is happy with her gear and her ride. She offers the following advice to anyone who wants to start riding: “Get a good seat!”

To purchase Wind-Blox products, visit www.Wind-Blox.com or search on Amazon.

Thanks Adrienne--see you in the bike lane!

Urban Stroll With Hike It Baby Re-Cap

Thanks to everyone who joined Go Lloyd on our first urban stroll with Hike It Baby! The weather was gorgeous, and the esplanade and Holladay Park splashpad did not disappoint. We're looking to do this again in August, so stay tuned!

Livable Lloyd

The Lloyd neighborhood now has a residential committee, a place for neighbors to gather together and work together to make a great neighborhood. Livable Lloyd is the resident committee of the Lloyd District Community Association (LDCA). The LDCA is a group of business leaders and residents working together to make our community a better place to live, work, and play. Members enjoy benefits of networking with other leaders in the community and a loud voice for concerns regarding City issues. Join us to make the Lloyd District the place you want to be in.

LDCA is joining forces with Go Lloyd and Lloyd EcoDistrict for a better community experience. We are pleased to announce Livable Lloyd, formerly known as the LDCA Resident Forum. Please join us in Velomor's Peloton Lounge for our first meeting on August 22 from 6-7pm! We will be sharing our vision for Livable Lloyd and accepting volunteer requests for our first "Love Lloyd" Trash Clean-Up on September 24th.

National Night Out (Holladay Park)

Join the Lloyd District Community Association and other neighborhood partners in Holladay Park on National Night Out, August 2, from 5-7pm!

Go Lloyd is sponsoring a FREE bike repair station. Stop by with your bike and get a free safety check and minor repairs and adjustments made by the folks from Left Coast Bicycles.

Art and Sustainability Tour of the Oregon Convention Center

Thursday, July 14, 2016

12:00pm  1:00pm

Did you know that the Oregon Convention Center is known for its valuable art collection and its sustainability leadership? Please join us for a lunchtime tour that will explore the architecture, the sustainability, and the art of the Oregon Convention Center.

Meet at noon at the Visitors Information Desk (located on the street level inside the main entrance on MLK Jr Blvd).

Please RSVP by July 12.

Spring Event Re-Cap

May and June were very busy for us at Go Lloyd! We had more than 15 bike related events where we helped people learn how to ride and repair bicycles safely, shop in style, and hear about pollinator plants with the Eco-District! We also learned a lot about e-bikes with the Lloyd E-fleet pilot and the E-bike Expo and so much more!

We also held 2 walking tours and 3 trash mobs!

Here's a small highlight reel of the fun

Bike Breakfast on May 2nd

Green Zebra Opening Day Bike Parade

BPA gets GenZe Lloyd E-fleet pilot bikes delivered

Better Block Better Broadway project

Free Bike Repair Station at Green Zebra Opening Day!

Praise the Lloyd Pedalpalooza Ride

Life's Work PT's Bike Fit 101 Workshop

Bike Fit 101

Lloyd Cycle Station Grand Opening

If you have an idea for a fun and educational event for the neighborhood and want to be more involved, consider joining our Bike or Pedestrian committees! Committee members meet once a month and help guide our programs and events. Contact us at 503- 236-6441 for more information. 

Bike Stories

We've started writing up profiles and collecting stories from neighborhood people who ride bikes to work, for fun, and for fitness. Check out our first installment of "Pedaler Profiles" with Maureen Cassidy. If you know anyone that we should interview, of if YOU want to be interviewed, contact us.

Pedaler Profile: Maureen Cassidy

Maureen (far left) with Bike More Challenge Team Captain and the infamous Uni-piper at the BTA Challenge After-Party

Employer: State of Oregon Health Department
Neighborhood: Mt. Tabor
Commute Distance: 5 Miles each way
Ride (s): Mountain bike with street tires and a Cannondale road bike

Favorite part of riding: She feels more awake and alert when she gets to work and likes to admire the pretty gardens on the way. 

Least favorite: Hauling clothes to work, bad car-drivers.

Maureen has lived in Portland for about 22 years and has worked in Lloyd at the State of Oregon Health Department as an epidemiologist for about 20 years. She was recently encouraged to join the Bicycle Transportation Alliance’s Bike More Challenge by her co-workers. She used to ride a bike for transportation and to work, but had a pretty scary near miss with a car a few years that caused her to quit riding. The Bike More Challenge was the encouragement that she needed to get back in the saddle. The improvements that the City of Portland has made in the past few years to bicycling infrastructure have made her feel much safer and more comfortable riding, especially the new bike lanes on the 12th street Bridge over I-84.

