It has been nearly two months since I asked for your input on neighborhood bike patrols* and an update is long overdue.
Some of you might have noticed recent stories in the Portland Tribune and in this month’s St. John’s Sentinel.
When I met with representatives from the City’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement back in February, they asked me to demonstrate community support to make sure this program would succeed.
I’m grateful and excited that so many of you responded positively. Over 60 people wrote in from all over the city. Here’s a list of neighborhoods we heard from:
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Based on this show of support, the City of Portland wants to take the next steps towards making bike patrols official.
Here’s the plan:
- Have a general, city-wide informational meeting. This meeting will be held in mid-late May (stay tuned for date) and will address questions, concerns, ask for feedback and provide more information about how the program will work.
- Use that meeting to track which parts of the city have the most interest in starting patrols.
- Depending on where the most interest is, coordinate smaller, neighborhood-specific meetings.
- Confirm volunteers, go over the rules, and then get out into the neighborhoods!
Summer is quickly approaching, the streets are filling up with activity, and now is a great time to get these “Bike Beats” organized. Soon we’ll be rolling, getting to know our neighborhoods, making new connections, and helping to ake Portland a better place to live (and ride).
Stay tuned for further details on the general meeting. Since it has been a while since we discussed this topic, feel free to ask questions in the comments.
*Please remember, despite the way this story has been covered in some media outlets, these patrols are not about catching bad guys or about cyclists rising up and taking over the streets. I prefer to call them “Bike Beats” because I don’t like the connotations of the word “patrol,” but I still use that word because it’s the easiest way to communicate what they are.
Jonathan — thank you for your work on this issue. I doubt that my work schedule would allow me to participate (I work 9 to 10 hours a day in the summer) but please continue to keep us all in the loop! Great idea!
Just my 2 cents…
Patrols, I think, are best left to the police; who are pros at it. I love it when they’re cruising through my ‘hood!
Best way for the bike community to be loved by other, non-bikey communities is to ride with respect rather than contempt (blowing lights, riding reaklessly, etc.); you can’t force love. 🙂
I’m thinking bike patrols will be thought of as self-serving act, not as a self-sacrificing one by the non-bike community.
I’m kinda scared to be associated with the bikey community; I love the spirit, but hate the contempt shown by a large majority of riders I see everyday….
rlk:
First, let me address your points.
First, the idea that the only ones who can “patrol” a neighborhood are policemen is wrong and fails to consider Jonathan’s qualification of what a “bike beat” is about. It’s not for enforcement, but for observation, communication, and awareness. It’s about neighbors moving around in their neighborhoods talking to their neighbors. I really don’t understand why one needs to go to an academy, be given weapons of deadly force, and drive around in a Crown Vic to perform that function, but maybe you can enlighten me.
Second, nobody here defends reckless riders, although there is often debate about what the laws should be for cyclists in regard to safe crossing at intersections, etc.
Third, this isn’t about bike advocacy, other than that the best tool for the job in city neighborhoods happens to be bicycles. They allow you to cover an area much faster than walking, but they don’t close you off from your surroundings like cars do. If it so happens that people gain greater respect for bicyclists as a result, then that’s great.
And now for your disrespectful attitude: The reason you feel contempt from the community is because your post reeks of “concern troll” posturing. The “I’m a member of X but I hate what all the other X’s are doing” post you left above is arrogant, insulting, and does more harm than if you just said you hated bikes. It also makes people doubt you really are a rider.
RLK said: “Patrols, I think, are best left to the police; who are pros at it.”
RLK, do you feel the same way about the already existing neighborhood foot patrols? I know our neighbors and our neighborhood officer very much appreciate the foot patrol in Brooklyn.
They chat with folks in the hood about questions and concerns, clean up graffiti, report abandoned cars, and keep an eye out for trouble spots. In almost all cases, when I have joined, the group, presence is appreciated. But I am sure some would consider the foot patrol a self-serving group. I suppose it is.
A bike patrol would be a great augmentation. For one thing, I could participate more often because of my foot issues. Second, we could cover much more of the neighborhood. Third, it might attract new members.
