Year: 2022
Job: Shipping Specialist – Velotech, Inc.
Job Title
Shipping Specialist
Company / Organization
Velotech, Inc.
Job Description
Velotech, Inc. is a locally owned business that has operated in Portland since 2002. Velotech is the parent company of BikeTiresDirect, Western Bikeworks, and Trisports.
This position is responsible for picking, packing and shipping customer orders. Qualified Shipping Specialists also execute product put-away, clean their work area, execute physical counts, and available for general physical and/or minor administrative labor.
Starting rate is $17.25 per hour.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
Pick incoming web orders and warehouse pick up orders
Pack and ship orders according to supervisor’s guidelines
Maintain accurate inventory through regular cycle counting
Assist receiving department with put away of new items
Maintain a clean and organized workspace
Assist with any projects, or assist in other departments as instructed by supervisor
Perform all duties in a safe manner and report all safety concerns immediately to supervisor
MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS:
Wear closed toe shoes at all times in warehouse
Be able to lift 25 lbs above your head without assistance
Stand for long periods of time
Be able to lift 50 lbs without assistance
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:
Excellent communication and organizational skills
Solid knowledge of cycling products
Ability to work in a high volume, fast-paced environment
Ability to work independently or with others to manage multiple task with minimal supervision.
BENEFITS
Generous Employee Discounts
Flexible Schedules
Medical/Dental/Vision for all full & regular part-time employees
Paid Time Off – up to 15 days your first year
Quarterly ‘Get Outside’ days
PHYSICAL/MENTAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands or finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk, reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, crouch and sit for extended periods of time.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
This description is intended to provide only the basic guidelines for meeting job requirements. Responsibilities, knowledge, skills, ability and working conditions may change as needs evolve.
Velotech is an Equal Opportunity employer.
How to Apply
If interested, please click on the link to apply:
https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=4367&clientkey=F102FCECFB43ED66CAD0C8276CB962A9
Despite police directive, Portlanders of color still overrepresented in traffic stops
Being stopped in traffic is the most common way most people come into contact with the police, but we don’t all experience those stops equally. In Portland (and throughout the United States), people of color are overrepresented in traffic stops, with Black people experiencing the most drastic effects of this bias. And this is more than an inconvenience: Black people across the country have been killed by cops using lethal force during otherwise routine traffic stops.
As a result, advocates have taken on this issue as both a racial and transportation justice cause, and Portland officials have indicated they want to make a change. Last summer, Mayor Ted Wheeler and Police Chief Chuck Lovell directed Portland police officers to make fewer traffic stops, especially for offenses deemed low-importance, where racial bias is more prevalent.
“We need to focus on behaviors that result in serious or fatal crashes, such as speeding, driving while impaired, distracted driving, etc.” Lovell said in a press release last year. “Stops for non-moving violations or lower level infractions will still be allowed, but they must have a safety component or have an actionable investigative factor to it.”
A report on 2021 traffic stops released by the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) earlier this month sheds light into what – if anything – has changed in the year since. The big takeaway? Despite a serious drop in traffic stop rates, large racial disparities remain.
PPB’s traffic stop rates were way down in 2021 – the report says PPB officers “performed 44 percent fewer driver stops and 80 percent fewer pedestrian stops than in the prior year.” But this is not necessarily as a result of Wheeler and Lovell’s instructions, and it didn’t appear to make an impact on the racial biases shown against Portlanders of color. Instead, it appears to be because of a staffing shift that sent the Bureau’s Traffic Division into disarray.
Before 2021, there were two groups of officers – from the Traffic and Non-Traffic Divisions – making roughly the same number of traffic stops each year for different reasons. The stated mission of the Traffic Division is to “address behaviors of road users, including drivers, bicycle riders, and pedestrians, that might lead to a collision.” The Non-Traffic Division’s goal “primarily relates to the reduction and prevention of violent crime in the City” and involves “discretionary traffic stops to contact potential subjects of interest.”
These discretionary stops are often made for offenses Wheeler and Hovell deemed “low-level” – i.e., an expired license plate or missing tags. They also leave a lot more room for officers to use their own – potentially racially biased – judgment. Even after Wheeler and Lovell guided officers to avoid those stops, the bulk of Non-Traffic Division stops were for offenses deemed minor.
