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Year: 2023
Job: Assistant Shop Manager & Master Mechanic – Bike Works by p:ear
Job Title
Assistant Shop Manager & Master Mechanic
Company / Organization
Bike Works by p:ear
Job Description
POSITION DESCRIPTION
Position: Assistant Shop Manager & Master Mechanic
1 FTE: Tuesday-Saturday. Requires occasional evenings and Sundays
Reports To: p:ear Works Director
Compensation: $50,000 – Benefits include 4 weeks paid vacation, health, dental, 2% Simple IRA match, short-term disability, 8 paid sick days
Bike Mechanic Job Description
You are a dynamic individual and master bicycle mechanic, who will help support our social purpose enterprise community bike shop in East Portland. bike works supports Portland’s Eastside communities, providing low cost, low barrier access to bike education, repair and sales of refurbished bicycles and parts. This position will support the Shop Coordinator, assist with daily shop operations and help mentor p:ear youth bike mechanic interns at the shop.
Required Qualifications & Competencies
• Committed to personal growth with a high degree of humor + emotional intelligence
• Dedicated to ending youth homelessness
• Must be a positive and strong role model, have a collaborative, team-oriented
work style, and strong strategic and problem-solving skills
• Must be committed to non-violence, trauma informed care + compassionate
responses
• Must have awareness of one’s own identity, an understanding of differences, and
an excitement about building relationships cross-culturally
• Strong commitment to advancing equity and inclusion and creating and
maintaining a diverse environment
• Ability to learn & build on the varying cultural & community norms of p:ear youth
• Self-initiating, independent and highly motivated
• Strong leadership skills and capacity to work in a deadline-oriented, chaotic
environment
• Commitment to advancing equity and creating and maintaining an inclusive
environment that is welcoming for all
• Commitment to non-violence and compassionate responses
• Bike shop mechanic experience – minimum of 5 years in a professional setting
• Excellent customer service and communication skills
• Able to work independently, problem solve and complete tasks with minimal
oversight
• Bilingual a plus
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
• Proficiently execute assembly, repairs and maintenance for all types of bicycles, particularly used and older bicycles
• Assist in daily shop operations: ordering, inventory, forecasting, bike repair
• Exemplifies compassion and understanding around the barriers of homelessness
and underrepresented populations in the community – see above
• Maintain an organized and efficient work environment
• Represent bike works and p:ear and its mission to positively and professionally
identify barriers and recommend solutions to better serve the community
• Attend p:ear fundraisers & community building activities
Mechanics
o Properly assess and determine bike repairs and recommend customer options o Repair and refurbish bicycles to be sold in the shop, as well as to be donated o Track all parts and new & used for each repair or build
o Maintain a neat and organized workspace
o Maintain a high level of professionalism
o Perform quality control checks on bikes repaired and/or built
Shop Operations
o Assist Shop Coordinator with a variety of tasks, including maintaining an inventory of new and used parts, placing orders with distributors as needed, maintaining shop tools and restocking as necessary
o Assist customers in the shop with purchases and bicycle repairs during sales o Strong proficiency with bicycle tech
Community Programming Liaison
• Safety check all Everybody Bikes! complete bicycle prior to distribution
• Build and sustain relationships with the Rosewood Initiative community
• Represent p:ear and its mission positively and professionally
• Participate in Sunday Parkways, Free Bikes 4 Kids monthly wrenching, as well
as the occasional community bike/ride events
Physical Demands
• Able to sit or stand and walk throughout the scheduled work shift
• Ability to lift and/or move up to 75 lbs
bike works by p:ear
Bike Works by p:ear promotes the bicycle as a vehicle for social change to leverage possible opportunities for homeless youth and build resilient and diverse communities. p:ear’s social enterprise bike shop works to make bicycling accessible and affordable to Portland’s east side community. Our full service bike shop provides an array of services, from minor adjustments and tune-ups, to full bike overhauls.
p:ear’s Bike Mechanic School serves as a conduit from which our shop’s intern mechanics became educated and trained in the art of bike mechanics. Under your guidance p:ear youth interns will continue to build their mechanical hard skills as well as develop the soft skills of customer service, time management, problem solving and independence to name a few.
The Rosewood Initiative
The Rosewood Initiative connects and empowers Rosewood neighbors to build a safe, prosperous, vibrant and inclusive community. The Rosewood Community Center is a
p:ear Bike Works Agreements
Lastly, we expect the following agreements to be used with regard to every youth intern, customer and individual regardless of race, religion, color, creed, national origin, age, disabling condition, political affiliation or sexual orientation.
Agreements*
Agreements are more than a vehicle to keep conversations safe and focused. When used to their potential, agreements are an actual tool. Agreements are a tool that supports both individuals and organizations in understanding “how” to engage in productive efforts to advance equity and inclusion. We expect all employees, interns and volunteers to honor the following agreements:
Stay Engaged Speak Your Truth Responsibly Listen to Understand Be Willing to Do Things Differently / Experience Discomfort
Expect and Accept Non-Closure Confidentiality
*Adopted from the Center for Equity and Inclusion
hub where neighbors can help the community as they improve their own lives. Neighbors
come here to interact with one another, work on projects and feel safe. Rosewood builds
capacity in the neighborhood by helping people learn useful skills and by connecting
friends, partners and resources. The Bicycle Shop Manager position is a partnership
between p:ear and The Rosewood Initiative. This person will be expected to follow all
organizational policies and procedures of both organizations.
