6/25: Hello readers and friends. I recently had my second (of two) total knee replacement surgeries so I'll be out of commission for a bit while I recover. Please be patient while I get back to full health. I hope to be back to posting as soon as I can. I look forward to getting back out there. 🙏. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor
CCC workers and the new logo. (Photo: ILWU Local 5 Instagram)
Staff of the nonprofit Community Cycling Center have voted to join a union and the organization’s Board of Directors have voted unanimously to recognize it. Sources say the Board voted in favor of the union less than 48 hours after they received the request.
CCC workers have joined ILWU Local 5 and they are now the first bike shop in Portland to become unionized. ILWU Local 5 also represents workers at Powell’s Books, the Oregon Historical Society, Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice, and several other local organizations.
“We, the workers of the Community Cycling Center (CCC), are proud to announce that we have unionized,” reads a statement from the organizing committee.
Here’s more:
“The Community Cycling Center Workers Union is made up of workers in Community Programs, Youth Programs, shop mechanics, and retail staff. As the first union bike shop in Portland, we hope to show what is possible when workers act collectively. We are excited to be taking this historic step for workers in the cycling industry, and honored to join the thousands of non-profit workers unionized across the country. We are looking forward to building a future in which worker solidarity improves working conditions across the bike and non-profit industries. Together, we can create meaningful and positive change from the ground up.”
The CCC’s Interim Executive Director Steph Routh said the move is, “A step forward in building the trusting partnership among all members of our staff and Board, to better show up with and for our communities to broaden access to bicycling and its benefits.”
While the CCC is the first traditional bike shop whose workers have joined a union, the repair and maintenance crew who look after the Biketown bike share system are also unionized. Portland also has a worker-owned shop, Citybikes Co-op.
ILWU Local 5 President Ryan Van Winkle said his group embraces bikes. “From negotiating for bike subsidies in contracts to organizing bike posse events for members to participate, we see bikes help make our cities livable for all.”
The next step in the process is to negotiate a contract.
Wednesdays, 3-6 pm – Rainbow Road Promenade, SE Ankeny & 28th – Gorges Beer Co, Crema, Ankeny Tap & Table – $2 off all drinks (including non-alcoholic & coffee!)
Several weeks ago, the owner of Gorges Beer Co. and Ankeny Tap & Table, Travis Preece, reached out to me. Travis wanted some advice on making his brewery on Southeast Ankeny near 28th more welcoming for bike riders. He also wanted more people to know that his establishments are ready to embrace people who ride.
I was happy to help! A great cycling city needs great cycling-centric businesses. We talked about all sorts of ways Travis could roll out the red carpet for folks who show up by bike. We put together a cycling first aid kit to help folks in need, he’s experimenting with one of those new Dero bike racks with an integrated electric outlet to charge e-bikes, he’s got some ideas on cool new patio tables with a neat bike-oriented surprise I don’t want to spill the beans on yet, and more.
And now I’m happy to share that another one of the results of our conversations is the weekly Bike Talk Happy Hour that starts this Wednesday, April 5th (yes that’s tomorrow!).
Share it if you’d like! PDF below
From 3:00 – 6:00 pm anyone who shows up by bike to Gorges Beer Co, Ankeny Tap & Table, or Crema Coffee + Bakery will get $2 off all drinks (including non-alcoholic and coffee). Just make sure to use the promo code “BikePortland.”
Why these three places? Because Travis owns two of them and because they are all on the Rainbow Road street plaza — the same one we deemed the best new outdoor carfree dining street in the city during the pandemic. I’ve been impressed with Travis because he is hustling on this. He too is bummed that our cycling numbers are down and he wants to organize in any way he can to do something about it.
If we want Portland to return to its glory days of cycling, we need efforts this. Lots of them. Citywide (as in, not just inner southeast!).
So grab some friends or just show up and meet some. I’ll be at Gorges from 3-6 and once the weather gets better we’ll be spilling out into the carfree street to remind everyone that a great bike city is (re)built business-by-business, block-by-block, bicyclist-by-bicyclist!
(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland) 1989 newspaper clip in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, courtesy Tom Haig.
“The more I stayed on the bike, the more positive minutes I would have in my day… I was like, ‘alright, the way through this is the way you got into it. It’s through the bike.'”
-Tom Haig
Whether diving into water from a 150-foot perch or facing the reality of a bike crash that left him paralyzed, Portlander Tom Haig’s life has been defined by decisive seconds and an embrace of challenges.
Haig has experienced as many highs and lows as he has adventures across the globe — and you can now read all about them in his new book Global Nomad, My Travels through Diving, Tragedy, and Rebirth(2022, WSU Press). I recently chatted with Haig, who is now a communications specialist with the Portland Bureau of Transportation, to hear about his book and learn more about his epic story.
