(Photos © J. Maus)
I’m just home from Sunday Parkways Southeast and would love to hear what you thought of it.
It was another huge turnout! Congrats to PBOT and all their volunteers and partners for yet another success. What struck me today were all the people in the crowds of bike riders who I never see on the bikeways. Where do they all come from?! Seems like our goal should be to fill our bikeways with these folks — young and old and every shape, size, and color you can imagine — every day of the week. When we do that, we’ll know we’re really getting somewhere.
While it was a big turnout, I don’t think today’s crowds were as large as the estimated 31,600 that took park in the North Portland edition back in June.
One of the highlights of my day was chatting with 19-year old Portland mayoral candidate Max Brumm. As we spoke, up rolled his competition, former City Commissioner (and streetcar founding father) Charlie Hales. Both were very cool about the impromptu meeting and Hales’ staffer even encouraged Brumm to mix it up at the upcoming debates.
Check out a few photos below (I didn’t shoot nearly as many as usual) and please chime in with your impressions of the event.
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It was hot today, but thankfully there was mist and water being sprayed all along the course…
Like I said, a pretty good crowd… But a record? I don’t think so…
Who says Xtracycles are the only way to carry kids?…
I ran into Ms. Elly Blue (of Grist, zine, and local bike and carfree advocacy fame) pulling her friend Joe Biel on a locally made, bamboo trailer. Biel is a filmmaker and he was lying down on the job…
This amazing, custom-made, dual drive tandem was made by Adam George (he also made the bamboo trailer above). Remember Adam’s name, he is a bike-making savant (also look for one of his creations in the October issue of Bicycling Magazine)…
Imagine bikeways filled with kids…
What did you see?
i did not attend. i had another commitment. :/
Dear spectators,
Please be careful about spraying riders with water. You could knock someone off their bike if they’re not expecting it.
I was not excited at all about the spots where I was sprayed by a hose, or where I had to ride through mist.
Not for the danger of knocking people off their bikes though. I never saw anyone using that sort of pressure.
Why would they? Is not much of a valid complaint, IMO.
But some people have things on their bag straps that are not hose/water compatible..
For that matter, some people just don’t like to be splashed.
Can you say “Recurring childhood trauma”?
I knew you could.
I am That Woman with the Parasol on Her Bike. It’s a paper parasol. Going through “mandatory” misters was not fun. No lasting damage this time, but paper parasols aren’t color-fast! 🙂
If they’re that easily knocked off their bikes, they probably shouldn’t be biking in a crowd to begin with just for the safety of everyone else.
I actually saw this happen during the ride, unfortunately. It didn’t really deter them from continuing to do it.
Misters are relatively minor interactions with water, especially when you have a choice as to whether or not to go under one, or have someone spray you. However, on Salmon, between 28th and 29th, some spectators were actively assaulting riders with modern squirt gun technology. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear someone was knocked off their bike at that location. As I approached, I overheard unhappy riders who had gone through and noticed others who were detouring around the block.
I saw a bunch of bamboo trailers. I love bike trailers of all shapes and sizes.
I volunteered for this and the North Portland edition. I’d have to agree the turn out was quite a bit better last time. Regardless, it seemed like everyone was having a lot of fun.
I saw a few pretty awesome musicians playing along the route. One of the coolest things I saw was set of bikes side by side inside of a roll cage. I caught them a couple times doing forward rolls only to land on the bike side again. I’m hoping one of the other photographers out there caught them actually doing the trick. I was only able to get the actual bike(s).
Hey Joshua,
That was the Hamster Ball… one of many great creations by local freak bike maker Zane Fisher and his crew … Here’s some video of it in action.
Excellent! Thanks Jon!
Max is not wearing his helmet properly. He may as well not be wearing one at all.
And a baseball cap under it no less. A cycling cap fits under there much better. 😉
Gotta love the bagpiper on a unicycle. So awesome.
What happened to the goats on Belmont & 11th? I stopped by this morning on my way to Sunday Parkways because I had to see this new SE Portland point of interest and yet there wasnt a single goat there. Hope they all werent stolen 😉
The goats are usually only there a short time. They help keep the grass and weeds under control, and they are rented to different jurisdictions as needed.
Thanks so much
Speakers of Mayors. We saw Sam at one of the many water “misters”. Had a great time. It being less crowded was nice, as we did a few U Turns to visit with friends going to other way. It was still crowded at the parks too, it was tough to get through Laurelhurst.
laurelhurst was TERRIBLE! also, lots of choke points on streets that had parking on both sides.
The hamster ball was awesome. My highlight was the margarita bar on the porch rail and all the bands that were playing for corner parties.