After being encouraged by the Bike More Challenge Team Captains to start riding again, Maureen continued to ride into the Summer. She was motivated to keep riding to get more daily exercise and to save some money since she’d rather spend money on something other than parking. Her commute from Mt. Tabor along the Davis-Everett neighborhood Greenway is very pleasant; she passes through Laurelhurst where she enjoys viewing people’s gardens and getting some fresh air. Since its down-hill to work she doesn’t get sweaty.  While she initially had to figure out how to haul nice work clothes on her bike, she found a good bag and has a nice locker room at work to change when she needs to.  The bike parking area at work is often full and it can be challenging to find a parking space and lifting her bike to park on the wall racks can be difficult, but that’s about her only commute complaint presently.

““I get a kick out of passing someone on a bike because I am the one usually getting passed!””

— Maureen

Maureen says since she started riding to work again 3 days a week, she definitely feels like she is getting more exercise and she is happier. She says she feels more alert and awake when she gets to work and likes saving money on driving and parking, money she can spend on other things like a nice bottle of Oregon Wine or fun evening out. She will continue to ride to her work but may cut back in the dark, damp winter days when she will take MAX or drive. She also enjoys taking an occasional spin to get some fresh air or some more exercise.

Maureen really appreciated the support and encouragement from her co-workers and challenge team captains Judith and Niani. They helped her to remember how fun riding to work can be and to experience the new bicycling infrastructure, also the team party with prizes like a gift-card to Green Zebra Grocery and certificates of accomplishments, were much appreciated.

Thanks Maureen-- see you in the bike lane!

---

If YOU want to start bike commuting and don't know where to start, contact Kathryn at Go Lloyd for a commute consultation or hear about different resources such as the BTA's Women Bike group or PBOT's various workshops and classes. 
 

Pedalpalooza Kick-off Ride Pre-ride

PEDALPALOOZA Kick-off Ride PRE-Ride!

Join Go Lloyd for a fun bike ride to the 2016 Pedalpalooza Kick-off Ride!

THURSDAY JUNE 9th

Meet us at the Hassalo on Eighth plaza at NE 7th and Hassalo St. 
We will ride at 5:30 to the ride start downtown. 

Photo by Dirk Vanderhart, Portland Mercury

Photo by Dirk Vanderhart, Portland Mercury

MORE ABOUT THE PEDALPALOOZA RIDE!

Salmon Street Fountain, SW Salmon St and Naito Pkwy 

6:00pm - 8:00pm, We ride at 7PM

Meet at 6:00 at Salmon Fountain, we'll leave by 7:00. We'll end under the eastside of Hawthorne Bridge

WHAT IS PEDAPALOOZA? 

Pedalpalooza is 3+ weeks of bikey fun. With 270 different events, most organized by individuals, bikers of all persuasions are likely to find many events of interest. Nearly all events are free. 

Learn more here

E-Fleet Pilot wraps up

The second cohort of the Lloyd E-Fleet pilot project just wrapped up at the Lloyd 700 building and PacifiCorp. The Lloyd E-Fleet was a six-week pilot demonstrating the role of electric-assist bicycles in helping people get around conveniently and sustainably during the workday. Led by GenZe and the Lloyd EcoDistrict and supported by Go Lloyd, the project's aim was to expand people's transportation options and cut down on congestion in the neighborhood. 

We heard from many people that they were sad to see the e-bikes go when the pilot ended. People loved riding the e-bikes to meetings, to lunch, or just along the waterfront. Stephen from BPA doesn't ride a bike to work because it's too far, but he really enjoyed using the e-bikes for work and personal trips.  

“One day last week I used it to pick up tickets to the Who Concert and also to go see my daughter at work near SW 6th and Alder. It allowed me to surprise her after she had just gotten in from five weeks in Europe the night before. It’s also nice that you can work as hard or easy you want to get where you are going.”

— Stephen @ BPA

Hassalo on Eighth was so impressed with the e-bikes that they purchased several from GenZe to have available for their tenants. People can check them out just like they would a cart or an event room, and can get around the neighborhood and the city easily without having to worry about parking a car or buying their own bike, not to mention the lock, rack, and other gear. They can just zip along carefree. 

The team has conducted a survey and series of interviews with the transportation and facilities managers, and will be issuing a report with lessons learned and facts about the bikes' usage. Our hope is to have e-bikes throughout the neighborhood so people can get around without breaking a sweat or adding to traffic congestion. Stay tuned for more on that, and on how to buy GenZe Bikes for your business. 

