I’m working on a larger year-in-review post (hopefully out later today and then I’m off until 2024!); but before that comes out I thought it’d be fun to look at the most popular stories we posted here all year.
Below are our ten most read stories of 2023:
It’s almost the end of the year and I’ve got just two more posts coming your way before we meet again in 2024. First, I want to share details on two rides that will help you ring in the new year on your bike.
New to the calendar this year is the Nostalgic Yesteryear Excursion that will embark (as its acronym implies) New Year’s Eve on a “last orbit around Portland with the friends that give meaning to an otherwise arbitrary timeframe we’ve called ‘2023’.” The ride is organized and led by John Russell, an interesting character who you might have met at other social rides or at Bike Happy Hour. The NYE ride meets somewhere in inner southeast at 8:08 pm and shoves off at 9:09. RSVP on Facebook for all the details.
And keeping to the annual tradition, The Street Trust will host a New Year’s Day Ride that meets at their headquarters office in Lloyd Center Mall. New this year, the org will require a $40 donation for all riders over 18 years of age to take part (no one will be turned away for lack of funds). The entry fee will come with an annual membership that supports The Street Trust’s important advocacy work. If you can’t make the ride (it meets at 12:00 pm), you can show up at their office around 2:30 or so for hot drinks and food for the after-ride party. Required RSVP and more details here.
Whatever you do for New Year’s, please have fun! And remember that if you can’t safely get yourself home the City of Portland and their partners at TriMet, C-Tran and Portland Streetcar offer free transit and a $10 taxi discount. Learn more at the Safe Ride Home website.
Stay tuned for BikePortland’s final story of 2023: a look back at the big news we covered in 2023, including our top 10 most viewed stories of the year.
The Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) announced the third round of its Community Responsive Grants (CRG) last month. This will be the first year with a Transportation Decarbonization category, and bicycle projects appear to have a large role to play.
Sam Baraso, PCEF’s Program Manager, called Transportation Decarbonization “our newest and most exciting funding area,” with this cycle expected to fund between $10 and $20 million in projects.
Readers might recall that PCEF funded a $20 million e-bike rebate program earlier this year, but, as many have pointed out, owning a bike is not the same as using it, and that’s where the grants come in. The Transportation Decarbonization category will fund projects that support “mode shifting to active transportation” and also “transportation electrification.”
This year’s Request For Proposals (RFP 3) describes a blend of grant types, including planning and implementation grants of different sizes: 5 to 10 planning grants, 10 to 20 small implementation grants, and 10 to 20 large implementation grants.
Bicycle advocates should be encouraged that the online grant-writing resources use bike-related projects as examples: one example involves a grant for installation of bike racks, and the other is a bike bus program which also seeks to improve safety at a nearby intersection.
PCEF targets its investments toward “priority populations” that are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change — like people with low incomes who live in heat islands without tree canopy or cooling — but also toward workforce and contractor development, so that electrification and green revolution opportunities don’t pass over young people, people of color, and women.
PCEF’s Climate Investment Plan will allocate roughly $750 million dollars over the next five years, or about $150 million annually. This year’s Community Responsive Grant round expects to award $40-$60 million to about 30 grants over six different categories (see above).
Note that the $40-$60 million going toward community grant funding is less than the $150 million yearly to be distributed by the Climate Investment Plan. The difference between those monies was directed toward City of Portland programs: $20 million for the e-bike rebate; a $25 million boost for the transportation wallet; and in December Commissioner Carmen Rubio directed $112 million to the cash-starved Portland Bureau of Transportation for active transportation, transit and community programming.
Voters passed Portland Clean Energy Fund measure in 2018. It levies a 1% surcharge on the Portland revenue of large retailers—those with a gross national revenue of over $1 billion and local sales of at least $500,000. Revenue from the surcharge is used to fund projects which reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve climate resilience in ways that advance racial and social justice.
