June 2022 Archives

Guest Opinion: How to Handcuff your Decision Makers, a Guide for Megaproject Managers

Note: This piece was submitted by a close observer of the Portland – Vancouver I-5 freeway project (a.k.a. Interstate Bridge Replacement Program) who asked to remain anonymous.

Project managers, listen up!

You’re reviving a mega-project that failed to secure funding a decade ago. Do you go back and re-examine the original assumptions? Absolutely not! You double down! Here’s a step-by-step guide.

Scare them!

“This bridge is going to collapse into the river in an earthquake, you have to fund this project to replace it”.

Absolutely do not discuss options for seismic remediation of current structures. And definitely don’t mention that most of the five miles of this project are on dry land.

And let’s not bring up the other several thousand bridges in the two states that also need seismic upgrading.

Rush them!

“We have to meet Federal deadlines!”

Never list specific programs or deadline dates. But make it clear that if we want to reexamine the Purpose and Need for the project (because of course, nothing important has changed since we drafted the last Purpose and Need 15 years ago) it will add a year or two to the project.

“We have to start environmental analysis now because IIJA just passed.” Don’t mention that no agencies have published notices of available funding yet, much less indicated deadlines for application.

Wield the Purpose and Need as a cudgel

“I understand you think seismic resilience is the highest priority, but the Purpose and Need says we also have to deal with congestion. If we don’t check all the boxes we have to go back and start over.” (see “Rush Them!”)

Veneer is more important than substance

Hire a Climate Officer and and an Equity Officer, but don’t put climate and equity on par with the other goals. (See “Wield the Purpose and Need…”)

Learn to filibuster

Time your presentation to take up most of the meeting, leave as little time for Q&A as possible.

Monoliths are your friend

The traditional response of funders worried about “fiscal constraints” (i.e., a reluctance to fund your whole project) is project phasing. You can insulate yourself from this kind of fiscal responsibility by designing your project as a single large structure.

Options are Bad

Remember, your goal is not to give decision makers choices, because they could choose the option you don’t like. Make sure at the end of the day they only have one choice to make: pay for it or not. (And dare them not to pay for it. See “Scare Them!”)

More of our IBRP coverage can be found here.

High water levels close Esplanade path, increase bridge lifts

Anyone who rides near the Willamette or Columbia rivers should keep an eye on the forecast.

On Saturday afternoon the City of Portland Parks & Recreation bureau announced a partial temporary closure of the Eastbank Esplanade path between the Steel and Morrison Bridges due to high water levels. Multnomah County says the same issue will also lead to more frequent bridge lifts on the Willamette River bridges they operate (Broadway, Burnside, Hawthorne, Morrison). And the Oregon Department of Transportation says the Interstate Bridge over the Columbia River is also going to be lifted more often due to rising waters.

It’s all because of a combination of snowmelt and record rainfall. And not just your average record. According to The Oregonian, Portland has had its wettest April, May and June in at least 81 years.

The last major high water event on the Willamette I recall was in 2011 when the river came just a few feet from the Steel Bridge bike path.

Portland Parks says the current Esplanade closure only applies to the floating ramps portion of the path. Since the ramps move up and down with river level, when they reach a certain height they are above the adjacent sidewalk and the bump created is considered too dangerous for the public to use. Water is expected to recede by Wednesday but Parks hasn’t set a timetable for re-opening.

If you’re riding between Portland and Vancouver, ODOT says Interstate Bridge lifts can last up to 20 minutes.

Follow @BikePortland on Twitter for route advisories as they happen. We’re also bringing back our Newswire feature where we post press releases, alerts and advisories from local government agencies.

Comment of the Week: Thank you flaggers!

“I appreciate that they have prioritized our safety.”

Welcome to the Comment of the Week, where we highlight good comments in order to inspire more of them. You can help us choose our next one by replying with “comment of the week” to any comment you think deserves recognition.

Just off the top of my head, I can think of five comments this week from readers who had recently ridden through an intersection we reported about, or had long experience with an area. You sharing your thoughts finishes the story for us and adds depth to the reporting. This week we show our appreciation by highlighting one of those comments.

Pockets the Coyote wrote a sweet couple sentences in response to our SW Infrastructure update about the courtesy and care which flaggers on Multnomah Blvd have shown them. I liked the comment because it jibed with my experience too. The workers building the basins are friendly, helpful people, and the whole PBOT Capitol Highway project exemplifies excellent community relations.