Read more about the EcoDistrict's e-bike program here.

Explore Washington Park (EWP) Job Opening/Description: Program Manager

Lloyd Cycle Station Open Now Open!

Join the newest, nicest bike parking facility in Portland is now open. The Lloyd Cycle Station at Hassalo on Eighth is a world-class bike parking  facility for anyone residing in, working in, or visiting the Lloyd neighborhood. With 600 secure bike parking spaces, deluxe shower facilities, lockers, and a bike repair and wash station, it'll make you look forward to riding your bike every day. 

From now until September 30th 2016, members get their first month of bike parking and shower/locker room service FREE. 

For every 100 members the Lloyd Cycle Station gets between now and September 30th, we'll donate a kids bike to the Community Cycling Center's Holiday Bike Drive!

Located on level P2 of the Lloyd 700 Building at 700 NE Multnomah Street, the Lloyd Cycle Station offers a multitude of services and amenities, including:

• 24/7 access to secure bike parking

• Self-service repair station

• Bike wash station

• Service from on-site mechanics

• Locker rooms with showers and towel service

• Complimentary bike registration and route-planning services

• Free two-hour valet bike parking for visitors

For more information and to sign up, click here. 

 

Passages Bookshop Comes to Lloyd

David Abel is the man behind Passages Bookshop which sells fine, rare and unusual books. Located at 1223 NE Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, the store focuses on literature and art and features a gallery that showcases books and graphic arts. "We sell books from $5 to $20,000," Abel says. "Most are in the $20-$150 range." He ran his first book store in New York City and after a stint in Albuquerque, moved to Portland in 1997. Passages opened in the Lloyd District in January.

The shop, located on the ground floor of The Merrick, is a venue for interesting events. The first Friday in June will kick off an exhibition called 366 Skies, the result of a creative collaboration between a poet, photographer and printer. The Spare Room reading series will also have one of its homes here, a series Abel started 15 years ago and which is now approaching its 202nd reading. The art you see in the windows will change every four months and is part of a year-long nation-wide public art project.

Passages is currently the only place where you can buy Orange Lining, a compilation of all the poems that were stenciled on the erosion fences, and eventually stamped in the sidewalks, along the Orange Line. The shop is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12-6 pm and by appointment and chance. MENTION GO LLOYD FOR A 10% DISCOUNT. But wait -- what about that $20,000 book? If you're curious, it was published in the 60's with an original Andy Warhol silk screen cover and represents the first time Warhol used Polaroids to produce prints.

David Abel with calligraphic paintings by Stefan Hyner, a German poet and translator of Chinese poetry.

E-Bike Expo Coming to the Lloyd

E-Bikes are coming to the Lloyd!

On Friday through Sunday, May 20-22 at the Lloyd Center in Portland, Oregon you can experience a whole new type of bicycle riding at the Electric Bike Expo event!

Imagine taking the hills out of your ride and adding fun to your excursions, whether commuting to work or school, or making quick runs to the store!

http://www.ElectricBike-Expo.com/ Test ride the latest electric bikes for free at the Electric Bike Expo events!

Test Ride More Than 100 Different Models

Come test ride more than 100 different models of the latest electric assist bikes from brands such as A2B, BESV, BULLS, Easy Motion, Felt Electric, Focus, Gazelle, Haibike, IZIP, Kalkhoff, Raleigh, Stromer, Tempo, Trek, Xtracycle, Yuba with the latest electric drive systems from Bosch, Yamaha, Shimano, and more!

There will be a wide range of bicycles ranging from beach cruisers to street commuters, to mountain bikes and cargo bikes to try. Many of the models are brand new to the US and here to be tested by you for the very first time!

Learn More here!

Broadway Weidler Alliance Charette

BWA CHARRETTE EVENT INVITATION
You Are Invited !!
The Broadway/Weidler Alliance

Date: Saturday, May 14, 2016
Time: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Place: Grace Memorial Church @ NE 17th Avenue and Weidler Street (97232)

The Broadway/Weidler Alliance (BWA) is sponsoring the Annual Charrette Event focusing on the Broadway Weidler corridor!

Guest Speaker: Metro Councilor Stacey discussing “Climate Smart Communities” followed by an invitation to visit with transit option representatives:

• Portland Streetcar Company
• Portland Bureau of Transportation
• TriMet
• Oregon Walks
• Alta Planning and Design
• Better Block PDX

Refreshments generously provided by Green Zebra Grocery.