Haig started his thrill seeking career as a competitive cliff diver and member of a touring circus high dive troupe. (No joke.) When he wasn’t plunging into water headfirst from 70 feet in the air, he was riding his bike: through the humid air in the Ozarks, in the foothills of the French Alps — or once, all the way from Wisconsin to Mexico for an Acapulco cliff diving competition. Those escapades were all more than 30 years ago, but Haig isn’t done yet.
However, his adventures look a little different these days.
En route to the Tibetan government complex in Dharamsala, India.Haig and friends in Delhi, India. Haig winning the 2002 Portland Marathon on a hand cycle.
After traveling the world, Haig decided to settle down in Portland in the early 1990s — in part because of the great cycling opportunities. After getting used to scaling the countryside in the French Alps on his bike, Haig needed to live somewhere with some elevation.
“You can do anything here. If you want to ride flats for 50 miles, you can do it. If you want medium hills, go to the Coast Range, and if you want big ones, you have the Cascades,” Haig told me. “So I just fell in love. I became a cycling nut.”
“I wasn’t feeling pain. I was watching the first 35 years of my life vanish with every passing second.”
Throughout his journeys, Haig had several dramatic brushes with danger: a car crash in Taipei, an encounter with the police in Abu Dhabi and nearly cracking his head open on the cliffs of Acapulco while practicing a never-before-seen diving feat. But it was a standard, run-of-the-mill bike ride on a Sunday morning in Portland that would prove to have the biggest impact on Haig’s life.
Haig has an astonishingly clear recollection of what happened on that Sunday morning in 1996. As he describes it, he was “riding hard” on his road bike down SE Sandy Blvd where it turns into 7th Ave at Stark. A driver busted through a stop sign and Haig turned around to tell her off, losing sight of the 24-foot truck ahead.
“I was a pretty good bike handler, I’d ridden in pretty crappy conditions,” Haig said. “But as I went for my brake, my brake cable snapped. And instead of a controlled slide off my bike, I went falling. My head bounced off his bumper and my butt hit the road — it was a compression fracture. I knew almost instantly that I had a spinal cord injury.”
In his book, Haig writes that he wasn’t feeling pain in this moment. Instead, he was “watching the first 35 years of [his] life vanish with every passing second.”
“I seriously think for a person with a disability, Portland is the most progressive town I’ve ever been to in my life. That’s one of the biggest reasons I’m here.”
As it turns out, Haig did have a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Haig said that everything he knew about his life so far was gone, and in the months that followed, he doubted whether or not he wanted to keep living.
“I was like, ‘I want out,'” Haig said. “I wanted no part of living in a wheelchair.”
Haig shared that a major saving grace for him ended up being hand cycling. After his injury, his old diving teammates got together to raise $2,400 for a Lightning handcycle. It was tough to figure out at first, but he didn’t stop trying, and eventually he was a pro with the recumbent bike.
“Gradually, the more I stayed on the bike, the more positive minutes I would have in my day,” Haig said. “It took quite a while before the demons started going away…but I was like, ‘alright, the way through this is the way you got into it. It’s through the bike.'”
From there, Haig became a competitive hand cyclist, and he resumed his old vagabond lifestyle too. As he traveled the world again — this time needing to navigate the world quite differently than in the past — he realized how unaccommodating so much of the world is for people with disabilities.
Haig and his brother Andrew (who just so happens to be the director of the University of Michigan’s Spine Center), started a nonprofit called the International Rehabilitation Forum to “bring together people and institutions to build rehabilitation medicine in low-resource and isolated countries.” Through this program, Haig has travelled to countries like Albania, Ghana, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Senegal, embedding himself in disability communities and documenting the experiences through short films.
While he’s committed to a nomadic lifestyle, Haig remains a proud Portlander. He says there’s no better place to be, especially for someone with a disability.
“I seriously think for a person with a disability, Portland is the most progressive town I’ve ever been to in my life. That’s one of the biggest reasons I’m here,” Haig said. While he added that things could always be better, he said Portland stands out in comparison to other cities around the country and across the world.
One of the reasons for this is our transportation system. Haig gave a shoutout to Adaptive Biketown, the Portland adaptive bike rental program co-run by Biketown and Kerr Bikes.
“They’re fantastic. Anyone who’s not comfortable with a regular bike can reserve a bike free for an hour,” Haig said. “And they have so many different types of bikes over there. Once people start going there, then they just keep going back and back. One of my favorite things about working with the city is working with Adaptive Biketown.”
One piece of wisdom Haig has to offer people? If you can, get on your bike.
“It’s such a precious thing to be able to be a bike rider in our town, so take advantage of it,” Haig said. “Get on your bike and ride for fun, ride to work, just ride. That’s coming from someone who lost their ability to walk because he rode so much.”
