Job: Instructor Mechanic – Community Cycling Center

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Instructor Mechanic

Company / Organization

Community Cycling Center

Job Description

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY CYCLING CENTER

For nearly 30 years, we have been a nonprofit organization on a mission to broaden access to bicycling and its benefits. Our vision is to continue building a vibrant community where people of all backgrounds use bicycles to stay healthy and connected. We believe that all Portlanders—regardless of income or background—should have the opportunity to experience the joy, freedom and health benefits of bicycling. This is the motivation behind everything we do.

The Shop Department of the Community Cycling Center consists of a DIY Workspace and retail storefront, regular salvage sales, and occasional pop-ups and events. This department is a revenue stream to provide funding for community programs.

This position splits time operating out of our warehouse workspace and the retail storefront at our membership based workspace in NE Portland. Here at the CCC we value and support one another through the work we do and are committed to working collaboratively to meet our goals. We acknowledge and value diversity and its many intersections. We are proud that people of color, women, neuro-divergent, gender non-conforming and LGBTQIA+ folks choose to work at our organization. We encourage more people from varied and diverse backgrounds to join our lively, talented team.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY

The Instructor Mechanic is responsible for working production shifts which include the refurbishment of used bicycles and teardown of donated bikes for recycling and to harvest used parts. Instructor Mechanics will also work shifts in the Alberta street DIY Bicycle Workshop. Those shifts will involve monitoring the appropriate use of tools, checking out the correct specialty tools for a variety of projects, enforcing safety and cleanliness guidelines, and answering questions and providing guidance to people using the workspace. Based on qualifications, Instructor Mechanics may be selected to lead classes or provide one on one instruction to customers. Seasonally, shop staff will need to provide retail support at pop-ups and events. Staff in all positions at the shop will also be responsible for providing support to the Programs department as needed. This may include working mechanic shifts at one of our free

service events or locations, providing ride support at events, or assisting at a learn to ride event.

Working under the direction of the Shop Leadership Team, they will cultivate the delivery of consistent quality of production bikes and used parts, and help meet sales goals and support staff working in their department. Experience in a high-volume shop environment, clear communication skills, and proven effectiveness in supporting staff are crucial to the success of this position.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Production Shifts

• Assess and repair bicycles for retail sale and for use in our programs
• Perform teardowns to harvest parts and recyclable material from donated bikes Workshop
• Monitor member’s use of the shared workspace (proper tool use, follow safety guidelines, cleanup workspace after use, etc.)
• Be prepared and able to answer any mechanical or bike related questions customers may have, guide them to a resource, or be able to help them research the answer
• Observe tool and equipment use and instruct proper use of tools and equipment
• Be able to confidently help customers complete projects from beginning to end if they buy one-on-one time with a mechanic
• Instruct organized classes on a variety of bike related topics including but not limited to brake adjustments, shift adjustments, bike care and maintenance, flat repair, tubeless setup and maintenance, wheel build and truing, etc.
• Make sure members are following all safety guidelines for working in the space Sales and Service
• Assist customers with the purchase of used bikes, and new and used parts and accessories during salvage sales, pop-ups and events, and from the retail store at the workshop
• Perform a la carte, on the spot repairs on bikes during salvage sales, at pop-ups and events

Programs

• Provide mechanical support to programs for ongoing projects and programs events as needed throughout the year

General

• Participate with all staff in the ordering process to ensure we have adequate workspace supplies and inventory to support the department’s operation
• Participate in regular tool audits
• Moving & lifting bicycles up to 50 lbs. is a regular part of this job but reasonable accommodation can be made

Other Responsibilities (10%)

• Help advance the mission of the Community Cycling Center across all departments
• Contribute to a standard work environment – answer phones, maintain a safe, clean & organized workspace
• Work as directed by senior staff to contribute to the training and support of less-experienced mechanics, including youth interns and apprentices
• Other duties as assigned

REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Customer service experience
• Familiarity and working knowledge of a large variety of new and used bicycle related components
• 3+ years of professional bike mechanic experience
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Strong organizational skills including the ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously
• Ability to meet project deadlines and account for detailed objectives
• Experience and success in creating inclusive work environments where people from diverse backgrounds feel safe and welcome
• Must be available to work at least 2 night shifts (2pm-10:30pm) per week in the Workshop at the Alberta location
• Must be available to work weekends
• Ability to lift, bend, squat, climb and more—this is a physically demanding job but reasonable accommodations can be made

PREFERRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of professional bike mechanic experience
• Attention to detail and a methodical approach to accomplishing tasks
• Experience with workflow improvement methods
• Experience in a high-volume shop
• Valid driver’s license
• Experience with Lightspeed POS, Excel, Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe
• Proficiency in Spanish

REPORTS TO: Shop Director and Processing and Production Manager
UNION/NON UNION: Union – ILWU Local 5
HOURS: Full Time (40 hours)
COMPENSATION: $21
TERM: Permanent
SCHEDULE: 5 day week, workdays may vary, hours may fluctuate, will work nights
BENEFITS: Health, dental and vision, 401k, 144 hrs of PTO at FT + 69 hrs of sick time

How to Apply

HOW TO APPLY: Send your resume, cover letter, and (3) references to
Jobs@CommunityCyclingCenter.org with the subject line “Instructor Mechanic.” No phone calls, please.