Here’s what Pockets the Coyote wrote:

I commute through the construction on Multnomah Blvd daily, and in my (morning/evening) experience the flaggers have been wonderful when it was closed to single lane, either giving me and other cyclists priority through the lane, or waving us through the coned off lane.
I appreciate that they have prioritized our safety.
On the subject of safety I would like to see significant changes to the Garden Home/ Multnomah/ SW 69th mess of an intersection at the Old Market Pub.

You can read Pockets the Coyote’s comment and the full comment thread on the original post.

Thank you for the positive comment, Pockets!

Pedalpalooza Ride Guide: June 13 ~ 17

Two weeks into Bike Summer and all I can say is, “wow!” The creativity and collective community stoke level is as high as I’ve ever seen it. So many great rides are happening and folks are turning out in droves to be lead to new places by bike.

The week ahead is filled with more opportunities to join in the fun. To help you plan your bike fun attack, we’ve selected one ride from each day through Friday. As always, check the BP Calendar for more of our ride selections (remember you can filter our calendar to only show the Pedalpalooza category) and dial up the official calendar for the whole enchilada.

Monday, June 13th

Trail Mixed Ride – 6:00 pm at Ladd Circle Park (SE)
Trail Mixed is a collective for empowering women of color to participate in outdoor sports. Expect a 7-9 mile ride at a “chill pace” of about 8 mph with park stops. This ride is exclusively for women, trans women, and non-binary people who feel an affinity with women, and are non-white. More info here.

Tuesday, June 14th

Sunset/Moonrise Ride – 8:00 pm at Grant Park (NE)
This classic from Shawn at Urban Adventure League will take you to a spot where you can watch the sun go down and the moon come up. Stock up on drinks and treats and expect a five-mile ride to the end spot. More info here.

Wednesday, June 15th

Know Your Greenways – 6:15 at Piccolo Park (SE)
Join knowledgeable ride leader Tom Howe and learn how to navigate the 20s greenway in lower southeast. This is one of a series of similar rides Tom is leading and you’ll become more confident and empowered once you are familiar with Portland’s awesome network of bike-friendly streets! More info here.

Thursday, June 16th

Bike Play – 6:30 pm at Capitalism Fountain (NE in Lloyd)
Opening night of a four-night run of Working Theater Collective’s annual Bike Play. Live acting and dancing in a series of settings the audience and actors get to by bike. This is an amazing, must-see event. This year’s story is titled Beyond Velodrome: PDX Drift. More info here.

Friday, June 17th

26-Inch or Die – Fields Park at 6:00 pm (NW)
Who doesn’t love the comfy and cruisey feel of a 26-inch MTB? Join with your kin for a show-out and shred session in some epic industrial spots. More info here.

Have fun out there! And don’t forget to check main ride page for latest updates.

Feel free to use the comments to shout out your ride plans and/or promote your events!

The Monday Roundup: Better barriers, Molly Cameron, enforcement research and more

Welcome to the week.

Here are the most notable items our editors and readers came across in the past seven days…

Better barriers = better bike lanes: New York City’s transportation department has launched a new initiative to add more physical barriers to existing bike lanes in a shorter timeframe.

Deadly infrastructure: Chicago is reeling after two children under four were killed in preventable traffic crashes in just one week. On Thursday a woman carrying a three-year-old had to leave a bike lane to avoid a truck and crashed before the child was run over by a semi truck.

National spotlight: Local racer, business owner and activist Molly Cameron is the subject of a major feature story in Bicycling Magazine for her work in pushing for more inclusion of transgender athletes in cycling.

Bikebahn: Observers estimate as many as 30,000 people took part in a protest march on the autobahn in Berlin to push for better cycling infrastructure.

Behavior change: New research from NHTSA says that high-visibility traffic enforcement efforts can have a measurable impact on driver behavior and lead to safer roads for everyone.

Error prone: Local freeway fighting urban economist Joe Cortright lays out the many times the State of Oregon has failed to correctly estimate the cost of freeway megaprojects in his latest essay titled, “ODOT’s Reign of Error: Chronic highway cost overruns.”