Work Environment
This job operates in an often chaotic, loud environment. This role routinely uses standard (kitchen and) office equipment such as stoves, commercial dishwashers, microwaves, refrigerators, freezers, computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms.
Travel
No travel expected for this position.
AAP/EEO Statement
It is the policy of p:ear to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, p:ear will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.
Other Duties
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
How to Apply
To apply: Please submit a resume along with answers to the following questions (in lieu of a cover letter). The below questions along with a resume can be emailed as PDFs to info@bikeworkspdx.org or mailed to contact information below. No phone calls. Successful applicants will be contacted for an initial screening. bike works is located at 14127 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97233
1. How will you utilize p:ear’s equity statement (see below) to inform your role as the bike works Assistant Shop Manager and Master Mechanic?
2. As the assistant shop manager and master mechanic, how will you share your love and knowledge of bikes to connect and build strong partnerships and relationships within a diverse community?
p:ear
Attn: Nathan Engkjer 338 NW 6th Ave. Portland, OR 97209
p:ear Equity Statement:
p:ear builds positive relationships with homeless and transitional youth through education, art and recreation to affirm personal worth and create more meaningful and healthier lives.
At p:ear, we respect and celebrate the diversity, creativity, and strength of our community. To foster individuality and truly give space to the value that each person brings — from the youth we serve daily to our staff, board, and volunteers — we must continuously work at creating an environment that is equitable and inclusive.
Our organization was built on a foundation of compassion and love, but we know we must confront the systems of oppression that are embedded throughout our community and ingrained in ourselves. This means seeing and understanding systems of oppression in our everyday lives.
Ongoing work toward building an equitable and inclusive organization is a priority at p:ear. We are committed to examining our weaknesses as well as our privileges, and to examining the institutional and individual behaviors and attitudes that may perpetuate the very inequities we wish to change.
We are committed to creating a culture of inclusion, self-reflection, and personal growth. We are committed to using our time and resources — including our social capital — to combat these systems of oppression and create more opportunity. This means applying an equity lens to our decision-making processes, using our Equity Plan as an ongoing organizational guide, and updating that plan as we continue to learn and grow. This work
will create more opportunities for individuals to thrive — from the youth we serve to our staff, board, and volunteers.
p:ear respects and celebrates the diversity, creativity and strength of the p:ear community. Equity and inclusion are a priority across all parts of our organization. We are committed to using our time and resources to help identify and eliminate disparities based on identity and to promote equitable access to our programs so we can all live in the world we want for our young people.
Guest Article: How to make Sunday Parkways better
This article was written by Portland resident and transportation advocate Andrew Lindstrom. This is a slightly edited version of the post that appeared earlier this week in the City Hikes blog.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is preparing for this year’s Sunday Parkways — open streets events that were modeled after the “ciclovía” program (bike lane in Spanish) in Bogotá, Colombia. But although the events in Portland and Bogotá both happen on Sundays and involve the city shutting down certain streets to car traffic to make way for people on other modes, the similarities stop there.
Each Sunday in Bogotá, for the entire year, the city closes 75+ miles of streets for the ciclovía. In Portland, on the other hand, PBOT has recently downsized the program from five annual Sunday Parkways to just three. Throughout the three events in Portland this summer, the city will manage to close a total of 11.5 miles. Additionally, the kinds of streets that are part of these programs are very different. In Bogotá, the city opens up major city corridors to people outside of motor vehicles whereas Portland tends to focus the program on smaller neighborhood streets. In other words, the Portland events end up being pretty weak tea compared to the strong Bogotá brew.
But Sunday Parkways are still the marquee “carfree” event in the city of Portland, so I think they’re worth a closer look.
Portland Sunday Parkways is the Taco Bell of ciclovía programs.
Can a carfree event be transformative? In Bogotá, there is plenty of evidence that the ciclovía program has transformed the city: over one million people participate in it weekly! In Bogotá, major streets get closed and people flock to them. It’s impossible not to notice. In Portland, I wouldn’t even know they existed if I weren’t a transportation dork – and while perhaps the longer-tenured Portlanders feel otherwise, it feels like Sunday Parkways hasn’t really gotten the love it needs to thrive as an event. And considering that one event last year featured an angry man brandishing a gun, it’s safe to say there’s a ways to go Sunday Parkways has a transformative effect for the culture of roadway space in Portland.
The streets Bogotá shuts down for the ciclovía aren’t minor ones. Calle 26 is partially grade separated, and connects the central city to the airport. (A Portland equivalent would be something like 82nd Ave.) And that is exactly why it’s a great program. It gives the most important streets back to the people, once a week. In typical USA fashion, we have appropriated something really cool from Latin America and made it mediocre. Portland Sunday Parkways is the Taco Bell of ciclovía programs.
The goal of a ciclovía-style event is to give street space back to the public. If only a few miles of streets (none of them major) are shut to motor vehicles, is it even worth comparing Portland’s Sunday Parkways to Bogotá’s?
What’s the big deal?
The big deal is that Sunday Parkways’ goals are unclear, and I even think the events subtly reinforce car culture because they happen so infrequently. When PBOT is unwilling or unable to run the event more than three times a year, and when it happens only on neighborhood streets, it sends the message that cyclists (and pedestrians) don’t belong on major roads.
