Welcome to the week. Here are the most notable stories our writers and readers have come across in the past seven days…
This week’s Roundup is brought to you by the Ride the Dirt Wave – Klootchy Creek event coming June 3-4th. Grab your best buds and head out to the Oregon Coast (off Highway 26, before Cannon Beach/101 turnoff) to discover the amazing singletrack and flow trails at Klootchy Creek. Two days of riding and creature comforts await! More info and registration here.
And now, let the Roundup begin…
This week’s must-read: When author Adam Gopnik takes up the cause of explaining America’s addiction to cars and what it will take to wean us from it, you better believe it’s worth your time to read it. (New Yorker)
Portland, please steal these ideas!: We have all the pieces in place to seriously tame cars and their drivers and finally reclaim our city. We should use Brussels as a blueprint. (Bloomberg)
Oh no you don’t: Seattle and other cities are suing two automakers for a design flaw they say is leading to public harm — could this be a crack in the door toward stronger regulation of car designs in general? (The Urbanist)
Very relatable drama in Berkeley: Staffing shortages leading to project delays, controversy around a failed protected bike lane project in a well-off neighborhood — the mess at Berkeley DOT reminds me of what has happened in Portland and could happen more as our budget implodes. (Berkeleyside)
Biden’s climate problem: The Biden Infrastructure Law is fueling freeway expansion and new highway projects nationwide — and that should be a problem for a politician who says he cares about climate change. (E & E News)
Make traffic count(s): I’m posting this for all our readers who work at local planning agencies and engineering firms because we desperately need a breakthrough in counting non-car traffic. (Tech Crunch)
It’s the commute: If our leaders want more people to go back into the office, they should start by making the commute as pleasurable as possible. (NY Times Opinion)
Bike theft battle: The Denver Police Department knows that the best way to return stolen bikes is to get them registered so they’ve partnered with a third-party to make it happen. (Denverite)
E-cars dirty secret: Electric cars might now spew toxic exhaust from their tailpipes but they slough off toxic chemicals from their tires. (Reuters)
Automate it: Safe street advocates in Los Angeles are using Portland as an example and pushing elected officials to adopt a bill that would open the door to more automated traffic enforcement cameras. (Streetsblog LA)
Relax! Drivers will soon be required to slow down before passing — and they’ll be more likely to cross over that centerline. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
12 years ago, things got very tense in the relationships between users of Skyline Boulevard. The road is popular with bicycle and car users alike due to its sweeping curves, natural context, and proximity to downtown Portland. But joy turned to terror as we began to hear reports of serious road rage and harassment against bicycle riders. It was a big enough deal that over 100 people showed up to a forum on a Thursday night to talk about it. And among the crowd was the Multnomah County District Attorney, the road rager himself, a bicycle lawyer (or three), representatives from Oregon Bicycle Racing Association, and so on.
Clearly, this issue had struck a nerve. And besides just the classic driver-vs-biker energy, much of the anxiety in the room was sparked by confusion over whether or not drivers are allowed to cross over a double-yellow line to safely pass a bicycle rider. It’s a common misconception among drivers that they can’t cross the centerline on two-lane rural roads, so they get extra peeved when they come up on a slower-moving bicycle rider. And then, instead of waiting for a wider section of the roadway or just crossing the centerline (which is legal, keep reading), they pass too closely.
Whether they do it on purpose or not, the result is frayed nerves and a terrifying experience for the bicycle rider.
Fast forward to 2023 and I’m happy to report that Oregon is about to pass a new law that should help fix this issue. Senate Bill 895 has passed both chambers of the Oregon Legislature without much fanfare and is headed to the House Floor and then the Governor’s desk to be signed any day now. The bill (which we first covered back in April) does several important things to amend Oregon Revised Statute 811.420 (the law that governs passing in a “no passing” zone).
Currently, when driving in a no passing zone, there are some exceptions when you are legally able to pass another vehicle. The law says you can pass someone on the left in a no passing zone if they just turned onto another road, driveway or alley; or if you need to move further to the left — even across the centerline — you are allowed to do so in order to avoid an “obstruction” in front of you.
SB 895 adds two key sections to ORS 811.420. The first is that drivers must drive at a speed that is at least five miles per hour under the speed limit when they pass another vehicle or any type of “obstruction” on the road. And second, the bill amends the definition of “obstruction” to explicitly include “a person who is riding a bicycle or operating another type of vehicle and who is traveling at a speed of less than one-half of the speed limit.”
That’s it! Hopefully the DMV and other educational outlets will help everyone (including police officers!) learn about the new law so that it begins to change behaviors and leads to more sane passing on roads like Skyline. (And hopefully the current Republican boycott of the legislature doesn’t create a procedural snafu that prevents this bill from being pushed across the finish line.)
We owe a debt of gratitude to the bill’s chief sponsor, Eugene-area Democrat Senator Floyd Prozanski. But it would not have happened without the advocacy and insights of Doug Parrow and Richard Hughes, two retired Oregonians who took it upon themselves to identify this problem and do the legwork to create the bill and get it through the system. Thanks Richard and Doug!
Last week I received an email from longtime southwest Portland trail activist Don Baack, who has been concerned that a protected pedestrian walkway wasn’t required along the frontage of a new apartment building under construction on Southwest Gibbs St.
Baack had contacted the office of Commissioner Mingus Mapps to learn more about the reasoning behind the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s decision to have pedestrians walk in the road, between the fog line and a guardrail. (Mapps is the commissioner-in-charge of PBOT.) Don thought it would be safer for a person walking to be separated from the traffic by the guardrail, on a path off the roadway.
Don got a response from the Commissioner’s office, which impressed me. My most recent queries to the bureau’s press office have gone unanswered, and back in September when I did get a response it was very general and applicable to most of the southwest.
PBOT said they required a six-foot shoulder widening on SW Gibbs as part of this development; but added that, “Unfortunately, due to significant storm water, soil, and topographical challenges on the hill we couldn’t require a standard curb and sidewalk improvement.”
SW Gibbs St. looking west from narrowest point of shoulder.
What Don learned from Mapps’s office was more specific. A staff member wrote:
I checked with the bureau and there is a trade-off between protection from traffic and protection from the slope on the side of the street that led to the planned placement of the rail.
—Commissioner Mapps’s office
That’s a good, solid answer. But Don and I have walked the shoulder together, and we both know the area well. There is not a steep slope to the side of the street in front of this property.
That led me to pass on a couple of photos to Mapps’s office and ask for clarification about the “trade-off.” I received a reply that made me feel like I might be getting somewhere:
We have raised your concern with the bureau and they are looking into it to see what options we may have.
—Commissioner Mapps’s office
It seems positive to me that there might be other options.
SW Gibbs, looking east. The original frontage had a steep slope in back of the chain link fence. Photo Lisa Caballero/BikePortland
What’s going on?
I don’t know exactly what’s going on, maybe I’ll learn more next week from the Commissioner’s office. If you’re feeling generous you can label the remainder of this post “analysis,” otherwise consider it speculation.
The six-foot (or less) shoulder widening seems to have become the default frontage requirement in southwest Portland, and it’s been that way for a number of years. There are reasons for that, for example the stormwater infrastructure might not exist, which limits the amount of impervious surface allowed, including cement sidewalks. The Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) was being straightforward on the frontage improvement/stormwater issue when it wrote in its West Portland Town Center memorandum that:
Neither PBOT or BES have discretionary funds to spend on infrastructure around future development projects, particularly on local streets, even if the developer is paying to improve all or portions of the ROW in front of their development. In addition, incremental improvements funded by developers may be possible for street improvements, but incremental stormwater improvements may not be possible in SW Portland because of the existing lack of infrastructure and downstream capacity limitations.
In other words, even if a developer wanted to build the usual required frontage improvement such as a sidewalk, the city might not allow it because the stormwater infrastructure isn’t present to handle the run-off. And the city does not have the money to put in new infrastructure for future developments. That means no sidewalks, and a code variance granted that puts pedestrians in the roadway in essentially a bike lane.