This is only a small taste of the story Haig tells in Global Nomad, an entertaining read that bursts with fun details and inspiring energy. Learn more about Haig and his work at his website. You can order his book here.
Senate Bill 895 seeks to strengthen and clarify Oregon Revised Statute 811.420, the law that governs passing obstructions in no passing zones. Specifically, the bill would require drivers to slow down when passing an obstruction on their right and would amend the definition of obstruction to include someone riding a bicycle or any other person in a vehicle that’s traveling at a much slower speed.
The bill’s chief sponsor is Eugene-area Democrat Floyd Prozanski (D-4). (Those of you who’ve followed bike advocacy in Oregon for a while might recall that this is the same lawmaker who passed Oregon’s current bicycle safe passing law back in 2007.) According to the Oregon Legislative Information Service (OLIS), Sen. Prozanski introduced the bill on behalf of two constituents: Richard Hughes and Doug Parrow. Parrow is not just any Oregonian, he is the former chair of The Street Trust’s legislative committee (back when they had one and were known as the Bicycle Transportation Alliance) and he was a board member of the nonprofit for 13 years. Parrow resigned from The Street Trust in 2010.
The problem Parrow and other backers of this bill are trying to solve is that many drivers — as many police officers — are not aware that crossing over the centerline to pass a bicycle rider is actually already legal. Oregon’s bicycle safe passing law (ORS 811.065) states that, “The driver of a motor vehicle may drive to the left of the center of a roadway to pass a person operating a bicycle proceeding in the same direction.”
Proposed new section in yellow.
But Parrow and others worry that people don’t understand the law and that current ODOT and Department of Motor Vehicle training materials lack clarity. They feel this leads to dangerous passes and/or anger toward bicycle riders.
“The lack of clarity is endangering bicyclists,” Parrow shared with members of the Judiciary Committee (which Prozanski chairs) at a public hearing for the bill on March 8th. “Some motorists have cited the ‘prohibition’ on crossing the centerline as the reason that they have passed bicyclists too closely. Other motorists have followed too closely and otherwise harassed bicyclists instead of safely passing.”
The problem is particularly acute on low-traffic, rural roads where no passing zones can stretch for miles. This means automobile drivers are presented with a quandary: follow behind the bicycle rider(s) for a long time, commit what they think is an illegal move, or make a dangerous pass. SB 895 would make the no passing zone law more explicit when it comes to bicycle riders and Parrow says it should prompt ODOT and the DMV to update its driver education materials accordingly.
Another provision in SB 895 would require people to drive at least five miles under the speed limit while making the pass.
“The bill will just put common sense back into to the law,” said bike advocate Richard Hughes at the public hearing.
SB 895 passed out of the Judiciary Committee on March 20th by a vote of 4-0 (with one excused) and is now on the Senate floor.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation isn’t sitting idly by while their once-heralded bike ridership numbers head in the wrong direction.
As we’ve reported, a recent report from PBOT found that bicycling in Portland dropped by 34.9% between 2019 and 2022. The news was not a surprise, but finally having the data (since it was the first bike count report the city released since 2014) to back up our hunches has crystallized the issue and adds urgency to calls to reverse the trend. For our part, we have hosted conversations about what’s behind the drop and have read hundreds of your comments and emails.
Despite behavior changes due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so far the City of Portland hasn’t offered any official rationale about what might be behind the numbers. A PBOT staffer shared some of his views at a recent Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting, but it was based solely on only well-informed speculation and anecdotal evidence.
Now PBOT wants more direct input about what might be going on.
PBOT Communications Director Hannah Schafer shared with us last week that one step they have already taken is to contract with a well-known pollster to find out more. “We’re working with the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center to put a poll into the field soon,” Schafer wrote in an email to BikePortland. “It will include a couple open-ended questions as well as a few yes/no questions that are designed to determine what Portlanders at this time freely associate with “bicycling,” the number of bicyclists for any purpose, and the reasons why bicyclists are riding less than in the past.”
The Oregon Values and Beliefs Center is a nonprofit that describes their work as, “accurate, inclusive opinion research” that is, “independent and nonpartisan; representative of rural Oregon and communities of color; valid and statistically reliable; and quantitative and qualitative.”
It will be interesting to see what OVBC comes up with. One thing we’ve learned is that there are myriad overlapping reasons behind the decline. Socio-political changes, the rise of tele-commuting, dangerous drivers, vast public safety concerns, and a lack of traffic enforcement are just some of the concerns we’ve heard about most.
Once the poll is completed, OVBC will process the data and provide a report to PBOT. “Once we have that information,” Schafer says. “We’ll use it to inform future steps.”
We’ll get another chance to hear from PBOT about the decline on April 18th. According to the agenda for the Bicycle Advisory Committee that was just released, PBOT Bicycle Coordinator Roger Geller will present on the 2022 counts report and then, “present some thoughts on factors contributing to the decline.”