PBOT’s latest emphasis on Sunday Parkways as a way to “provide free, accessible, inclusive family-friendly activities in underserved communities” doesn’t make sense in the context of Bogotá-style ciclovía events, which are large enough to encompass the entire city (including previously-underserved neighborhoods). The event in Bogotá also has a static route that has been roughly the same since the 1970s. It’s confusing for everyone to change the streets that are part of the route, both motorists and participants. If Portland’s Sunday Parkways event covered more ground in the city, everyone could benefit, including people in underserved communities.
I’d also like to see PBOT focus more on the benefits of Sunday Parkways as a way to give back space in the streets to people biking and walking, but that goal seems like an afterthought. When cyclists, pedestrians, and non-automobile users are given space on the roads, it normalizes the idea that streets are for everyone and that they are a public space. We have the excellent Pedalpalooza rides to look forward to, but if PBOT got their act together we could have a truly transformative official event rather than something that simply pays lip service like our present program does.
What I would do
I’d like to propose a Bogotá-style plan, with static closures every Sunday during a specific time, on major or semi-major thoroughfares that are typically functionally closed to cyclists. Here’s a potential map for what it could look like:
It’s not a perfect map, and in a lot of ways it’s not as “radical” as Bogotá. But it would be a good place to start. SE Stark in particular is a street I would really love to see closed for a cycling event. It’s got it all – a mostly flat alignment (outside Mount Tabor), a good amount of smaller commercial areas (around 14th, 28th, and east of Tabor), and it’s also one the most dangerous streets in the city for pedestrians and cyclists east of I-205). There are also plenty of parallel streets that people can use if they want to avoid the event.
But the specific streets that close are less important to me than consistency and frequency. And it needs to happen weekly, year-round, rain or shine. Frankly, when we plan cycling events only in the summer, it reinforces the need for a car. Rain is a fact of life in Portland from October to May – if cycling is to be a fact of life as well, then cycling in the rain needs to be part of that.
We can have nice things too, but it takes a lot of work to get things done. Realistically, all we have to do in Portland to get a real ciclovía event is have visionary leadership and ample public pressure. Maybe don’t hold your breath on this, but you can start by attending the Sunday Parkway events that we do have and demanding more from your public officials. Ride your bike, take the bus, go on walks. If you want your city to be a better place, I think the first place to start is to engage with the city as a human being.
Opinion: Some reflections on my carfree birthday
The actual anniversary came and went unnoticed, but I just realized that it’s now been over a year since I dropped my car off at a dealership, handed over the keys, title and registration and began my carfree life. This doesn’t really feel like a momentous occasion to me, but perhaps that nonchalance is all the more reason I should do some reflecting. So…what have I learned this year?
First, a bit of background. While I was always active on my bike as a form of transportation and leisure starting from a young age, I will honestly say I had some pretty big blinders on when it came to my own car use up until pretty recently. It’s remarkable — and pretty embarrassing — to me that I used to drive so casually, even as I was extremely worried about the climate crisis and thought I was being fairly responsible. Car dependency just wasn’t something I noticed. (I guess my story shows how much people can change in a short period of time.)
If I try to trace back my journey to enlightenment about car culture, I think I can point to a few waves of realization. One of the first one of these came about when I was working on a story about parking at the University of Oregon (UO) for the Eugene Weekly newspaper — my first-ever foray into transportation reporting. My initial angle for this story came from the perspective of disgruntled students and staff who were tired of paying exorbitant parking fees on campus. But I thought it might also be interesting to find out what some transportation faculty had to say about the situation.
I will always remember my conversation with Marc Schlossberg, the notable professor of city and regional planning at UO who very kindly schooled me on parking and transportation policy and changed my life forever. I still have the notes from our conversation on my computer —here are a few pertinent quotes I jotted down, my mouth agape as a new world unfolded before me:
“The existence of so much parking makes it impossible for other options to be viable…a city where walking, biking or transit is most convenient and comfortable and having ubiquitous parking everywhere are mutually exclusive realities…the UO campus is the first experience a lot of people have in an environment where they can’t find a parking space, and it’s always a real shock. If we’re really interested in issues of social justice, cohesion, economic equality, climate change, public health crisis around car crashes, we have to do something.”
I am astounded looking at these notes — how did I not know this stuff? His call to action was very inspiring to me. Through my reporting, I started to become interested in other aspects of infrastructure, and followed a bunch of city planning people on Twitter. Finally I embarked on my first carfree experiment in March 2021, when I was still living in Eugene. My goal was to stop driving for a month. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, and I realized then that I wanted to fundamentally restructure my life so I could live carfree. From then on, it was only a matter of time.
After the intense climate despair I felt during and after the heat dome event in the summer of 2021 and my move to Portland a few months later, I was completely done with car ownership. Biking was my main form of transportation by that point anyway, and I felt a pit of guilt in my stomach every time I started the engine of my car.
The main reason I didn’t sell it sooner than February of last year is because I was procrastinating dealing with the logistics (cleaning it out, finding the paperwork, choosing where to sell it). But I was a little scared, too. What if I needed it? I knew there was no way I could feel good about driving my own car ever again, however, no matter the possible downsides that I feared might up later. Like Shannon Johnson asked in her great Family Biking column this week, “how does your mode of transportation…align with your values and priorities?” For me, driving a car didn’t. (I was also tired of throwing away money on insurance every month for a vehicle I never used.)
