Seeking People excited about alternative tranportation & biking in Portland to update OS Bridge Wiki

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Faddah Steve Yuetsu Wolf

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Jun 9, 2011, 8:52:51 PM6/9/11
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Hello Folks,


We're looking for some motivated volunteers to contribute more information to the transportation section of our wiki for folks attending the conference from out of town. http://opensourcebridge.org/2011/wiki/Main_Page


There's a page now on the wiki called “Getting Around Portland,” which doesn't point to much right now, and we could really use your help. http://opensourcebridge.org/2011/wiki/Getting_Around_Portland


We would like to see this expanded to include more links, like bike culture and Tri-Met, the various mobile apps for public transit and traffic or GPS guides, the tourist info center at Pioneer courthouse square, Zipcar, and any other alternative means of transport championed in our city.


People who are alternative transportation advocates are encouraged to take point and contribute to this. If you're active in groups like Shift, BTA, Sprockets, etc., please contribute that info to these wiki links. Also, as our conference coincides with the last week of Pedalpalooza, it might be good to mention some of those links, their calendar and the rides.


If you're interested, let us know you're working on it and contributing so we can coordinate efforts efficiently. And thank you for contributing and helping make the experience of our traveling Open Source Bridge guests a great one.


Thank you.


Sincerely,


—  Faddah Wolf

   Volunteer with Open Source Bridge

   Hacker Lounge & Logisitics Assistant

   Open Source Bridge - June 21 - 24, 2011 @ The Eliot Center

   http://opensourcebridge.org/

   yue...@me.com

   (503) 449-0531 - iPhone

   @yuetsu on twitter



M. Edward (Ed) Borasky

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Jun 10, 2011, 2:29:05 AM6/10/11
to osbr...@googlegroups.com, Faddah Steve Yuetsu Wolf
I don't know about iPhones or iPads, but on a "regular" PC in a
browser Google Maps is well integrated with Tri-Met, bicycling and
even walking directions. The same is true on most Android phones /
tablets if you have Google Maps installed.

The down side is that most of this magic is totally inoperable for
C-Tran - there you have to go to the C-Tran web site and search, read
PDFs, etc.

I'll pass this on to Michael Anderson of Portland Afoot and see if he
has any suggestions beyond Google.

http://portlandafoot.org/


--
http://twitter.com/znmeb http://borasky-research.net

"A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems." -- Paul
Erdos

M. Edward (Ed) Borasky

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Jun 10, 2011, 2:44:15 AM6/10/11
to osbr...@googlegroups.com, Faddah Steve Yuetsu Wolf
I don't know about iPhones or iPads, but on a "regular" PC in a
browser Google Maps is well integrated with Tri-Met, has bicycling and
even walking directions in addition to driving directions. The same is
true on most Android phones / tablets if you have Google Maps installed.

The down side is that most of this magic is totally inoperable for
C-Tran - there you have to go to the C-Tran web site and search, read
PDFs, etc.

I've added what I know to the wiki page. I'll pass this on to Michael

Anderson of Portland Afoot and see if he has any suggestions beyond
Google.

http://portlandafoot.org/

"A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems." -- Paul
Erdos


Quoting Faddah Steve Yuetsu Wolf <faddah...@gmail.com>:

Teresa Boze

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Jun 10, 2011, 12:48:11 PM6/10/11
to osbr...@googlegroups.com, mic...@portlandafoot.org, jona...@bikeportland.org, b...@portlandoregon.gov
Hi All,


What about having bikes on site for OSBridge attendees as loaners or rentals?  

Could bike providers be portable enough to do this? There was at one time a food-cart style set up of a bike touring company behind the community center ( houses Portland Impact, and Aging and Disability Office) on Belmont and about 45th Ave. But we have others with small inventories as well. 

Are we agile enough?

In fact, this transportation, tourist, and sustainable  resource should be available for all  conventions and similar events, even if it isn't yellow bikes. This would make a good case ad hoc case study to use this conference of this group, who understands case studies, appreciates sustainable, and is representative of progressive Portland by nature

I know I am reaching again, but sometimes it does connect. #bread #water #castupon

Thanks!