Differences in calculating racial disparities
PPB uses its own benchmarks to compare their data on citywide racial demographics to calculate disparities. Recent census data indicates Portland’s Black population sits at about 5.9% of the total. Even though the actual number may be slightly higher due to census counting errors and a growing population, this percentage is generally accepted and has been used in the past to indicate racial profiling within PPB traffic stops.
According to the report, Black people made up almost 18% of the population stopped in traffic in 2021 – meaning they are overrepresented threefold. But PPB’s internal data says otherwise.
PPB uses injury collision rates – the demographics of people involved in injury collisions investigated by PPB officers – as a benchmark to use when comparing their traffic stop data to the general population. For the Non-Traffic Division, PPB uses the demographics of crime victimization rates as a benchmark. Both of these benchmarks (see charts below) present a far higher percentage of non-white Portlanders than actually live here.
According to their internal data, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander drivers were the only group overrepresented in PPB traffic stops in 2021, and otherwise, PPB officers did not show racial discrimination within their traffic stop procedures. But given the lack of substantial police oversight within the Bureau and its history (and ongoing demonstration) of institutional racism, some people have called this practice into question.
What’s next?
The report states the “slight declines witnessed in Minor Moving Violation and Non-Moving Violation stops” are “an encouraging step and demonstrates the Bureau’s willingness to act and change.” But the racial disparities have not improved, which Lovell himself has acknowledged.
It’s unclear the effect the Wheeler and Lovell’s instructions and the PPB staff shortage had on Portland’s traffic crash fatality rates, which were exceptionally high last year and aren’t too much better this year. Even if PPB officers had directed their attention to the most dangerous offenses, data suggests increased policing doesn’t work as a method of preventing traffic crashes and deaths.
Instead, advocates say infrastructure changes are what’s needed to improve street safety. Some advocates are in favor of solutions like traffic camera speed enforcement, which can now be processed without costly and time-consuming police involvement.
Read the PPB’s full report here.
Portland’s beloved bikeway art comes to life on Pedalpalooza ride (Video)
Pedalpalooza is saving Portland right now. Every day, people are coming together around shared passions and connecting on our streets with open arms. It’s exactly the kind of community-oriented, free fun so many of us need right now, and the Art in the Bike Lane Ride held on Saturday was a great example of this.
Leaders Whitney Mercer and Haley Miller love the quirky and cute bikeway characters that the City of Portland creates. I mean, loove them. Mercer, who showed up with an impeccably detailed rendition of the “Cyclist in Space” character that lives in a bike lane outside the Belmont Library, wears fashion accessories inspired by the designs and said one of her life goals is to meet the Portland Bureau of Transportation staffer who established the program.
Mercer’s co-leader, Haley Miller, donned a cape and eye-mask just like the “Transportation Superhero” character she loves most, which can be found in the bike lane on N Vancouver just before Russell. “It was the first one I saw and it was like the gateway drug to finding them all and documenting them,” she says in the video above.
The tradition goes back to 1999 when a PBOT maintenance staffer was bored and used excess scraps of thermoplastic used in pavement markings to give bike lane characters a bit of extra personality. The tradition was embraced by a subsequent person at PBOT named Kirstin Byer who expanded the program and made sure it became standard practice. Byer thought of herself as curator of Portland’s “random bike art museum” before she retired in early 2021.
Today’s designs are much more intricate and PBOT has a popular design contest for kids where the winners get to see their creations come to life on the street.
As you can see in our video and photos, there was plenty of life on Saturday’s ride! Take a look at the full gallery below and don’t miss our Pedalpalooza Hub for more coverage.
Special thanks to BIKETOWN, operated by Lyft for being the financial supporter of our Pedalpalooza 2022 coverage.
An ADA ramp saga in Portland Heights
This is the story of the little ADA ramp that could.
For 14 months now, I’ve watched a new ramp in the Portland Heights neighborhood (south of Goose Hollow) get built, fail inspection, be torn down, get rebuilt, fail inspection, be torn down, get rebuilt again . . . you get it. Apparently the third build still needs some adjustment to the adjacent sidewalk.