So I sold it! And I can say with 100% certainty that there hasn’t been a single moment of regret all year.
The big takeaway I want to tell people is that even though I don’t drive and the majority of my peers do, my life is pretty much…unremarkable. Obviously, my job is particularly well-suited to getting around on other modes of transportation, so I have a leg up there. But I do a lot of other things, too. I see my friends who live in different neighborhoods across the city, buy too much stuff at Trader Joe’s by accident, move houses…and I’ve been able to do all of that by bike, no problem.
Of course, I’m not saying that it’s always easy: people who don’t drive face a structural disadvantage when it comes to getting around Portland, and that needs to change. But one of the most troubling things to me has been experiencing people making the assumption that the things I have to do are less important than the things they have to do because I ride my bike or walk to get there, and they use a big, heavy machine. Compared to a lot of problems people face, this is a small one, but it’s a bit annoying.
When I tell people I don’t drive, I often find myself cutting their potential defensive comments off at the pass before they’ve even said anything. (I’ve even done it in this article.) I’ve heard these arguments enough times to know it’s easier to just have some justifying remarks ready right off the bat. I might say things like, “I’m lucky because I have the privilege to not need to drive a car…a lot of people aren’t so lucky,” or “We live in a car-dependent society, nobody should be shamed for driving. It’s the structures we need to change, not the individual.”
To some extent, these things are true. I don’t think shame is the best influencing tool. But my goal for the next phase of my carfree life is to stop making so much of those justifications. There are a lot of people who have the same advantages as I do who couldn’t be bothered to think about their car use — I would know, because it wasn’t very long ago that I was one of those people. If we’re ever going to get anywhere with our transportation and climate goals, this has to change.
So, I’m happy I’ve been carfree for a year, and it’s certainly been great for me in a lot of ways: I save a lot of money, I get much more exercise and while I still feel constant climate dread, I don’t feel nearly as much cognitive dissonance, which has been enormously helpful. But I’m not asking for kudos. A lot of people have never had their own car because they can’t afford it or are physically unable to drive one. I live a pretty normal — even exciting! — life, just without a car. Believe it or not, it is possible.
Job: Shipping Specialist – Velotech, Inc.
Job Title
Shipping Specialist
Company / Organization
Velotech, Inc.
Job Description
Velotech, Inc. is a locally owned business that has operated in Portland since 2002. Velotech is the parent company of BikeTiresDirect, Western Bikeworks, and Trisports.
We are always hiring! We have flexible schedules that accommodate multiple needs. Whether you are seeking full time, part-time, or something in between, reach out and let us know what you are looking for. We love to promote from within, so if you are looking to get your foot in the door, this could be a great entry point.
This position is responsible for picking, packing and shipping customer orders. Qualified Shipping Specialists also execute product put-away, clean their work area, execute physical counts, and available for general physical and/or minor administrative labor.
Starting rate is $17.25 per hour.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
Pick incoming web orders and warehouse pick up orders
Pack and ship orders according to supervisor’s guidelines
Maintain accurate inventory through regular cycle counting
Assist receiving department with put away of new items
Maintain a clean and organized workspace
Assist with any projects, or assist in other departments as instructed by supervisor
Perform all duties in a safe manner and report all safety concerns immediately to supervisor
MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS:
Wear closed toe shoes at all times in warehouse
Be able to lift 25 lbs above your head without assistance
Stand for long periods of time
Be able to lift 50 lbs without assistance
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:
Excellent communication and organizational skills
Solid knowledge of cycling products
Ability to work in a high volume, fast-paced environment
Ability to work independently or with others to manage multiple task with minimal supervision.
BENEFITS:
Generous Employee Discounts
Flexible Schedules
Medical/Dental/Vision for all full & regular part-time employees
Paid Time Off – up to 15 days your first year
Quarterly ‘Get Outside’ days
PHYSICAL/MENTAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands or finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk, reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, crouch and sit for extended periods of time.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
This description is intended to provide only the basic guidelines for meeting job requirements. Responsibilities, knowledge, skills, ability and working conditions may change as needs evolve.
Velotech is an Equal Opportunity employer.
How to Apply
If interested, please click on the link to apply (or copy and paste into a browser):
https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=4367&clientkey=F102FCECFB43ED66CAD0C8276CB962A9
Weigh in on Clackamas County’s new walking and biking plans
Clackamas County is updating its bike and pedestrian master plans for the first time in almost 20 years, and the planners want to hear from you about what should be included.
This updated vision for Clackamas County active transportation is called the Walk Bike Clackamas plan, and project leaders want it to account for the major changes that have taken place since the last time the plan was updated, like new mobility options, the need for urgent carbon emissions reductions and more emphasis on improved health and equity. Goals for the plan are to:
- Establish infrastructure priorities, such as where to build new bike lanes and sidewalks, which will help the county apply for future grants and other funding opportunities.
- Identify programs that increase safety and convenience of walking and biking (like Safe Routes to School).