From what I can tell, however, that is not the situation on Gibbs. There is a combined sewer/drainage pipe under the road and the permitting documents do not mention lack of capacity as a reason for not allowing a sidewalk. It appears that a sidewalk was never considered.
But one can imagine how a rubric might have emerged that points to shoulder-widening as the default southwest solution, a rubric that misses the places where sidewalks are in fact possible, or that doesn’t encourage creative solutions to pedestrian safety.
As far as the non-existent slope goes . . . before the new building went up, there was indeed a steep bank in that location, which you might be able to see on the left side of the above photo, behind the chain link fence.
All of that area has since been backfilled against a retaining wall that sits on the property line, about three feet from the building. Maybe Development Review missed that?
SW Shattuck Road looking north in front of the Alpenrose Dairy. The street does not have sidewalks on either side.
One potential plan for residences on the Alpenrose Dairy site.
The big picture: the Governor’s push to make building easier
Apparently, the city is not willing or able to invest in stormwater infrastructure for southwest Portland. Nonetheless, building continues, often without sidewalks. For example, what will happen with the Alpenrose site? I don’t know how that project is moving along, or if the city will require the developer to build sidewalks and bike lanes on SW Shattuck. It needs them.
The backdrop to southwest Portland’s active transportation woes is Governor Kotek’s controversial HB 3414 which is proceeding through the Oregon legislature. It is part of her push to rapidly increase Oregon’s housing supply in response to the houselessness crisis. The bill would limit the ability of cities to deny developer-requested variances (exceptions) to local building code requirements, like frontage improvements and bike storage. My observation in Portland is that PBOT’s Development Review office has always been generous in granting variances to frontage and transportation requirements. In fact, the city watered down its code governing transportation improvements in 2018 to make it easier for developers to comply with it.
The first question of Commissioner Rubio’s permitting process survey last winter fits in with the governor’s pro-developer response to the housing crisis: “What are the top five requirements the City of Portland should consider suspending or modifying to support increased housing productions?”
So what can and will be required of developers is in flux. Meanwhile, an entire area of town is densifying with little in the way of safe walking and biking facilities. And that is counter to numerous Portland policies. Most recently the three-year PedPDX status report reiterated its Mission Statement:
To an informed Portland resident, the contradictions between the city’s aspirational policy and the reality of what gets built is frustrating. And the possibility of hard-fought building requirements being sidestepped is alarming.
Bustling scene at an industry party hosted by Fat Tire Farm in northwest Portland Saturday May 13th. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Last week something very rare happened. A Portland bike shop, Fat Tire Farm on NW Thurman (just a few clicks from Forest Park), hosted an industry night where anyone who worked in a local bike-related business was welcome to show up and hang out. There was amazing free food (thanks Tamale Boy!), free drinks, a big raffle, and lots of solid folks to talk with. In my 18 or so years following this scene, I can’t remember a shop doing something like that. Like any industry, there are sometimes beefs among bike shops and there’s never been an intentional effort to build any type of community or coalition at that scale. It was a promising event and hopefully another shop or local bike company grabs the torch and keeps it burning.
That is all to say that, despite some wild ups-and-downs, Portland’s bike industry is very healthy as everyone shakes off the throes of the pandemic. And just maybe, the shared experience of going through that and tackling other challenges (like bike shop burglaries), is drawing people closer. Yes that’s partly just my eternal optimism speaking, but I also have a few good bits of industry news that have been piling up in my inbox.
So it’s time for a roundup!
Sneak peek inside the new space. (Photo: Retrogression)
Retrogression moves to larger space
Fixie fans rejoice! Retrogression has moved to a bigger space. The shop that specializes in fixed gear and track bikes has left behind their old space on SE 11th just north of Division Street for larger digs at 1530 SE 7th Ave. Co-owner Angie Beaulieu moved the operation from San Diego to Portland in 2019. Retrogression has established a huge following not just in Portland but well beyond thanks to their big e-commerce presence. The shop is known for their hard-to-find, high quality frames, parts, and accessories. “Unlike other ‘specialty’ retailers in the bike industry, we don’t hop from trend to trend. We have always focused 100% on track bikes & fixed gear and will always continue to do so,” Beaulieu writes on their website.
The new shop is much larger and will feature a wider selection of parts and more breathing room for the community to browse and hang. The new shop opens this coming Tuesday, May 23rd and there’s a big re-opening party planned for Saturday, May 27th. (Join a ride led by Portland fixed-gear brand Destroy Bikes to the party from Mt. Tabor.)
(Photos: North St. Bags)
North St. Bags moves to north Portland
You know it’s a good sign for your business when you’re forced to move to a larger space every few years. That’s been the case for North St. Bags as they just settled into yet another new spot on North Flint Avenue. This mighty little brand launched at our BikeCraft event in 2009 (we’re so proud!) has moved at least three times that we can remember. They just moved from a spot on inner southeast Clinton street to the Hawthorne District back in 2018.
Now in a part of town that matches their name, the North St. crew will be right on one of the busiest bike streets in the city. The new space opened April 18th and allows them to spread out all their fabric, sewing machines and other tools, while still having space for a big showroom. And that’s a good idea because North St. is always coming out with cool new stuff! The company is best known for their Woodward combo pannier/backpack, but their line has grown a lot over the years. They’ve recently launched a nifty set of “micro-panniers” for adventure riding and I’ve been using their new Vancouver Daypack, which is a simple and small — but very useful and high quality — addition to my obscene collection of packs and bags (yes, I have a problem).
Swing by the new North St. Bags at 2134 N Flint.
Chris King launches new carbon wheels
The vaunted, Portland-based Chris King Precision Components has once again pushed the boundaries of performance and quality with the introduction of what they call, “the world’s first fusion fiber road wheel.” The new ARD44 wheels ($2,895) were created for people who do not mess around. Here’s more from the company website:
“The ARD44 is designed for serious cyclists who want all-out speed on flats, climbs and through corners. It’s an aero wheel that shines across a wide range of terrain, from smooth pavement to rough gravel roads. Built to surpass even the most rigorous industry standards, the ARD44 Wheelset is built around King’s industry-leading R45D hub and an aero-profiled, 44mm deep FusionFiber® rim. The combination delivers unparalleled power transfer, speed, and stability. ”
And because it’s King — a company that puts as much R&D into reducing its ecological footprint as they do to their products — they also boast that unlike traditional carbon fiber, FusionFiber® is recyclable and is easier to shape which leaves less waste in the manufacturing process. Combine these wheels with King’s legendary hubs and you’ve got something very special (and something that comes with a lifetime warranty).
Not great.
Shop break-ins making headlines
One thing that might be making local bike shops come out of their shells a bit more and be more willing to build relationships with other shops is all the burglaries that have been happening. Sort of like bonding over shared trauma. Fat Tire Farm and River City Bicycles have beenin the news lately after repeated problems with thieves crashing and slashing into their stores. On a similar note, I’ve heard a rumor that the Trek Bicycle Portland downtown store (1001 SW 10th) might be moving soon to what they feel is a safer part of town. That would be a big move since there’s been a bike shop at that location since at least the 1980s (first as Cycle Craft, then Bike Gallery)! Stay tuned for more on that one.
Got an industry tip? Pass it onto me via maus.jonathan@gmail.com or text via 503-706-8804. Thanks!
Klootchy County Park, Off Highway 26 just before the Cannon Beach turnoff and Hwy 101.
Guided rides and festivities Saturday ($22), followed by races on Sunday ($45)
This post is part of a paid advertising sponsorship.
It’s really one of the best biking stories in Oregon that our tourism commission and state have done so much to promote and develop great recreational riding. From the first-of-its-kind State Scenic Bikeways program to Travel Oregon’s big investments in bike marketing over the years, we’ve many great successes thanks to help from our friends in government and policymaking at the highest levels.