Here’s a photo diary of the recent attempts to build the new ramp at SW Spring and 16th streets:
If this were the story of just one hapless corner I probably wouldn’t be posting about it. But there are two nearby locations with new ramps which have also had to be rebuilt.
The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) work has been triggered by the Goose Hollow Sewer Repair Project, a Bureau of Environmental Services project to upgrade aging and deteriorating sewer pipes in Goose Hollow and Portland Heights. These old pipes have been around between 80 and 100 years, as have some of the sidewalks.
The primary work of the project, replacing sewer pipes, has gone well. The crews work their tails off, they have been friendly, accommodating, communicative, and aside from all the dust, a pleasure to be around. They have replaced two and a half miles of public sewers.
If this were the story of just one hapless corner I probably wouldn’t be posting about it. But there are two nearby locations with new ramps which have also had to be rebuilt. So far that totals seven pours for three ramps. I’m not trying to find the weak link(s) in a work-flow that involves many subcontractors. However, at some point(s) the city has to have touched the process (at least through inspections) before the concrete pours.
This week, it looks like the strategy with the third rebuild is to call the ramp good, and instead to adjust the slope of the adjacent sidewalk. Hopefully, the job can be finished with this new approach. It’s a tough corner, the high point of both a north-south and a east-west slope. And the specifications for contemporary ADA ramps don’t easily sit on legacy sidewalks.
I don’t know who eats the cost of these rebuilds in the short-term — the contractor or the city — but in the end, the taxpayer gets the bill.
The greenway prevails: PBOT will install diverter on NE Fremont at Alameda
The Portland Bureau of Transportation will move forward with a pilot of a full median traffic diverter on Northeast Alameda at Fremont.
The move comes after months of back-and-forth with the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association after they voted against the idea back in March.
At issue is an effort to improve safety on Fremont, a neighborhood collector that has come under scrutiny by both neighborhood residents and PBOT for excessive driving speeds and crashes. Alameda rose to the top because it’s a major north-south bicycle greenway that has seen an increase in cars and cut-through traffic.
When PBOT proposed a full diverter at the intersection, some BWNA leaders and residents objected to it. They cited myriad reasons for their opposition and ultimately the BWNA board voted 7-4 against it. While some people thought the vote was binding, PBOT never saw it as such and continued to work toward a solution.
In April, the BWNA formed a sub-committee to come up with their own proposal. Leaders of that committee maintained that Alameda was wide enough for the car and bike traffic to co-exist and that, perhaps it shouldn’t be considered a greenway at all. PBOT wasn’t having it.
“Since [NE Alameda] functions as a neighborhood collector, the volume is higher than narrower local streets. This begs the question – Why was Alameda selected and is it the widest street identified as a Greenway?” a BWNA leader emailed to PBOT Neighborhood Greenways Program Coordinator Scott Cohen.
“Despite your consistent suggestions, NE Alameda does not function as a collector, it functions as a cut-through route for people avoiding the collectors,” Cohen replied. He also made it clear he was tired of all the process-related back-and-forth. “Slow Streets [Program] staff has been connecting with the neighborhood about this intersection since April 2021 on a solution and delaying is not an option,” he wrote.
For the past three months, Cohen and PBOT have worked with BWNA to create a different design proposal at Alameda and Fremont. But in the end, PBOT decided their proposal that the neighborhood voted against in March achieved more of the goals of the project.
According to the project website that launched today, PBOT plans to install plastic curbs and posts on the centerline of Fremont with cut-outs so bicycle riders can pass through. Car users will be prevented from turning left from Alameda to Fremont or vice versa.
PBOT says the design will reduce crashes, create a safer crossing, and reduce car use on the Alameda bicycle greenway. They will consider this a pilot installation and will monitor street usage at 15 locations for one year to decide if the new diverter should be made permanent. They expect the work to be done on the estimated $10,000 project sometime this summer or early fall.
UPDATE, 7:50 am on 7/20: This post initially said that PBOT and the BWNA neighborhood association agreed on the diverter in the end. That was inaccurate. BWNA did not support PBOT’s ultimate decision to move forward with the diverter. I’ve edited the story to reflect this and regret the error.