The deadline for grant applications is February 1, and applicants must be a qualified nonprofit organization or have a qualified fiscal sponsor. If you’ve got a bike-related dream that just needs a bit of funding to become reality, don’t miss this opportunity!
At just 27 years old and with no prior experience in elected office, southeast Portland resident Angelita Morillo is currently leading the entire field of 2024 council and mayoral candidates in total number of campaign contributions. And it’s not even close.
That fact alone should pique your interest in this rising political star who wants to represent District 3 on Portland’s City Council.
I started following Morillo on her popular social media channels long before she declared her candidacy. I appreciated how she deftly described detailed city policies, educated her (mostly young) followers about local government, and then encouraged them to vote and get involved. I didn’t know at the time she immigrated to Portland from Paraguay at a young age, or that she attended Lincoln High School. When I saw a photo of her, on her campaign website, standing in the middle of the school’s national title-winning Constitution Team in 2014, it all began to make sense.
I’ve since watched Morillo build a huge following on TikTok, and when she announced her city council run, I knew it was just a matter of time until we sat down for a chat. In the past few months, I’ve talked with her several times and have come away impressed. Her combination of smarts, life and work experience, communication skills and work ethic should make her someone to watch in local political circles for years to come.
When she recently asked to do a bike ride of her district and visit Bike Happy Hour, I happily obliged.
On Wednesday I towed my wife’s bike (they’re the same height) down to Worker’s Tap on SE 12th and Ankeny (the worker-owned and “democratically run” pub is one of Morillo’s favorite spots.) From there, we did a 6.5 mile loop (route) before Bike Happy Hour and then I did a short interview with her at the event, followed by some audience Q&A. We were mic’d up for the bike ride and I recorded the Happy Hour conversations and turned all of it into this podcast episode.
Here’s a bit of what you’ll hear in the episode:
“My mom never had a car and she doesn’t know how to drive. So we grew up riding bikes, and then taking the bus. I moved to Portland when I was in middle school… I’ve never learned how to ride a bike for city riding.”
“It’s honestly been the cost of getting a bike that’s been a barrier. But I really need one, because the buses run so infrequently… I really do wish I had a bike for things like go to the grocery store.”
“There’s just been a lot of propaganda about bicyclists like, ‘Oh, they’re just annoying and entitled’,” and it strikes me very much as a millennial critique.”
Why do you think that’s such a popular narrative among your followers?
“I honestly just think we’ve had decades of propaganda around cars and car infrastructure. I was talking to someone else who was telling me they really feel like their car gives them a sense of freedom they don’t get otherwise, because they feel constricted by time if they have to take the bus. Or if they have to, you know, go on a bike, it’s not like they can carry the same amount of things.
And I was trying to explain to them that the reason they experienced that freedom is because being in a car is prioritized by all of the infrastructure.”
“We’ll have to do more of these [rides] if you’re up for it.”
“Okay, [a bike] is gonna be my my tax refund purchase this year!”
“During my time at PSU [Portland State University, where she studied political science], I was homeless for a little under a year. And a lot of my schoolmates didn’t know that I was homeless… my high school teachers actually ended up finding out that I was homeless for that portion of my life, and they took me in, and if it wasn’t for them, I probably would not have graduated university.”
“I worked at City Hall where I did constituent services for former commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty… that’s where I learned people don’t know who is in charge of what decisions and they don’t know which bureaus are responsible for the messes that are happening. And because of that, we aren’t able to effectively organize and hold people accountable. So I ended up creating a TikTok to explain local government and policy to people who otherwise wouldn’t be informed about these issues.”
“I get very sentimental about the bus. I’ve seen people with their families. I’ve seen their kids grow up. I’ve seen people fall in love on the bus. So I think people have horror stories about the bus. I’m a young woman. So obviously I have horror stories about existing in a public sphere. But I think it was always something that I really deeply loved.”