Best,

Teresa

Concept | Connections, NW

503. 664.4896 twitter: @PDXsays

"Hacker: Any person who derives joy from discovering ways to circumvent limitations." Robert Bickford

Sheeri K. Cabral

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Jun 10, 2011, 2:03:24 PM6/10/11
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My LBS (local bike store) stopped renting bikes due to liability issues causing their insurance to go sky-high and they were actually losing $$ on rentals.  Both the conference and the bike provider *might* be held liable by people using the bikes.....I wonder if that's what happened to the bike touring company?

I've seen Segway tours for tourists, but that doesn't really help the sustainable part.....but it's better than a car!

-Sheeri
--
- Sheeri K. Cabral

http://tinyurl.com/mysqlbook will take you to the Amazon.com page for my book, "MySQL Administrator's Bible".

Teresa Boze

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Jun 10, 2011, 2:31:06 PM6/10/11
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Has anyone heard of the Big Pink Trolley tour of Portland? It has gotten huge press in the last three or so weeks. 

Big Pink Sightseeing Trolley Tours  A hop-on, hop-off tour that offers sightseers an easy way to see the city’s major, mainstream attractions. One dollar from each ticket will go to breast cancer research, thus the pink.  The route begins at Pioneer Courthouse Square and visits, among other stops, the South Park Blocks, the Oregon Zoo, the Chinese Garden, RiverPlace, OMSI and Salmon Springs. The trolleys run from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and serve each stop every half hour, thus the loop needs to be as geographically compact as possible. Cost is $24 a person. Telephone (503) 241-7474.


http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/anna_griffin/index.ssf/2011/06/portland_tourists_get_another.html

Troy Howard

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Jun 10, 2011, 5:05:19 PM6/10/11
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Teresa, 

I really liked this idea, so I contacted a local bike rental place to see what they had to say. The one I contacted is Oregon Bicycle Tours ( http://www.portlandbicycletours.com/ ), and I chose them because they are one of the closest rental places to the site (in Old Town on 3rd and Everett), and because they are one of the cheapest rental places in the area. 

I asked about either setting up on site or just delivering bikes to the site if we prearrange. The later seemed better. Here's the response from them, verbatim:

"Hey Troy, 
thanks for the message. We have a van and trailer and can deliver bikes based on prior arrangements. If there is a registration list you could email out the rental information and we can see if there are enough participants interested in reserving. Then we could get their height and size of bike needed so we know what to bring. Helmets and locks come free with all rentals and we have single and multi day rates. Participants could either keep the bike until a specific pick up time or return them to the shop during regular hours. Let me know your thoughts. thanks - Evan"

and about the rates, here's the relevant section from their website: 

"Day Rates are from 10 am – 6 pm. Bikes can be kept overnight for an additional $10 fee. Overnight fee included in all multi-day rates.

Single Speeds:
(cruisers, single speed road bikes)

$5 per hour/  $20 per day/  $80 per week

Multi-speeds:
(hybrids, 10 speed road bikes, 5 speed commuters)

$10 per hour/  $30 per day/  $100 per week

Other Gear
(kid/ cargo trailers, tag-alongs, panniers, etc…)

$15 per day – price breaks for multi- day rental
"

Thanks,
Troy

kirby urner

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Jun 10, 2011, 5:19:32 PM6/10/11
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For those of you grabbing bikes, be aware of Rose Parade and its implications (locals will inform you).

Along those lines...


Gary Snyder the famous poet is speaking at Reed College tonight (100th Centennial)... wish I could be there but there's just too much fun happening.

Hope to see ya'll next week when I get back from Minneapolis.  Enjoy the naked bike ride without me (like 12K people last year).

Kirby

( PSF / PPUG / Python / O'Reilly School of Technology )

Teresa Boze

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Jun 10, 2011, 5:34:35 PM6/10/11
to osbr...@googlegroups.com, faddah...@gmail.com, thow...@gmail.com, michael
This looks awesome Troy!