$37 million available for multi-use paths (ODOT)
From the Oregon Department of Transportation:
Exciting news! On July 14, the Oregon Transportation Commission approved $4 million in state Transportation Operating Funds for the Community Paths Program 2022 solicitation. There is also $3 million in federal Safe Routes to School funding for community paths projects that address a transportation need of local students.
That’s $7 million in additional funding for the 2022 solicitation!
Pre-applications will be accepted starting August 1. Here is what you need to know about this round of funding:
- $30 million is available in federal funding for construction or preliminary planning (Project Refinement) for projects between $500,000 and $6 million. Federal-funded grants will require a 10.27% match.
- $3 million is available in federal funding for projects within one mile of a school (K-12) that have a letter from the school detailing the need and how the project addresses that need. These are also for projects between $500,000 and $6 million, and they also require a 10.27% match.
- $4 million is available in State Transportation Operating Funds for smaller construction projects ($300,000 – $1 million). State-funded grants require a 30% match.
Oregon Community Paths, or OCP, is a competitive statewide transportation program that supports investments in multiuse paths that are not part of a roadway. Examples of eligible projects may be routes or segments that pass through a park, along a greenway, or follow abandoned rail corridors to connect community centers, services, housing, employment, schools, and recreation. Some on-road projects, such as roadway crossings for existing paths, are also eligible. OCP projects must serve a transportation purpose (not recreational) and must be open for public use. This program funds two types of community paths:
- Critical Links – walking and biking connections to schools, downtowns, shopping, employment, and other essential destinations.
- Regional Paths – connecting communities no more than 15 miles apart, or traversing one community with a path 10 miles long or greater; examples include southern Oregon’s Bear Creek Greenway or Portland’s Springwater Corridor.
Key dates to remember
- August 1 to September 15 – Pre-Applications accepted.
- November 1 to January 31, 2023 – Applications accepted.
- May 2023 – Oregon Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee makes recommendations.
- July 2023 – Oregon Transportation Commission approves projects.
- October 2023 – Projects begin.
For more information, please sign up for our email list, or contact Alan Thompson, PATHS Program manager, 971-375-3903 or Alan.L.Thompson@odot.oregon.gov
With monumental task ahead, 82nd Avenue Coalition holds first meeting
Publisher’s note: I’m happy to share our first story from Paxton Rothwell, a former engineer and volunteer activists who’s turned his attention to writing about transportation.
On Wednesday July 13th, Portland-based nonprofit Oregon Walks hosted 30 people in Montavilla Park to discuss the future of 82nd Avenue. This was the first meeting of the 82nd Avenue Coalition, a still-forming group of business owners, residents and advocates who want to transform this street from a car-centered ‘orphan highway’ that divides Portland, to a community corridor that connects it.
They face a massive task ahead.
A group walk by advocates last year shined a light on the poor sidewalk conditions and unwelcoming environment along the corridor. S.K. Amaro, a community member from the Lents neighborhood, shared at the meeting last week that 82nd Avenue has the feeling of an emotional and physical wall. “You cross [82nd to the west] and you hear the birds sing and the roads are paved.”
Oregon Walks Executive Director Ashton Simpson put the effect of 82nd Avenue very plainly, “this street has always divided us as a city.”
Standing in front of the group seated in a grassy part of the park, Simpson recounted the recent history of 82nd Avenue. The back-to-back pedestrian deaths in early 2021 and resulting political pressure from advocates, Rep. Kham Pham, and many others ultimately led to the agreement to transfer this ‘orphan highway’ from the state’s control to the City of Portland’s. The City is now poised to make crucial safety upgrades to 82nd Avenue. According to Zachary Lauritzen, Oregon Walks’ 82nd Avenue Coalition Manager, Rep. Pham “secured the funding [for this Coalition] in order to raise up community voice[s] as the jurisdictional transfer work goes into place.”
This transfer came with $185 million in funding for much needed safety improvements. $80 million has already been allocated for new pedestrian crossings and lighting upgrades. Some of these upgrades (like the partially built crossing at NE Pacific Street I used to get to Montavilla Park, see below) are already being constructed.