Welcome to the Comment of the Week, where we highlight good comments in order to inspire more of them. You can help us choose our next one by replying with “comment of the week” to any comment you think deserves recognition.Please note: These selections are not endorsements.
I try really hard to stay well-informed but, try as I may, grasping the ins and outs of the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program usually gets the best of me. That is why I was so happy when one BikePortland commenter wrote up a handy cheat sheet for all of the conflicting interests. I keep mine on the refrigerator.
But you could also print it out in a really small font, laminate it, and keep it in your wallet.
Yes, they are trying to solve all the competing transportation challenges with a single project. Hence why the common sense alternative proposal is so appealing.
The bridge can’t be too high, or the FAA won’t approve it due to Pierson [sic] Field.
The bridge can’t be too low, or the Coast Guard won’t approve it without a draw bridge.
The DoTs don’t want to stop freeway traffic for bridge lifts.
Clark County doesn’t want transit.
Portland won’t support it without transit.
They have to accommodate interstate traffic traveling long distances.
They have to provide local connections for downtown Vancouver, Hayden Island, and the industrial areas.
Clearly all of those would be better serves by a series of smaller, focused projects, not a single one, but that’s not how our funding system is set up. Instead of long term, sustainable (financial and environmental) thinking, we throw billions at giant capital projects, but not at maintaining them once they’re built. We just assume that in another 50 years there will be another mega-project that will replace the current mega-project.
But wait!!! There’s more! Apparently John D left something out. Luckily Chris caught the oversight.
You forgot one, the Coast Guard doesn’t want additional bridge piers between the existing I-5 bridge and the railroad bridge. It will further complicate the currents for ships.
Welcome to the week. Here are the most notable stories our writers and readers have come across in the past seven days…
The truth hurts: It makes me very happy to see a driver-centric outlet frame infrastructure complaints in a way that centers bad driving. (Jalopnik)
Portland and Paris: I’m scanning everything I read for lessons for Portland and this deep dive on how Paris has reduced cars in its central city — and the influence of its history and politics — offers some important ones. (Slate)
Just install the damn things, would ya;?!: While we continue to wait for the City of Portland to install long-awaited automated enforcement cameras, here’s an article that explains why traffic engineers in Canada are in love with them. (CBC)
With friends like these: Washington Democrats want to fund a highway megaproject because they say it will decrease emissions and provide jobs. Hmm, where have we heard that before? (KREM)
Driving costs: We often hear that anti-driving policies hurt the poor, but missing from that debate is just how extremely expensive cars have become in recent years. If we care about lower-income people, we need to reduce reliance on cars. (CNN)
Carmageddon: Author of a new book on the vast impact of cars on our lives says their cultural impact is on the wane and now is the time to ween American off of them. (Esquire)
Mind the gaps: A new bill introduced by U.S. House Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Jame Raskin (D-MD) would make it easier for cities and counties to get federal funding to fill bikeway network gaps. (Streetsblog USA)
Pretty please: Japan has a new national law they hope will lead to more helmet use; but enforcement will only be a warning. (Japan Today)
MAMIL study: A new bit of research found that middle-aged men who ride bikes have major benefits in terms of muscle mass and ageing; but the catch is you’ve got to get a lot of miles in. (Cycling Weekly)
The Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee has two openings for people passionate about supporting active modes of travel. The committee is seeking a new youth/student member and a new at-large member to advise ODOT on bicycle and pedestrian issues across the state.
All Oregon residents are eligible to apply. To be eligible for the youth/student position, you must be under the age of 21 (at time of appointment to the committee). Appointments are non-binding, and appointees may serve a maximum of two 4-year terms. Appointees are eligible for a stipend and travel reimbursements for their service on the committee.
The Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, or OBPAC, strives to have committee representation that reflects the diverse geography, demographics, and abilities of everyone who walks, bikes, or rolls in Oregon. The committee encourages individuals with an interest or background in disability rights and accessibility, racial equity, climate justice, and active transportation to apply. OBPAC envisions Oregon as a state in which people of all identities, including age, income, race, and ability, can access destinations in urban and rural areas on comfortable, safe, and well-connected active transportation infrastructure.
Materials must be submitted before April 16, 2023 to be considered in the first review. OBPAC will invite selected candidates to participate in a Q & A session with committee members and staff prior to making a final recommendation to the Governor’s Office. Finalists will be asked to complete a full board/commission application in Workday.
Please forward this announcement to your friends, family and colleagues!
About the committee
The Oregon Bicycle Committee was first formed by Oregon Statute 366.112, a bill passed in the 1973 Oregon Legislature. In 1995, the Oregon Transportation Commission officially recognized the committee’s additional role in pedestrian issues, and the group became the Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. The eight-member committee, appointed by the governor, acts as a liaison between the public and ODOT. It advises ODOT in the regulation of bicycle and pedestrian traffic and the establishment of bikeways and walkways. Members serve four-year terms.