- Update active transportation polices and adopt performance measures so we can track progress during implementation
- Serve as the pedestrian and bicycle transportation elements of the county’s updated Transportation System Plan (TSP)
“Clackamas County is updating its pedestrian and bicycle master plans to create a comprehensive, long-term vision and to identify ways to improve walking, bicycling, and rolling for all people who live, work, and recreate in the county,” the Walk Bike Clackamas plan states. “While we are focused on the unincorporated portions of the county, we are also keeping in mind how we link to connections in cities within the county.”
Cities in Clackamas County, like Clackamas, Milwaukie, Oregon City and more, are in charge of their own transportation plans within city limits, but the county is responsible for the unincorporated areas between the cities. This has resulted in an incomplete bike network for people traveling throughout the county.
One example of this is the Linwood Avenue path in Milwaukie: an impressive multi-use path in east Milwaukie that would be much more useful if it weren’t only a mile long. (Clackamas County is currently constructing a connecting path on Linwood, but the project timelines were out of sync.)
According to Walk Bike Clackamas’ existing conditions report, the county currently has 167 miles of on-street bikeways, 87 miles of shared-use paths, 1,170 miles of sidewalks and 2,800 total miles of public roadways across cities and unincorporated areas. From public feedback the planners have already received, people believe some active transportation options have improved in the county, but safety, accessibility and network connectivity issues are a big concern stopping people from walking and biking in the area.
You can share your own thoughts and ideas for active transportation in Clackamas County through the Walk Bike Clackamas survey, which will be open for comment through the end of February. County planners want to draft and finalize the plan for implementation by next winter.
OMSI District Plan moves forward after Design Commission approval
After months of hearings with the Portland Design Commission — and almost 15 years of planning in total — the vision for a new district surrounding the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland’s Central Eastside is now one step closer to fruition. Last week, the Design Commission voted to approve the most recent iteration of the OMSI District Master Plan: a “one-of-a-kind neighborhood that is an inclusive community destination with innovation, culture, arts, and science learning at its heart.”
The OMSI District will consist of new construction in the 10-block, 34-acre area surrounding the museum, with the potential for hotels, restaurants, retail spaces, offices and thousands of new housing units on land currently used as surface parking lots. The plan also calls for a realignment of Water Avenue that would split the street into “Old” and “New” Water Aves. Old Water Ave is designated for local traffic in the district, while New Water Ave would function as a throughway and contain a new two-way cycle track linking to the Hawthorne Bridge on the north and the Tilikum Crossing and Springwater Corridor Trail to the south. The plans for Old Water Ave also contain a two-way cycle track on most of the street, which is designed to “facilitate movement of…local visitors from exterior routes…to interior destinations, such as OMSI or the waterfront.”
There will also be new signalized crossing opportunities at SE Caruthers Street and Water Avenue as well as at the I-5 exit for Water Ave to “enhance the quality and safety of the frequent pedestrian and bicyclist crossings that occur.”
Additionally, the plan calls for a significant investment in open public space — 20% of the OMSI District must be devoted to “parks, outdoor recreation amenities, plazas, public fountains, or landscaped areas,” per the Central City Master Plan. The plan explains that this open space will be split into three sections: south, central, and north, all making up a waterfront education park “opening up access to the Willamette River and grounded in indigenous ecological knowledge.”
In a staff report from August, Portland Bureau of Transportation engineers expressed skepticism about some of the proposed street design elements, including lane widths for car and bike traffic and how people on bikes would enter the new district north and south of the site. But after more thorough review — and a few requests for changes to the plan — PBOT approved the plan’s most recent iteration, saying they “find that adequate and timely transportation infrastructure will be provided in the master plan area.”
The requested changes don’t include any major differences to the cycle tracks or overall street layout, however: the layout remains very similar to its initial design proposal all the way back in 2017.
One of the main PBOT approval criteria was that the “development of public transportation infrastructure [will] occur no later than the development of specific tracts within the master plan area” to make sure active transportation infrastructure will be available during the development and construction process of the entire district. Either the New Water Ave bikeway or 2nd Ave to Caruthers will be available as a Major City Bikeway from the Tilikum Crossing.
“PBOT recommends conditions of approval for a phasing plan for transportation infrastructure that does not rely on multiple zones and will be simpler and clearer for future reviewers to determine when public street improvements will be required,” a PBOT memo in the latest staff report states.
PBOT’s conditions for approval also include funding negotiations to help with street and signal changes.
Right now, OMSI has committed $33 million in funding for the project, with a private sector commitment of $44 million. OMSI is requesting $38 million from the City of Portland, which the city has not fully agreed to. Funding negotiations will be worked out separately, but will certainly play a major role in whether or not the plan comes to fruition to its full extent.
But for now, the Design Commission approval marks a step in the right direction for project boosters. The plan will certainly something to keep an eye on as it unfolds.
‘Bike Bus Bill’ nets huge support in Salem from Portland, statewide advocates
“The first time I rode the bike bus I was overcome with a sense of community. I felt like I was biking on an ocean of joy. Every student should be able to feel what I did.”
Isla, student at Alameda Elementary School
The Oregon House Committee on Education held a hearing for House Bill 3014 (a.k.a., the “Bike Bus Bill”) yesterday afternoon, and Portland advocates for school transportation reform — many of them under the age of 10 — showed up full-force in Salem to give their support.
If HB 3014 is passed, school districts across the state will have more flexibility with how they spend their state transportation dollars so they can organize alternatives to the yellow school bus and the carpool line, like bike buses and walking school buses. (You can read a more in-depth background of the bill here.)