This week at Bike Happy Hour: Freeya, special guests, open mic, and more

Bike bus advocate Sam Balto (L) and City Council Candidate Robin Ye.

Regulars Estelle (L), Tiffany (C), and Pamela (R) checking out the sticker swap table.

After some of you got soaked in a rain storm last Wednesday, it looks like we’ll be back out on the Gorges Beer Co patio for Bike Happy Hour this week. I’m excited to see everyone as we welcome a few special guests and try out a new open mic segment.

First off, our friends from Freeya have stepped up as sponsors. Yay! They’ll be on hand to tell you all about their fantastic app. Never heard of Freeya? It’s a very cool app where you list and find free stuff. Think of it like a much better version of free piles, buy-nothing groups, or Craigslist. It’s a simpler, less-hassle-y way to keep stuff out of landfills, while finding great treasures and helping other people. And it just so happens that the folks behind it love bikes, ride bikes, and understand that bikes and free pile scores go hand-in-hand. (In 2022 they even put on a cool Pedalpalooza ride.)

“It’s fun! It’s not Facebook! It’s not creepy. Freeya works hard to get out of the way of your free stuff treasure hunting,” they say.

This week at Happy Hour, anyone who downloads Freeya and creates an account gets a free hat or tote bag, and a one-month of their premium membership at no cost. Folks who set up a Freeya account will also be entered into a raffle to get a 1-year Freeya Pro membership (which gets you stronger search, more time to pickup items, and more) and cool bike prizes.

Here’s that website again to learn more — Freeya.com. Or better yet, follow them on Instagram.

But wait, there’s more…

Linda Ginenthal at Sunday Parkways in 2009.

Happy Hour regulars know I like to encourage special guests to join us. And this week, I’m thrilled to welcome an old friend from PBOT: none other than Linda Ginenthal! Linda is a PBOT retiree who now lives in Victoria, Canada and will swing into Happy Hour during her visit to Portland. Some of you might remember her as Sunday Parkways program manager back in the day. Linda was behind a lot of cool stuff at PBOT and she spearheaded the Sunday Parkways program before the idea of “open streets” were even a thing around here. Linda is awesome, was a true believer in carfree cities who pushed the city in a positive direction, and someone I greatly respected in the early years of BikePortland. I hope you get a chance to meet her.

You might also meet a city council candidate. So far we’ve had three candidates give stump speeches (thanks Timur, Daniel and Robin) and I’d love to keep that going. If you are one of the 19 council candidates, you are welcome to grab our mic and share your vision for Portland with our crowd. We’d love to hear from you!

Speaking of mics, I’ll try an open mic segment where anyone can step up and share a story or comment or question about whatever is on their mind. Please keep them short, and you can’t complain or rant about anything. We want to hear your cycling-inspired spoken word poetry, an insight into how we can make our city better with bikes, your BikePortland story pitch, your dream project, your bike-related talent, and so on.

And since we’re working with Freeya this week, I’ll ask everyone who comes on the mic: “What the craziest thing you’ve picked up on your bike?”

That’s it for now, follow us on Instagram for updates and additions to the program.

See you Wednesday!

Bike Happy Hour – Every Wednesday All Year Long
3:00 to 6:00 pm
Gorges Beer Co / Ankeny Tap – SE Ankeny & 27th (On the “Rainbow Road plaza!)
$2 off drinks (full menu, includes non-alcoholic and coffee from Crema)
BikeHappyHour.com – “See you Wednesday!”

We rode Broadway. And it felt good!

Rolling on NW Broadway. (Photos and video: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Thanks to everyone who heeded our last-minute call on Friday to ride Broadway together!

After two weeks of drama where we faced losing the protected bike lane on Broadway, were then misled by city officials about it, and then rose up to make our voices heard and ultimately thwarted their misguided plans — it was time to come together and ride Broadway. And boy, did we ever!

About 50 or so wonderful folks met up on North Broadway and Wheeler. We did some quick speeches and rabble-rousing, then we rode into downtown to reflect on how important this protected bike lane is. It felt so good to ride as a community and know that we are stronger together after the past two weeks It was especially sweet to ride in front of the Benson hotel and wave and ring our bells at the valets who watched us roll by.

Special thanks to BikeLoud PDX for helping organize and spread the word about the ride. If you missed this, BikeLoud is doing a BikeBROADWAY Day event on Friday, October 13th.

