Rendering from PBAC memo: “Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee Recommended Pathway on West Side of West Replacement Bridge (Looking North)”

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee (PBAC, see list of members below) for the Columbia River Crossing project has released a 13-page memo that outlines their recommendations related to bridge design options and details their requirements [...]

Rollin’ on the Esplanade.(Photos © J. Maus)

Yesterday, after the final day of programs at the Carfree Conference, I took a ride on the riverfront with Gil Penalosa (we were joined by Ian Stude, transportation options coordinator at Portland State University).
Penalosa was Bogota, Colombia’s parks commissioner when that city underwent a massive urban transformation and he [...]

The Portland Business Alliance has just released their 2007 Downtown Portland Business Census and Survey and the results show a 20% rise in the number of people who commute by bike.
The survey — which included businesses, government entities and non-profit organizations — found that 6% of downtown employees got to work by bike (last year, [...]

“In my view, the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) debate is less about building a bridge and more about debating a right-sized project that is multi-modal, that won’t bankrupt our transportation funds, and won’t promote sprawl by increasing auto use. In addition, for cyclists, it’s about creating a world-class bicycle and pedestrian facility.”
That’s the opening paragraph [...]

Riders test a new bike lane configuration through the Rose Quarter Transit Center.(Photos © J. Maus)

This morning I stopped by TriMet’s test of new bike access options through the Rose Quarter Transit Center this morning.
When I rolled up I was greeted by City of Portland bike coordinator Roger Geller and TriMet’s manager of capital projects [...]

“We will urge City Council not to write a blank check for a project that doesn’t meet the criteria we believe any new bridge should meet.”–Planning Commission member Catherine Ciarlo

The nine-member Portland Planning Commission met last night to draw up their recommendations to Portland City Council on the $4.2 billion Columbia River Crossing project. [...]

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) has just issued a press release stating their latest position on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) of the Columbia River Crossing project.
In the statement, the BTA says that “after extensive internal discussions and conversations with supporters and opponents” of the project, they feel that a new bridge is needed [...]

Sign at entrance to Rose Quarter Transit Center.(Photo © J. Maus)

The Rose Quarter Transit Center has long been a barrier to bikes. But now TriMet, the City of Portland and the BTA are teaming up to test new options intended to “find a safe and reliable” way for bikes to get through the transit [...]

[NOTE: Read the comments below this article for thoughts and perspectives from readers that attended the hearing.]

The Metro Council faces a packed room for an important hearing on the CRC project.(Photos © J. Maus)

A packed crowd has assembled at Metro Headquarters in northeast Portland for a public hearing on the Columbia River Crossing project.
Over [...]

Looking north on N. Mississippi Ave. at N. Graham.(Photos © J. Maus)

The City of Portland plans to re-stripe N. Mississippi Avenue to make room for a new bike lane in the northbound (uphill) direction.
According to a source at PDOT, the new lane will be six feet wide and will grow to seven feet at the [...]

Advocacy group SWTrails wants to create conditions like this in Southwest Portland.(Photos © J. Maus)

Proclaiming that, “Southwest Portland wants to be Platinum too,” SWTrails has released their latest list of “immediate actions” and recommendations for bikeway improvements in their part of the city.
SWTrails has worked with Southwest Portland residents and the City of Portland Office [...]

As part of an ongoing effort to renovate and improve the Bryant Street Pedestrian/Bike Bridge, the span will be temporarily closed while City of Portland and ODOT crews complete some repaving work.
According to the Piedmont Neighborhood, the bridge will be closed from June 9-11 and they recommend crossing over I-5 via Portland Blvd/Rosa Parks Way [...]

Heading to Vancouver will be getting easier.(Photos © J. Maus)

If you’ve ever tried to navigate across the I-5 bridge from Portland to Vancouver (or vice versa) you know that it’s not for the faint of heart.
With a disorienting combination of sidewalks, a freeway on-ramp and off-ramp, and several high-speed streets that access hotels and the [...]

Poster on display at the recent CRC public hearing in Portland.Click to enlarge(Photo © J. Maus)

The Columbia River Crossing project is set for some major decision points in the next few weeks.
Metro, the Portland Planning Commission, and the Portland City Council will make their decisions on what should be the Locally Preferred Alternative [...]

Denied.Download letter (945k, PDF)

A request by a coalition of 13 advocacy groups that sought an extension to the comment period on the Draft Environment Impact Statement of the Columbia River Crossing project has been denied.
In a letter (download PDF here) from the U.S. Department of Transportation, to Tom Buechele of the Pacific Environmental Advocacy Group [...]

