February 2017 Archives

Weekend Event Guide: Worst Day Ride, the Big Dig, bike love stories, and more

Grab some friends and make new ones at the Worst Day Ride.
(Photo: J Maus/BikePortland)

This Weekend Event Guide is sponsored by The Street Trust, who reminds you to grab tickets now for their big Live the Revolution fundraiser happening Friday night!

Can you feel that?

We know it’s been a long and cold and wet and dark winter… But there’s hope. On Sunday thousands of Portlanders will gather and ride for the Worst Day of the Year Ride. It’s a sign of things to come and it’s about time you joined them. Before the weekend comes, why not start things off with some stories about bike love?

As always, we’ve got great event options for you. Check the full menu below…

Should volunteers or city employees who work on parks facilities — like the upcoming Gateway Green — be open to liability lawsuits?
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

NOTE: Please read our important update to this story posted on Thursday 2/9 at 5:00 pm.

I didn’t know much about Oregon’s “recreational immunity” law when I woke up this morning. But since reading, “Portland’s First Mountain-Bike Park Could Be Crippled by a Court Decision” in the Willamette Week I’ve given myself a crash-course. And so should you.

That article lays out the case that a 2016 Oregon Supreme Court decision throws access to public parks (and all public lands more broadly) into question due to potential legal liability for landowners.

In a nutshell, that decision found that employees and volunteers of landowners are not covered by the same legal immunity as the owners of the land (as laid out in Oregon’s 1971 Public Use of Lands Act). For more on the ruling and the existing law, check out this article.

Recently I was planning the route for a Puddlecycle ride called “The Two Bridges” that goes over both the I-5 and I-205 bridges staying on the Vancouver side of the Columbia River. The goal was to stay as close to the river as possible. This was initially easy, as Vancouver has the Renaissance Trail that you can hop on right after coming off the Interstate (I-5) Bridge. The trail seemingly ends a mile later at the Kaiser Shipyard where they built Liberty ships during World War II. But you can ride to the North around that yard on a wide sidewalk, and the trail picks up again on the other side.

side underrun guards on PDOT truck-2.jpg

A Portland Water Bureau truck in June 2008.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

The dangerous combination of right-hooks and large trucks have been one of the most pressing bike safety issues in Portland for the past a decade. We have lost far too many people because of this deadly combination.

So why aren’t we doing more about this well-known hazard? Like so many of Portland’s bike-related projects, the solution is in the city’s plans, but not in the city’s budget.

We were once again shaken out of our complacency with this issue when a man died while bicycling on North Interstate Avenue yesterday. Official details are still sparse, but it has all the trappings of a classic right-hook.

That horrible tragedy is just the latest in a long line of them.

In 2007 Brett Jarolimek and Tracey Sparling were killed within two weeks of each other when a truck operator failed to see them, turned right, and ran over their bodies. It happened again in 2012 to Kathryn Rickson on a busy bike lane just one block from City Hall.

After all three of those tragedies one of the main responses from the community was the need for safer trucks.

Drawing a parallel between the power of the simple bicycle and the work of the American Civil Liberties Union, locally-based Portland Design Works has taken a stand against the Trump administration.

From today through February 14th the company just announced they will donate 100 percent of gross sales in their online store — RidePDW.com — to the ACLU.

PDW founder Erik Olson said the decision is about trying to make a difference in these extraordinary times.

“Normally our charitable contributions are aimed at efforts to get more people out there riding bikes,” he shared with BikePortland via email this morning. “But these aren’t normal times. We have to do what we can to ensure, like we recited in grade school, ‘liberty and justice for all.'”

Who do you love?
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Hoping to plant seeds of love throughout the city, the northeast Portland-based Community Cycling Center has launched Velotines.

The concept is simple: Stop by their retail shop at 1700 NE Alberta Street during regular business hours and tell them who you love, why you love them, and where to deliver the message.

Then the CCC’s team of professional love couriers will type up your message on a romantic vintage typewriter and hop on their bikes to deliver the note.

The CCC says the inaugural program is all about spreading “positive community spirit”.

Ever see something in the roadway as you pedal by and think to yourself, “I wonder if someone’s missing that?” Happens to me pretty often. I see things like gloves, glasses and keys. I usually don’t stop to pick things up. I’m either in a hurry, or I figure the person who dropped it might roll back to that general area and find it themselves, or I simply don’t feel like getting involved.

Besides, what are the chances of finding the person anyways?

Well, with today’s use of social media so widespread, the chances are actually pretty good.

This week’s Monday Roundup is brought to you by the Worst Day of the Year Ride, coming up February 12th!

Here are the best stories we came across last week…

The NYC “nightmare”: A news outlet in New York City dug into this very important question: “Just how much space are cyclists taking away from drivers?” At lease they make the extremely biased reporting easy to spot.

Trump and transpo: NextCity has a good roundup of where the transportation funding debate stands in the Trump administration.

Repeating mistakes from the past: Tampa is trying to rally support for a $6 billion highway mega-project that would go through areas where 80 percent of residents are black or Latino.

Hearing matters: An auto user in a town in England was fined and found guilty for careless driving because he had the volume turned up too high in his car when he hit a bicycle rider then failed to stop.

Governor Kate Brown on activism: Oregon’s governor garnered national attention with a story in The New Yorker where she encouraged citizen activism and was framed as a progressive leader and “radical feminist governor.”

A man has died after being involved in a collision with a truck operator while bicycling on North Interstate Avenue this morning.

It happened around 9:00 am at the intersection of Interstate and Farragut (map). The initial police statement said the man “may have been on a bicycle.” I was able to confirm that by going to the scene this morning.