As a member of the committee, you help inform policy and investment decisions to implement the Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and improve conditions for people walking and biking throughout the state. The committee meets up to six times per year, with primarily virtual meetings held from 1:00 – 4:00 pm on the 4th Tuesday of odd months. The Committee also participates in one overnight travel meeting each year hosted in locations across the state. Committee members are reimbursed for travel expenses and paid per diem for meals. Committee members that are not reimbursed by an employer for their participation on the committee are also eligible for a cash stipend.
Throughout the year, the committee gathers input from residents, officials and ODOT staff as it considers bicycle and pedestrian transportation-related issues. Upcoming work items include advising on use of funding from the new federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, selecting projects for funding through the Oregon Community Paths grant program, and informing decisions related to the Safe Routes to School program, Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan implementation, urban design guidance updates, and other policies. OBPAC’s work plan and other background materials are available on the committee’s website: https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Get-Involved/Pages/OBPAC.aspx.
For questions about the committee, contact:
Jessica Horning, ODOT Pedestrian & Bicycle Program Manager, 503-910-7178obpac@odot.state.or.us
“There’s not a lot of funding towards actual services in Portland that would provide a more reasonable way of handling this situation than just being active in the community.”
– Royal Johnson
Our story last week about a bike theft incident under the freeway overpasses in the South Waterfront district, created more questions than answers. I tried to clean it up with a separate post explaining what we learned after our initial story, but for one group in town — and one person in particular — damage had been done.
Portlander Royal Johnson and his crew behind Timberwolves Cycle Recovery felt the story connected them to the incident in an unfair way. Yes, Royal was involved in the incident, but he says the person who reported it to police was not only in possession of a stolen bicycle, but they made false claims about a gun being present. He also says someone in the community who has it out for him seized on the opportunity to tarnish Royal’s reputation.
Royal, who is Black, posted online this week saying it was all just another example of racism in the cycling community — something he has dealt with many times since moving here in 2014.
So Royal and I decided to sit down in the Shed and talk it out. He rolled up with two other leaders of the T’wolves, Laura Dallago and Rich Baker.
Laura Dallago, Royal Johnson (center), and Rich Baker in the BikePortland Shed on Thursday, March 30th. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
“I’ve literally been called the N word, like, just on a TNR [Thursday Night Ride]… I’m not perfect, but I’m loud, I have fun… there is no reason why a person should be persecuted for being who they are… I am persecuted by individuals in the cycling community. And I am probably the only person who looks like me.”
– Royal Johnson
Known by some as the Sith Lord Vader Squadron Timberwolves, this grassroots, all-volunteer group has taken the law into their own hands to recover stolen bicycles.
Royal started the group in Austin, Texas in 2011 and he maintains a chapter of the group there, as well as one in Los Angeles, Colorado, and Houston. Their modus operandi is to enlist people to help them spot stolen bikes, research online to find out of it the bike is indeed stolen, and then if it is, hit the streets and try to recover it.
As you can imagine, when a group of people decide to fight crime — especially when they often interact with and accuse homeless Portlanders of stealing bikes — things can get messy.
In this episode, you’ll hear how the Timberwolves approach their work as professionals who are simply doing the job of an inadequate police force because they want to end the epidemic of bike theft in Portland. We talk about the inherent risks of what they’re doing, what Royal says really happened in that South Waterfront incident, how they interact with unhoused people, racism in Portland’s cycling scene, and more.
Listen in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts. View a full transcript below:
The BikePortland Podcast is a production of Pedaltown Media, Inc. If you liked this episode, subscribe and browse our archives for past shows, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, and tell your friends about it. BikePortland is a community media source that relies on individual subscribers to stay in business. Please sign up today if you aren’t a subscriber already.
Walking down SW Gibbs St on the fog line. (Lisa Caballero/BikePortland)
If you can’t get a sidewalk built here, you probably can’t get one built anywhere in southwest.
Yes, I realize this is my fourth post about a new 43-unit apartment building going up on SW Gibbs Street on Marquam Hill near the OHSU campus. I appreciate you coming along on what I’ll admit is something of a personal journey. I keep coming back to this project because it exemplifies how walking and biking interests get short-changed in Portland’s building permit process, at least in the southwest.
This post focuses on decisions the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) made early in the design phase — decisions which ended up determining the fate of bike lanes and sidewalks long before the public was even aware of what was happening.
The Gibbs scenario is important because it happens repeatedly in southwest Portland, and maybe in other areas of the city too. However, the southwest’s standing as last in the city for sidewalk coverage and bikeway completion is not improving with growth. New development is not bringing active transportation infrastructure to the area.