“Mainly what I’ve seen is just the public being frustrated that our current city council really lacks political courage and imagination. So everything that they’re doing right now is to destroy things. They’re trying to destroy Portland Street Response, they’re trying to remove bike lanes, they’re trying to prevent charter change from being implemented. Right? So I think that what people are asking is for us to be bold, and to just have a different vision for the city.”
Listen to the full episode in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.
In the world of sales and marketing, there’s a thing known as a unique selling proposition, or USP. Put simply, it’s the one thing that differentiates your product or brand from competitors.
What if Portland’s leaders once again acted as through our city’s USP was a safe, efficient, earth-friendly transportation system? I say “once again”, because in many ways that’s what set us apart from other American cities starting in the 1970s. That’s when activists came together to turn a massive highway, Harbor Drive, into Waterfront Park. Then Portlanders defeated the Mt. Hood Freeway in the 1980s (and built light rail instead), laid down innovative bike lanes in the 1990s, then went on to become the coolest cycling city in the world from 2000 to 2015.
Now that some of the shine as come off our transportation reputation and everyone’s looking for a way to “revitalize” Portland, one bike advocate thinks we should consider finishing what we started in the 90s.
Local nonprofit BikeLoud PDX encourages members to testify each week at the open public comment period prior to City Council meetings. These three-minute slots are open to everyone and they’re an excellent opportunity to speak directly to Mayor Ted Wheeler and the four other commissioners and get your ideas on the record.
One person who volunteered for this last Wednesday was Melissa Kostelecky (you might have met her and/or her family at Bike Happy Hour). I thought Melissa’s testimony was very effective, so I made a video of it and have shared the transcript below.
The “toothbrushing enthusiast” line at the beginning is brilliant!
Below is her testimony (scroll down to watch it in video form with captions):
“Commissioners, thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Melissa Kostelecky, and I’d like to start off by noting that I don’t identify as a cyclist in the cultural sense of the word, any more than I would consider myself a toothbrushing enthusiast, simply because it’s something I do a couple times a day as a need.
I’m passionate about biking because it’s potential for mitigating carbon emissions, but it just so happens to also be a more affordable form of transportation. One with vast health benefits, and let’s face it, much more enjoyable than sitting in traffic and searching for parking. I initially wanted to speak to you today about recent removals of bike lanes, both proposed and implemented, but I’m sure you’ve heard an earful already, so I’m going to pivot away from safety concerns and instead point out what we stand to gain by hardening and significantly expanding our bike network.
Last week, you heard a presentation from Travel Portland about how to bring tourists back and the need to reverse our tarnished reputation as an unsafe city. Mayor Wheeler noted that cities with good tourism have some unique aspect cruise ships in Seattle, sports venues in Las Vegas. I’d like to challenge the City Council to define our unique selling point and at the same time, improve safety by expanding on a mission we started roughly 20 years ago, but never really completed.
To make Portland the city where people move on foot, bike, and public transit and interact on the street. As [Travel Portland Chief Strategy Officer] Megan Conway noted, people want to come here and experience Portland like the locals do. The problem is that too many of the locals are now hidden away in metal and glass, hurrying by at 40 miles an hour.
We’ve suffered a vicious cycle lately. As the pandemic pushed people indoors and emptied out the streets, crime and unsafe driving filled the void, further disincentivizing people from experiencing the city outside their own cars. A few recent studies indicate that biking has a wider impact on cities as tourism destinations by transforming places and slowing down urban routes, i.e., influencing the dynamics of cities as lived space — and I’m happy to provide those studies on request. Other cities are racing ahead of us on building out their bike networks. And we’ve already lost our place as America’s bike and transit city. Turning this around would help Portland attract conventions aimed at companies and industries looking to tout their green efforts by making our city synonymous with sustainability.
You may wonder what that looks like. Portland continues to improve its, its bike facilities. And for that, I’m grateful, but the roads still feel unsafe and the data backs me up. This problem gets in our way of standing out as a unique American city worth visiting. So I encourage you to think bigger.