That trend continues today with recent news that the Oregon Coast Visitor’s Association (OCVA) has funded a three-year run of mountain bike events to encourage folks to come out and try the excellent trail networks that have sprung up in recent years. They’re calling it “Ride the Dirt Wave” and the first event of the summer at Klootchy Creek is right around the corner on June 3rd and 4th.
Back in 2019 Travel Oregon and OCVA teamed up to host a meeting of all the major bike clubs, trail builders, and destination marketing folks on the Coast. The idea was to work together and collaborate on events that would bring people to the Coast to ride bikes. The thing is, the trails in the Coast Range are really, really fun. Epic even. But because they’re far from big cities or major destinations like Mt. Hood, they don’t get a lot of attention. In the past few years, MTB advocates have worked with land managers to carve out some excellent trails and now it’s time more people knew about them! Unfortunately Covid hit and a lot of momentum stalled out.
Now our friends at event promotion company Oregon Rides (Daniella and Elliot Crowder, owners of Bike Newport and legit advocates who’ve spent years supporting cycling in Oregon), are ready to go for it again and they’ve created the Ride the Dirt Wave event series. “We have brought together three bike clubs and three trail systems on the North, Central and South Oregon Coast to put on this awesome event. It is a large collaboration and everyone is pretty psyched!”
The event at the Klootchy Creek Trails June 3rd and 4th is the first one of the series. And since Klootchy is just 75 miles west of Portland off Highway 26 (map), it’s the closest of the three (the others are in Newport and the Whiskey Run Trails in Coos County).
The Klootchy event starts Saturday with guided rides on the trails led by local bike clubs and the people that actually built the trails! How cool would it be to get that type of inside knowledge?! There are ride options for beginner to advanced riders. And of course there will be food, a beer garden, music and games. Transition Bikes will be there with demos so you don’t even have to show up with your own rig. SRAM will also be on hand offering support and swag including snacks and non-alcoholic drinks for everyone. The event will also celebrate World Bicycle Day (which happens to be June 3rd!) with SRAM’s World Bicycle Relief program that gives bikes to people in Africa.
Then on Sunday, it’s time to see how fast you can ride. The Flow Duro Challenge is sanctioned by the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association and is intended for intermediate to advanced riders who will get two timed runs down a flow trail. Competitors will keep their fastest time and points from the Klootchy event will be combined with upcoming events at Whiskey Run (July 22-23) and Newport (August 12-13) to crown a series champion.
A portion of the proceeds from all the events goes directly to the clubs that build the trails and advocate for these areas. And of course, your attendance also helps spur local economic impacts which are so important to the small towns along the Coast.
So be sure to check out this event and get registered for one or both days. Saturday is just $22 and racing on Sunday is $45. Have fun out there! And remember to tell them your heard about it on BikePortland!
Grab yer buds. Ride some bikes. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Welcome to the weekend! Here’s our weekly selection of rides and events worth your time.
This week’s guide is sponsored by Ride the Dirt Wave – Klootchy Creek June 3-4. This new event will introduce you to amazing mountain bike trails relatively close to Portland in the Coast Range. One day for fun riding and one day for racing. Perfect for families too!
Lloyd Bike to Work Day – 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Hassalo Plaza (NE) Get pumped (literally) to ride your bike at this traditional gathering sponsored by Go Lloyd. Free repairs, scooter and Biketown demos, coffee, treats, and more. More info here.
Filmed By Bike – 7:00 & 9:00 pm at Hollywood Theater (NE) It’s here! Portland’s fave film fest. Time to roll out for inspiring bike movies full of beautiful places and people. It’s the perfect excuse to go out and meet friends old and new. More info here
Bike Party and Fundraiser Feat. Machete Mike – 5:00 pm at Irving Park (NE and NW) Meet at the park and ride to the venue in northwest for a night of music and fun with six bands, including Machete Mike (Royal from the Timberwolves bike recovery crew). They’ll be raising money to get a new bike for friend of the community, Greg Cedarbeard. More info here.
Saturday, May 20th
Cutty Cap Challenge – All day If you have a Ride With GPS account and love going on bike scavenger hunts, make sure you are linked into this cool event. Starting at 8:00 am, they’ll release (via email) the locations of custom-designed caps and bandanas all over town. More info here.
SW Trails Walk – 9:00 am at Council Crest Park (SW) Join walking lovers for a 3.2 mile stroll around beautiful Council Crest and Marquam Park. More info here.
Bike With a Buddy Adaptive Bike Ride – 11:00 am at Kerr Bikes on the Esplanade (SE) Are you or someone you know unable to ride a traditional, two-wheeled bike? Come rent an adaptive bike from Adaptive Biketown and join a fun group ride that ends at a pizza joint. Easy, family-friendly vibes. More info here.
Filmed by Bike Parking Lot Party – 2:00 to 4:30 pm at Cyclepath Bike Shop (NE) Our friends at Cyclepath will host a banger hanger with all types of fun treats to get you psyched for the festival. Then the Ride with JennaBikes will start here and roll together to the theater for the movies. More info here.
Asprilla Bicycle Club Pub Crawl to Timbers Match – 4:30 pm at Gorges Beer Co. (SE) Meet at Gorges and then make a stop at Paymaster before rolling into the stadium at 6:30 pm to watch the Timbers v Minnesota United. A perfect Portland night! More info here.
Filmed by Bike Showings – 6:00 and 8:00 pm at Hollywood Theater (NE) Don’t miss the Bike Love and Adventure movies, and then there’s the after-party that starts at 10:00 if you still haven’t gotten enough. More info here.
Sunday, May 21st
Filmed By Bike – Sunday Funday A full day of playing on bikes! Starting with Coffee Outside at 10:00 am, there’s also an alleycat and a BIPOC ride before the film showings start. And don’t forget the big closing party. More info here.
BikeLoud PDX SE Chapter Ride – 11:00 am at Piccolo Park (SE) Head down to Milwaukie to explore their new bikeways with fellow advocates and wonderful bike nerds. You’ll be treated to a very cool and safe route that includes time on the Springwater Corridor and through the Reed College campus. Ends at food cart pods! More info here.
Commissioner Mapps at City Council meeting yesterday.
At a Portland City Council meeting Wednesday, Mayor Ted Wheeler tried to freeze planned fee increases from three city infrastructure bureaus. It was all part of an eleventh-hour, anti-tax crusade from Wheeler that caught other city commissioners off-guard and made them scramble to justify parts of their budget they believed were already safe.
Wednesday’s meeting was the final step in the process to approve the City of Portland’s $7.1 billion budget, but it was the first time commissioners debated three amendments from Wheeler that sought to reduce planned fee increases from the Bureau of Environmental Services, Water Bureau, and Portland Bureau of Transportation that would total $18.7 million in revenue. At the meeting, Wheeler and the four other commissioners heard public testimony on the amendments and had heated exchanges about the impacts of the reductions.
“These increases are choking the life out of this community. People are picking up and they’re leaving.”
– Ted Wheeler, mayor
“It just doesn’t pass the smell test to say the reason why people are leaving the city is because of parking meter rates.”
– Mingus Mapps, commissioner
From Wheeler’s perspective, his moves are all about making people like Portland more. He’s worried that too many people are fleeing our city and he thinks the cumulative impact of the many fees and taxes people pay in this region (not just from City of Portland, but from Metro and Multnomah County) are a major reason why. “We want people to stay [in Portland],” Wheeler explained. “And I think people acknowledge that we are at an inflection point in our city. And studies now show that people are choosing not to stay here.” Even though Wheeler has been mayor for six years, he never once in the meeting acknowledged that perhaps there are other reasons people are leaving — like the fact that during his tenure Portland has not made tangible progress on our most pressing crises like homelessness, housing, drugs, guns, traffic safety, and so on.