When I looked into the permitting of the Gibbs building, it struck me that no one from the city was vigorously advocating for active transportation interests. By the time random neighbors or the Neighborhood Association weighed in for safety, the application was nearing completion and everything had already been planned out and decided.
This particular development is a tell tale for me: If you can’t get a sidewalk built here, you probably can’t get one built anywhere in the southwest.
So, why no sidewalk?
Public right-of-way on the shoulder of SW Gibbs Street, looking east. (Lisa Caballero/BikePortland)
I confess to having gotten obsessed with discovering why PBOT thought that shoulder-widening would provide safe pedestrian passage along this banked, blind curve. On a street which sees 3,000-4,000 vehicle trips daily, and where speed monitoring just uphill clocked people driving 10 mph over the posted 25 mph limit.
The approved plan (drawings below) has people walking on six feet of asphalt between a fog line and a guardrail. It enforces this with assertive landscaping which will prevent pedestrians from walking in back of the guardrail. It’s as if the guardrail is there to protect the plants from the pedestrians.
Site plan for 1325 SW Gibbs St showing new guardrail location and the widened six-ft shoulder. (Steelhead Architecture for Winterbrook Planning)Landscape architect plans for foliage in the right-of-way. (NNA Landscape Architecture for Winterbrook Planning)
So I began a journey through building permit documents in search of the first mention of shoulder-widening in hopes that there would be some technical explanation for why the PBOT engineers nixed a sidewalk. Several city record requests later, I think I found that first mention, in the notes from an “early assistance” conference.
“Early assistance” is a meeting between representatives from each of the seven reviewing bureaus and the developer. It’s a chance for the bureaus to tell the developer what they will be requiring—in advance of the developer’s architectural and site planning. This particular conference happened in the spring of 2019.
Here’s what PBOT wanted along the frontage:
Given the potential complexity of the proposed project and some uncertainty with regard to the placement of the primary new building on the site, along with the topography of the site in proximity to edge of the existing SW Gibb [sic] /SW Marquam Hill Rd roadway pavement, and the “recreational trail” designation along the street, at this time, PBOT’s [sic] informs the applicant of the following frontage improvement requirements:
The applicant shall provide a minimum 6-ft wide paved shoulder widening.
On-street parking must be removed.
The existing guardrail must be replaced with current AASHTO-compliant guardrail.
And that’s it. “Potential complexity” and “topography,” but missing a specific explanation for no sidewalk.
Over the course of the following year, designs and requirements solidified around the 6-ft widening. It became baked into the plans, with no one questioning PBOT’s decision.
Finally, a year later in 2020, the city approved the building permit with the widened shoulder. A couple of neighbors raised concerns about pedestrian safety, but they were not savvy to the quasi-judicial structure of the approval hearing, in which a “pro” and “con” side present arguments to a Hearings Officer. Neighbors neglected to cite relevant city code and their concerns did not end up carrying much weight.
So, in the face of inadequate neighborhood opposition, PBOT’s decision to disregard its numerous policies about pedestrian safety (and even plans specific to this site) held. PBOT’s development review office had decided against a sidewalk early in the process, and that was that.
On site with Don Baack
Don Baack in front of 1325 SW Gibbs St. (Lisa Caballero/Bike Portland)
Cross-section comparison. (Graphic: BikePortland)
Given that construction was nearing completion, I met with SW Trails founder Don Baack on the Gibbs site earlier this week to see if he had any 11th-hour ideas to salvage pedestrian safety. Don knows the site well. The 4-T trail passes along Marquam Hill Rd/Gibbs St, and where that street changes name is a trailhead for SWTrail #1.
He was quick with a solution, “I don’t have a problem with a six-foot asphalt widening, but it needs to be in back of the guardrail. Place the guardrail near the fog line. There’s probably a rule against it, but who cares?” The idea seems feasible. Cyclists could possibly use it too, there is even an exit back to the road on the west end, at the building’s driveway.
Don is a practical man, but I’m more like a dog with a bone to pick. I still wanted to find out why PBOT didn’t consider a sidewalk.
Trying to get to the bottom of it all
As I went through hundreds of pages of documents, I came across a review which caught my attention. Did PBOT tip its hand a little too far?
Apparently the PBOT review was about to be held up by an outstanding Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) “special circumstances” request to use the stormwater pipe under Gibbs to convey run-off from the 6-foot shoulder widening.
You have to squint hard, and read deep between the lines, but it looks like PBOT was becoming exasperated with its sister bureau. (The bureaus are tracked for “timeliness” and BES was about to mess up PBOT’s stats.) So PBOT went ahead and wrote its review without waiting for the BES decision. Here is part of what they wrote (the underlines and highlights are mine):
The applicant has submitted the required Public Works Permit(s) for the above referenced required improvements … The review process has been ongoing since July of last year – to date, the applicant has not yet obtained Public Works Concept Development phase (30% plans) approval.