Enjoy being part of the comprehensive planning of transit options along the NE Broadway corridor. Speak to experts in the area of transit planning and contribute your ideas to the discussions.

The Broadway/Weidler Alliance (BWA) is a collaboration of neighborhood and business associations along NE Broadway reaching from the Willamette River to Hollywood, a 2-mile corridor.

Members Include:

Neighborhood Associations

• Elliot
• Grant Park 
• loyd District
• Sullivan’s Gulch
• Irvington

Business Associations

• NE Broadway Business Association
• Go Lloyd
•  Lloyd EcoDistrict
• N/NE Business Association Hollywood Boosters

Better Broadway Demonstration Project

Join us to celebrate a Better NE Broadway! For one week, from May 9th-15th, NE Broadway will be transformed into a business and pedestrian friendly street. The Broadway-Weidler Alliance, a group of neighborhood associations and business organizations focused on making NE Broadway a more inviting place for people to shop and gather, has partnered with the non-profit Better Block PDX to produce this week long demonstration project. Better Block PDX has worked with PSU transportation planning and engineering students, the Portland Bureau of Transportation, businesses, and neighborhood groups along NE Broadway to activate the street and create an inclusive new urban space. Better Block PDX has successfully transformed other streets in Portland into places for people, such as the SW 3rd Ave and a Better Naito along with waterfront during the Rose Festival.

One lane along the north side will be opened up to people from May 9th ‐ 15th (see graphics below). There will be outdoor seating, music, activities, art, and more. It will be like a street fair but for an entire week. This project came about after asking “How can NE Broadway become a thriving retail destination?” Neighbors and businesses then gathered together to put on this exciting project to show that we can turn a mean street into a main street where families can walk to meet their daily needs, share a meal, and support their local businesses. 

The project goal of the Better Broadway project is to demonstrate possibilities for a better people- focused business environment by changing the street configuration, and that changing the street won’t cause traffic jams. In New York City, returning part of the street to people in the form of street seats, plazas, and bike lanes resulted in significant improvement of adjacent businesses, with increased retail sales of as much as 172% after completion of similar street improvements*.

We encourage everyone to stop by during this demonstration project to experience the new Main Street, to shop, to dine, to explore. Better Block projects are entirely volunteer run. Contact BetterBlockPDX@gmail.com if you want to get involved.

* Measuring the Street Report NYC DOT, 2012. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/2012-10-measuring-the-street.pdf

Bike More Challenge Starts May 1st!

Have you wanted to start riding your bike to work but just haven't gotten up the motivation? Have you been bugging your co-workers and friends to ride more? Then the BTA's Bike More Challenge is for you! You can log miles and win awesome prizes. Sign up here

WHAT IS THE BIKE MORE CHALLENGE?

The Bike More Challenge is a fun, free competition to encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to experience first hand joys and benefits of riding a bike. There are lots of fantastic prizes to tempt your team, which we'll announce as the Challenge approaches. Show off your #bikemore pride with these awesome merch items!

HOW IT WORKS

Businesses compete against each other to see who can get the most staff to ride a bike and log their trips between May 1-31. For 2016 we're using a simple points model to allow workplaces to compete with each other across their size category (see the points system below). The points system has been carefully selected to ensure a fair and exciting competition, and to strongly encourage workplaces to engage new riders if they want to climb the leaderboard and secure victory!

It’s not just about who can ride the most miles, but also who can encourage the most people to give bicycling a try. Of course, if you log more miles and more trips you'll earn more points (and have a shot at some special individual prizes), but the fastest way to earn more points is to encourage more people to get on a bike and ride!

To get Lloyd folks ready for the Challenge, Go Lloyd is hosting several fun events throughout the month. The first 2 are on May 2nd!

1. Bike Breakfast-- May 2nd 7-9am

You biked in and you need to refuel. Coffee and bagels are on us! Meet at NE 9th and Multnomah at the Lloyd Center Plaza in front of Standford's at 7:00 AM.

2. Bike More Party Group Bike Ride --5pm

Join Go Lloyd folks on a short group ride to the Bike More Challenge Kick-off Party at the Hollywood Bike Gallery 5329 NE Sandy Blvd. 

The BTA will have FREE delicious Hopworks beer for anyone registered for the Challenge. And we will be raffling off a Bike Tune Up to attendees courtesy of Bike Gallery (each attendee gets one entry into the raffle). Last but not least, our pals at Bike Gallery will also be offering a 15% discount for all BTA Members and Challenge participants during the party (excludes bikes and already discounted items).