Recently, a team of planners, including a former BPS employee, drafted a plan for an urban trail network. I highly encourage you to take a look for yourselves; but to sum it up, the network entails a system of fully protected bike lanes that would link our outer trails and greenways with key downtown and neighborhood destinations within the city.
This safer, more attractive infrastructure would get Portlanders out in the open air, interacting with one another, looking out for one another, and create a safe, welcoming space for visitors to interact with locals. Thank you again for your time.”
I think Melissa did a great job finding a new argument for cycling and framing it in a way that connects with elected leaders. Watch the full video with captions below:
Shipping Specialist
Velotech, Inc.
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.
We are always hiring! We have flexible schedules that accommodate multiple needs. Whether you are seeking full time, part-time, or something in between, reach out and let us know what you are looking for. We love to promote from within, so if you are looking to get your foot in the door, this could be a great entry point.
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.
If interested, please click on the link to apply (or copy and paste into a browser). You can also find us on biketiresdirect.com careers page.
https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=161992&clientkey=F102FCECFB43ED66CAD0C8276CB962A9
For too many families, the holiday break has been a nightmare instead of a joyful celebration.
Portland streets claimed five more victims since Christmas Eve and our annual traffic toll has once again reached its highest level for at least three decades. Despite years of local leaders being committed to “Vision Zero” and a return of the Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division, 71 people have been killed on Portland streets so far this year.
After choosing to scale back its Traffic Division as part of a political game to win more funding from City Hall, the PPB renewed its enforcement efforts back in May. At a press conference to announce 14 officers would return to patrol streets for traffic violations and crimes, Portland Bureau of Transportation Public Information Officer Dylan Rivera said, “We are hopeful this will help us kind of set a new trend, post-pandemic, of less traffic violence on the streets.”
Unfortunately that has not yet come to pass. Too many of our streets remain dangerous by design, and too many road users remain woefully unwilling to use them safely.
The five deaths since December 24th have all happened in predictable places: N Columbia Blvd, SE Stark, SE 122nd, SW Barbur, SE Powell. These are part of PBOT’s “High Crash Network” where we’ve seen a higher than average amount of traffic violence year after year after year.
PBOT has tried for years to provide safety on N Columbia near N Oregonian, where 18-year-old McKenzie Libro was killed while riding as a passenger in a car on the Sunday before Christmas. A dangerous street design and 45 mph speed limit was compounded by a speeding driver who was arrested for several crimes including Manslaughter, Negligent Homicide, and DUII.
Less than 24 hours later, on Christmas Day, someone walking across SE Stark at 106th was hit and killed by the driver of a car. The driver in that collision also committed felony hit-and-run. Another driver who police suspect was under the influence, drove through the scene as the Major Crash Team was doing their investigation.
Around 1:00 pm that same day, officers responded to a single vehicle fatal crash on SW Barbur Blvd at Taylors Ferry Rd. Police say the victim is an adult male.
The third fatality on Christmas happened on SE 122nd just south of Powell Blvd. This appears to have been two drivers who collided with each other. It also marked the fifth person to be killed while using 122nd Ave so far this year. When someone was hit and killed while walking across 122nd at SE Glisan earlier this month, I referred to 122nd as a serial killer. The street remains on the loose while authorities piece together a strategy they hope will prevent it from killing again.
And underscoring the depths of driver dysfunction in our city, Portland Police Public Information Manager Mike Benner revealed at a press conference Tuesday that two drunk drivers rolled onto the scene while officers investigated the crash.
122nd would strike again about 24 hours later. Just yesterday (12/26), police found themselves standing over another dead body just one mile north of Powell on 122nd. Another walker had been hit and killed crossing the street by two separate drivers. One driver failed to stop and is now wanted for hit-and-run.