Check out a short video and full photo gallery below…

Monday Roundup: Sunak’s rampage, businesses that love bikes, and more

Welcome to the week!

Here are the stories you should know about, from sources you can trust…

School pick-up lines are a policy failure: A school in Austin, Texas has taken its staff of traffic duty because drivers have become so aggressive while waiting to pick-up their students. (KXAN)

Bikes are good for business, actually: It was refreshing and inspiring to read about how business groups in major cities nationwide are embracing more bike and pedestrian-friendly urban design; yet it was bittersweet knowing that our own Portland Metro Chamber has typically been more of a car advocacy group. (Bloomberg)

Covid’s impact on cycling: A new report from a Big Data analytics firm shows strong growth in cycling nationwide since 2019, but the numbers show a notable decline in Portland. (Streetsblog USA)

UK wrong way: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak thinks car drivers in his country have had it so rough he wants to dismantle what he views as anti-car efforts like low-traffic streets, lower speed limits, and bus priority lanes. (Guardian)

E-bike threat: An opinion piece from New York City that paints a scary picture about heavy electric bikes endangering pedestrians. (NY Post Opinion)

Transit provider bails out bike-share: Houston’s transit provider, METRO, will spend $10 million to launch its own bike share system in order to prevent a degradation in service. (NPR Houston)

Large truck threat: As the data begins to line up more and more, it should be harder for the automotive industry to deny that their predilection for huge, aggressive truck and SUV designs is killing more Americans and needs to face smarter regulation. (Associated Press)

E-cargo bikes at auto dealership: Toyota says it’s no gimmick as they plan to sell an electric cargo bike model at hundreds of stores in France. (Forbes)

More green-ways: Colombia introduced the world to open streets and inspired our Sunday Parkways — now they’re leading the way with “green corridors.” (BBC)

Don’t drive, please. We’ll pay you!: Cities are so desperate to reduce driving that a program being piloted by LA’s version of TriMet will pay people up to $600 to not drive their cars. (LA Times)

Thanks to everyone who shared links this week!

Weekend Event Guide: Nerds in Cully, Speedvagen sale, and more

September is almost gone and the summer-to-fall transition is hitting hard this year. If the weather holds (or even if it doesn’t, that’s what jackets are for!), there’s a ton of cool rides happening this weekend.

Check out our picks below. Note: Times posted are usually meet-up times. For roll-out times, see link for more info.

Friday, September 29th

Nomad Cycles E-Bike Ride – 6:00 pm at Nomad Cycles (NE)
Join this welcoming shop ride where any type of battery-powered bike is encouraged. Organizers say there will be an opportunity to “open up that throttle” if that’s your type of thing. More info here.

Saturday, September 30th

Tualatin Ride – 9:00 am at Tualatin Community Park (Washington County)
Portland Bicycling Club’s Tualatin chapter is leading this ride. Expect a fast pace and about 60 miles where experienced riders can flex their muscles a bit. More info here.

Speedvagen Warehouse Sale – 10:00 am to 6:00 pm at Speedvagen HQ (NE)
No, this legendary local bike brand isn’t closing up shop. They’re just going through a big restructure. And if you’re in the market for tools, shop furniture, rare finds, and even parts, frames, and complete bikes, do not miss this. More info here.

PBOT Bicycle Advisory Committee Ride – 10:00 at NE 76th and Alberta (NE)
Join Portland’s chief bike planner and its official committee of lovable bike nerds for a 10-mile exploration of the Cully area that will be full of discussion stops and engaging banter. More info here.

Long(ish) Ride with Jenna Bikes – 10:00 am at Peninsula Park (N)
Rescheduled from last week, this is your chance to hang with the one-and-only Jennabikes! You know her from TikTok, but do you know her from doing longer rides. Expect about 20 miles at a 12 mph pace, without any major hills and with major cool people. More info here.

Tigard-Tualatin Bike Rodeo – 11:00 am to 3:00 pm at Tigard Police Dept (Washington County)
Do you live on the West Side and want a family-friendly place where the kiddos can “let ‘er buck” on their bikes and learn skills in a structured environment? Organized by City of Tigard Safe Routes to School program. More info here.

Sunday, October 1st

Tigard-Tualatin Bike Rodeo – 9:30 am to 11:30 am at Tualatin Elementary (Washington County)
Do you live on the West Side and want a family-friendly place where the kiddos can “let ‘er buck” on their bikes and learn skills in a structured environment? Organized by City of Tigard Safe Routes to School program. More info here.

WeBike Ride to Liepold Farm – 11:00 am at Cartlandia Food Carts (SE)
The Street Trust will lead this Femme/Transgender/Women ride out to beautiful Boring via the Springwater to rejoice in the full splendor of Oregon fall farm vibes. RSVPs appreciated. More info here.

Small Biz Sunday – 1:00 pm at Deadstock Coffee (NW)
Ride Safe PDX says this queer-led jaunt is for those of us who can never make the early start of Coffee Outside and who want to support great local small businesses! More info here.