PBOT typically requires an applicant to obtain this approval prior to a decision being rendered on the associated land use request. This has historically been required because of potential complications related to public stormwater management facilities associated with work in the r.o.w. – property dedication is often required to accommodate the necessary stormwater management facility and said dedication could have implications with on-site requirements.
In this case, the shoulder paving/widening requirement triggers compliance with the City’s Stormwater Management Manual. However, there is nearly 18-ft of public r.o.w. at the eastern end of the site frontage and approximately 90-ft of public r.o.w. at the western end of the site frontage. Regardless of any type of stormwater management facility the applicant’s civil engineer may design in this case, there will not be a requirement for any property dedication – there is more than adequate existing public r.o.w. to accommodate any designed stormwater management facility.
Moreover, PBOT is aware that the applicant’s civil engineer has submitted a “Special Circumstances” request with BES, that, if approved, may allow the applicant to pay a fee in lieu of constructing a stormwater management facility.
Given that there is “more than adequate existing public r.o.w. [right of way] to accommodate any designed stormwater management facility,” and that the building sits only three feet from its property line, (leaving a swath of public land between the building and the street) I found myself wondering why a sidewalk couldn’t go in.
I never did get to the bottom of that, even after a few emails to the PBOT press office. None of my questions received more than a boilerplate reply about constraints. As I was working on this, I realized that the story had shifted, it was no longer about the reason this particular street wasn’t getting a sidewalk. It became, “why is it so hard to find out why this street isn’t getting a sidewalk.” In other words, it became about transparency.
A car-centric conclusion
It appears to me that packed gravel or asphalt on a six-foot shoulder has become PBOT’s de facto frontage requirement in southwest Portland. I have even seen the required shoulder width reduced to three feet. The justification is always lack of stormwater facilities and/or topographical constraints. And those things are sometimes true.
But those constraints never seem to prevent the feats of engineering which allow the buildings to go up in the first place. Why, in those same constrained locations, are frontage improvements expected to be inexpensive? Why is this six-foot shoulder policy in the southwest de facto? Why not shout it from the rooftops? It takes keeping an eye on land use cases for several years to even notice what is happening.
The way things are going — with little existing active transportation infrastructure in the southwest and none being required of new development, and with TriMet’s Forward Together plans cutting the area’s bus service — each new housing unit in southwest Portland will just put more cars on the road. Everyone in the city will feel that.
The complete case file for this project from the December, 2022 is available here. The original hearing from 2020 can be found here.
Something Cycles owner Nicholas Sorenson outside his shop. (Photos: Taylor Griggs/BikePortland)
“There is so much going on in a large shop, and I want to have a more simple aesthetic that can feel more welcoming to people.”
-Nicholas Sorenson, owner of Something Cycles
The latest addition to Portland’s bike shop ecosystem is Something Cycles, a small storefront that just opened last week on East Burnside in between 8th and 9th avenues. It’s exciting to see another new business join the burgeoning Central Eastside community — especially since this spot is just a few blocks from the carfree Blumenauer Bridge and the planned Portland Green Loop.
It’s just another example of bike-oriented development and a welcome sign as Portland grapples with negative headlines about cycling and the city in general.
Something Cycles owner, Nicholas Sorenson, told BikePortland in an email that he’d describe the shop as “friendly, convenient, affordable and fun.” And the proximity of the Blumenauer Bridge definitely makes him more optimistic about the future of his business.
Here’s what else Sorenson had to say about his new shop:
Can you share a bit about yourself and your relationship to biking?
I grew up in the middle of nowhere Washington, on 10 acres, spending my free time riding dirt bikes and building dirt jumps for my BMX bike. After high school I spent a couple years going to community college until I decided to move to Portland and go to school for photography and design. After not really riding bicycles throughout high school, this was the first time that having a bicycle was sort of a necessity if I wanted to have my own way to get around the city. This was in 2009, so of course the first bike that I bought was a fixed gear conversion.
From then on, I just continued to fall more in love with cycling as a way to get around the city, which then led to riding off-road and exploring more of what the PNW has to offer.
The inside of the shop is unassuming — just what Sorenson wants.
What unique qualities will Something Cycles bring to Portland?
A new sign of cycling on East Burnside!
I am focusing on rebuilding used bikes in a way that I find that makes them more enjoyable to ride, and look better than before. New bikes can be great, but you don’t need a new bike to get out there and have a great time riding. I also think the price, and overall environment of big bike shops can be overwhelming for someone that wants to get into riding a bike. There is so much going on in a large shop, and I want to have a more simple aesthetic that can feel more welcoming to people.