This isn’t just a transportation problem. Street design and safety projects are important — but this is largely a crime problem and a cultural problem. And pinning this on the “failure of Vision Zero” is mostly lazy scapegoating that blames government and absolves individuals from taking responsibility for their actions.
City Commissioner Mingus Mapps has been in charge of the transportation bureau for nearly one year now. After yet another spate of violence traffic collisions this past summer, Mapps (like many of his predecessors) called an emergency press conference. In an interview following that event Mapps singled out driver behavior as a major culprit and said he was “dissatisfied with the culture change piece” of the problem and told me, “The next thing that I’m leaning into is, how do we bring about this culture change?”
Mapps said his goal was to do weekly educational events to remind drivers their decisions can lead to terrible consequences. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, Mapps has done nothing to follow up on this promise. Instead he has overseen a bureau that has been beset by controversy, has made decisions that put road users at more risk, and has lost the trust of many Portlanders.
To restore trust in our leaders, and more importantly, trust in our streets, we must do something dramatically different. Our streets are a reflection of the problems we face as a city and they will remain unsafe until we throw out our current playbook, grab the bull by the horns, and move forward with a political resolve that is stronger than the threats we face.
Here’s to hoping we get our act together in 2024; and that I never have to write a story like this again.
This afternoon you’re all invited to our last Bike Happy Hour of 2023. Please consider joining us because we have a very special guest: City Council (District 3, Inner Southeast) Candidate Angelita Morillo.
You might know Angelita from her popular @pnwpolicyangel TikTok or Instagram accounts, or you might have emailed with her when worked inside City Hall as a constituent relations staffer for former City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty. Angelita is a carfree renter and immigrant who has strong progressive values mixed with a pragmatism borne from her lived and professional experience and a desire to make material gains for the Portlanders who need help the most. I’ve followed Angelita online for a while now and have met her in person a few times (once for a lengthy chat over coffee), and have come away impressed with how she approaches problems and politics.
What I feel is missing from Portland politics is someone with strong progressive values that can communicate them with the sense of urgency they deserve, while not dismissing people who see things differently and who has the political acumen to make enough progress to quiet haters and push back against Portland’s slide to the right. Is Angelita one of the people who has that ability? Come to Bike Happy Hour to find out!
At her request, I plan to meet Angelita for a bike ride before I roll over to Happy Hour today. She wants to learn more about cycling and transportation issues in her district. We’ll share our conversations at Bike Happy Hour where we’ll do a short live interview and then open it up for audience Q & A. Bring your questions! (And bring your appetite because Ankeny Tap has great food and drink options.)
I hope you’ll join us tonight to reflect on the past year and look forward to 2024 with a sense of engaged optimism.
See you there!
Bike Happy Hour #39:
– Weds, 12/27, 3-6 pm
– Ankeny Tap & Table (SE Ankeny between 27th & 28th)
– Angelita Morillo interview/Q&A at 5:00 pm (AngelitaForPortland.com)
Happy Wednesday everyone.
Thanks for understanding that I needed a break. It just so happens that my daughter’s birthday is on December 23rd (she turned 21 this year!), so it’s extra-important for me to focus on family around Christmas. Now I’m ready to re-engage and finish out 2023 strong. Let’s get things started with a roundup of the most important items we came across in the last week or so.