High speed planning: Washington state will spend $150 million to plan their portion of a high speed rail line that would connect Portland to Seattle and British Columbia; but unless something changes it’s not like to be completed for another 20 years.

More Black people on bikes: Listen to this segment of Here & Now radio program about the growth of the Major Taylor Cycling Club in Kansas City, Missouri.

Flying with your bike: Here’s a thorough guide to taking your bike with you when you travel on an airplane.

A bus driver’s view: Absolutely wrenching and important story from WaPo about a bus driver in Denver who faces myriad urban ills on her daily route and struggles to withstand the emotional toll dealt by her riders.

Thanks to everyone who sent us links this week!

Dispatch and photos from Filmed by Bike Street Party

After a few hours chasing cargo bikes at the Disaster Relief Trial (can’t wait to share our video with you Monday morning!) I was glad to switch gears and attend the fun Filmed by Bike festival street party. It looked like the organizers worked hard so that partygoers would have an enjoyable evening with plenty to do. The street behind the Broadway Theater filled up with canopy tents in preparation for rain, but luckily, it only drizzled for a short time.

“For our 20th year anniversary,” said Ayleen Crotty, the film festival organizer, “we just had to bring back this signature part of the history of Filmed by Bike, and I’m happy that we could all party in the streets with a live band, lots of bike groups and vendors coming out to all have fun in the streets.”

The event’s emcee, Meghan Sinnott (known for organizing the Pedalpalooza Bike Summer Festival), has been bringing her trademark good vibes and sweet energy to the street party for years now. “I think that as long as I keep buying wigs, Ayleen will let me go on stage,” said Meghan.

Meghan spoke to a crowd gathered to socialize and dance to the music of Mitch & The Melody Makers, a local 60’s rock ‘n’ roll cover band.

Meghan recommended people visit the interactive photo booth, which turned out to be lots of fun! Jamshed, my friend who helped me with photography throughout the wild evening, and I went and posed for photos. We received a QR code that sends us to a website where photos can be downloaded. Angela Dawn, the owner and operator of the booth said they are no longer printing, to be more ecologically friendly.

Some street partygoers enjoyed island-inspired Asian rice-based sandwiches, sold at the Pidgin Hole food truck. I didn’t personally sample any of it but I was seeing folks eating a lot of that grub everywhere so it must have been really tasty!

Other folks in the crowd spoke to members of the Sorella Forte women’s cycling club about promoting women’s health, fitness and community through recreational and competitive cycling; found out more about Shift, a local organization that promotes bike fun and hosts an online bike event calendar; and visited the booth of the Corvidae cycling club, to pick up some zines, stickers and patches.

It wouldn’t be a Portland biking party without a fun bike ride stopping by, this time the Underground Rave Party Ride, which stopped for about 20 minutes to sample the Filmed by Bike street party, then moved on to other fun dance parties in town.

All in all, a successful event celebrating bikes, film and having fun in a very Portland way!

If you read this on Sunday and still want to catch a screening, the final one of the festival begins at 5:30 pm. See the website for more details.

Temporary, partial closure of Eastbank Esplanade begins Sunday

From City of Portland Parks & Recreation:

Temporary, partial of Portland Parks & Recreation’s Eastbank Esplanade begins Sunday, June 12, 2022, due to rising river levels
End date TBD depending on river conditions
(Portland, OR) –
A portion of Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R)’s Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade will be temporarily closed for safety starting Sunday, June 12, 2022. The area affected is the floating portion of the popular multiuse path from north of the Morrison Bridge to south of the Steel bridge.
The Eastbank Esplanade is a popular, 1 ½ mile-long multiuse path popular with people using mobility devices, cyclists, and people traveling on foot. PP&R officials have been monitoring data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which now indicates the Willamette River is expected to rise to 15.5 feet by mid-morning Sunday. That’s the threshold to temporarily close the floating portion of the Esplanade – the transitions onto and off the pathways become angled too high for safe passage.
The end date for this previously unforeseen closure is yet to be established; but current forecasts indicate that reopening this section Wednesday or later is a possibility, depending on river water levels. The temporarily closed areas will be marked with signage and fencing.
The Esplanade transitions from a sidewalk to a 1200-foot-long wooden deck over water beneath the Burnside Bridge on both sides. It’s one of the longest of its kind in the United States. This temporary safety closure will affect the path from around SE Ash Street on the north down to near SE Everett Street.
As the water rises from recent ongoing rains, it has lifted the floating path so that the connecting portions between the bridge and fixed, concrete sidewalk are approaching unsuitable angles. Portland Parks & Recreation’s primary concern is for the public’s safety and appreciates people adhering to the temporary closure.
PP&R urges all visitors to respect the protective fencing and signage now being installed. People who had planned to use this portion of the Esplanade will have to find alternate routes to their destinations.
Portland Parks & Recreation will post updates at portland.gov/parks/nature/trail-closures-and-delays
For more information about the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade, visit portland.gov/parks/eastbank-esplanade.