Faddah - What do we need to do to make it so?

chris (fool) mccraw

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Jun 10, 2011, 5:50:27 PM6/10/11
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just fyi, i work with evan at oregon bicycle rentals and he is a great
guy whose prices undercut most others in town but his stuff is in
great shape. you won't regret working with him.

while he can deliver if you guys make up a list, it is a short walk
from the CC to his shop and due to the variety of bike types available
it is definitely superior to send folks over there so they can get
exactly the right bike. does require a modest amount of motivation,
but it's a lot easier to organize: "walk over here when you have time,
come away with a bike, which you can return the same way."

Teresa Boze

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Jun 10, 2011, 5:57:15 PM6/10/11
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Still Awesome!

Best,

Teresa

Concept | Connections, NW

503. 664.4896 twitter: @PDXsays

"Hacker: Any person who derives joy from discovering ways to circumvent limitations." Robert Bickford

Still Awesome!

Troy Howard

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Jun 10, 2011, 6:12:43 PM6/10/11
to chris (fool) mccraw, osbr...@googlegroups.com, faddah...@gmail.com, michael
We could probably do both -- Arrange a delivery for the those who want to pre-order, and for those who would prefer to select their own, or didn't pre-order, arrange a mob walk over to the store. 

While it is only a short walk (about 19 blocks and all downhill), it might be more than someone could easily navigate on foot, by themselves. In a group it shouldn't be too difficult. We could arrange a time to collect and walk over. 

Thanks,
Troy

On Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 2:50 PM, chris (fool) mccraw <gen...@gmail.com> wrote:

chris (fool) mccraw

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Jun 10, 2011, 6:43:55 PM6/10/11
to osbr...@googlegroups.com
On Thu, Jun 9, 2011 at 17:52, Faddah Steve Yuetsu Wolf
<faddah...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello Folks,
>
> We're looking for some motivated volunteers to contribute more information
> to the transportation section of our wiki for folks attending the conference
> from out of town. http://opensourcebridge.org/2011/wiki/Main_Page
>
> There's a page now on the wiki called “Getting Around Portland,” which
> doesn't point to much right now, and we could really use your
> help. http://opensourcebridge.org/2011/wiki/Getting_Around_Portland
>
> We would like to see this expanded to include more links, like bike culture
> and Tri-Met, the various mobile apps for public transit and traffic or GPS
> guides, the tourist info center at Pioneer courthouse square, Zipcar, and
> any other alternative means of transport championed in our city.
>
> People who are alternative transportation advocates are encouraged to take
> point and contribute to this. If you're active in groups like Shift, BTA,
> Sprockets, etc., please contribute that info to these wiki links. Also, as
> our conference coincides with the last week of Pedalpalooza, it might be
> good to mention some of those links, their calendar and the rides.
>
> If you're interested, let us know you're working on it and contributing so
> we can coordinate efforts efficiently. And thank you for contributing and
> helping make the experience of our traveling Open Source Bridge guests a
> great one.

hey faddah,

i did a 15-minute edit on the wiki. if you were clever, you'd head
down to the portland building and up to the pbot bike office and pick
up a stack of their free maps. they have city-wide bike maps that
fold up to credit card size, as well as larger-scale maps of the
convention-center/downtown area that would be handy to provide to
folks. did i mention they are free for the asking?

then you could mention them in the wiki. i didn't do it because i
don't have time to make a delivery run =)

Christie Koehler

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Jun 10, 2011, 6:56:47 PM6/10/11
to osbr...@googlegroups.com
On Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 3:12 PM, Troy Howard <thow...@gmail.com> wrote:
> We could probably do both -- Arrange a delivery for the those who want to
> pre-order, and for those who would prefer to select their own, or didn't
> pre-order, arrange a mob walk over to the store.

Thanks everyone for your ideas, and thanks Troy for doing a bit of research.

We haven't had a large demand for bike rentals in either of the
previous two years, so we're not going to spend resources trying to
facilitate pre-orders. However, I would love to see this info added to
the wiki. And, if someone wants to step up and volunteer to be the
lead on facilitating bike rentals during the conference, let me know.
We can then direct anyone who needs help with this to you.