— Don’t see an event? Please tell us about what’s going on in your neighborhood by filling out our contact form!

Let’s ride Broadway together, tonight!

Let’s get together with volunteers from BikeLoud PDX and celebrate how we came together as a community to protect our protection from those who sought to sell it for political gain. Let’s ride Broadway together, tonight!

One of my theories for how the PBOT commissioner and director could have made such a gross miscalculation is that their judgment was clouded by the bandwagon of cynical people who think bicycling — and the people who do it and care deeply about it — is in retreat in Portland. That could not be further from the truth, and the way you all responded to this threat is just the latest proof of that.

Yes, biking’s reputation and political power in Portland has waned in recent years. But while political winds always shift, belief in bicycling — and the values it embodies for so many of us — is constant. It’s stronger than lazy headlines, false narratives, and especially the whims of elected officials and their petulant friends.

Join us tonight! We can share gratitude for each other, remind ourselves why we are so committed to safe streets, and ride together on a protected bike lane that is worth fighting for, and that is now — just like our resolve as a community — only going to be stronger in the future.

Let’s Ride Broadway!
Meet: 5:00 pm at N Broadway and N Wheeler Ave / Roll out: 5:30
We’ll ride Broadway over the bridge, through downtown to PSU, then turn around and find a place to hang that has outdoor food. (Cart Blocks on Burnside is first option)
If you’re on the West Side, just join us anywhere along Broadway between 5:30 and 5:45 or so.
Info contact: (503) 706-8804

New Keller Auditorium plans include carfree 3rd Avenue plaza

There’s a lot of talk right now about how to revitalize downtown Portland. One of the best tools we have to meet this challenge is our public right-of-way. Specifically, we need to use more space for community and less space for cars.

A new feasibility report for a major renovation of the Keller Auditorium passed unanimously by City Council this week, would take an exciting step toward that goal.

The 106-year old auditorium is poised for a major rehab, and the folks behind it see a new pedestrian plaza on SW 3rd Avenue as a major part of the upgrade. Currently, space for cars cleaves the Keller Auditorium off from the iconic Keller Fountain. The two-lane road and two lanes of on-street parking are guilty of, “disconnecting the two urban places,” states, A Keller Renaissance: Final Report, the 63-page feasibility study passed by Council Wednesday.

“There is an opportunity for the fountain plaza and auditorium to blend together by remaking Third Avenue as a pedestrian-first plaza. This approach would improve the sense of place for both landmarks while increasing pedestrian safety,” the report reads.

I get the impression after listening to the council presentation and reading the report that the momentum is clearly behind making it carfree.

The 3,000 seat Keller Auditorium, which owned by the City of Portland and operated by Metro, is one of Portland’s most important cultural sites. It’s home to the Portland Opera, Oregon Ballet Theater, and is the only place in town that regularly hosts major Broadway productions. Bakers of the new report want City Council to green light an estimated $200 million renovation project that will bring it up to modern theater standards.

Tim Eddy, president of Hennebery Eddy Architects, the firm that developed the report, said in council testimony that the plan, “Has potential to energize the neighborhood and take better advantage of its physical relationship to the world-renown Keller Fountain,” and, “create public lobby space and a programmable urban plaza connecting the auditorium and fountain so they can perform as one.”

While the vision presented in the report shows a cross-section with 14-feet of “potential vehicle access” on 3rd Ave., the tone in the text and at council was that it wouldn’t take much more than a nudge to make it completely carfree. And there’s already been some planning momentum for the concept, thanks to Portland State University students.

The new plaza would not only help activate this part of downtown, it would bolster the existing Halprin Sequence, a series of open spaces listed on the National Historic Register of Historic Places that links the Keller to the Lovejoy Fountain and Pettygrove Park. With its proximity to Portland State University, major hotels, other cultural venues, and public transit, a carfree plaza at this location should be a no-brainer.

Here’s how the report describes the potential of the plaza:

“The new glass façade carries the revitalized spaces within, extends beyond the existing concrete colonnade, cantilevers over the new pedestrianized plaza of SW Third Avenue, and engages with the park. This gently curving façade displays the performative wonders from inside the auditorium stage, connecting the spaces to the outside and infusing the fountain and the surrounding spaces with new energy.

Together, this space will not only be the prologue and epilogue to every performance at the Keller, it will be a standalone attraction — a strong piece of public art on its own that becomes a true destination in combination with a revitalized plaza and auditorium.”

Everyone on council loved the report (granted, they were not being asked to make any binding decisions, just to accept the report into the record). Commissioner Rene Gonzalez said (in written remarks) that the vision is, “exciting because it speaks to activating space in a new and exciting way,” and that, “in particular, turning a section of 3rd Avenue into a pedestrian thoroughfare.” Mayor Ted Wheeler called the report, “So uplifting, so visionary, and so compelling in terms of what our community can be.”

