The City of Portland’s Bureau of Transportation issued a traffic advisory for a big event coming to the Rose Quarter tomorrow: a rally for presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders.
The rally is expected to draw thousands of people and the city is warning people to avoid the area entirely between 7:00 am and 3:00 pm. That is, unless you’re showing up to rally for Bernie. And if you do that, PBOT is encouraging everyone to walk, bike, or take transit.
Oh and don’t forget, the main deck of the Broadway Bridge is currently closed to all vehicles until next month. Just the biking and walking path on the north side is open.
Given that buses share the road with cars and light rail is likely to fill up quickly, our advice is to walk or bike if you can. Given what we know about the political leanings of Portlanders who love to bike, we have a hunch a lot of local Bernie supporters will get to the rally on two wheels.
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And if you’re worried that you won’t find a good bike rack near the Moda Center, PBOT says “Additional bike parking will be made available by the Rose Quarter for attendees.”
If past political rallies are any indication of what to expect, the place will be packed with bikes. Remember the historic Obama rally in Waterfront Park where an estimated 75,000 people showed up?
Doors open at 9:45 am and the rally is set to begin at 12:45 pm. It’s free and tickets are given out on a first-come, first-served basis. For more info check out BernieSanders.com.
If you go, remember that they won’t let you in with your bike bags and/or panniers. Also keep an eye out for Michael and/or myself. I’ll be shooting photos and chatting with folks who arrive by bike.
— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org
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