Help get me out of a city where people think bikes are speed bumps for cars...

[damesansmerci]

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

First find a job, then ask the question related to where your job is. Portland is a big city and the metro area stretches for 40 miles. Rude bikers are treated the same here as any other city. In Oregon Bikes are considered a vehicle and must obey all traffic rules .... Including impeding other traffic. The less you pay per month, the more dangerous the area is. All of your other questions have been answered dozens of times, and a simple search will fill your screen with answers. Who do you want to network with? Who do you socialize with?

I apologize; my questions are very general.
I live in a city which is not bike friendly--that's all I meant to convey in the subject line.

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by damesansmerci

I apologize; my questions are very general.
I live in a city which is not bike friendly--that's all I meant to convey in the subject line.

Portland and Eugene are very bike friendly.

[bler144]

On the whole I'd say Eugene is bike-friendlier as a function of scale (and the ability to bring bikes on any public transportation), even if biking around the UO can be hazardous. But you can get pretty much anywhere from anywhere via bike/bus pretty dependably year-round.

Portland has put more effort/$$ into adding bike lanes and such, on the other hand, you'll need to be much more conscious of living somewhere that's actually within biking distance to where you work.

For the vast majority of the city, if you're commuting by bike it will be on roads. I'd say the major bike path that could potentially be part of a commute would be the Springwater trail corridor on the east side: Find A Park/Facility | The City of Portland, Oregon.

A lot of the other bike paths (like the Marine Drive path: Marine Drive Bike Path - Ride Oregon Ride) are unlikely to coincide with any actual commute, but make for a nice stretch to exercise on.

[GeekOfTheOzarks]

As a former biker I'm going to share my personal experience ... Portland population and traffic are growing quickly while the available streets are not. You'll find yourself sharing the streets with more and more vehicles as time goes on. Not necessarily a bad thing as I'm sure Portland has a way to go before it gets anywhere near the density of say New York City, but as a biker you will be expected to keep up or you will soon be road rash. Bikers (and former bikers) have plenty of empathy for others on two wheels, non-bikers seem to have none. You'll find the city has two distinct personalities regarding this subject and you will most definitely feel that vibe as you ride around the city. You'll need to harden your 'tude and sharpen your riding skills if you want to ride without a great deal of stress. I finally gave it up after 5 years of increasing hostilities from angry non-bikers. I believe that Portland is doing everything it can to make the city more compatible with bike traffic but the biggest problem is that too many taxpayers are against spending the kind of money needed to truly make Portland bike-friendly. The resulting compromise may be better than many other cities but still far from perfect. The previous is about riding on the streets ... the region has tons of paths that do not allow 4 wheels ... if you're a weekend biker you will love what Portland has to offer for casual biking.

[GeekOfTheOzarks]

As far as finding living arrangements I would suggest looking for a short-term roommate situation on Craigslist if you can handle it and then with the help of your roommates do a little exploring before deciding on something more permanent. Leases are expensive and 12 months is a long time to live somewhere that's not where you really want to be.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by damesansmerci

...
I am relocating to PDX from the midwest ...Help get me out of a city where people think bikes are speed bumps for cars..!

Stop by Boulder, CO on your way west and you will probably find a better biking home.

I have biked extensively, but now a previous biker in PNW, as per earlier post.

Colorado roads are wider, lighting better, bike friendly rules are strict, drivers are 'bike-aware', and hard to beat 300+ days of sunshine.

[Challenger76]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Even in Portland, you stand a good chance of becoming a speed bump if you are one of the bikers who insist upon riding in the middle of the traffic lanes and refuse to use the bike lanes.

I just got in town to visit my brother last week and I can not believe the death wish the peds and cyclists have here. No offense to the locals, if this is the way things are done here, but I was always taught to look both ways and let the cars go...then cross. People here walk right out in front of traffic even when they don't have the "walk" signal! Sorry, not trying to hijack this thread just still in shock.

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by Challenger76

I just got in town to visit my brother last week and I can not believe the death wish the peds and cyclists have here. No offense to the locals, if this is the way things are done here, but I was always taught to look both ways and let the cars go...then cross. People here walk right out in front of traffic even when they don't have the "walk" signal! Sorry, not trying to hijack this thread just still in shock.

In Portland the pedestrian is king, those in cars need to drive slowly and be extra aware when driving in areas with pedestrians. Though this is more noticeable in areas in and around downtown than other parts of the city.

[Challenger76]

Originally Posted by urbanlife78

In Portland the pedestrian is king, those in cars need to drive slowly and be extra aware when driving in areas with pedestrians. Though this is more noticeable in areas in and around downtown than other parts of the city.

I like that, just not used to cars stopping to let me cross lol. It's nice and refreshing actually. Back east the cars actually speed up!

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by Challenger76

I like that, just not used to cars stopping to let me cross lol. It's nice and refreshing actually. Back east the cars actually speed up!

I know, the streets we have to cross to get to the train every day is a pain because no one yields to pedestrians here so some mornings you have to run across the road in order to not get hit. I miss living in a place where drivers actually yield when someone is crossing the street.