Then finally, I will be hosting weekly afternoon rides that depart from the shop and go hit different parts of the city in hopes to get folks to meet and start creating a larger network of people that are stoked to get out and ride.
How has it been to open a bike shop in Portland right now with the negative news about bike ridership and overall city morale?
It’s definitely a little discouraging to have that in the news, especially as someone who is putting everything they got into opening a new bike shop. It’s also a problem that isn’t going to fix itself. BUT, luckily for us, I think it is pretty easy to get people stoked on riding bikes. It just takes putting some extra energy out there to host rides and events that get people excited to ride their bikes, which we are going to do!
How do you feel about the future of biking in Portland?
I think the future of biking in Portland will be great! Especially if the city continues to commit to making more bicycle infrastructure throughout the city so that people feel comfortable to commuting or just exercising via bike. Riding a bicycle through the city with cars can be really intimidating for people, and for good reason. Having more actual protected bike lanes on busier streets and limiting car traffic on our greenways is crucial.
Can you talk a bit about the location of your shop?
I wanted to be located in a central location that would be easily accessible to both residents and visitors of Portland. With the Blumenauer Bridge being a major new connection between two neighborhoods, a part of the bigger Green Loop, it’s really exciting, and I think that it will be a major draw for people who want to bike or walk to our shop! I believe that these projects like these will make Portland an even better place to bike, and I’m excited to be a part of it.
What are you looking forward to in the upcoming months?
Other than warm weather??? Definitely meeting people and being able to help them out with their bike goals, getting out there and hosting some fun rides and other events that will help promote biking in Portland.
Also my neighbors, Our Store (a rad vintage clothing shop) host a monthly Night Market at our building during the summer, and I think it will be a great opportunity to get some folks into the shop that might not usually have a reason to wander into a bike shop. The first one of the year is May 20th! (More info on Instagram.)
Sorenson added that “if your bike needs some love…now is the time to bring it in to get it fixed up!” You don’t want to miss out on all the bike fun during the upcoming warm months.
Find out more about Something Cycles by following their Instagram or sending an email to someone@somethingcycles.com. Sorenson said he’ll be sharing information about the weekly rides on the shop’s Instagram account, so make sure you stay tuned. The shop is open Wednesday-Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm.
You could get $400 or $1,200 Specialized’s new Haul e-cargo bike. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
“I think in many ways, particularly for lower income families, this can be a powerful anti-poverty measure.”
– Khanh Pham, Oregon House representative
The bike bus bill wasn’t the only piece of legislation on our watchlist that moved forward on Wednesday. House Bill 2571, the e-bike rebate bill, was voted out of the House Committee on Climate, Energy & Environment by a vote of 9 to 1.
The only lawmaker to vote against the bill was southern Oregon Representative Kim Wallan, a Republican who represents District 6 in Medford.
As we reported earlier this month, HB 2571 has been significantly amended since it was first introduced in November. General Oregon residents can receive up to $400 toward the purchase of an e-bike and those who qualify for the low-income tier (80% of average median income) can receive $1,200. The bill also takes responsibility for processing the rebate away from bike shops and leans more heavily on the Department of Environmental Quality for administration.
The bill’s chief sponsor is Rep. Dacia Grayber (D-28). At the committee work session yesterday, bill co-sponsor Rep. Khanh Pham (D-46) asked Grayber’s Legislative Assistant Barrett Johnson how this bill would mesh with a Portland e-bike rebate that is likely coming as part of the Portland Clean Energy Fund grant program. Johnson said they’ve contacted PCEF and that, “We believe these rebates will be able to stack, similar to the way rebates for electric cars stack at the state and federal level. That’s something that we are hoping to see to help additionally alleviate cost burden and that the DEQ is in support of at an agency level as well.”
Rep. Pham, who sits on the committee, touch on affordability in comments she made prior to her “yes” vote:
“Particularly for low income families that can’t afford a car, these kinds of e-bikes can be a really critical replacement for trips to the grocery store. I bike my daughter to school [on ours]. We were able to avoid having to buy second car. So I think in many ways, particularly for lower income families, this can be a powerful anti-poverty measure.”
From here the bill has been referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means. While this vote is a step forward, insiders know that many bills die at Ways and Means where final decisions are made about bills with budgetary implications. That committee will weigh the urgency of this rebate against many other statewide priorities.
In an email to supporters of the bill, Barrett Johnson wrote, “This is a point in which a number of great bills and popular policies lose steam. Not because of their quality, nor how well they were advocated for, but because there is simply not enough money for everything.”
Johnson said he’s “cautiously optimistic” it will move forward based on the fact that it has bipartisan support from lawmakers and public demand signaled by the “overwhelming success” of a new rebate program in Bend and the possible PCEF investment.
Stay tuned as this and other bills work their way through the legislative process.
