Bike Talk For A Better World
For some people in the Pacific Northwest, BP and AP are like personal epochs. Life “AP” (After Portland), means a whole new way of understanding the world – an understanding that was inconceivable “BP” (Before Portland). Jonathan Maus, founder of Bike Portland.org, is one of those people. He explained how moving to the bridge city completely changed the way he thought about things – specifically about bikes and biking:
“Coming from California, I was blown away. It was just the level of intelligence and thinking around using bicycles as transportation, and some of the ways they were using fun as a way to get people excited about riding. One of the first rides I remember hearing about was the Bunny on a Bike ride: people dressed up as bunnies and rode around. Where I came from, before Portland, you would never think about doing something like that.”
Maus was so taken with the Portland bike scene that he started a blog hosted by the Oregon newspaper Bike Fun. Before long, there were so many stories to tell that Bike Fun gave way to something more serious: Bikeportland.org was born.
Bikeportland.org is more than a blog. Maus brings a commitment to news that takes the site beyond nearly every other independent cycling site on the Internet. Maus says that Bikeportland.org is “...really more akin to a news magazine. Most of the stories are original stories. I do a lot of original reporting: I don’t just rehash something I see floating around the web.”
Meticulous craft and dedication are not the only things that set Bikeportland.org apart. More apparent to a casual visitor is the all-encompassing nature of the site. There are posts about bike activism, bike business, bike racing, and if anyone were to think the spirit of spontaneous bike fun that started it all is left behind, postings such as the “Volcano Clown Bike Wedding Photo Set” should set them straight.
Bikeportland.org’s diversity means it often transcends a limited focus on cycling to touch issues that affect the life of the city as a whole. According to Maus,
“It’s happening often. We’ve touched on things like youth violence, racism, gentrification, and the role of police. It really transcends regular bike talk and that’s what’s drawn a lot of people in. It’s not just talking about bikes and equipment, and the experience of cycling. It relates the lifestyle and the life on a bicycle to some bigger issues.”
A good example is a recent post in which Portland resident Olivia Rebanal recounted a harrowing experience of cyclist apathy after a trail-a-bike carrying her daughter came loose during a ride. She wrote,
For some reason no one stopped to help: in the middle of the Esplanade, while bikers of all sorts zipped passed us from every direction. Bikers in lycra, bikers in khakis - no one was stopping to help a mother, her bleeding child, and her crying second child. I shouted at the Willamette River: “WHY IS NO ONE STOPPING FOR US?”
Within hours of the report appearing on Bikeportland.org, there were more than 50 responses. Some offered support, some offered advice, and some pledged to work to overcome the fear and indifference that cause people to ignore others in distress.
The best thing about Bikeportland.org is the way it brings people together and gives them the connections to make a better world. Maus says that,
“One thing the site does is educate people – the average level of knowledge around these topics has gone up a lot, because they see all these different perspectives. There’s a high level of awareness and intelligence about bike-related topics, and that’s a pretty important thing.”
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