Stay tuned for public engagement around this vision and a decision point back at City Council in spring 2024. If all goes according to plan, construction could start in 2027.

It’s official: PBOT is no longer considering a roll back of Broadway bike lane!

I have some very good news. But first, let’s set the context…

The idea that the Portland Bureau of Transportation, spurred by a plan hatched from Commissioner Mingus Mapps’ office and carried out by their Director Millicent Williams, would roll back the design of a major downtown bike lane to a version that’s obviously less safe, just to appease downtown hotel and business owners, was justifiably shocking to many people.

Thankfully, they put the idea on pause after the plan was exposed to the public. But ever since PBOT’s initial, damage-control statement came out nine days ago, a part of their response remained unsettling.

In the official statement, sent out about 24 hours after our first story broke, PBOT wrote:

After receiving additional feedback from PBOT staff, Director Williams asked staff to prepare 1) a full project evaluation that considers all users, 2) proposals for upgrading or “hardening” portions of the existing bike lane in its current configuration and in a potential future state (similar to the proposed bike lane for the forthcoming SW Fourth Avenue project) and 3) a proposal for a modified bike lane that clears parking corners along the corridor and increases signage and paint, while also returning the bike lane to its 2018 configuration between NW Hoyt and SW Salmon streets.”

As many of you know, that last one, a return of the bike lane to its previous (door-zone, unprotected) configuration, was the controversial option PBOT Director Williams chose (with what she claimed was the approval of Commissioner Mingus Mapps). The fact that it remained on the table, irked many safety advocates. And when PBOT updated their project website that same day, many of us were concerned that option three was still there.

I’m happy to share that PBOT has updated the website and now that option is gone!

They’ve also added new language to the page that marks a significant shift in this entire episode.

Old plan on the left. New plan on the right.

PBOT and Director Williams say after hearing “significant community feedback” they are “actively moving forward” with making the Broadway bike lane much better for everyone.

They plan to install a host of previously planned and budgeted safety upgrades that they say were delayed in the last year. Those include: new valet loading platforms at three hotels (Vance, Benson, and Heathman) similar to the one already installed in front of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. PBOT says the platforms will reduce conflicts between hotel patrons and bicycle riders. And they’ll add three signal upgrades at SW Oak, Taylor, and Jefferson. The new signals will have separate phases so that right-turning drivers and bicycle riders will proceed at different times, thus reducing the risk of right-hooks.

PBOT says the new valet platforms could be installed this winter and the signals should be up-and-running by next year. Also, later this year PBOT will release a full project evaluation with proposed upgrades that the public can weigh in on.

This is great to hear and it’s clear now that instead of a worse Broadway we will get a better Broadway! PBOT and City Hall have heard loud and clear that they cannot play politics with our protected bike lanes.

Thanks to everyone who has contacted PBOT and City Hall offices about this — especially the dedicated and knowledgable volunteers at BikeLoud PDX. They mobilized testimony, planned events, and have been a tremendous resource to our community for the past week or so.

PBOT Director made misleading statements about source of Broadway bike lane funding

SW Broadway bike lane. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

One rationale Transportation Commissioner Mingus Mapps and Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Millicent Williams used to justify their attempt to make major changes to the bike lane on Broadway through downtown, was that it simply looks bad.

“Concern regarding aesthetics of street, bike lane, parking signs,” was one of eight concerns noted by Williams in a PBOT staff meeting on August 21st.

And one month later, when Williams was forced to apologize for pushing the plan through over objections of staff and without any public notice, she said one of the reasons for doing so was because Broadway bike lane was funded through the bureau’s Quick Build program. That program is used to, “fill gaps in the multi-modal transportation system through small projects” that generally cost under $500,000.

“The fact is, that this bike lane was built as a Quick Build project,” Director Williams said while reading her apology from prepared remarks at a meeting of the PBOT Bureau Budget Advisory Committee last Thursday. “And as you all know, the budget for those projects are very limited and doesn’t always result in our best work.”

It’s unclear if Williams came up with that herself, or if someone wrote it for her. Either way, it’s not true.

According to PBOT Public Information Officer Dylan Rivera, the protected bike lanes on Northwest and Southwest Broadway (along with several other projects that were part of the Central City in Motion plan) were funded by the federal government, through $4.5 million worth of Regional Flexible Funding Allocation (RFFA) grants, which were administered by Metro. PBOT also chipped-in $600,000 in local matching funds from their General Transportation Revenue pot (which is made up of State Highway Fund and parking revenues).

In an email this morning, Rivera said, the project was, “Built in the style of a Quick Build, with the plastic posts and other elements you’d expect in a Quick Build, in order to deliver the project as soon as possible. But there was no funding from our Quick Build program in the project.”

To be clear, despite Williams’ statements, Quick Build program funding was not used to build the Broadway bike lanes.