From what I saw it appears the collision was a classic right-hook. The operator of a large, white (unmarked) box van was driving northbound on Interstate and then turned right onto Farragut. The bicycle rider also appears to have been going northbound prior to the collision. As of 10:20 am the bicycle was still lodged completely underneath the truck — toward the rear and just in front of the rear axle. From east of the collision I could still see the bicycle’s white front light blinking.

Interstate in this location is relatively narrow due to the presence of a center-running MAX light rail line. In the northbound direction there is one standard vehicle lane directly adjacent to an unprotected bicycle-only lane. The bike lane is five-feet wide.

On Thursday the Metro Council unanimously adopted $30 million in grants for 12 transportation projects around the region. Portland won big by garnering $12.8 million of the total awarded. The funds will go toward five different projects — four of which ($10 million worth) are focused specifically on making it easier and safer to bike and walk.

Yesterday’s decision comes after a year of public feedback and analysis of dozens of projects that vied for the money. It’s part of Metro’s regional flexible funding process that happens every three years. Out of this pot of around $130 million, $33 was up for grabs in a suballocation that Metro decided to split 75/25 between “active transportation/complete streets” projects and freight projects respectively.

Although one of Portland’s projects was in the freight category, it also includes several elements that will improve biking and overall traffic safety.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title *
Operations Manager

Company/Organization *
Left Coast Bicycles Mobile Repair

Job Description *
We are in search of a Operations Manager to join our mobile repair team and lead our bicycle service events for our network of forward-thinking workplaces, and to provide occasional home repair visits. Are you an experienced bike mechanic that is great with people, looking for independence, a flexible schedule, weekends off, and competitive hourly pay + sales commission? If so, we’d like to hear from you!

You will be responsible for moving our shop-on-wheels to each location and providing friendly on-site bike service. Each event typically lasts 2-5 days. You will be responsible for tracking our inventory of parts, accessories and supplies to ensure that each of our fleet of bike repair kits is always stocked and ready for the next event as well as overseeing our other mechanics to ensure the highest level of work. We offer competitive starting pay, compared to traditional brick and mortar shops, plus a generous sales commission.

Our ideal candidate exudes warmth and friendliness, is independent and confident, with a deep knowledge of the bicycle industry. You have a rich and varied experience in the bicycle industry and are comfortable working on all varieties of bikes from clunky commuters to carbon race machines. You have excellent customer service skills, are able to communicate the nuances of each bicycle’s needs in an approachable, friendly way. You are independent, a good problem solver with a can-do attitude, but you also work well as part of a team.

Key Responsibilities

Transport and setup of bike-shop-on-wheels to repair events in central Portland
Thorough, personalized bicycle repair estimates and tune-ups
Lead a team of mechanics to complete repairs in a timely manner
Inventory management of repair parts, maintenance supplies and accessories at our headquarters in NE Portland
Maintain our fleet of bike-shops-on-wheels and NE PDX workspace

Qualifications

At least 5 years experience in bike shops repairing a variety of bikes
A people person and good communicator
Proactive leader and troubleshooter
Excellent time management
Independent and able to perform an accurate bike repair estimate efficiently
Mature, responsible, team player
Prompt email access and effective digital communicator
Regular bike commuter able to use personal bicycle to transport equipment
Excited about the bike lifestyle and culture
Experience managing inventory

How to Apply *
Check out our website to see what we are all about and visit our full job description at: www.leftcoastbicycles.com/employment

Email your resume to aaron@leftcoastbicycles.com

Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you think you be a great addition to our team as Operations Manager.

Community rallies around man paralyzed in north Portland collision

It’s been almost a year since Brian Duncan’s life changed forever. On March 30th the 37-year-old was on his bike, rolling across North Rosa Parks Way at Delaware when another man, 84-year-old Louis Hellbusch, failed to stop his car for a red light.

The impact left Duncan paralyzed and facing a new direction in his life and that of his wife and three-year-old daughter. That new life now includes a new home — one built to handle Duncan’s lifelong needs.

Duncan was a board member of the Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association and this crash reverberated throughout the community. Last September his friends and neighbors held a candlelight vigil to raise awareness of street safety in the close-knit north Portland neighborhood — which was the site of two traffic deaths in the six months following Duncan’s collision.

Today the Duncan family is supported by an A-list team that’s helping them build a new, ADA accessible home. The project is called Two Blocks North and they’ve already raised over $40,000, nearly one-third of their goal.

“Biking was a major part of our lives and that’s been taken away,” Duncan said in a statement released through the project. “I feel lucky to be alive but that doesn’t change the reality of our situation.”

Weekend Event Guide: Worst Day Ride, the Big Dig, bike love stories, and more

Willamette Week: Legal concerns cloud Gateway Green bike park and other city properties

Has Portland’s Lack of Gated Communities Contributed to Its Cycling Success?

City of Portland: There’s no funding for truck side guards, yet

Portland bike company will donate one week of sales to the ACLU

Community Cycling Center will spread love with ‘Velotines’ cards delivered by bike

It’s just a u-lock, but its recovery shows power of kindness (and Twitter)

The Monday Roundup: Walking while black, NYC’s “nightmare” and more

A bicycle rider has died in a collision with a box truck driver in North Portland – UPDATED

Portland wins $10 million in federal grants for biking/walking projects

Job: Operations Manager – Left Coast Bicycles Mobile Repair

Community rallies around man paralyzed in north Portland collision

Latest Headlines

Big day for PBOT budget as new revenue proposals head back to Council Wednesday

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Driver kills vulnerable road user while making illegal u-turn

City reports, ‘steady, not stagnant’ bicycle use in 2025 count report

From the Archives

The 10 busiest bicycling spots in Portland