Wheeler’s three controversial amendments.
At one point in the meeting Wheeler likened his attack on these planned fee increases as him taking, “bold action to lead.”
While Wheeler is right that no one likes paying more for things, some of his fellow commissioners — and almost every member of the public who showed up to testify against his plans — feel like this type of populist gesture is the wrong policy at the wrong time.
PBOT Commissioner Mingus Mapps was more animated and engaged at yesterday’s meeting than I’ve ever seen him since he came to office in 2021 — not surprising since he’s commissioner-in-charge of all three bureaus Wheeler wanted to take money from. Mapps arrived at City Hall Wednesday looking at over $18 million in reductions to budgets that had already been crafted. The magnitude of what Wheeler sought at the last minute was an extremely rare move and it was clear that this episode has created distance between he and Mapps.
“We can’t throw our umbrella away in a rainstorm and we can’t afford to throw away a reasonable mechanism to keep the lights on at PBOT… while this larger conversation takes place.”
– Indi Namkoong, Verde
“The [transportation] bureau is on life support, and we are pulling the plug today. I have not seen something like this in an urban setting. Ever. This is a truly remarkable moment,” Mapps said loudly into his microphone as he turned his head and looked at Wheeler. “It just doesn’t pass the smell test to say the reason why people are leaving the city is because of parking meter rates.”
Mapps had strong support from the public testimony.
Michael Andersen, a researcher at Sightline, said parking fees are an excellent tool to raise revenue and encourage outcomes that make Portland a better place to live. He said the best policy would be to simply enact the parking pricing policies Council already passed in 2021 when its Pricing Options for Equitable Mobility plan recommended dynamic parking meter rates where prices are set based on how busy a space is.
Kiel Johnson, a former chair of advocacy group BikeLoud PDX, said, “These cuts will mean more Portlanders are putting their lives on the line each time they go out and use our streets by bike and to many others will decide it’s not worth the risk… Do not defund our roads.”
Chris Smith, a veteran civic activist, budget advisor to two former Portland mayors, and former member of PBOT’s Budget Advisory Committee put it bluntly: “Absent this overdue increase in parking fees, PBOT is basically going out of business. I would urge you not to allow that to happen. [The parking rate increases are] overdue and it’s a good policy for the city.”
Portlander Will Hollingsworth said Wheeler’s amendment, “Reeks of craven politicking and it endangers the ability of the city to carry out its bedrock functions.”
Indi Namkoong, transportation justice coordinator with Verde, said, “We can’t throw our umbrella away in a rainstorm and we can’t afford to throw away a reasonable mechanism to keep the lights on at PBOT… while this larger conversation takes place.”
After the testimony, Wheeler refuted some of what he heard. “This is not a cut. This is holding the line on proposed increases. Others had suggested that without this fee increase PBOT is broken. Yes, it would require some tough choices and trade-offs, but it’s hardly them being broke and it’s certainly not as a result of cuts. People said, ‘Well this this will bring to an end critical projects and making sure our city meets our climate action goals, etc. etc.’ It does not have to. The cuts do not have to come out of those critical projects.”
To reinforce his point, Wheeler peppered staff with questions about just how much of an impact the $8.3 million reduction (which is what PBOT would have to make without the 40-cent meter increase) would have on PBOT’s budget. The reduction would come out of PBOT’s General Transportation Revenue, a vital pot made up of parking fees and gas taxes that funds many popular programs. A PBOT budget staffer said when the $8.3 million is combined with large and consequential cuts PBOT already has to make it would amount to a 35-40% reduction to those programs.
Wheeler feels there are “substantial other resources” in PBOT’s capital budget that would not be impacted. But what Wheeler didn’t acknowledge is that PBOT can’t spend capital money without the staff to do the engineering, communications, planning, and construction of those projects. To see Wheeler clearly disagree with PBOT staff, the PBOT commissioner, and advocates who shared expert testimony, really made it clear how out-of-step his views about PBOT have become.
Despite a City of Portland survey that showed higher meter rates have almost no impact on peoples’ decisions to drive and park downtown, Wheeler was steadfast in his belief that it does.
“We are begging people to come to downtown Portland and see that we have improved the situation [his belief is that we need to earn back people’s trust that the city is getting better, before we charge them more]. And studies show that when people come to downtown Portland, they are twice as likely to have a favorable impression of the city than prior to coming to downtown Portland. So it’s really important at this moment in our history, for us not to send mixed signals to say ‘Come to downtown Portland! And oh, by the way, we’re increasing the parking meter rates 40-cents per hour*.”
“I don’t want people to think I’ve lost my fiscal bearings,” Wheeler continued. “I most certainly have not. But I also see a bigger purpose here. In terms of what we need to do over the course of the next year to rebuild confidence in the city.”
The central tension between Wheeler and Mapps comes to down to how they foresee the impact of these fees on peoples’ experience of our city. Wheeler thinks folks will be so happy to save 80-cents while shopping for two hours downtown and will have such a great time doing so, that it will help spark the revitalization he so desperately wants (and needs, politically). Mapps thinks the additional budget reductions Wheeler is asking of his bureaus will result directly in service cuts that will make their experience even worse.
Here’s how Wheeler puts it:
“… These increases are choking the life out of this community. People are picking up and they’re leaving our community. We have to turn that [around] by encouraging people to see the work we’re doing and believe in the work we’re doing and believe the value they’re getting for their very high tax, fee, and utility rate increases in the city are worth it to them. I believe the programs and the policies that this council has put into place are showing good early results and in a year from now the public will see the outcomes of those results. But in the near term, I’m asking us to hold the line and do everything we can to encourage people to stay here, to come here, to invest here, to bring their employees back to the City of Portland.”
And here’s how Mapps put it:
“What we are doing this afternoon is undermining the quality of services that this city council provides to the people of Portland. We are not advancing our position here. We are shooting ourselves and the people of Portland in the feet… I think it’s completely reasonable for this council to look at lowering the rates that we charge in taxes, and we should bring a critical eye to doing that. At the same time, one of our things that we’re also trying to manage is the quality of services we provide. We can save Portlanders 80-cents per parking trip, which is probably not going to be the thing that keeps you staying in Portland if you’re thinking about moving out, but by foregoing that 80-cents increase in parking meter revenues, we will actually see dramatic and profound and unavoidable reductions in services to the people of Portland. I am deeply skeptical that this is the reason why Portlanders are going to leave the city. However, I do believe one of the reason why Portlanders will be leaving the city in the coming years is our crumbling infrastructure.”
Mapps and Wheeler weren’t the only voices that mattered on Wednesday. Commissioner Rene Gonzalez sided strongly with Mapps and opposed the mayor’s amendment.
“40-cents per hour to park downtown, you know, that’s less than the price difference between a grande and venti at Starbucks… Is that really going to impact behaviors? We concluded maybe not,” Gonzalez said. But Gonzalez did acknowledge Wheeler’s point about the public perception created by the cumulative tax burden. Even so, Gonzalez objected to the lack of process and time he and his staff had to react to Wheeler’s proposals. He also said, “The disproportionate impact on infrastructure is a concern to me. Infrastructure in the city has long been under-supported and under-invested in, and that’s where we’re placing the burdens today.”
In the end, Wheeler’s amendment to roll back the 40-cent parking rate increase failed 1-4. He was the only person who voted for it.
Mapps proposed an amendment to increase the rate by just 20-cents. That passed 4-1 with Wheeler being the sole “no” vote.
The other two fee reductions — for the Water Bureau and for BES — passed by a 3-2 margin with Gonzalez joining Mapps in opposition and commissioners Ryan and Rubio going voting in support with Wheeler.
The one thing everyone agreed on was an amendment from Commissioner Carmen Rubio to freeze all system development charge rates for one year, a move expected to make it cheaper to build new housing.
