Neighborhood advocates have teamed up with local businesses to celebrate the huge role bikes play in Clinton Street’s commercial prosperity and the huge role small businesses play in making Clinton Street such a great destination.
The event happens as the City of Portland continues to express concern that businesses and residents would oppose adding one or more traffic diverters to Clinton Street to reduce cut-through car traffic and make the neighborhood greenway a bike route that people of all ages would feel comfortable using.
The organizations Safer Clinton and BikeLoudPDX have joined up to produce the event Bike to Shop Clinton, which kicked off yesterday and continues through Thursday night.
“The line was out the door at 50 Licks last night,” said Kari Schlosshauer, one of the organizers, in an email Monday.
At its busiest intersection, SE 26th Avenue, the Clinton Street greenway carries about 2,800 bikes per day, according to a recent study of city greenways. During its most recent traffic count, in spring 2014, Clinton also carried about 3,000 motor vehicles per day at the same point. That’s twice the national maximum for motor traffic on a neighborhood greenway.
Here’s the list of Clinton Street businesses that are participating by offering discounts to people arriving by bike this week:
Beckel Canvas – 2232 SE Clinton Street
10% off any luggage purchase
Clinton Street Theater – 2522 SE Clinton Street
2 for 1 admission. Buy any ticket at the regular price and get your friend in for free.
Clinton Street Video – 2501 SE Clinton Street
10% of all rentals and purchases
Cloud 9 Comics – 2621 SE Clinton Street
50% OFF Cheap back issues; 50% OFF all $1 comics; 10% OFF all Key issues
Eyedentity – 2609 SE Clinton Street
10% off all frames and lenses
$30 off exams scheduled during promotion
Advertisement
Fifty Licks Ice Cream – 2021 SE Clinton Street
Half off ice cream pints and special cocktail prices
The Lucky Horseshoe Lounge – 2524 SE Clinton Street
50 cents off all draft beers and well drinks
Orn Hansen – 2627 SE Clinton Street
10% off all purchases
North St. Bags – 2716 SE 23rd Avenue
10% off all purchases
Pedal PT – 2622 SE 25th Avenue
Buy 1 Bike Fitting visit, get a second one for 1/2 off* (Great for couples + families!) OR
Take 10% off a single Bike Fitting or cash-based Physical Therapy Initial Evaluation visit
1/2 off Bike Fitting level must be of equal (or lesser) value to apply
Piccolina – 2700 SE 26th Avenue (enter on Clinton to the left of K&F Coffee)
10% off all purchases
Sleeping Bee Studio – 2731 SE 35th Avenue “SUITE B” (between Clinton & Woodward)
Entry into raffle to win custom SE PDX-designed clothing item of your choice
Xtabay Vintage Clothing – 2515 SE Clinton Street
10% off purchases
Zenana Spa and Wellness – 2024 SE Clinton Street
All boutique purchases 10% OFF
Enter into a drawing to receive a free one hour massage
“Unless otherwise specified, Bike to Shop Clinton Street offers are valid during the promotion — from Sunday, May 17 through Thursday, May 21 — only,” Bike to Shop writes on its website. “Until then (and forevermore), we encourage you to support these businesses because they support bicycling.”
This is part of the month of fun events organized by Safer Clinton and BikeLoudPDX to celebrate the 30th birthday of one of the city’s first bikeways. This Wednesday, the Clinton Street Theater and Bike to Shop will team up to host a showing of Steven Spielberg’s bike-friendly classic E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. It’s $5 a seat, but two for one for people arriving by bike. Maybe we’ll see you there.
Correction 4:45 pm: A previous version of this post misstated the day of the E.T. showing.
Another case of PBOT imagining the objections to a needed infrastructure change instead of working to educate concerned parties. This is rather pathetic. Of course the biggest obstacle to fixing Clinton was never about money; it’s PBOT and their own cowardice. Thank you, Roger Geller.
Roger Geller is not quoted in this blog story. Roger does not make City policy. You don’t seem to know Roger.
Edited to remove a needlessly personal comment about another commenter. Please be civil while discussing these public issues, all. -Michael
Personally, I would ‘thank’ Rob Burchfield rather than Roger Geller.
Now PBOT is caving to theoretical business demands? Are you f*ing kidding me?
And you are attributing a blog article to PBOT. There are no PBOT quotes in this article.
That said, if PBOT made the street you live on faster and smoother for people driving to use without at least asking you…I imagine another 5/18/80 would occur – from you.
What?
Oh, you’re referencing the St. Helens eruption?
I use Roger’s name because he personally and publicly told me (at a neighborhood association meeting within the past year) that PBOT has no plans to add diverters on Clinton. For better or worse, he personifies PBOT inaction on Clinton St to me. I am willing to hear him out if he wants to correct my opinion of him, as he could do in this comments section. Then I will be glad to praise his efforts to save the greenway, should that be the case.
Michael’s article states: “…as the City of Portland continues to express concern that businesses and residents would oppose adding one or more traffic diverters to Clinton…” This is the point I was arguing. If this is true, it IS a disgrace. It’s not about building consensus; it’s seeking out a reason to give up before the fight.
I don’t want to suggest that I’m taking a position on this, but since PBOT is catching so much flak here (and since, as paikiala notes, I didn’t source my to-my-knowledge-accurate reporting above) I’ll note in the comments here that choosing one’s battles and preemptively surrendering are two different things, just as “expressing concern” and “dismissing the possibility” are two different things.
PBOT and the city as a whole are in a lot of battles right now: street fund, parking reform, speed cameras and the annual budget scrum. Barbur, downtown bike lanes and bikeshare coming soon maybe. They’re gathering data about neighborhood greenways into a report that could lay the policy groundwork for diverters on Clinton or elsewhere. There’s little question that one or more diverters on Clinton would require a meaningful amount of political capital whenever they were to be installed. Seems to me that this action is intended to build that necessary capital for the day when it may be needed.
Not saying that people shouldn’t disagree with the city’s choices or priorities, just trying to contextualize the city’s position here since I didn’t get their comment for this quick story.
Thanks. One update – ‘will create the policy basis for increased diversion’.
Of course, public input and advocacy is also very important.