Almost 30 people signed up to give live testimony in support of the bill, dozens of whom showed up in person to tell state representatives why they should pass the legislation. (Many others wrote submitted supportive written testimony.) HB 3014 advocates include its legislative sponsors, of course: Representatives Khanh Pham (HD-46) and Hoa Nguyen (HD-48), two of the 12 bill sponsors in Oregon’s House and Senate, began the afternoon by explaining the benefits of the bill to their colleagues.
Rep. Nguyen, who was a school attendance coach with Portland Public Schools for nearly a decade before serving in the legislature, talked about her experience organizing walking school buses in east Portland to help kids get to school safely and on time.
“I’m proud to say that we saw attendance improve by 30% [because of the walking school buses],” Nguyen said. “We also saw a significant decrease in disruptive classroom behavior from the students because they were able to get out all their wiggles and jitters on the morning walk to school.”
Rep. Pham spoke about the dangerous traveling conditions kids — especially in east Portland or other lower-income communities — often face as a barrier to getting to school.
“I just want us to sit with the immensity of what our students are facing just trying to get to school. We are in the midst of an epidemic of traffic violence,” Pham said. “Students have to cross dangerous roads like Powell Blvd, the I-205 freeway ramp and 82nd Avenue every day to get to school. Even though these students in these neighborhoods may only live a short distance from school, they cannot be expected to make it there on their own.”
Also vouching for the measure were Alameda Bike Bus leader “Coach” Sam Balto, Oregon Walks Interim Executive Director Zachary Lauritzen and Metro Councilor Ashton Simpson, among other people active in Portland-area transportation advocacy work. Supporters didn’t just come from Portland, though — people called or wrote in from Eugene-Springfield, Hood River, Bend, La Grande and more. And those who did bring the Portland representation from Salem came from a range of neighborhoods and backgrounds.
Zoemy Tuz, a member of Portland’s Andando en Bici y Caminando (ABC) Latino active transportation advocacy group, spoke in-person in support of the bill.
“Many families don’t have a personal vehicle and owning one is expensive. Cars also pollute the air,” Tuz said in Spanish (a translator followed her testimony in English). “I originally come from Yucatán, Mexico…where everyone walks to school. I really value the connections we make by walking together. If you are unable to bring our children one day, you know there will be a parent to help.”
But arguably the most powerful words came from the children and teenagers who traveled to Salem on their day off (Portland Public Schools didn’t hold class yesterday in honor of President’s Day) to give state leaders the youth perspective on this bill.
One of these children is Eliza, seven-year-old daughter of Portland bike advocate (and occasional BikePortland contributor) Shawne Martinez. Shawne is the captain of the Metzger Elementary School bike bus in Tigard, which Eliza participates in.
“I like [the bike bus] because we can take more people off cars so we can have less global warming in our future,” Eliza said.
Some Alameda Elementary School students went to Salem to speak highly of their now internationally-famous bike bus.
“It’s a lot better just to bike or walk and because it wakes you up and puts you in a good mind, mood and mind frame to start off the day,” said an Alameda student named Zoe.
Another enthusiastic — and extremely articulate — voice of support came from Alameda Elementary student Isla.
“The first time I rode the bike bus I was overcome with a sense of community. I felt like I was biking on an ocean of joy. Every student should be able to feel what I did,” Isla said. “Safe Routes to School programming and investments are a cost-effective game-changer for reducing daily driving…the passage of HB 3014 will improve the climate and encourage people to get active.”
Some older Portland students gave their testimony as well, heralding Portland Public Schools’ public transit program that allows PPS high schoolers to access free TriMet passes. This is another program that could be replicated elsewhere in the state if HB 3014 is passed.
“Just in the past year, I’ve gotten to take part in the softball team, the coed soccer team and in an after-school dance club thanks to [the TriMet pass],” said Robin, a 17-year-old Grant High School student and Sunrise Movement PDX member. “It’s not just that this pass is helping improve my present. It’s an investment in my future and everybody’s future here as well.”
These kids have a very impressive knowledge of complex transportation policy and climate issues, and their strong message would be difficult to ignore. In a statement to BikePortland after the hearing, Rep. Pham gave her thanks to the students and other people who showed up in support for the bill.
“I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for all the families and community leaders who took the day off to join us in Salem to testify for the Bike Bus Bill. Yesterday I watched dozens of children wearing bike helmets while walking through the capitol and encouraging legislators to make investments in healthier, greener communities,” Pham said. “It was a powerful testament to our community’s passion and hopes for our state’s transportation policy that can be centered on the needs of our communities and a safe and sustainable future for our kids.”
We’ll keep you posted as HB 3014 progresses through the legislature. Big thanks to Aaron Brown, the Portland activist and urbanist policy whiz who is currently working as Rep. Pham’s Transportation Policy Director, for the great photos from inside the Capitol.
Portland bike advocates react to Biketown fee hike
“The price of Biketown is already very high, and it’s incredible that it’s being raised by 50% with no opportunity for public comment and no substantial notice.”
Iain MacKenzie
Using bike share in Portland is about to get 50% more expensive.