Finally, RLK, I’d like for you to ponder your concern about cyclists following the rules. Perhaps you should direct your contempt to drivers to who drive over the speed limit, roll through stops, fail to signal, and fail to yield right of way to other motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. After all “those” drivers are navigating a lethal weapon.
peejay be puttin it down, yo.
I’m with Dan and peejay — existing foot patrollers smile and wave and say hi to people that they encounter, and often stop to chat or explain what they’re doing and who they are. I’m guessing that the bike beats would meander slowly through the neighborhood and wave and greet the people they meet in very much the same way. Hopefully, they’ll have some sort of identifying vests (the foot patrollers do) to facilitate the interactions.
It’s not the gestapo, and nobody is out there to spy on the neighbors. It’s really just a good excuse to finally introduce yourself to those people that you’ve wanted to meet but have been too chicken to say hello to a stranger.
I know a lot of my neighbors, and that totally improves my quality of life. Any opportunity to get out and meet more neighbors is one that shouldn’t be missed!
The following link is tongue in cheek suggestion for a great poster for the Bike Patrols:
http://kaladarshan.arts.ohio-state.edu/exhib/poster/pages/pages3/C14051.html
Is this what yuou had in mind Jonathon?
I can’t commit to being on a scheduled “bike beat” but like many of us, I’m already kind of on one. Because I’m on a bike, I’m in a better position to notice things and check them out: the broken car window nextdoor, the drunk guy passed out in the bushes who looks like he could use a hand, the dog wandering around on Sandy looking freaked out, the downed power line, the schoolboy tussle on the corner…
I’m not out making arrests, or trying to convince lost dogs that bicyclists are superior, I’m just playing an active and responsible role in my community by getting that dog to the side of the road and checking for tags…
Riding our bicycles simply allows us to be more involved community members. Jonathan and those who have joined this effort recognize that. Way to go.
That poster is hilarious! Crack shooters for sure…and I particularly appreciate the foliage as camoflage, yes.
Maybe I’m just grumpy tonight, but this thread isn’t helping.
I don’t find anything amusing about the poster (Military Drill at First Light, part of a collection of Cultural Revolution posters from the University of Westminster Centre for the Study of Democracy.)
This poster of political zealots training “en bicicleta” just represents the bottom of the slope, slipping down which we see gaggles of well-intentioned riders, waving as they go, notepads in hand and eyes aware for the infractions they’ve been trained to spot.
Some of us, while perhaps in the minority, see the politization of riding as a detriment to our enjoyment of bicycles as a neutral transportation and recreation option.
By organizing, wearing official vests and reporting observations to a municipal entity, the riders involved in these “beats” become de facto lay representatives of the policing authority we as citizens relinquish to the state.
I’ve written on this before and was poorly paraphrased in the Sentinel for my trouble, so I won’t rehash my stance in full here.
But I will say that I feel RLK posted an honest position that was written free of any overt attack on the plan and was greeted in a manner I consider rude by some of the responding posters.
It is possible to disagree with this idea and yet still wish the participants fair weather and safe travel.
Donald,
I don’t plan on wearing a vest…and the nature of the reporting remains to be seen. I for one, will not be looking for any infractions and I will leave my notebook/clipboard at home.
If I see a situation that warrants concern, I would take the same action whether or not I was on “patrol”.
This program is still being created, so let’s not make assumptions about how it will work.
The poster linked above was just for fun. I think it’s kind of cool.
And I’m not sure how this program leads to the “politization of riding.”
Your points would be great to discuss at the citywide meeting.
Jonathan,
I guess I had two main points.
1. Jumping down RLK’s throat for putting words to an opinion seemed out of line to me, so I felt compelled to repspond.
2. The poster isn’t some humorous one-off penned by a Harvard Lampoon freelancer. It is an historical document, a recruiting poster asking young people to mount up and take aim and give it all to protect the Cultural Revolution. And it wasn’t invading armies that suffered under the political agression fielded by these folks. It was their neighbors. That’s why I felt it was less than amusing and perhaps even naievly counterproductive to the cause.