The Mayor’s proposed budget passed by a vote of 4-1, with Mapps being the sole “no” vote. Mapps said asking Portlanders to pay a few dollars in monthly fees to maintain basic services like sewage processing and street maintenance is worth the money it will save the City in the long run by having functioning public works bureaus.
“My ‘no’ vote is a red flag and a warning to Portlanders. This budget contains some terrible decisions around funding infrastructure, in order to literally save pennies.”
– Mingus Mapps
“My ‘no’ vote is a red flag and a warning to Portlanders. This budget contains some remarkably bad choices, especially around infrastructure bureaus. This is a very sad day for the City of Portland and for people who sit in these chairs in the years to come. We pulled the plug on that life support. This budget contains some terrible decisions around funding infrastructure, in order to literally save pennies.”
Even though Mapps was able to save half the parking fee increase, it still means he lost an additional (and unexpected as of a few days ago) $4.1 million from his budget. He said it will be a challenge going forward to maintain programs like Safe Routes to School and Sunday Parkways. One bit of good news from the meeting was a comment from Commissioner Ryan that made it clear the Portland Parks & Recreation Bureau will likely step in and help with Sunday Parkways funding.
But that will be a tiny bright spot in what is likely to be an upcoming era of unprecedented cuts at PBOT, an agency that has a far more complicated and strained budget than any other. After a decade of cuts and reductions in service and staff, it was really striking to watch a mayor intentionally make it even worse. And with his high-profile skepticism about the need for parking rate increases in general, Wheeler has fed into a narrative PBOT has fought against for a long time and has likely made it more difficult to price transportation fairly in the future.
“If we continue down this route, we are talking about layoffs of more than 100 people, maybe many hundreds of people, in the next couple of years,” Mapps said, as he tried to underscore the severity of the impacts. “I’m not against belt tightening and reimagining how we do our work, but if one of the expectations of the people in Portland is that they pay their taxes and get good services, I can guarantee you, this is going to undermine our ability to provide people with transportation services. We are accelerating the deterioration of PBOT.”
The budget office will now incorporate these changes and Council will make the final vote to adopt the budget in mid-June.
Why on earth would we limit this to just one or two parks in our entire system? (Map: Bureau of Planning & Sustainability. Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
There are 154 parks in Portland with about 12,000 acres of land. About one-forth of those acres have something built on them (think golf course, playgrounds, racetrack at PIR, and so on) and the rest (about 70% of the total acreage) is just grass and trees and dirt. According to the newly adopted Off Road Cycling Master Plan, 23 of those parks could easily handle new bike trails or some sort of pump/skills track.
For years now, some folks have felt like we could build more off-road trails in these parks in order to open up more cycling opportunities for Portlanders. Right now there’s a shocking lack of places in this city where you can hop on a bicycle and experience the mental and physical pleasures of navigating a dirt trail. The people who love doing that are mostly forced to hop in their cars and head to riding areas near Mt. Hood, Sandy, Hood River, or (relatively recently) Scappoose. For everyone else, off-road cycling has just never been an option.
Yes, we have dirt to ride in Forest Park, but it’s either extremely boring (flat, wide roads) or extremely difficult for all but expert riders.
The solution, some people say, is to use what we have and build new trails and riding areas inside the existing parks that are within an easy bicycling distance of almost every Portlander. We’ve already had some success with this: the Gateway Green bike park and the small pump tracks at Ventura Park (also east Portland) and in New Columbia neighborhood in St. Johns. On any given day when the sun is out and dirt is dry, you can find all types of smiling people — especially younger ones — riding bikes in these parks.
Why do we have so few places like this? Part of the reason is politics and what I’ve described as Portland’s irrational fear of off-road cycling. But it’s also just due to a lack of planning and advocacy. Before anything happens around here, we need some sort of plan. Then we need people who care about it to stand up and push for it. When it comes to off-road cycling in parks, we now have both parts of that equation primed and ready-to-go.
Now that the Off Road Cycling Master Plan is an official city plan, it’s time to recognize that its authors have singled out 23 existing city parks — in every corner of our city — they think are compatible with unpaved bike riding areas. The list below comes from a map included in the plan where BPS labels parks and other parcels that are ripe for new trails and/or bike parks. Check it out, and get those gears turning for more places to safely ride our bikes without having to drive a car to a trailhead!
North
Pier Park – 85 acres
A Master Plan, developed with community involvement, to guide future improvements to the park
A medium-sized bicycle park (about 1 acre). Bicycle parks have areas for family recreation and skill building. The bicycle park could be located near the popular skate park.
A natural surface loop trail for family-friendly cycling, walking, running and enjoyment of nature. Off-road cycling skill features (like rocks, logs, or skinny bridges) could be added along the sides. Care should be taken to limit potential conflicts with disc golf course.
University Park – 11 acres
A small bicycle park (about 5,000 to 10,000 ft²). Bicycle parks have areas for family recreation and skill building. The bicycle park would be located outside the sports fields.
A natural surface loop trail for family-friendly cycling, walking and running. Off-road cycling skill features (like rocks, logs, or skinny bridges) could be added along the sides.
Building a bicycle park or trail here will require additional planning and community input
Dog Bowl – 25 acres
Habitat restoration including native plantings and removal of invasive plants
Closure and restoration of existing demand trails.
A natural surface trail network for family-friendly cycling, walking, running and enjoyment of nature. This trail network should connect should remain on the upper, flatter portion of the site and protect oak habitat
Building a trail here will require additional planning and community input
Transfer of property to Portland Parks & Recreation
Farragut Park – 14 acres
A small bicycle park (about 5,000 to 10,000 sf). Bicycle parks have areas for family recreation and skill building
A natural surface loop trail for family-friendly cycling, walking and running
Building a bicycle park or trail here will require additional planning and community input
Northeast
Fernhill Park – 27 acres
A natural surface loop trail for family-friendly cycling, walking, running and enjoyment of nature. Off-road cycling skill features (like rocks, logs, or skinny bridges) could be added along the sides. A well-designed loop of approximately 1.5 miles could also provide a better trail for the cross-country running races and training held at the park. Care should be taken to limit potential conflicts with off-leash dog area.
A medium-sized bicycle park (about 1 acre). Bicycle parks have areas for family recreation and skill building
A Master Plan, developed with community involvement, to guide future improvements to the park. This Master Plan could also consider an east-west paved and lighted trail to improve park access and connections.
Building a bicycle park or trail here will require additional planning and community input, including from neighbors, running groups, off leash dog area users, and other park users.
Glenhaven Park – 14 acres
A natural surface loop trail for family-friendly cycling, walking, running and enjoyment of nature. Off-road cycling skill features (like rocks, logs, or skinny bridges) could be added along the sides. The loop trail could connect to the proposed trail at Rose City Golf Course and connect to neighborhoods south of NE Tillamook Street.
A small bicycle park (about 5,000 to 10,000 ft²). Bicycle parks have areas for family recreation and skill building.
Building a bicycle park or trail here will require additional planning and community input.
Rose City Golf Course – 151 acres
A natural surface loop trail for family-friendly cycling, walking, running and enjoyment of nature. Off-road cycling skill features (like rocks, logs, or skinny bridges) could be added along the sides. The loop trail could provide safe walking access along NE Tillamook and connect neighborhoods to the south of the golf course to Glenhaven Park. Creating a full loop may require on-street segments. Care should be taken to limit potential conflicts with the golf course.
A small bicycle park (about 5,000 to 10,000 ft²). Bicycle parks have areas for family recreation and skill building.
Building a bicycle park or trail here will require coordination with the Rose City Golf Course and additional planning and community input.
John Luby Park – 10 acres
A natural surface loop trail for family-friendly cycling, walking, running and enjoyment of nature. Off-road cycling skill features (like rocks, logs, or skinny bridges) could be added along the sides. The loop trail could provide safe walking access along NE Tillamook and connect neighborhoods to the south of the golf course to Glenhaven Park. Creating a full loop may require on-street segments. Care should be taken to limit potential conflicts with the golf course.