Whet your appetite for Blumenauer Bridge opening with these fresh photos

Looking south from the north side of I-84 on 7th Ave. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

As you read on Wednesday, the City of Portland is planning a big party on July 31st to celebrate the opening of a new carfree bridge over I-84 between the Lloyd and Central Eastside districts.

This is a huge deal and we’re psyched this will finally open. We know it will be a nice riding experience on the bridge, but we hope it spurs more and better connections on either end.

I happened to be near the south side of the where the bridge will land last night and snapped a few photos to give you a sense of where it looks today. It had been about seven months since I’d taken a good look at it.

Beyond the bridge itself, notice the improved spaces on the ends. On the south side there will be a new path to approach the bridge and a plaza with what appears to be a new water feature. On the north side, PBOT has extended the sidewalk into NE Lloyd Blvd and built a huge curb extension on the northwest corner. This will make it safer and easier to cross Lloyd.

Here are the rest of my photos from the south side (click to open gallery):

Here are the rest of my photos from the north side (click to open gallery):

Family Biking: What we learned from our first breakdown

Family Biking isn’t always a smooth ride. It’s not like those carefully curated Instagram feeds. In real life, it can be bumpier, messier, and full of tears. We had one of those days recently.

Do you remember when you were new here? New to this city, or maybe just new to this big amazing community of people who love bicycles? Perhaps both?

The Portland Bureau of Emergency Management has long understood that when a disaster strikes, the ability to use cars and trucks could be extremely limited. Because of this reality, PBEM sees bicycles as a key ingredient in their disaster response plans.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Warehouse Worker

Company / Organization

Castelli Sportful USA

Job Description

Position Summary:
Position Title: Warehouse Worker
Hourly or Salaried: Salaried
Reports To: Warehouse Supervisor

Position Description:
Castelli/Sportful USA is seeking a full-time (M-F, 8-5) Warehouse Worker for our warehouse in Northeast Portland. The position performs various warehouse functions (picking, packing, shipping, receiving, etc.). Applicants should be highly motivated with an attention to detail and a team player.
Duties and Responsibilities:
• Picking and packing orders correctly, quickly, and efficiently
• Shipping orders using UPS/FedEx shipping software
• Receiving inbound products and putting away on shelves
• Keeping warehouse neat and clean
• Helping with physical inventory counts
• Processing returns from customers
• Other duties as assigned

Personal Qualifications:
• Must be detail oriented and organized
• Must have a positive attitude and be highly motivated
• Must be punctual and maintain a good attendance record
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced work environment
• Ability to multi-task
• *Must be able to lift 40lbs*

Preferred Education & Work Experience & Qualifications:
• High School Diploma
• 1-2 years Warehouse experience
• Basic PC skills: Word, Excel, Outlook
• Use of UPS Worldship/FedEx Ship Manager a plus

About Castelli/Sportful:
Castelli/Sportful is a premium cycling apparel manufacturer, with world headquarters in Italy and US headquarters in Portland, Oregon. We operate two apparel brands: Castelli and Sportful. We have a history of product innovation and performance that goes back over 75 years. Our products have been used by Tour de France winners, World Champions and Olympic Gold Medalists.
Our office and warehouse are in the Hollywood/Laurelhurst district of NE Portland and close to MAX and bike routes.

Full-time positions offer competitive salary, health care, 401k, paid time-off, and a generous product allowance.

The Castelli/Sportful team strives to create an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Companies that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective are proven to be better companies. More importantly, creating an environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best work is the right thing to do. We welcome all applicants.

How to Apply

email a resume to careers@castelli-us.com