Thanks for the sly invite to the planning meeting. If I’m stateside I’ll be sure to make it a point to attend.
Again, I wish you luck with this despite my reservations.
Donald:
All due respect, but get a sense of humor! And here’s why it’s funny:
Obviously, there are posters here who believe that bike patrols are some kind of extension of centralized authority into the lives of regular people. (This seems to be your position.) Others feel that modern life has so isolated us from our own neighborhoods that we no longer know the people we share a street or a corner with. If it takes something like a scheduled “bike beat” to get us out of our houses and interacting with our neighbors, that can only give the power back to the regular people, because we are much less likely to be manipulated by outside forces if we have a shared sense of community than if we are all scared individuals surrounded by strangers. The joke lies in the idea that those who argue the latter point are able to mock their own and the other side’s position by referring to a time when your fears were taken to a logical extreme. Sort of like last November, when I’d tell my Republican friends: “OK, we won, so now we’re going to start raising taxes and force your children into gay marriages, but first we take your guns”.
On the other hand, if you don’t have a sense of humor, no amount of explanation will work. Good luck with that.
Furthermore, as for RLK, he fits the mold of a concern troll like a glove. If you don’t recognize that, perhaps you don’t spend much time online.
Donald,
Thanks for your thoughts…
I’m all for better PR for cyclists; I just think it better accomplished through example, rather than contrived movements.
RLK:
What is contrived about organizing a regular bike ride through one’s own neighborhood, for the purpose of getting better acquainted with one’s neighbors? Is there too much planning involved for you? Do you want it to be more spontaneous? What exactly is your problem with this?
And when are you going to hold every driver as an example of all car traffic? Because, you know, there are people in cars who are a**holes, too.
I think the concept that is being discussed sounds fine, but I have reservations about calling it “bike beats” or “bike patrols.”
One poster says, “It’s not for enforcement, but for observation, communication, and awareness. It’s about neighbors moving around in their neighborhoods talking to their neighbors.” Another poster describes it as, “organizing a regular bike ride through one’s own neighborhood, for the purpose of getting better acquainted with one’s neighbors.”
Then why not just call them Neighborhood Bike Rides, or have some training about community resources for bikers (phone numbers to call to report a dead squirrel in the street or whatever).
I really am concerned that introducing “bike beats” or “bike patrols” could increase resentment toward bikers in the neighborhoods, like mine (Piedmont/Humboldt) that are experiencing gentrification tensions. And if they are implemented I would want to be able to distinguish myself as not being on a “bike patrol” when I’m riding my bike, so I would hope that there would be vests or something else to identify members.
Of course I’m supportive of bikers being friendly, helpful neighbors, but we can all do that everyday already and I don’t think that the term “bike beat” or “bike patrol” communicates that intention very well, especially for residents who already feel resentful toward bikers (or the Police – see front page story in Portland Observer this week).
nicole,
I hear your concern about the name and I agree it might make very good sense to change it.
I have been battling that perception all along, so I think your idea is great.
Jonathan,
If ONI crime prevention has anything to say about it, I suspect a vest or some other identification will be required. It is for the Neighborhood Foot Patrols. ONI will want people to know you’re an Officially Trained Unit. That’s not a bad thing, in some ways — it encourages responsible behavior on the part of patrollers and provides a visible deterrent to crime. Which is a huge part of the point.
Within the Foot Patrols, different units develop different cultures. You can be an ONI-sanctioned Neighborhood Foot Patrol and call yourselves something less paramilitary. You can call yourselves “Team Discovery Channel” if you want to.
Framing Bike Beats as “an extension of centralized authority” misses the point of community policing. To the extent that crime exists, we have a responsibility to work with the authorities who are commissioned to stop it. We have no other options as I see it.
The opportunity to observe and report by bike OR by foot in a safe, organized manner is at once crime deterrent AND community building. I’ve seen that first-hand in the Foot Patrol, and I’m delighted the bike version is moving forward.
Jonathan, would you mind e-mailing me when a date is set for that meeting? Thanks.