And when it comes to Metro’s role, they have more than just a financial investment in the Broadway bike lanes. As the primary funder, they’re obligated to follow strict federal rules for how their grants are spent. While researching this story, I asked Metro about the potential reversal of the Broadway project — a move that would have been counter to the goals of Metro’s RFFA program.

A Metro spokesperson told BikePortland that,

“We are monitoring how PBOT implements grants awarded by Metro and paid for through federal funds. These are competitive grants that help address our region’s limited transportation funding, and it’s imperative that jurisdictions that are awarded grants follow through on the grant commitments.”

And Metro Councilor Duncan Hwang, who represents downtown Portland, said in an email to BikePortland,

“These are competitive grants and other jurisdictions in our region like Oregon City or Beaverton also would have liked to see increased bike/ped infrastructure. Jurisdictions that don’t follow the grant terms may damage their credibility in future grant cycles and noncompliance also reflects poorly on our region when it comes to federal funding.”

And in City Council testimony last week about a separate US Department of Transportation grant PBOT has applied for, The Street Trust Executive Director said the Broadway situation, “Raises a significant question.” “Why would the federal government fund an infrastructure installation that PBOT might later just decide to remove?”

All of this underscores just how recklessly Commissioner Mapps and Director Williams acted. And making a misleading statement about funding to cover-up for a mistake only serves to confuse the public and further erodes trust. Thankfully, this misguided attempt to rip out an important and safe bike lane appears to be on hold. But the damage to PBOT’s reputation is done.

UPDATE, 12:22 pm: After reading the post, PBOT PIO Dylan Rivera emailed BikePortland: “Clearly Director Williams was referring to the project as a quick build style installation, not the funding source. If you look at the context of those statements, it was in light of the concerns we heard from people about the materials and design and her statements about it not being the level of work we are used to building when we have funding for more permanent improvements. Please correct your post.”

Opinion: Commissioner Gonzalez’s comments on race are misguided and untrue

Portland City Council passed a landmark climate change investment on Wednesday when they voted unanimously in support of the $750 million, Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) five-year spending plan.

As I shared yesterday, at least $80 million of that fund will support bicycling and other transportation programs and projects that encourage people to drive less. $25 million of it will go directly to the Portland Bureau of Transportation to boost an existing program that provides free bus, BikeTown, scooter, and taxi rides. Strangely, PBOT Commissioner Mingus Mapps — who just 24 hours ago laid out the most bleak transportation budget in the history of Portland — was the only person on council to not make a statement to mark the historic occasion.

But while Mapps’ silence was notable, it was the statement from Commissioner Rene Gonzalez that really stood out.

Before voting yes on the measure, Gonzalez shared several “deep concerns” with the plan.

(Listen to audio of Gonzalez’s remarks below.)

Gonzalez expressed shade at the carefully-vetted plan, a plan that went through months of careful outreach to thousands of Portlanders and was rigorously vetted by a nine-member committee made up of climate experts, business owners, community leaders, and academics. Without any evidence or explanation to back it up, Gonzalez said he had “concerns” and “real questions” about whether the investment would “truly push for decarbonization.”

Dismissive, condescending comments like this erode public trust in city government and depress civic engagement when we need it most. They also typify the, I-know-better-than-you-because-I’m-up-here-and-you’re-down-there mentality from some elected officials that Portlanders are eager to jettison when they vote for a new slate of councilors next year.

Then Gonzalez said, “Deeply embedded in this ordinance is permanent racial grievance… and as a framing of public policy going forward, I question if that’s the way we should be defining issues.”

That was a very surprising thing for a councilor to say, given that this PCEF plan tracks very closely to many existing City of Portland policies and a deep body of public health research. He also refuted something that, while it’s clearly uncomfortable for him personally, also happens to be a fact. Racism has underpinned much of the planning and infrastructure investments throughout Portland’s history.

Gonzalez has only been on council for 10 months, so perhaps he’s unaware that the Portland Bureau of Planning & Sustainability (the bureau that oversees PCEF) has documented this racism and that PBOT’s current strategic plan includes “Will it address structural racism?” as one of the two questions it asks before making decisions.

The 2019 BPS publication, Historical Context of Racist Planning: A history of how planning segregated Portland is just the tip of the iceberg. From the “urban renewal” policies and highways that decimated lower Albina and south Portland, to the flooding of Vanport, to the heat islands that exist today in east Portland — environmental racism isn’t a philosophy or just a useful “framing.” It is fact.

And it’s not just a Portland thing. The Justice40 Initiative, passed via executive order by President Joe Biden in 2021, made it an official policy of the United States to direct climate, transportation, and clean energy investments to marginalized and disadvantaged communities. Interestingly, the White House did not make race a qualifying factor due to a concern over legal challenges (although Biden called out “communities — brown, Black, Native American, poor whites” in speeches about it). As a result of race not being considered, studies have shown that the initiative will be much less effective in narrowing the racial gap that exists in places hardest hit by climate change impacts.