Europe is showing us the way: As Portland hits yet another grim traffic death milestone, it’s time for us to try something decidedly different. This article illustrates examples of how some major cities are fighting back against cars — and actually making progress. (The Guardian)
Nationalize Greyhound: What if the federal government ran intercity bus service, made stations as common as post offices, and gave bus lines priority on the interstate freeway network? (Jacobin)
If drivers can, they will: This deep dive into NYC bike lane design shows that “protected” bike lanes must be aggressively anti-car enough so that drivers cannot make selfish decisions that impact bike riders. (Streetsblog NYC)
Opening doors to cycling: Portland doesn’t have nearly as many door-zone bike lanes as Los Angeles, but we still have too many and have room for improvement when it comes to the prevention of dooring. (LA Times)
The rules have changed: There’s a new Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and it’s getting warmish reviews from cycling and transportation reform advocates. (Streetsblog USA)
Winter cycling capital of the world: If you need inspiration (or argument ammunition) when it comes to winter cycling, look no further than the Finnish city of Oulo, where cycling shines in snowy conditions. (BBC)
Spain’s green loop: Before I came across this article (thanks Galen!), I didn’t know there was a “green ring” around a city in Spain and that it was implemented as part of an effort to reduce car use. (The Guardian)
Bye bye Bird(e-scooters): It’s a good thing that the Portland Bureau of Transportation won’t permit Bird e-scooters anymore, because the company has filed for bankruptcy and owes money to more than 300 cities. (Quartz)
Thanks to everyone who sent in links this week. The Monday Roundup is a community effort, so please feel free to send us any great stories you come across.
Eva Frazier and I are back with another episode of “In The Shed.” This episode was recorded December 7th* in the BikePortland Shed a few blocks from Peninsula Park in north Portland. (*Sorry for the longer than usual turnaround. It won’t happen again!)
As per usual, Eva and I had a fun, informal chat about a wide range of stuff. In this video we talked about:
Thanks for listening! We’d love to hear feedback. Eva is coming back to the Shed tomorrow so I’ll have another episode before Christmas. Listen in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is putting finishing touches on their North Portland In Motion (NPIM) plan and they’ve just released the final online open house.
NPIM aims to improve the future of biking, walking, and transit on Portland’s peninsula from I-5 between the Overlook and Kenton neighborhoods, west to Pier Park in St. Johns. It launched in 2021 and will likely be adopted by City Council in early 2024. These planning processes (similar ones have been done for east and southwest Portland) are important because they result in a prioritized, clearly-defined list of projects that are shovel-ready and primed for funding. In some cases, the process validates current PBOT planning and they’re able fund and build the projects before the plan is adopted by Council.
These “In Motion” plans have been popular with both PBOT and Portlanders because they add transparency and predictability to the planning process. They also take a network-level view of what needs to be done to make the system (not just one location) safe, which makes each project easier to justify in the case of pushback (as in, “I hear you, but this is part of North Portland in Motion, which went through a comprehensive outreach process and was adopted by City Council, so we’re going to do it even if you don’t like it.”)
As we’ve shared in previous NPIM updates, PBOT gathered community feedback and categorized projects in three different types of projects: neighborhood greenways, corridor improvements, and “plazas & places to connect.” Each set of projects is then prioritized into tier 1 or tier 2.
This week PBOT released detailed, updated project overviews and drawings for seven greenway projects and nine corridor projects. You should definitely check the online open house and click through each one. And/or you can check a few highlights below:
Circulation changes at St. Johns Bridgehead: This project would prohibit and divert some traffic on bridge frontage roads in an effort to drastically reduce cut-through traffic. This would have a major impact on bicycling since so many people use these roads to get on and off the bridge.
New greenway on N. Burr: This project would create a north-south connection from Willamette Blvd (at Cathedral Coffee) all the way to George Middle School on Columbia Blvd.
Kenton Park: As part of an extension of the greenway network, PBOT wants to expand the existing median island at the junction of N Kilpatrick/Halleck streets and N Delaware Ave and prohibit drivers on the slip lane at the southwest corner of the park.
Strengthen N Ainsworth greenway: Already a very popular bike route, PBOT knows there are way too many drivers on Ainsworth between Vancouver and Willamette. They’re considering two diversion plans to force drivers off Ainsworth and onto larger streets like Rosa Parks Way and Killingsworth. The first option would extend the parkway on N Omaha across Ainsworth and create a new culdesac that allows only non-drivers to pass through. The other option would create alternative one-ways for drivers on Ainsworth, but maintain bi-directional bike lanes.