What’s to come with the rest of the funding? “The other $105 million is [still] being programmed. I’m hearing from city staff that they want to hear from the people,” Lauritzen said. This is where the Coalition’s guidance will come in. In a followup email, Lauritzen assured me that “we will move in the direction where the voice of the people takes us.”
The Coalition has already attracted a broad range of interested members. In attendance were representatives from Verde, The Street Trust, Portland Audubon Society, the 82nd Ave Business Association, and people representing neighborhoods from Lents to Madison South. Metro Councilor Duncan Hwang was also in attendance. When asked about what planning is in the pipeline at Metro for 82nd, Hwang replied, “We’re starting the process for a new high capacity transit route.” He added that Metro is also planning for transit-oriented development along the route.
If all goes well the Coalition hopes to use this process as an example for how to transform other urban arterials and ‘orphan highways’ into people-centered community corridors. Just what type of people will be centered, is also a hot topic.
Coalition members expressed a strong interest in making sure changes to the street come with anti-displacement efforts. To honor the diversity that already exists on the 82nd Ave corridor, the Coalition suggested that each district could have its own theme.
This was the first of many meetings and remains open to new members. If you are interested in attending the next meeting, send an email to Zachary Lauritzen at Oregon Walks (zachary@oregonwalks.org).
In related news, the City of Portland just posted the volunteer application to be part of their Building a Better 82nd Avenue Community Advisory Group.
Comment of the Week: E-bikes and unintended consequences
“It feels like the wins bicycle advocates have made here over the years are now benefiting a different group and leaving some of us behind.“
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.
Our article last week, E-bikes have changed the game. Is it time to change the rules? ended with a call for reader thoughts—and boy did you respond. The subject was clearly something people had on their mind.
Out of a long thread of excellent comments, only Maria’s received a “comment of the week” nomination. We liked it too. It was personal, respectful and in plain language described the feeling of vulnerability that many riders are feeling in what were once safe spaces.
But there were many other comments and discussions which also merit mention. First off, what are we supposed to call those things with two wheels that don’t have a motor? “Acoustic” bike really did not go over well with a lot of people, like “nails on a chalkboard” wrote maxD.
E-bike riders said their piece too. SDR, who is 68 and has been riding for 60 years, described their e-bike as a “game-changer,” especially in the southwest hills. And Brent pointed out that their e-bike is a “work vehicle” and “car replacement.”
Overall, it was an informative thread that did a good job hashing out the issues. But Maria’s comment stood out.
Here it is:
I’m so glad folks can be on two wheels instead of in cars. I want all bodies to be able to access the outdoor transportation and fun that bikes and ebikes have to offer.
But…here’s my “kids off my lawn” rant. I’m sure people will hate me for saying so, but I’m also sure I am not alone in this sentiment. As a solely acoustic bicycle user, and a car-free person, I’ve increasingly struggled on what used to feel like safe spaces for me (ie the bike path, the bike lane). Now, in addition to the danger of cars, I have to contend with other bike lane or bike path users on machines that are much faster and much heavier than me & my bicycle. It’s not much fun riding 12mph and getting passed by ebikers going 30mph. I know that’s not allowed but it’s happening, and it’s happening a lot. The last time I rode to Boring, the majority of path users were on ebikes, steamrolling me and passing dangerously close.
As the ebike revolution (which I thought would not be motorized heh heh) progresses, it’s likely more and more of those riders will have had little or no acoustic bike experience. As I get older and slower and more vulnerable to injury, and more of my encounters in the bike lane or bike path are with motorized users who may not have awareness of what it’s like to be passed at twice your speed and may not have bike handling skills created from riding acoustic bikes, it’s leading to a scarier world than I’d hoped I’d been working to help build here in Portland. Le sigh.
It feels like the wins bicycle advocates have made here over the years are now benefiting a different group and leaving some of us behind. There’s likely no way to address this without building an entire second set of infrastructure for human powered vehicles only. Of course that sounds ridiculous – probably just as ridiculous as it sounded to car drivers when bicycles demanded safe infrastructure in the past.
I guess all I can do is to ask ebikers to please slow down when passing and/or please give a wide wake to those of us still on acoustic bikes. And, oh yeah, please don’t pass on the right when a rider is turning right and signaling right (this is oddly common!). Thanks for reading, hope I haven’t ticked anyone off too much.
