#3 Portland, Oregon (USA): Great Bicycle City Photo Tour

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:53:01 +0000

With bike weddings, bike parades, hundreds of naked bicyclists, bike fashion shows, popular & interesting cargo bikes, and travelling bike pubs, Portland is #3 on this great bicycle city photo tours list.

Portland has great bicycle facilities (colored bike lanes, bike boxes at intersections, great bike signs, off-road bicycle paths, etc.), a large number of people using the bicycle for transportation, and a bike culture that brings the fun of bicycling to another level.

As a result of these factors and more, Portland was the first large city in the US to achieve the Platinum level Bike Friendly award from the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) — the Platinum level being the highest level possible (above Gold, Silver and Bronze). It is truly a world-class bicycle city now, and the amazing photos in this photo tour help to show that.

David Byrne Makes Art of the Bike Rack

Adam Williams — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:16:10 +0000

David Byrne, of varied artistic fames, has joined with the New York City Department of Transportation. He’s designed nine bike racks — e.g. dog (above), man, coffee cup, woman, car — to give some extra pop to the cyclist’s notion of bike security. The New York Times has the full scoop.

Bike Wedding Parades

Bike Fairy Pedicabs

“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments. Here was a machine of precision and balance for the convenience of man. And (unlike subsequent inventions for man’s convenience) the more he used it, the fitter his body became. Here, for once, was a product of man’s brain that was entirely beneficial to those who used it, and of no harm or irritation to others. Progress should have stopped when man invented the bicycle.” ~Elizabeth West, Hovel in the Hills

Bike Halftime Shows

Bands on Bikes

Bike Parades

Bike Street Clowns

“After your first day of cycling, one dream is inevitable. A memory of motion lingers in the muscles of your legs, and round and round they seem to go. You ride through Dreamland on wonderful dream bicycles that change and grow.” ~H.G. Wells, The Wheels of Chance

Green Bike Lanes with Bike Boxes, Dutch Style

Blue Bike Lanes at Major Intersections, Copenhagen Style

Bike Lane Stencil — Bike & Golf

Bike Lane Stencil — Juggling on a Bike

Artistic Bike Racks

Good Signage for Bicyclists

Great Bicycle & Pedestrian Lanes on a Bridge

On Hawthorne Bridge. The photographer writes: “This clear signage allows a wide sidewalk on a bridge to be safely shared between bikes and pedestrian traffic.”

Bikes on Transit

From the photographer: “MAX trains essentially have have three kinds of carriages: two kinds of low-floor carriages and one kind of high-floor carriage.

Each MAX train consists of just two carriages (they are short because Portland city blocks are so short), and one carriage is guaranteed to be a low-floor carriage (only the low floor carriage are suitable for folks with disabilities). But… only the low floor carriages have hooks (you can stand on the high-floor ones). Each low floor carriages has 4 hooks, so a train has 4 or 8 good places to hang a bike and relax.”

Image Credit 1: poetas via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 3: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 4: Shannon Henry via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 5: Brewcaster via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 6: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 7: hradcanska via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 8: Mark Stosberg via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 9: brianellin via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 10: mokolabs via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 11: Mark Stosberg via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 12: Major Clanger via flickr under a Creative Commons license

Bike Fashion Shows

Image Credit 1: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 3: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 4: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 5: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 6: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 7: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 8: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 9: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 10: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 11: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 12: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license

Bike Tattoos

Bike Art

Bike Fish or Fish Bike (not sure)

“When I go biking, I repeat a mantra of the day’s sensations: bright sun, blue sky, warm breeze, blue jay’s call, ice melting and so on. This helps me transcend the traffic, ignore the clamorings of work, leave all the mind theaters behind and focus on nature instead. I still must abide by the rules of the road, of biking, of gravity. But I am mentally far away from civilization. The world is breaking someone else’s heart.” ~Diane Ackerman

Bike Art?

Image Credit 1: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: vj_pdx via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 3: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 4: Philosophographlux via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 5: Ben Amstutz via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 6: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license

Fun Family Bicycling

“A bicycle does get you there and more…. And there is always the thin edge of danger to keep you alert and comfortably apprehensive. Dogs become dogs again and snap at your raincoat; potholes become personal. And getting there is all the fun.” ~Bill Emerson, “On Bicycling,” Saturday Evening Post, 29 July 1967

Image Credit 1: EthanPDX via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: drwhimsy via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 3: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 4: cafemama via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 5: qousqous via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 6: Philosophographlux via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 7: Mark Stosberg via flickr under a Creative Commons license

Naked Bicycling Events

Donuts on Bikes

Beer by Bike

Pizza Delivery

Bike-Thru Window at Black Sheep Bakery, no Cars

Image Credit 1: Anomalily via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: Elly Blue via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 3: Elly Blue via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 4: chrispyworld via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 5: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license

Bike on Bike

Got a Package to Pick Up? Get It on Your Bike

Bike Delivery

From the photographer: “B-Line PDX is a new local business that is looking to change how Portland businesses deliver goods across town. They got two huge cargo bikes and the clients are already rolling in.”

Cool Cargo Bike

Dutch-Style Cargo Bike

More Cargo Bikes

Both of these for sale at a downtown bicycle shop, Portland Tricycles.

Cargo Bike in Snow

Cleaning Service by Bike

Recycling on Bike

Image Credit 1: gregraisman via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: gregraisman via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 3: timmycorkery via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 4: gabriel amadeus via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 5: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 6: NathanBackous via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 7: Mark Stosberg via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 8: Portland Pedalworks via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 9: Portland Pedalworks via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 10: npGREENWAY via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 11: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 12: Philosophographlux via flickr under a Creative Commons license

Off-Road Biking Safer for Bikes than Cars

“Until mountain biking came along, the bike scene was ruled by a small elite cadre of people who seemed allergic to enthusiasm.” ~Jacquie Phelan

If you liked this photo tour, you are sure to like the previous ones as well:

#4 Copenhagen (Denmark)
#5 Paris (France)
#6 Groningen (the Netherlands)
#7 Berlin (Germany)
#8 Barcelona (Spain)
#9 Bogota (Columbia)
#10 Basel (Switzerland)

And be sure not to miss the top two photo tours! Keep your eye on EcoWorldly or subscribe to its feed or email list to make sure you don’t miss them or other upcoming posts. Have something extra to add? Comment below!

Image Credit: BikePortland.org via flickr under a Creative Commons license

Green Options » bike racks