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May we have some more?

The Oregonian
When Portland unveiled, with great fanfare, the Eastbank Esplanade in 2001, we took the opportunity to comment upon its cost: $419 per inch. Our prose ranged from the snide to the snarky, tones, if we may say so ourselves, in which we are rather well-versed.
Now, as the city gears up to spend yet another small fortune on yet another of these touchy-feely trails — this time along Sullivan’s Gulch — we’d like to revisit the issue and restate our position.
We were wrong.
With a nod to Oliver Twist, we’d even like to add this: "Please, sir, may we have some more?"
…
That $419-per-inch investment — more than $30 million — that we made on the Eastbank Esplanade was the catalyst for much of the redevelopment of Portland’s inner east side. The next series of trails promises similar jolts of economic energy to neighborhoods too long left feeling disconnected from the city’s core. Amsterdam spends about $36 per citizen a year on its bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure. Portland spends about $2 a person, per year. We have, in other words, only just begun.
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Adopt a bike program

I am putting out a call to folks who might be interested in helping us "tune up" some of the bicycles we received from the Police Department this week as replacements for those that were stolen last week. Velocipede has agreed to host a work time so that we can use their tools. I am also suggesting that some of you might want to take a bike home with you and work on it on your own time. 30 bikes were stolen and right now we have about 14 working bikes. We had a line of folks last Wednesday evening waiting to ride.

Please let me know if anyone is interested either in meeting at Velocipede (on Lanvale near the Charles Theater) or taking a bike home. And, please send this out to anyone not on this list who might be interested.

Students can use this as community service hours.

Thanks
Anne

Anne Draddy
Baltimore City Recreation and Parks

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Raleigh America Recalls Bicycles; Forks Can Break Causing Loss of Control

Name of Products: 2007 Raleigh Cadent Bicycles with Carbonage Carbon Forks
Hazard: The forks can break during normal use, causing the rider to lose control, fall and suffer serious injuries.
Description: The recall involves the 2007 Raleigh Cadent 1.0, Cadent 2.0 and Cadent Carbon bicycle models with carbon forks.
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Ride Around the Reservoir needs help

The bikes that were being rented (or loaned for free) for a ride around the reservoir were all stolen and not one bike is left. The police are giving the park a bunch of bikes that will need to be tuned for that days rides. Meeting time: 10:30 AM and place by the tennis courts near the reservoir. So if you can come out to Druid Hill Park sometime in the AM Wednesday to help out it would be very much appreciated. Contact anne.draddy@baltimorecity.gov if you can help.

Request #2
Assuming we get some bikes together the Wednesday evening ride really can use some people just to keep an eye on things by just riding around the reservoir and being helpful from time to time. Just show up anytime between 6 and 7:30 on Wednesdays and do as many or as few laps as you would like, it really can make a difference.

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Bombardier to refurbish MARC push-pull cars

July 20, 2007

Bombardier Transportation announced today that it has won a $14 million contract with the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) for the refurbishment and overhaul of 34 MARC IIB push-pull commuter cars. Work will cover the car body, trucks, HVAC, brakes, door controls, and other systems and components. The project will also include addition of new bike racks. Work will be carried out at Bombardier’s overhaul facilities in Kanona, N.Y. The cars will be returned to service by 2010.
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