Thanks,
Christie

--
Christie Koehler, Software Engineer
(503) 928-4133 | christi...@gmail.com | @christiekoehler

Legion of Tech | Open Source Bridge | Code 'n' Splode
http://www.google.com/profiles/christiekoehler

Celebrate peace. Celebrate non-violence. Go vegan.

Marcela Musgrove

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Jun 12, 2011, 4:40:52 PM6/12/11
to osbr...@googlegroups.com, faddah...@gmail.com, thow...@gmail.com, michael
>
> while he can deliver if you guys make up a list, it is a short walk
> from the CC to his shop and due to the variety of bike types available
> it is definitely superior to send folks over there so they can get
> exactly the right bike.  does require a modest amount of motivation,
> but it's a lot easier to organize: "walk over here when you have time,
> come away with a bike, which you can return the same way."

Not sure if this was a typo, but the conference isn't at the
convention center. The public transit suggestions at eliot center's
web site aren't entirely clear since they say streetcar stop is 10th
and jefferson though they mean the art museum stop.
http://eliotcenterportland.org/contact/directions-a-parking
Definitely within the free downtown transit zone.

And Rose Festival should be over by then.
Google maps is generally well-integrated with iphone as well.

Marccela

Faddah Steve Yuetsu Wolf

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Jun 12, 2011, 5:53:12 PM6/12/11
to Marcela Musgrove, osbr...@googlegroups.com, thow...@gmail.com, michael

thank you for catching that and pointing it out, marcela. you can go ahead and make these edits/changes yourself to the wiki. just create an account on the wiki if you haven't already done so, log-in on that page, and feel free to make these coreections. anyone can edit the wiki for updates and accuracy. that's why it's a wiki. ;o)))

— faddah

Marcela Musgrove

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Jun 12, 2011, 6:23:08 PM6/12/11
to Faddah Steve Yuetsu Wolf, osbr...@googlegroups.com, thow...@gmail.com, michael
Thanks, just wanted to make sure I had the dates and directions right too :)

I added some stuff though I noticed the attendee page had some
incomplete info about transit that would be nice to edit or at least
give the link to our page for--can we edit that too?

Faddah Steve Yuetsu Wolf

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Jun 12, 2011, 7:18:15 PM6/12/11
to osbr...@googlegroups.com, Faddah Steve Yuetsu Wolf, thow...@gmail.com, michael
marcela,

which attendee page are you referring to? could you please provide a link?

yours,

—  faddah

Faddah Steve Yuetsu Wolf

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Jun 12, 2011, 7:43:58 PM6/12/11
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hi, sorry i'm just coming back to the thread now. i just want to say: what christie said.  ;o)))

as to these bike rental services — i'm sorry if i got it wrong in private communication that troy was a volunteer calling around for quotes, not a vendor of bike rentals. sorry, but the messages were hard to parse and not too clear in the way they were forwarded to me.

that said, teresa, troy & chris, there is nothing that i, as another volunteer, nor anyone on the core team needs to do to help any of you "make this happen." if you wish to have this information available to attendees, please post it to the wiki page previously mentioned —> http://opensourcebridge.org/2011/wiki/Getting_Around_Portland . the "ad hoc" part of it wil be if attendees read that info on bike rentals and wish to use that service, they can contact the vendor themselves.

for those thus far who have contributed to this part of the wiki — i thank you greatly. your open source citizenship is much appreciate.

yours,

—  faddah
     
     REMEMBER: SERVICE GUARANTEES CITIZENSHIP!
                                         —  Starship Troopers

kirby urner

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Jun 10, 2011, 7:07:47 PM6/10/11
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Just in case not yet mentioned:

we're in the middle of Pedal Palooza, a 3-week festival of crazy bike rides, many in costume and/or featuring specific music.

To find out about these, look for the insert in the current issue of Mercury, free in sidewalk dispensers, other establishments.

Some Prince vs. David Bowie bike ride tonight... just to take one example.

Kirby

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