A small bicycle park (about 5,000 to 10,000 ft²). Bicycle parks have areas for family recreation and skill building.
Building a bicycle park or trail here will require coordination with the Rose City Golf Course and additional planning and community input.
Southeast
Colonel Summers Park – 6 acres
A small bicycle park (about 5,000 – 10,000 ft²). Bicycle parks have areas for family recreation and skill building
Building a bicycle park here will require additional planning and community input
Mt Tabor Park – 183 acres
Habitat restoration including native plantings and removal of invasive plants
Closure and restoration of demand trails.
Trail network improvements to make it more sustainable, reduce redundant trail segments, and create a loop for off-road cycling
Improved signage to help park users navigate and understand whether trails are open to pedestrians, cyclists, or both
Creston Park – 14 acres
A small bicycle park (about 5,000 – 10,000 ft²). Bicycle parks have areas for family recreation and skill building. The bicycle park could replace the closed tennis courts.
A natural surface loop trail for family-friendly cycling, walking, running and enjoyment of nature
Building a bicycle park or trail here will require additional planning and community input
Brentwood Park – 13 acres
A small bicycle park (about 5,000 – 10,000 ft²). Bicycle parks have areas for family recreation and skill building
Building a bicycle park here will require additional planning and community input
Gates Park – 11 acres
A Master Plan, developed with community involvement, to guide future improvements to the park
A large bicycle park (1 to 3 acres). Bicycle parks have areas for family recreation and skill building
A natural surface loop trail (about ½ mile) for family-friendly cycling, walking and running. Off-road cycling skill features (like rocks, logs, or skinny bridges) could be added along the sides.
Lynchview Park – 8 acres
A small bicycle park (about 5,000 to 10,000 ft²). Bicycle parks have areas for family recreation and skill building
A natural surface loop trail for family-friendly cycling, walking and running. Off-road cycling skill features (like rocks, logs, or skinny bridges) could be added along the sides.
Possible partnership with the adjacent elementary school
Building a bicycle park or trail here will require additional planning and community input
This location is an alternate to Parklane Park
Ventura Park – 7 acres
Ventura Park has two pump tracks — one for intermediate riders and a second for young children.
Continuing to improve drainage at the pump track
Improving and possibly expanding the pump tracks
A natural surface loop trail for family-friendly cycling, walking and running. Off-road cycling skill features (like rocks, logs, or skinny bridges) could be added along the sides.
South
River View Natural Area – 146 acres
Stream and habitat restoration including native plantings and removal of invasive plants
Continued the interim prohibition of off-road cycling until sustainable trails are identified or developed
Complete detailed alignment planning and trail design for the natural surface trail loop described in the River View Natural Area Management Plan’s Access and Management Concept as a model of a sustainable and safe shared-use trail.
Design trails using best management practices appropriate to the natural area’s topography, environmental assets, and expected level of use by pedestrians and cyclists. See pages 76 – 77 of the Discussion Draft for additional design guidance.
If the City cannot identify a sustainable shared-use trail alignment that is consistent with best management practices while meeting site objectives, evaluate alternative approaches and management strategies.
Fund and build a well-designed, sustainable trail that will limit potential negative impacts, reduce maintenance costs, and serve recreational users. Ongoing investment in trail maintenance will also be required.
Consider opportunities to build other recommended natural surface trails in western Portland either before, or in concert with, River View trail design and construction to help distribute the latent demand for off-road cycling experiences.
Develop a maintenance plan for the trail system that identifies unacceptable environmental impacts or safety risks and methods to address these impacts.
Monitor trail use, including any safety or environmental risks, through on-site observation and/or community reporting.
Use adaptive management strategies (e.g. seasonal closures, trail improvements, education, conditional or permanent rerouting or closure of trails, use restrictions) to address unsustainable conditions or unacceptable impacts.
Building a trail here will require additional planning and community input
Loll Wildwood – 2 acres
A Management Plan for the entire natural area, developed with community involvement, to guide environmental restoration, stewardship, and recreational access
Stream and habitat restoration including native plantings and removal of invasive plants
Closure and restoration of existing demand trails
Natural surface trails for family-friendly cycling, walking, running and enjoyment of nature. Trails could include and east-west trail on the north side of the creek, a single bridge crossing, and a loop trail on the south side of the creek. The trails would provide a way to experience the natural area and make it easier to walk and bike to destinations in the neighborhood.
Building a trail here will require additional planning and community input
Lesser Park – 8 acres
Habitat restoration including native plantings and removal of invasive plants
Closure and restoration of existing demand trails
A natural surface trail network for family-friendly cycling, walking, running and enjoyment of nature. This trail network should connect to natural trails at the Portland Community College – Sylvania Campus.
Building a trail here will require additional planning and community input
Southwest
Gabriel Park – 90 acres
A Master Plan, developed with community involvement, to guide future improvements to the park
Continued natural area enhancements. Gabriel Park’s natural areas have undergone significant environmental restoration and pedestrian trail improvements
A medium-sized bicycle park (about 10,000 ft² to ½ acre). Bicycle parks have areas for family recreation and skill building. The bicycle park could be located near the popular skate park and away from natural areas.
A shared-use natural surface loop trail (about 1.5 to 3 miles), outside of the core natural area. This trail could be used by nearby residents for family-friendly cycling, walking, running and enjoyment of nature. Off-road cycling skill features (like rocks, logs, or skinny bridges) could be added along the sides.
A designated safe pedestrian and cyclist route along SW 45th Avenue, including crossings
Improved signage to help park users navigate and understand whether trails are open to pedestrians, cyclists, or both
Hamilton Park – 10 acres
A small bicycle park (about 5,000 to 10,000 ft²). Bicycle parks have areas for family recreation and skill building
A natural surface loop trail for family-friendly cycling, walking, running and enjoyment of nature
Building a bicycle park or trail here will require additional planning and community input
Washington Park – 292 acres
Restoration of degraded wildlife habitat through native plantings and removal of invasive plants
Closure and restoration of existing demand trails
A natural surface off-road cycling trail loop in the area east of Kingston Drive, as envisioned in the Draft Washington Park Master Plan. Trails could include a descending flow trail and an uphill skill trail.
Building a trail here will require additional planning and community input
Forest Park (Southern Section) – 1178 acres
Continue to implement the Forest Park Natural Resource Management Plan and other adopted plans and strategies for the park
Expand and enhance a comprehensive education and outreach program regarding trail rules and etiquette
Improve signage for wayfinding and trail use expectations
Increase resources and partnerships for restoration, management, enforcement and trail maintenance
Monitor impacts of trails and recreation use on vegetation, wildlife and users
Practice adaptive management, including trail closures, to address unintended negative impacts. Decommission unsanctioned trails
Improve Firelane 1 for better environmental sustainability and to make it a safer and more enjoyable route for cycling, walking, and running, while maintaining emergency access
Build a new trail open to off-road cyclists parallel to St. Helen’s Road. This trail should connect Northwest Portland to the proposed Forest Park Nature Center and Firelane 1
Build a new trail south of NW 53rd Drive (conditional on completion of Firelane 1 improvements, St. Helen’s trail, improvements to Holman Lane, and assessment of watershed impacts)
Continue to implement the Forest Park Natural Resource Management Plan and other adopted plans and strategies for the park
Expand and enhance a comprehensive education and outreach program regarding trail rules and etiquette
Improve signage for wayfinding and trail use expectations
Increase resources and partnerships for restoration, management, enforcement and trail maintenance
Monitor impacts of trails and recreation use on vegetation, wildlife and users
Practice adaptive management, including trail closures, to address unintended negative impacts. Decommission unsanctioned trails
Improve Firelane 1 for better environmental sustainability and to make it a safer and more enjoyable route for cycling, walking, and running, while maintaining emergency access
Build a new trail open to off-road cyclists parallel to St. Helen’s Road. This trail should connect Northwest Portland to the proposed Forest Park Nature Center and Firelane 1
Build a new trail south of NW 53rd Drive (conditional on completion of Firelane 1 improvements, St. Helen’s trail, improvements to Holman Lane, and assessment of watershed impacts)
Central city showing streets with pedestrian crossing spacing that meet the standard in green; pink are streets with crossings that are too far apart. The white dots are school locations. (City of Portland)
PedPDX, Portland’s Citywide Pedestrian Plan, released it’s three-year status report (PDF) this week and project manager Gena Gastaldi presented highlights to the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Pedestrian Advisory Committee via Zoom last night.