Last Friday afternoon, Portland’s electric bike share service Biketown announced in an email to members that the company will increase the per-minute rental rate. Starting this Friday, February 24th, Biketown members (who pay an annual $99 membership fee to get reduced rates and free unlimited unlocks) will see their ride bill increase from $0.10 a minute to $0.15. Non-members, who currently pay $0.20 a minute for Biketown rentals, will now be charged $0.30 for every 60 seconds of ride time.
“This increase stems from the growing cost of ebike operations, and will help us continue to support jobs for mechanics, battery technicians, and others who help service our ebikes throughout Portland,” a statement from Biketown reads.
No changes are currently planned for the Biketown for All program, which subsidizes rides for people living on low-incomes.
Biketown’s announcement made waves on Twitter, with people who use the program voicing their concerns about the sudden change that was made with seemingly no public input. Portland transportation advocate Tony Jordan has been one of the most outspoken people in his condemnation of the price increase. Jordan elaborated on his thoughts in a post on LinkedIn:
“I strongly believe that shared electric transportation is the future. I believe that shared public e-bike networks in cities are the pillar of that…it’s extremely distressing to see my own city fumble the ball on this. Biketown should be treated like a public utility,” Jordan wrote.
“The lack of investment in this system is shameful. The lack of support for public bike share at every level of government is a complete failure. We are going to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on electric car parking infrastructure and almost nothing on something that would be truly transformative.”
Hannah Schafer, Interim Director of Communications for the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), told BikePortland this decision comes from Lyft. (Biketown is operated and sponsored by Lyft and Nike in partnership with PBOT, and the ride share company handles day-to-day bike share operations for the city.)
“We firmly believe that bike sharing makes biking more convenient to more Portlanders, so naturally we would like to keep BIKETOWN memberships and rental rates as low as possible,” Schafer said in an email. However, she added, the rate increase is “within the company’s authority under its contract with the city.”
Portlanders aren’t the only people dealing with a recent increase in bike share fees. Lyft has raised prices even more significantly for its bike share programs in other cities across the country, like Chicago and New York.
Some advocates are calling on PBOT to invest more public money in these programs instead of relying on the whims of Lyft. People are also concerned that private companies like Lyft aren’t beholden to the public engagement process in the same way transportation agencies like TriMet (which is currently considering a fare increase of its own) are.
“The price of Biketown is already very high, and it’s incredible that it’s being raised by 50% with no opportunity for public comment and no substantial notice. That’s not the process we follow for changes to TriMet fares or the cost of on-street parking, and it shouldn’t be the process we follow for a supposedly public bikeshare system either,” transportation advocate and Biketown member Iain MacKenzie said in a message. “Lyft has been granted a monopoly to operate bikeshare in the City of Portland and in return we should expect more.”
Biketown has already received flack from some Portlanders because their fleet of bikes appears to be diminishing as the program expands into new parts of the city. It’s unclear if any earnings from the price increase will go towards purchasing and maintaining new bikes. If that were the case, would critics of the policy change their tune? Maybe, according to transportation advocacy non-profit The Street Trust (TST), which has partnered with Biketown over the last several months with the goal of increasing membership in the Biketown for All program.
In a statement to BikePortland about the price increase (which won’t apply to people who qualify for Biketown for All), TST’s André Lightsey-Walker said he and others on his team believe people would be willing to pay more for better service.
“[TST’s] top priority remains making sure people who need access [to Biketown] have it. From there, we need to ensure that the system is robust, the stations are fully stocked, and the bikes are in good condition so that Biketown remains a viable transportation option,” Lightsey-Walker said.
“We believe many riders who could afford it would happily pay the extra cents per mile if that ensures there was a Biketown available near them where and when they want to ride the system. The way to ensure Biketown’s long-term success is to ensure it’s a high-quality alternative to driving on which people can depend.”
But with bike supply still up in the air plus the price increase, some people might decide the service isn’t worth it anymore. This would be a real loss for a program with the potential to be a very valuable tool for transportation decarbonization and reform.
The data shows that once you get someone on a Biketown e-bike, it doesn’t take much to turn them into a fan. The program saw record ridership numbers in 2022, and people are (unsurprisingly) especially likely to try it out when it’s free to do so, like during Earth Day weekend last year.
Increasing fees by five or 10 cents per minute may not seem like much, but it’s a 50% price hike, and it adds up. Time will tell how the price increase effects how Portlanders use Biketown.
Family biking: Our (sometimes difficult) resolution to keep activities close to home
Instead of saying, “We’re going to do this thing, wherever it is,” I’m asking, “What beautiful opportunities exist for us right here?”
I’ve been driving a lot lately, and I hate it. The stress-tension has been building in my neck and shoulders, and I feel constantly uncomfortable behind the wheel. I’m taking Ibuprofen and drinking extra coffee to cope with the neck pain and exhaustion from commuting in heavy afternoon traffic. I’m asking myself: “why am I doing this?”
Extracurricular activities are starting to become more prominent in the older of my five kids’ lives. I’m trying to make up for the pause in activities during Covid because I’m eager for my kids to have a rich variety of experiences and opportunities. I feel a heavy parental burden: my kids will only get to do the things I present for them to do. And if I don’t “start them early,” some doors will close to them forever. I already have a tendency to feel guilty about all of the things we haven’t done.