Bike access to Cathedral Park: PBOT wants to make it easier to access this popular park from Willamette by striping 9-foot wide buffered bike lanes on the uphill directions of N Richmond and Baltimore and eventually make bike-friendly changes to N Crawford where it goes through the park near the Willamette River.
Protected bike lanes on N Willamette: PBOT has a major, federally-funded plan for protected bike lanes on Willamette from Rosa Parks to Richmond. But since it won’t be done until 2026, they want to get bike lanes on the ground next year where they don’t exist today between N Ida (Fred Meyer turnoff) and Richmond. The lanes would be 8-feet wide (five for riding and a three-foot buffer) and would take the place of existing on-street car parking.
Safer Fessenden: PBOT wants to neck down the wide intersection at N Fessenden and Wall and reduce the crossing distance by 75%. This safer design would calm traffic and make it much safer to access the nearby Peninsula Crossing Trail.
New bike lanes on N Alberta over I-5!: From PBOT: “This project will redesign the layout of N Alberta St to provide a separated, comfortable bike lane connection between N Interstate Ave and the N Michigan Ave Neighborhood Greenway. Furthermore, this project would add bike boxes and no-turn-on-red at the signalized intersection at N Interstate Ave to reduce conflicts and improve pedestrian and bike safety.” Boom! Yes!
These are just a sampling of the intriguing projects that are part of NPIM. Please visit the online open house and let PBOT know your feedback. They are accepting comments through January 31st.
According to a new report from Multnomah County, traffic-related fatalities made up the second largest number of unintentional deaths among homeless residents in our area. At least 315 people died while homeless in 2022, a record high since the data was first collected in 2011. Among those, 14 people died as a result of traffic collisions — the second highest number among all categories of unintentional deaths.
These stats come from Multnomah County’s Domicile Unknown report released in collaboration with nonprofit advocacy group Street Roots on Wednesday.
In 2020 and 2021, a separate Multnomah County report found that people experiencing homelessness accounted for 24% of all traffic deaths. The problem hit a peak in 2021 when 19 of the 27 pedestrian fatalities in Portland befell people who lived outside. This trend mirrors national numbers that show an increase in pedestrian fatalities among homeless people every year for the past five years.
“The issue may seem complex, but at the core, it’s quite simple: speed, impairment and distraction contribute to over 90% of vehicle crashes in the U.S… This public health epidemic is preventable but only with timely attention and action from the government at every level,” said The Street Trust Executive Director Sarah Iannarone in a county statement.
The problem has gotten so bad that the Joint Office of Homeless Services, a collab between Multnomah County and the City of Portland, has begun handing out reflective gear as part of outreach services. “We’ve got to make sure people are safer and more visible when they’re getting from here to there… especially at night when most of these fatalities occur,” said County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson.
The new report features stories of some of the people who died on our streets. 54-year-old John Ellstrom died when he was struck by the driver of an SUV while walking on the Morrison Bridge near the Interstate 5 ramp on Mother’s Day. And 47-year-old Angela Boyd was killed by a hit-and-run driver as she crossed SE Powell Boulevard on April 4th. The driver of the late-model Subaru that hit her is still on the loose.
While our entire population faces the prospect of increasing traffic fatalities, people experiencing homelessness are at much higher risk. The report found that they are 45 times more likely to die of a transportation-related death than the overall population — a greater disparity than any other cause including drug overdoses and homicide.
One reason for this disproportionate impact is that many encampments are adjacent to high-speed roads. Early last year, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler tried to combat this situation by ordering a ban on camping next to roads listed on the city’s high crash network.
But bans and the sweeps that accompany them, are not a proven remedy. A group of Portland State University students researching the issue found that forcing people to relocate to areas with safer traffic patters often just results in them having to travel further to reach services and destinations — thus exposing them to more car traffic dangers in the process. To get at the root cause of the problem, they recommend building safer streets and improving the quality and accessibility of shelters.
— Read the 2022 Domicile Unknown report here.