Gonzalez also said it’s “problematic” to him that the communities that will benefit from PCEF investment plan have been chosen using a “strictly racial framing.” That is untrue. The PCEF Climate Investment Plan (CIP) never says that. On page of 12 of the plan, it states: “PCEF recognizes the crucial role of communities of color and low-income people as frontline leaders in effecting change.”

For someone concerned about incorrect framing, Gonzalez appears to be the one guilty of that here.

— PCEF is funded through a 1% surcharge on the Portland sales of large retailers with $1 billion in national revenue and $500,000 in local revenue. Learn more about the PCEF Climate Investment Plan here.

See you at Bike Happy Hour tonight

Geoff, Jonathan, Ted, Cathy, Zane, Hami, Timur, Carlton, Frank, and Caleb.

It’s Wednesday, and you know what that means… It’s Bike Happy Hour night!

Can’t wait to see all of you tonight. We’ve got a special guest coming out and we might have the chance to try our alternate, indoor location.

But first, I want to extend an open invitation to anyone running for Portland mayor or a City Council position. If you want to come meet a great crowd of civically-engaged folks who care deeply about this city, swing by Bike Happy Hour any Wednesday and I’ll give you the floor for a few minutes. Last week we welcomed our first candidate, Timur Ender (Council District #1), and it went great! He made his (first ever!) stump speech and got to pass out a bunch of cards.

You really never know who will pop in (last week we had 3-time USA Cycling Cyclocross National Champion Clara Honsinger show up!), and that’s just one thing that makes Bike Happy Hour so much fun.

Speaking of which, I’m excited to share that Sam “Coach” Balto will join us this week. Sam is a primary instigator of the bike bus revolution that’s sweeping the nation. Come out and meet the guy behind the videos (but get there early because he has to leave around 5:20).

Few shots of the alternate indoor meeting space above Ankeny Tap (across street from the patio). It’s nice!

As per usual, we’ll talk about issues of the day, make friends, enjoy good food and drinks, and who knows what else.

If the weather is too wild for the Gorges Beer Co. patio, we’ll be across the street at our alternate location. Walk over to the second floor above Ankeny Tap & Table (stairs to left of entrance). There’s an nice, indoor space with chairs, tables, even a TV where we can play music or whatever else. Or maybe we’ll do some sort of topical discussion or Q & A about something if anyone is interested.

Anyone want to talk about the fiasco on Broadway? Or maybe the PBOT budget has you in a tizzy? Want to pitch me a story? Whatever’s on your mind, bring it to Happy Hour and tap into the community hive-mind and we’ll help you makes sense of it all. Everyone is welcome and I can speak for all the regulars in saying that we’d love to see you.

Bike Happy Hour – Every Wednesday All Year Long
3:00 to 6:00 pm
Gorges Beer Co, SE Ankeny & 27th (On the “Rainbow Road plaza!)
$2 off drinks (full menu, includes non-alcoholic and coffee from Crema)
BikeHappyHour.com – “See you next week!”

With passage of PCEF, an $80 million boost for bikes and climate-friendly transportation

There might be a few cases of transportation funding whiplash at Portland City Council today. After the grim reality of the city’s transportation budget was laid bare during a work session Tuesday, today Mayor Ted Wheeler and the rest of Council are expected to adopt the five-year $750 million Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) Climate Investment Plan (CIP) — and the $80 million it includes for transportation programs, projects, and grants.

The two headline investments for transportation are a $20 million e-bike rebate program and a $25 million boost to the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s existing Transportation Wallet program. PCEF’s plan estimates up to 6,000 e-bikes could be purchased through the rebate program and that 20,000 low-income Portlanders will get free BikeTown, e-scooter, Uber/Lyft, taxi, and TriMet service through the wallet program.

Dr. Megan Horst (left) and Maria Sipin (bottom) during our interview.

PCEF, which uses taxes on corporations to fund projects and programs that aim to help low-income and communities of color to battle the impacts of climate change, was passed by Portland voters in 2018. When the fund’s first projects were chosen in 2021 (and the fund’s value was much smaller), none of them were transportation-related. That has changed, big-time. 17% of the current PCEF investment plan is set aside specifically for transportation programs and grants, making it the second largest funding category. When you take other parts of the plan into consideration, like funding to plant trees on 82nd that will likely come with wider sidewalks, funding for tree canopy expansions, depaving, and so on, the total climbs to over 20%.

According to PCEF Committee members Maria Sipin and Megan Horst, the new priority on transportation is a result of the fund’s growth. “Excluding transportation didn’t mean the architects of PCEF didn’t believe in the needs of communities of color around transportation,” Sipin shared during an interview with BikePortland this week. “It’s because there was a huge lack of investment that would directly benefit communities of color in the clean energy space.” And Horst added, “The concern back when the fund was expected to be $60 million a year was that that wouldn’t actually go very far for transportation.”