However, a full extracurricular load is exhausting for all of us — especially when it requires driving. In fact, I think driving is the primary factor for my exhaustion and unhappiness. Driving is isolating and tense, hours of monotony in a metal box surrounded by a sea of asphalt and long lines of other noisy, stinky, motor vehicles. I have to drag younger kids and babies along, keeping them strapped into car seats for hours upon hours of weekly car commutes. We all arrive home at dinner time, hungry, grumpy, and worn out. What kind of a life is that?
Driving is the expected parental responsibility. For many kid activities, it’s an inescapable requirement. Does that mean we should put our heads down and do it? We live in a car-centric society with heavy driving demands and expectations, and it can be hard to say no, to opt out, to live differently — especially when that means doing less.
But I don’t know if I can sustain a life of daily driving to afternoon activities in peak traffic for the next decade. I know I don’t want to. So I’m setting a new resolution to bring all of our weekly activities into biking and public transit range.
This is a difficult and sometimes painful goal to strive for, and I’ve already had to turn down some activities or make the switch to a closer option. For instance, I complained to our local recreational soccer organization that they offer players “friend requests” and “coach requests,” but no option for families to make location requests so that a child can be assigned to a practice field based on the bike/ped/transit accessibility.
So I canceled our registration, and we discovered a local group of families that play soccer together twice a week, just for fun, at a nearby church field. It’s free, we can bike, and our whole family can participate together. It’s ideal, but it was a difficult switch for me to make. I played Division I collegiate soccer, spending my youth in very formal, competitive team sports with daily practices and personal training sessions at far-flung fields and gyms, with travel competitions on the weekends that often involved lengthy road trips and hotel stays. Now, here I am, ending my son’s collegiate soccer career at age 9.
As it turns out, though, my sons loved playing in the church family soccer “league” — it turned out to be their favorite activity. I think our entire family life would be better if we made more such changes, bringing all of our outside activities within biking range from home, or simply saying no and finding something else. Maybe we won’t get to pursue some activities, but we can find happy sports and leisure pursuits in our own locale. And getting to bike or walk, or have children transport themselves independently, will give all of us a true breather.
Still, I’m constantly tempted. I’m fighting for my husband and my vision of what we want our family life to look like, and making that vision a reality requires sacrifices and hard choices. I’m not ready to quit everything and go carfree, but I’m definitely trying to move us that direction.
For now though, I’m focused on the activities I add and very deliberately trying to only add the ones that we don’t have to drive to. Instead of saying “We’re going to do this thing, wherever it is,” I’m asking, “What beautiful opportunities exist for us right here?”
Which brings me to my advice to families just beginning their extracurricular activities: Consider mobility when building your family life! Ask yourselves: what do you want your family life to look like in 10 years? Do you want to be driving around for hours after school? How will your mode of transportation affect you and your kids and your community, and how does it align with your values and priorities? Can you begin by choosing activities within biking distance from the very first toddler ballet class?
If you can, consider it now, while they’re young: is the traveling soccer team experience the family life you want? Or do you want something else? If so, you might have to have some guts to make the hard choices to follow it through.
Comment of the Week: The charade of licensing
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.
Once again, there were several outstanding comments to choose from, and so many nominations, thank you! It took me a long time to pick a comment this week. I spent about 45 minutes going through the nominations, and re-reading my favorites. It was time well-spent.
I ended up going with X’s comment on the new green bike boxes at the intersection where Sarah Pliner was killed. I liked it because of its quiet tone and slow build. Read it and see if you agree with me, it sneaks up on you:
Infrastructure is not a bad thing however much it hurts to have another person die before one bit of paint is put down. I didn’t know Sarah Pliner but now I won’t pass that spot without feeling her loss. There are so many places like that. The light tower at SE 37th and Taylor, the lonely spot on NE 122nd where my friend Ted was run over in a bike lane, the overpass on NE Columbia, and on and on.
Infrastructure is not the whole thing though. There’s no infrastructure at 18th and E Burnside where a guy on a smoke break, leaning against the building he worked in, was wantonly killed by a driver breaking several traffic laws as he crossed the intersection. Never knew him: miss him still.
Motor vehicle operation under the charade of licensing is broken. It’s a cultural problem that the physical environment can’t entirely fix.
Thank you , X, for the beautiful comment. You can find X’s comment under the original post.
Monday Roundup: ditching cars, a bike trail across America, electric pickup trucks, and more
Welcome to the week.
Here are the most notable stories our writers and readers have come across in the past seven days…
The future is carfree: Young people (including Portland youth climate activist Adah Crandall, who was featured in this article!) are envisioning a world beyond cars. (The Economist)
Bike across America: Learn about the 3,700-mile Great American Rail-Trail, which would make bike trips from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine more feasible. (National Geographic)
The need for freight regulation: The Norfolk Southern catastrophe in Ohio is the latest display of the dangers of the all-powerful freight industry in the United States. (The Guardian)
The electric pickup truck test: Not all electric vehicles are created equal when it comes to emissions reductions (or safety for vulnerable road users). (The New York Times)
E-bike incentives lead to safe streets advocates: A “hidden power of e-bike incentives”? More people are realizing how important safe bike infrastructure is, and asking their leaders to listen. (Bloomberg CityLab)
Why teenagers in New York aren’t riding the subway: Some Manhattan parents are anxious about letting their older kids get around by themselves, and they’re missing out on a rite of passage for New Yorkers (and city kids everywhere). (Curbed)
Thanks to everyone who shared links this week.