OPB’s Think Out Loud show is discussing the Columbia River Crossing project this morning (9-10am).
They’ll have guest experts from all perspectives on the controversial project and they’ll also take questions from callers and commenters on their website.
You can listen live, wait for the re-broadcast tonight at 9:00pm, or check the show website for an MP3 [...]

Greg Raisman wants to make the bike corrals on SE Belmont a bit more pleasing to the eye.(Photos © J. Maus)

By the end of this summer, sculpted sunflowers will adorn the on-street bike parking (PDOT calls them “bike corrals”) on Belmont Street.
The project is community-wide effort being spearheaded by Greg Raisman, a Sunnyside neighborhood resident [...]

(All photos © J. Maus)

The Columbia River Crossing project — A $4.2 billion plan to improve safety and relieve congestion on I-5 between Portland and Vancouver — continues to hit speed bumps.
On Friday, a coalition of 13 groups issued a press release calling for a 60-day extension to the official comment period currently [...]

Below is the official press release…

Thirteen Organizations Request More Time to Comment on Columbia River Crossing
(Portland, OR) On May 21, 2008, thirteen organizations requested 60 additional days to comment on the plan to replace and expand the I-5 bridge over the Columbia River.
The organizations made the request because the public needs more time [...]

Current bike access on I-84 over the Sandy River is not so great.(Photo © J. Maus)

A special unit within the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) — formed to manage their $3 billion Oregon Transportation Investment Act (OTIA) State Bridge Delivery Program — is moving forward on a project to replace the I-84 highway bridges over [...]

The City of Portland is moving forward with their plans to build a new bike and pedestrian bridge over I-5 that will connect the Lair Hill neighborhood with the South Waterfront district near the Aerial Tram.

One of the concepts drawn up for the new Gibbs Street bike/ped bridge.

Project manager Jody Yates says a new survey [...]

“Moreso than any other project I can think of, this project has had the most divergent set of opinions within the BTA in a long time… We are still having a hard time stating our positions.”– BTA executive director Scott Bricker

After a year of working in good faith with the staff of the Columbia River [...]

Ted Gilbert and Linda Robinson — shown here at Gilbert’s office in downtown Portland yesterday — share the newly completed Gateway Green Vision Plan.(Photos © J. Maus)

About seven miles east of downtown Portland, lies 35 acres of unused land between two interstate freeways.
Today, it’s just another anonymous, ODOT-owned parcel, but that’s about to [...]

Does infrastructure — like this bike lane — influence people’s bicycling behavior?(Photo © J. Maus)

How does the the built environment influence bicycling behavior? What routes do cyclists take? Will cyclists go out of their way to use bike lanes and other bike-specific infrastructure?
Those are the questions Portland State University professor Jennifer Dill has [...]

Download the letter (490k, PDF)

On Tuesday, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) pledged their full support for PDOT’s efforts to improve bike safety by installing bike boxes at intersections.
Their support came in the form of a letter written to Scott Wainwright, a top highway engineer for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), who also sits on [...]

Mirrors like this are being used in Amsterdam to reduce right-hook collisions.(Photos: Todd Boulanger)

Here’s an interesting idea that was spotted by City of Vancouver transportation planner Todd Boulanger on a recent trip to Amsterdam.
Boulanger visited the Netherlands in April to attend the Intertraffic Conference and he ran across what he calls a “new application of [...]

The CLF wants you to think about a Climate Smart CRC.

There’s a lot going on with the Columbia River Crossing project.
The much-anticipated Draft Environmental Impact Statement has been released and we are now in a 60-day public comment period (that ends July 1st).
Comments on the DEIS will help regional decision makers choose which [...]

This just in from PDOT…
What: CLINTON STREET BICYCLE BOULEVARD ENHANCEMENT PROJECT OPEN HOUSE
When: Wednesday, May 14th 2008
Time: 4:30 - 7:30pm - drop by anytime
Where: St Philip Neri Parish Church - Carvlin Hall
[...]

Green bike lanes, like this one on SE 7th in Portland, are also being installed in Seattle.(Photo © J. Maus)

Portland isn’t the only city in the region to go green for bikes. The Seattle Department of Transportation installed that city’s first green bike lanes earlier this week.
According to a press release from SDOT, green [...]

Commissioner Adams during an interview in October 2007.(Photo © J. Maus)

In a letter sent out this morning to subscribers of his email newsletter, City Commissioner Sam Adams summed up PDOT’s budget woes and made some final statements on the defunct Sauvie Island Bridge re-use plan (I think the statement will also be published as [...]