But that was then, and this is now. In addition to those aforementioned set-aside funding programs, PCEF will fund exciting initiatives we don’t even know about yet through its “community responsive grant” program.

The origin story of PCEF and the values at is foundation make it much different than other large funding and grant-making bodies. While it will be managed by the Portland Bureau of Planning & Sustainability (BPS), Sipin, a community advocate with a graduate degree in planning from Portland State University and a resume that includes stints at the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, says it stands apart. “There’s a lot room here where community-based organizations can pitch their big, bright ideas to get these grants. PCEF allows regular Portlanders to dream up solutions that don’t fit in any other spaces.”

Sipin is referring to the $181 million in community grants in the PCEF CIP — $35 million of which are set aside specifically for transportation.

For Portlanders with lower incomes, the dream of owning an e-bike has always been out-of-reach. Since many people move further away from jobs, family, and other destinations to find cheaper housing — and their new neighborhoods are often not as well-served by transit — having a motorized bike that can shrink the city can be an invaluable addition to their lives.

The e-bike rebate program is slated to launch in Spring 2024 and will be fleshed out in the coming months through a public process handled by BPS. What we know so far is that qualified participants will be able to walk into their closest bike shop and get an instant rebate on the e-bike of their choice. And PCEF envisions a comprehensive program that won’t end with the bike purchase. Funds are available for helmets, locks, and other accessories, as well as ongoing maintenance. And the bike shops themselves will receive funding to do education, host group bike rides, and so on. With $600,000 in the plan for workforce development and retention grants, PCEF estimates shops could hire up to 50 new e-bike mechanics to keep the bikes running.

To further boost the e-bike rebate program, Horst, an associate professor and director of the Masters of Urban and Regional Planning program at PSU, said PCEF would love to see a nonprofit apply for a grant to lead rides or do advocacy connected directly to these new e-bike riders.

But Sipin warns that just because a new crop of Portlanders can suddenly hop on quality e-bikes, and there will be wrap-around services to help them along, it doesn’t mean they’ll keep riding. “I think the e-bike program is just the very beginning of getting more people on bikes and decreasing the barriers to biking. It’s not going to be the magic solution that increases our bike mode shift in the city. If we don’t have safe, secure, accessible bike parking, e-bike use will only go so far. We also have a street network that is still way behind getting built out to what it would take to improve access and safety.”

Sipin is hopeful that BPS will work closely with PBOT and that advocates will see the PCEF investments as an opportunity to push for better conditions. “We know the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability is not the bureau that builds the infrastructure. We are waiting to see what the relationship between these two bureaus are… and I count on a lot of Portlanders to be vocal about the ways they’d like to see the e-bike program grow in terms of infrastructure that could complement this growth in e-bike usage.”

Sipin sees a large role for engaged advocates over the next five years as the CIP rolls out. We’re already seeing how City Council members are eyeing the fund as a way to backfill budget holes. That’s a big concern around the PCEF table. City bureaus are eligible to request grant funds, but they’ll have to adhere to PCEF values when they spend them.

“PCEF has persisting, everlasting, guiding principles which are justice-driven, accountable, community powered, and focused on climate action with multiple benefits,” Sipin said when asked about the prospect of city bureaus using PCEF funds. “People don’t always feel like their bureaus are acting in accordance to those types of principles already. So for bureaus to be transparent and accountable on how the funds are used… I think that could be a tall order for any bureaus who haven’t demonstrated that.”

“When we make clean transportation affordable, it is an anti-poverty strategy as much as it is a climate strategy.”
– Indi NamKoong, Verde

Horst agreed letting city bureaus in on the funding has caused some heartburn. “Backfilling PBOT budget holes for something like filling in potholes? I empathize with that problem, but we’re very clear that that’s not the mission of PCEF,” she said.

At its core, PCEF is about bringing climate change mitigation investments directly to the people. Horst said infrastructure is one thing, but there’s a need for helping people change behaviors — and more specifically — incentivizing more climate-friendly ones. “I think that’s exactly what these programs are doing. We’re giving people money to mode shift. We’re making the green choice, the cheaper choice. To me that’s super exciting.”

That approach rings true for Indi Namkoong, who sold her car last year after getting an e-bike.

“When we make clean transportation affordable, it is an anti-poverty strategy as much as it is a climate strategy,” she said in City Council testimony in support of the PCEF CIP last week. “Transportation is the second largest expense for most households in Portland just behind housing. These transportation programs will put hundreds, and in many cases, thousands of dollars directly back in the pockets of low-income people and people of color in our city every year. And that money can be life-changing. I know personally, it was for me. When my rent increased substantially last year it was good transit access and an e-bike that made it feasible for me to sell my car. I saved hundreds of dollars a month on payments and insurance and I was able to hang on to my apartment and stay in my neighborhood.”