The best part for me was how smoothly everything went for the volunteers I worked with. They were all excellent, using prior SP skills to deal with situations as they came up. As SP matures, so do the volunteers with experience, and the overall effect is beneficial for all of us. Even the people driving their cars seemed to be (not too unhappily) resigned to the minor inconvenience of being rerouted. A paradigm shift!
Also would like to commend each and every musician that has ever or will ever play to the masses. If I believed in saints or angels, they’d be on the list!
The last few Sunday Parkways have been huge successes. I’d love to see the routes expanded to thin out the crowds a bit.
Best bike I saw all day was a DeSalvo commuter with a double top tube.
I think that bike belongs to Alta Planning staffer Steve Durrant.
Thanks Jonathan, and Tom. It’s a beautiful bike Mike DeSalvo made as a prototype for a production bike (he only does custom bikes). It turns heads every ride I take.
Jonathan, you must have missed the oddest tandem out there – it was a recumbent with one rider facing forward and the other backwards. Someone’s been tinkering…
If I’m not mistaken, that one was built by Adam George too. Or at least, he built one like that. He calls it the “Janus tandem.”
That would be known as a blind stoker…
The one rider facing backwards…
Nope, didn’t miss it at all, just didn’t mention it. An yes, that bike is also an Adam George creation…. and it will be in Bicycling Magazine October issue.
I had a great time bopth at the Hawthorne street Fair and riding my bike on the route. Loved the Buckman area streets and the old neighborhoods ! Very mellow ride & enjoyed the street music !
I do love the tandem combination of upright and ‘bent. Both riders can see (what a concept!) and the wheelbase is short. It can probably make U turns in two lane streets.
And for “How was it?” This is the first one I’ve volunteered at (beg often enough and I cave), and yes, it was fun. I rode four blocks for three hours.
Portland Recorder Orchestra, FTW!
My girl and I had a blast without helmets today. We loved all the fountains and water hoses along the path.
Portland Recorder Orchestra was awesome!
Might be moving to Portland soon.
🙁 I contacted BTA weeks ago to volunteer for this even and they never got back to me. I hope there is another one before it gets too cold.
NE PDX Sept 25th
The last one this summer is Sunday, September 25th in NE PDX: http://www.portlandsundayparkways.org/
You can easily sign up to volunteer here: http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=51516&a=358730
The BTA isn’t in charge of Sunday parkways, Jay; that’s probably why they didn’t get back to you. It’s organized by the Portland Department of Transportation. I see Kirk beat me to providing a link for information and volunteering.
http://www.portlandsundayparkways.org/
Had a great time overall. One issue I saw was older children riding unsafely or not wearing helmets. Had one kid, maybe 10 or 11, nearly push me into a van because he was riding with his feet up and weaving around; no parents in site. Am I evil for enjoying the site of him crashing half a block later?
Another family with 4 younger girls, all wearing their helmets on their handlebars. Several kids wearing helmets improperly, such that they would come off if they were to fall over. Does anyone do outreach at these events to educate parents?
The route this year came right down my street. So we set up a lemonade stand with our 5-year-old daughter. She made like ten bucks! (minus probably five for supplies) When the lemonade sold out we went down the block so she could treat herself and two friends to cupcakes from another roadside stand. It was the funnest block party our little block has ever seen. Easily the most amazing part was seeing our kid interact with so many smiling, good-natured people on bikes.
I got a $429.00 for running a yellow on a brakeless track bike. Screw PDX’s donut patrol
Whoops! Wouldn’t get a ticket riding it out at Alpenrose…
That’s what you get for riding a bike you seemingly cannot control.
My email to the organizers:
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We love the event, LOVE LOVE LOVE the water features, and got pretty over-hydrated trying to support all the budding entrepreneurs with lemonade stands. (Tip to parents: There’s an untapped market for ICED TEA, and for fresh lemonade made with real lemons.) My one request for improvement would be for a renewed effort to get parked cars off the route, especially at choke points like Oak near the crossing of 39th.
Agreed, it was amazing how much more navigable it was during those too infrequent stretches without parked cars. Imagine if the whole route could be like that.
Awesome day! Thanks to the organization and to all the volunteers. The only thing I would recommend is that I agree with the water comments. I was on skates and try to avoid getting those bearings wet (I also wear glasses). Try to keep it to one side so you can choose to go through. Also, those two, fortunately short, sections of concrete paving with large gravel embedded in it were very tough to skate. The bikers likely didn’t notice but I ended up on the sidewalks. Again, though, it was a great day.
Thanks for all the feedback, love and support. Great ideas and suggestions for us. Thanks.
I put up some photos from the parkways in case anyone is interested, including one brief video of the awesome Unicycling Piper: https://plus.google.com/photos/116267730054347200699/albums/5646061786858546353?hl=en
I think it would be interesting to hear from folks who used to participate in Parkways but now they don’t because it’s gotten “too crowded”.
Anyone? Just curious.