Like the Bike Plan and Freight Plan, PedPDX structures the city’s modal transportation goals (for walking, in this case) and the strategies for reaching them for the next 20 years.
What has always been impressive about PedPDX from the time it was adopted in 2019 has been its collection and cataloging of pedestrian-related data. For example, it inventoried sidewalk coverage on all of Portland’s major streets—no sidewalks, sidewalk on one side, sidewalk on both sides. That alone is an impressive piece of work and an important resource. They also collected data on crossing deficiencies and gaps.
What Gastaldi was most enthusiastic about last night was the newly-released online sidewalk completeness and crossing gaps maps and the GIS tool for investigating that data. Her enthusiasm was infectious, I’ve spent the last hour banging around with GIS features and am hooked. The tool let’s you overlay important features like schools, transportation stops and community centers. It’s another helpful way to visualize our city.
PedPDX’s other significant effort was to rank Portland’s streets according to their need for improvements. Part of this involved prioritizing sidewalk and crossing improvements across the city. These prioritizations inform the selection and design of the city’s capital projects and pedestrian-related programs and activities, so internally PedPDX is foundational to PBOT’s decision-making processes.
In the past, I’ve publicly criticized the methods used to prioritize streets. And I still think that they are overly-complicated and prone to “mathiness.” But the end result is fine, probably because there is such a strong correlation between PBOT’s equity matrix and Portland’s unsafe streets that any number of approaches would have arrived at a similar ranking.
PedPDX is not a sidewalk-building program, however, so the statistics presented are a total of all construction—public and private—from all revenue sources over the past three years (although there can be up to a nine-month lag between project completion and entry into the map database). The three-year update reported these key performance measures:
Source: Portland Bureau of TransportationFrom the report
Implementation or adoption of new policies and guidelines in the PedPDX Implementation Toolbox:
Of the 67 actions described in PedPDX, two are considered complete, 43 are in progress, and 22 have no action to report.
Percentage of the Pedestrian Priority Network with sidewalk gaps / miles of walkway built:
From 2019 to 2022, the percentage of the Pedestrian Priority Network with sidewalk gaps (sidewalk on neither or one side) has decreased 3.4%, from 43.1% to 39.8%; Since 2019, about 34 miles of sidewalk have been built in Portland through both capital projects and private development. Additionally, 8.5 miles of our highest priority (tiers 1-3) sidewalk gaps (sidewalk on neither or one side) were made complete by adding sidewalks to both sides of the street.
Percentage of the Pedestrian Priority Network with crossing gaps / number of crossings improved:
From 2019 to 2022, the percentage of the Pedestrian Priority Network with crossing gaps has decreased 7.3%, from 79.8% to 72.4%. This decrease does not take into account the 13.4 miles of streets that do not meet transit stop spacing requirements
Since 2019, 2,084 crossings have been installed (or restriped to high visibility crosswalks) and 98 deficient crossings have been brought up to city standards.
PedPDX has always been information-rich and the project website continues to deliver in this regard. One can learn a lot about Portland by spending some time exploring this work.
Mayor Wheeler has served Portland during an era where our city’s value has dropped precipitously. Now he wants to help fix that by cutting taxes. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
The bureau that manages Portland’s transportation system has been fighting for more revenue for many years. In late 2012, the funding problems at Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) were so bad that City Council directed PBOT to convene a “financial task force” and develop a report to help aid future decision making. That 11-year old report found that PBOT’s funding model was, “antiquated, unstable and in need of an overhaul.”
Fast forward to 2023. With no major shift in their funding model since those alarm bells rang in 2012, PBOT is at the end of their line. Or, as PBOT Commissioner Mingus Mapps put it at a Council budget work session May 10th, “We are running out of lifeboats and the problem continues to get worse.” Mapps is so desperate he was willing to float the idea of an $8 per household fee to save the transportation bureau — a move that in a different political era could have cost him his job.
Past PBOT commissioners must be shaking their heads. The exact problem they and PBOT leadership have warned about for years — that too much of the agency’s revenue relies on driving and parking cars downtown (both of which go against the city’s stated goals and values) — is coming to fruition much more quickly than expected. PBOT has clung to parking meter fees for years, knowing full well that if they succeeded in getting more people onto buses and bikes, they’d eventually have to let them go. Then Covid came and wiped out downtown car traffic, taking a valuable piece of PBOT’s budget with it. Now there’s a chance the bureau might face devastating cuts to staff, maintenance operations, and popular programs — like Sunday Parkways and Safe Routes to School — even sooner.
Thanks to a 40-cent meter increase approved by City Council in February 2022, PBOT figured they could remain in the black for one more year. But that was before new projections accelerated the parking decline and before Mayor Ted Wheeler went on an anti-tax crusade.
Wheeler held a surprise work session at City Council Friday. It was unexpected because the schedule of the budget process is predictable for a reason. Not only do commissioners hate surprises during budget season, but by the time the Mayor’s proposed budget is released and work sessions take place, all the major reductions are already accounted for. It’s certainly not normal for a Mayor to convene a special work session on his own accord — especially not one whose expressed purpose was to question whether or not proposed rate and fee hikes should happen at all.
“We’re hearing growing concerns that Portland is an increasingly difficult place to live and work due to increased taxes, utility rates, and fees,” Wheeler said at the outset of Friday’s meeting. It was a brutal exercise: city bureau directors and top-level staff had to justify proposed increases and explain what might happen if they don’t go through. To set the mood prior to the meeting, Wheeler proposed a one-year freeze on all new city fees and utility rate increases. City staff knew what they were up against.
PBOT Interim Director Tara Wasiak was there to plead the case that the 40-cent parking meter rate increase would send the agency into oblivion if it wasn’t allowed to move forward.
“The 40-center meter increase makes up for rate increases that should have occurred since 2016 (the last time rates went up) to account for inflation,” Wasiak explained. “If the increased is not approved, we will need to find an additional $8.3 million to cut.” Those cuts would come on top of years of brutal budgets that have winnowed PBOT staff to the bone and left cash reserves nearly empty.
PBOT slides shown at Friday City Council budget work session.
To put the impact of losing the 40-cent increase into perspective, PBOT put together three scenarios that would save them $8.3 million. Each one would require a terrible combination of fewer services, programs and projects. Upon hearing about a scenario to make across-the-board cuts, Mapps asked PBOT Business Services Director the most important question:
“How many people do I have to lay off at PBOT under this scenario?” Mapps asked.
“Probably around 100 FTE,” Patton replied.
PBOTers are used being in a sour mood during budget season, but this move by Wheeler has likely taken things to a whole new level. Not only is it coming very late in the budget process, but the parking rate increase has already been approved by council (Wheeler himself voted for it). Adding to PBOT’s likely frustration is that their research shows people wouldn’t even notice the higher parking price. Based on a March 2023 PBOT survey of people parking downtown, only 4% of people said cost influenced their decision to drive and 82% didn’t even know the price before leaving home. 94% of folks who took the survey said even if they knew the price they’d still choose to park. “This data indicates to us that the price of parking is not influencing people’s decision to drive and park on downtown streets,” Wasiak said Friday.
But despite PBOT’s pleas, politics might trump parking policy.