Two wheels, one love.
Thank you Maria. You can read her comment, and the entire thread, under the original article.
Note: This story originally including a reference to a comment on the original story that was inappropriate and has since been deleted.
The Monday Roundup: Cost of cars, transit crime conundrum, Slick Devious, and more
Welcome to the week.
Before we share the most notable items our writers and readers came across in the past seven days, please take a look at the services of one of our new advertisers — Used Dutch Bikes, a source for authentic Dutch bikes delivered to your door.
Low-car politics: Milan is experiencing an open streets renaissance (thanks in part to former NYC DOT chief Janette Sadik-Khan) and the politician who pushed cars out of the city center is wildly popular. Coincidence? We think not.
We’re back: Time Magazine named Portland one of the world’s greatest places in large part because of our new carfree bridges. The city that has shunned cycling, now basks in glory because of them. You’re welcome Portland!
Pedaling propaganda: Portland’s very own cycling TikTok influencer Jenna Phillips got her due with a profile in Business Insider!
Transit crime conundrum: Excellent, must-read piece in Governing addresses the problem of progressive cities not doing enough to create safe and clean conditions on transit and why a hesitancy to use police might be hurting more people than it’s helping.
Cost of cars: This (relatively) new research published in Ecological Economics found that, “motorists underestimate the full private costs of car ownership, while policy makers and planners underestimate social costs.
Gas station ban: Petrol stations are fossil-fuel infrastructure and some cities are moving to ban new ones; but are the political stakes of starving cars too high?
He’d get my vote: The man who created the “ciclovia” open street events in Bogota, Colombia that inspired Portland’s Sunday Parkways and who critiqued Portland city leaders for being too timid on reducing car use during a fiery speech here in 2008, is running for mayor of Toronto.
Preach David!: “If we want to embed genuine freedom in our infrastructure, we need bold investments that provide Americans with mobility options — instead of doubling down on car dependency,” says former Metro President, now Executive Director of Transit Center David Bragdon in a guest op-ed in The Hill.
The point of planning: Noted former Streetsblog writer and author Angie Schmitt thinks the urban planning profession should have made more noise to maintain access to public facilities and other spaces during the pandemic. (I agree! And it’s why I was so disappointed that PBOT severely cut back on Sunday Parkways-like events when we needed them most.)
E-bike boom: The gap between what politicians and city leaders do for electric cars versus electric bikes is even harder to swallow when you realize that e-bikes are outselling e-cars in America right now.
Video of the Week: I came across this amazing gem of a TriMet promo this week and hurt my chin when my jaw fell to my desk
Thanks to everyone who sent us links this week!
Remembering Martin Crommie
“He was probably one of the most compassionate and accommodating people I’ve ever known.”
– Daniel Crommie, Martin’s younger brother
Portland Police released the name of the man who was killed while riding his bike in the Portsmouth neighborhood on July 10th. It was Martin Crommie. He was 70 years young and full of life, according to friends and his brother who I spoke to this morning.
Daniel Crommie shared that Martin lived just 200 feet away from the collision that ended his life. He was about to make a turn onto North Juneau Street — where he’d lived for 32 years — when, for some reason, he collided with a person driving a 2021 Toyota Tacoma truck.
Martin was returning home from hanging out with his brother all afternoon. They met up in southeast with their bikes (Martin put his on MAX for part of the trip, Daniel put his on a bus) for burgers and beers. “We’d always go out and enjoy biking and just having a day together. We’ve been doing that for years. We weren’t just brothers, we were best friends too, we were very close and did a lot of adventures together.”
Daniel said he visited the intersection of North Chautauqua and Juneau the day after the collision. “We saw the marks on the ground [from the police investigation] and he was still in his lane when he got hit. The truck driver was passing him on his left,” Daniel shared. “The truck driver reported [Martin] was swerving in front of him, which was just his way of saying ‘don’t pass me’. He hated people riding on his ass while he biked.”
It’s hard to know exactly what happened because we can’t ask Martin about it. Daniel acknowledges it was just an “accident”, but he also said, “The truck driver was just one block from Columbia. If he’d been patient and waited 15-20 seconds, there would be no accident.”