Lloyd E-Fleet Pilot kicks off this week!

E-Bikes are in the Lloyd as of yesterday! The Lloyd EcoDistrict, Go Lloyd, and GenZe by Mahindra are teaming up to bring fleets of electric assist bicycles and scooters to the Lloyd neighborhood. For the next three weeks Bonneville Power Administration and Kaiser Permanente will each have several electric assist bicycles for employees to check out and use throughout the day to go to meetings, run errands, get lunch or just go for a spin. 

The E-fleet program is a way for businesses to become a leader in expanding urban mobility options. The E-fleet provides employees with zero-emissions two-wheelers during the work day, to quickly get to meetings, run errands without adding to traffic congestion, to incorporate exercise into daily errands, or to simply get some fresh air. The GenZe e-bike and scooter uniquely fit into the space between the devout bike rider and the car dependent commuter—they alleviate the common pains of biking while allowing the rider to arrive faster at their destination without breaking a sweat or worrying about parking.

This program was created as a transportation solution in one of Portland’s most rapidly developing business and residential Eco Districts. Not only is the Lloyd E-fleet an investment in the health and happiness of employees, but will also contribute to the vitality of the Lloyd District as a whole by eliminating traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. By investing in an E-fleet, businesses can save money by needing fewer cars in their fleet, demonstrate commitment to sustainability and livability, and help their employees get around faster and more sustainably.

Businesses within the Lloyd EcoDistrict will be offered the opportunity to purchase e-fleet vehicles at a special group rate—purchasing e-bikes collectively will drive down the cost and foster the vitality of the Lloyd District community. To try out the E-fleet we are offering a 3 week pilot program so that businesses can try out the bikes free of charge. We will support the pilot through outreach events and programming with employees and coordinate with your business to tailor the pilot to meet your needs.

Participating in our 2016 pilot are Lloyd District companies Bonneville Power Administration, Kaiser Permanente Health Care, Pacific Power, as well as the tenants of the 700 NE Multnomah Building.

Contact us at lloydefleet@gmail.com to reserve an e-bike and with any questions about the pilot program.
Check out our Facebook for updates and pictures from the pilot.

Free Bike Repair Station

Bike Parking Hub Contest Winner

Congratulations to Brody Faltermeyer of Guild Mortgage for coming up with the winning name for our new bike parking facility! 

The Lloyd Cycle Station will open June 1st!

Thank you to the 50+ people who submitted some very clever and fun names, it was a hard but entertaining decision to make. 

Stay tuned for upcoming details on the Grand Opening Celebration on June 1st. Click here for details on the Lloyd Cycle Station. 

The Quilting Queen of Holladay Park Plaza

Stop by the Inspiration Station at Management Recruiters (2020 Lloyd Center) this month to see Brenda Bell's beautiful mini-quilt displayed. Brenda began quilting years ago when she heard she was going to have a grandchild. "All grandchildren need quilts," she says. "I went to one class and the rest is history. I've made over 150 quilts now [See two of them below] and some have been displayed in art galleries. I love color. The mini-quilt was created because I was going on a plane trip and I wanted something to do that wasn't reading."

Brenda tells this story: "I used to work for a newspaper and developed a friendship with a young editor who had twins and then a single baby boy as well. I made them all a quilt and the little boy especially loved his. Our families remained friends even after we moved away but I always heard that the quilt I made was his favorite thing. They brought it everywhere and would travel miles to go back for it if it was forgotten. By the time this baby had grown up into a young man heading off to college, he asked his mother, 'Should I take it?' It was barely hanging together by now but his mother made a brown plaid pillow case to put it in. Years passed and they came to visit. We were sitting in the garden when all of a sudden his mother produced that pillow case and told me, 'Put your hand in and pull out what you find.' It was the quilt -- two decades old now and completely thread-bare. I made her son a new one. He sent me a lovely 'thank you' note and said he'd pass it on to his child."

Brenda has lived at Holladay Park Plaza for almost three years and is pictured above with the 10 foot Handi Quilter 16 machine that she made available to all residents. She enjoys teaching other residents how to quilt. "I love doing it -- it provides me with good mental health. As far as my own projects, my favorite quilt is always the one I'm working on now."

Have you created something special that you'd like to display in our Inspiration Stations? Submissions should be no bigger than 8.5" X 11" and can be art, photography, collage, poetry, drawings or another creative medium. Contact Moira Green for more info.