In the past week as Wheeler has sought attention for wanting to reduce Portlanders’ “collective tax burden,” he’s made the argument that people have historically been willing to pay more to live here. “What we’re hearing is about the value proposition,” Wheeler said Friday. “Portlanders… support a myriad of taxes and fees on themselves provided they feel that they are getting the value in return.”
“And during this challenging time in our city’s history, I think we can all agree with a degree of honesty and self-reflection that people don’t see the same value that perhaps they did.”
Wheeler’s not wrong in that assessment; but he should acknowledge that he’s been mayor since 2017 and the value many people used to see in this city has been winnowed to almost nothing. Now he’s trying to make things better by cutting taxes and asking his fellow commissioners to pay a very steep price, “give the programs that we’ve invested in time to show their worth to the public.”
For his part, Commissioner Mapps made it clear Friday he disagrees with Wheeler. “I think the proposal to freeze utility rates and forego the parking revenue increase are, really, frankly disastrous and unwise.” But Mapps said he would be willing to consider a rate freeze on transportation system development charges (SDCs). That move would result in a $400,000 cut to projects PBOT already has planned in the coming year.
The next step for this discussion comes at City Council’s meeting on Wednesday (5/16). Stay tuned.
Scooter riders in downtown Portland. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
The Portland Bureau of Transportation has taken a notable step forward in their embrace of micromobility. For the first time since they began annual bike counts in the 1990s, PBOT and their team of volunteers will also tally the number of electric scooters, skateboarders and one-wheelers that roll past the over 300 count locations this summer. Also this year, they plan to make their first attempt at segmenting out the number of electric bikes on our roads.
PBOT has done annual bike counts longer than any other major city in America. Their dataset includes counts from before the year 2000 and has given planners and advocates and invaluable resource to gauge progress and glean insights. This year’s count will likely be scrutinized more than usual. That’s because last year’s count exposed a major cycling decline since 2019 and things in the transportation world have been very topsy-turvy since Covid hit in 2020. “The 2023 counts will be an important measure to see if and how Portlanders are responding to new commutes, new infrastructure, and a new normal,” reads PBOT’s website.
“Without any real data, you just have no voice.”
– Cory Poole, NW Skate Coalition
We’ll also gain a better understanding of the impact these new micromobility vehicles are having on our transportation system. Back in April we shared how e-scooter ridership was very healthy in Portland — even as bike counts dwindled. Are scooters, electric skateboards, and one-wheels luring people off their bikes? Are their enough of these users to demand a greater voice in infrastructure planning and policy decisions?
Cory Poole with Northwest Skate Coalition hopes so. He’s happy PBOT will get more serious about counting more than just bikes. In a phone call today, Poole reminded me that PBOT counted skateboards back in 2014, but that effort wasn’t very robust and it only lasted three years. He thinks having better data about how many people are using scooters and skateboards (he’s even noticed a big uptick in roller skaters), will give these modes a bigger seat at the table. “People are choosing a much wider range of modes to get around, and without data, you can anecdotally say, ‘Oh, I see skateboards all the time, or ‘I see scooters all the time.’ But without data, it’s really hard to put that into any kind of useful narrative, especially if you’re asking the city for money.”
“Without any real data, you just have no voice.”
Right now, Poole says, skateboarders and scooter-riders are not represented on an of PBOT’s three modal advisory committees — which specifically represent the interests of bicycle, pedestrian and freight advocates. “Hopefully, if they can see that a certain percentage of people out there are skating, scooting, and roller-skating around, that there should be some voice voice at the table.”
What would an advocate like Poole do with a stronger voice? He’d push for smoother pavement, smaller expansion joints on bridges, and lane markings that don’t make skateboarders slip.
This new approach from PBOT will also hasten awareness and evolution that “bike lanes” of the future might intentionally welcome more than just bikes. As we shared back in March, there’s been a push from some urban planners to re-frame bike lanes and be more inclusive of a wider range of lightweight vehicles that aren’t ready to mix with car drivers, but are not typically considered as bike lane users.
PBOT signs up and trains dozens of volunteers for their counts each year. They will fan out to over 300 locations citywide and counts will begin June 6th and run through September 28th. Sign up to help and learn more about the counts on PBOT’s website.
I could not be more thrilled about how Bike Happy Hour has taken off since the first one back in early April. Tomorrow it will be week #7 and I’m so thrilled at all the wonderful people and “immaculate vibes” (according to one attendee) each week. My favorite thing is how many brand new faces show up. Folks who don’t know anyone at first, but by the time they leave have a whole new group of pals and a new place where they know they can always come to be heard and seen and appreciated.
Happy Hour has quickly become a community space for bike-minded people. And since it’s been nearly two months I figured it was time for a check-in.
Below is a random list of updates and other things I’ve been thinking about — including the announcement of our first themed night coming 5/24…
My new BikeLoud tee. Unfortunately it’s pretty big for me so I might bring it to swap night.
Next week (5/24) will be our first themed event: It’s Bike T-Shirt Swap & Share Night! If you have a favorite bike-related t-shirt you want to show off, let’s see it! Share the story of where you got that old bike tee and why you’ve kept it all these years. Or maybe you’ve got a pile of them in your closet that you want to trade or give to someone who could use one? Bring and/or wear your tees on 5/24 and we’ll be ready to listen to your stories about them and maybe pass them on to others. So far I’ve got folks from Cyclepath Bike Shop and Biketown who plan to bring some to share. That’s fine too! It’s Happy Hour, we don’t really make rules. Just show up with your shirts and we’ll figure it all out.
Did you know our host Gorges Beer Co. has installed Portland’s first ever electrified bike rack? It’s true! They bought one of those cool racks from Dero that have a standard 120V outlet on each side where you can plug in your e-bike to get a charge while you hang out. Remember to bring your charging cord!
Plug-in, hang out.Jakob and I unfurling the banner last week.
Speaking of bike parking, Gorges (and Ankeny Tap & Table) owner Travis Preece has order a new bike parking corral with 10 staple racks. Look for it to be installed soon!
I’m thrilled that we finally have a big “Bike Happy Hour” banner that folks can see as they roll past on SE Ankeny. Take your photo with it for good karma and to help spread the word.
Someone recently asked about if the event is truly “family friendly.” I’ve said yes because I’ve seen several families show up with little kids and they seemed to have a fun time. But we didn’t have any kid-specific amenities to offer folks that showed up empty-handed. So we’ve fixed that. Expect some coloring books and crayons to keep your kiddos engaged. We’ll add more fun things in the future (let us know if you have requests).
I realize the line for drinks got pretty long last week. The staff at Gorges and Ankeny Tap are amazing people, but they can only do so much and they are not used to such big Wednesday crowds. That should be fixed now because they’ve staffed up and will have at least one additional person behind the counter. Thanks Corey, Una, Tabi, and Kendra!!
Last week we had Nick from Vvolt show up to share a prototype of their latest model. That was very smart! I want folks to know that Bike Happy Hour is a great place to show off new ideas and products. We have quite an interesting brain trust of folks that show up each week. On a similar note, I’ve met a few folks who showed up that are in between jobs and are looking for leads. That’s exactly what Happy Hour is for! Come and network! Find me if you want or need introductions to specific folks. I love connecting people.
Wednesday May 31st is the start of the famous Mt. Tabor Race Series. Racing up in the park starts at 5:20 and the last race starts at 8:00. Mt. Tabor park is just two miles up the road from the Gorges patio and I want to extend a personal invite to all bike racersand their fans to swing by Happy Hour before (remember you can get $2 off coffee drinks at Crema) and/or after your race!
OK that’s it for now. When I started this thing seven weeks ago I was worried about adding another evening “work” event to my calendar each week; but now I look forward to it every time. I’ve met so many new people and I just could not be happier about how it has evolved and grown so quickly. Thank you to all our regulars and everyone who shows up. See you on the patio tomorrow!