Not quite there yet, but I was not happy about my neighborhood streets being chocked with parked cars by people to wanted to drive as close as possible
my standard for Sunday Parkways is to roll out, do a lap and then leave as fast as I can with a group of friends for a detox at a bar somewhere. I didn’t even go to SE this year. Last minute decision, since the idea of weaving my way through throngs of people that don’t know how to share the road, unattended children, and crappy intersection enforcement by the PPD has made it increasingly harder to even want to show up to give it a glance.
That’s the spirit!
Beth I definitely have avoided Sunday Parkways this year. I have either volunteered or had to work a booth for every single event since it began in 2008. That association along with the monumental crowds has completely turned me off to Sunday Parkways. Note: people often DRIVE their bikes from far-flung areas to experience this quaint old form of transportation called cycling, then DRIVE back to their suburban life only to return next year,..this doesn’t impress me, nor change anything in our environment for the better. I would rather have the money it takes to put on this event go to improving many dangerous intersections and streets (removing parked cars on many “bike-friendly” streets) I have to ride every day.
While the driving your bike to Sunday Parkways is kind of a throwback to the 20th Century–some might even say a misunderstanding of the spirit of the event–I will say that offering family members from out of town the experience of mixing it up with the two-wheeled tribes in the inner SE has its place. My relatives were in town anyway. We loaned them bikes. They had a great time.
But don’t despair. The day will come when everyday is Sunday Parkways. Since 1999, the number of 14-17 year olds getting drivers licenses in Multnomah Co. has dropped by 32%? The next bracket up (18-21 yrs old) has dropped by 18%! Who knew that our youth were leading the way?
I’m not one of those…
…but I wouldn’t brave the Sunday Parkways routes by any method slower than a bike, i.e. feet, skates strollers, as far too many bikes are moving at regular biking speed.
The event is intended for families, and that includes little kids riding in a less disciplined manner, and anyone who might not react predictably to a dinging bike bell.
I’d love to see the intersection superheroes waving signs and calling out to remind bikes to go slow.
Otherwise, we may soon be asking the city for an entirely new event called Bike-free Sunday Parkways>/b>.
I would place good money on the fact if we had more traffic diverters on our bikeways, the sort of people you see in the photographs accompanying this article would get out and ride their bikes more. If you want to get “the young, and old and every shape, size, and color you can imagine…” out onto our bikeways, you have to remove the car traffic. Not slow it. REMOVE IT. I think Sunday Parkways makes my point very well.
Brian —
I agree.
But. There are more in every year. In stark contrast to 30 months ago when PBOT said they did not support diverters and had no plans to build any more.
They’re putting in a diverter at Going and NE 15th this month. At least there’s fresh pavement markings on the street and new “no left turn” signs for vehicles on NE 15th, so it looks promising.
If we want to see more diverters, make sure you ask for them. You can send in a general note of support to PBOT’s neighborhood greenway program (email Mark Lear?), or, when there’s a greenway going in near your house, go to the open houses, bring your friends, and tell them how you think diverters are important to making the greenways a total success for all users.
(I’ve spoken up or left written comments in favor of diverters at the open houses for NE Holman, NE Klickitat, and the Going to the River open houses.)
Ted Buehler
I went to one of the public meetings on the NE 50s bikeway, and it’s pretty clear why we don’t have more:
1. Cost. It’s a lot cheaper to slap some sharrows on the road. The only seem to be interested in installing diverters if there is a clear need.
2. Community opposition. Even though it would greatly reduce cut-through traffic, some neighbors were against the diverters, because it would cost them a few minutes on their commute
3. Emergency services. Several of the diverter ideas on NE 53rd were killed by the fire department. It limits access to the street for them, and they could care less about bikes.
really enjoyed it..my first group ride. I know it is a family event, but did have to brake hard a couple of times when young children cut me off …parents: train your kids a bit before you turn them loose in a crowded situation like that …for every body’s safety.
OBTW..I was never over 6-8 mph (except that downhill by Laurelhurst Park)
I had a great time.
The Bike Temple took the day off, so for the first time since June 2009 I wasn’t busy hosting a corner.
I rode the loop 1-1/2 times meeting up with different friends along the way.
PBOT has really outdone themselves with Sunday Parkways. I am so amazed at how many people are out, especially families with tiny kids. The most impressive were the ones that had both kids’ bikes and trailers, so the kids could pedal until their were tired, then attach the kids’ bikes to the trailer, put the kid in the trailer, and pedal off.
I saw a woman climbing the Ankeny Hill with a bakfeit, with 2 kids in the front cargo bin, one kid riding on the rack, and one kids’ bike hitched on to the back of the rig. Way to go moms!
I look forward to seeing how the children of Portland’s 1000s of bikey families grow up and rock the world.
It wouldn’t be happening without Sunday Parkways.
Ted Buehler