Below is a short video from the intersection:
Martin loved his e-bike, which he purchased about a year ago. He and his brother would do summer bike trips on bikes together even before he got it. Daniel said Martin got an e-bike because he was on his feet all day at his job (a contractor for Intel) and it was getting hard for him to power his other bike.
Daniel is one of Martin’s two brothers. He leaves behind another brother named Jay, his sister Judy and other extended family members who grew up together in southwest Portland.
When he wasn’t working on spending time with family, Martin loved to be in the outdoors hiking and camping. He was a news junkie who loved following national politics.
“He was probably one of the most compassionate and accommodating people I’ve ever known,” Daniel said, when I asked what he wants the community to know about his brother. “He was the kind of person that, if there was someone downtown that looked destitute asking for money, he’d give them money. He was very sympathetic. Generally just a kind-hearted person who sometimes would say the wrong thing at the wrong time, but that was part of his charm.”
Advocates are planning a memorial ride and ghost bike dedication ceremony soon. Stay tuned for details.
Obscured license plates are illegal, dangerous, and on the rise
Have you noticed an increase in the amount of drivers using obscured license plates on their cars? We sure have. More and more people are trying to skirt the law — and avoid photo radar cameras — by making it hard to read their plates or removing them completely.
For obvious reasons, these are illegal. Oregon Revised Statute states clearly that, “A person commits the offense of illegal alteration or illegal display of a registration plate if… the plate has been altered, modified, covered or obscured in any manner… so as to render them unreadable.”
Speed and traffic signal photo radar cameras must be able to read a license plate to issue a citation. But getting caught obscuring your license plate is a Class B traffic violation in Oregon, and it will typically run you a lot less than a speeding ticket – that is, if you face any punishment at all.
It’s easy to find online tutorials for DIY tinted license plate screens (I won’t aid and abet this practice by linking to any of them, but they’re out there), and without more consequences, people aren’t going to suddenly stop doing this — especially as the City of Portland installs more speed and red light cameras.
“I don’t see any reason why this would be something that would need to be done by armed police officers. I think the parking enforcement officers solution is appealing.”
– Chris Thomas, attorney
Obstructed license plates do more than help people evade the authorities. If a car driver is involved in a hit-and-run, road rage incident, or other type of dangerous and/or illegal interaction with another road user, it’s nearly impossible to recall their license plate information if it’s obstructed.
Chris Thomas, an attorney at Thomas, Coon, Newton & Frost (a BikePortland advertiser) who specializes in traffic law, shared photos on Twitter (at right) of obscured plates he’s come across recently and several people replied with even more examples.
In some ways, similar to untraceable ghost guns, these are ghost cars — practically invisible to law enforcement.
So, what can we do?
Putting more cops on the road might feel like the right response, but that’s complicated and fraught. Even if the Portland Police Bureau prioritized these type of infractions (which they don’t), traffic stops by armed individuals with militaristic training can result in serious trauma and harm, especially for people of color and other marginalized groups.
Some advocates think it would make more sense if Portland Bureau of Transportation parking enforcement officers handled this.
“I don’t see any reason why this would be something that would need to be done by armed police officers,” Chris Thomas told me. “It seems like a pretty binary thing. They’ve either got plates that are unobscured or they don’t. That’s why I think the parking enforcement officers solution is appealing, because these are people who are going around looking at cars parked in the street already.”
Thomas also pointed out that while citing obscured plates is currently outside the authority of parking enforcement as per City Code, unarmed parking enforcement officers can already issue citations for expired tags and missing plates. It reasons their jurisdiction could be expanded to include this.
Amending this code would make it possible to issue fines to people who obscure their plates under the parking enforcement umbrella, it would prevent direct police interactions, and would increase the effectiveness of our photo radar cameras. Portland Bureau of Transportation Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty is a big proponent on using non-police tactics to address transportation issues. She used traffic calming to reduce gun violence and dangerous driving in the Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood earlier this year and successfully passed a bill in the recent legislative session to remove police oversight from the traffic camera citation process.
What do you think? Have you noticed more covered license plates recently, and do you have any other ideas about how to combat this problem? If you know someone who has their plates hidden, I’d be curious to know their rationale for doing so. And you should probably tell them why it’s such a bad idea.