New bikeway updates on NE/SE 7th build on greenway promise

Looking northwest.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation has added a lot of new bike-specific infrastructure to Northeast and Southeast 7th Avenue in the past several months. On Tuesday, I went out to take a closer look at some of it.

7th Ave has long been a key north-south street in Portland’s bike network. Then its value skyrocketed when the Blumenauer Bridge opened along its alignment in summer 2022. Now PBOT is trying to make good on a promise to create a low-stress cycling experience on 7th that’s befitting of its designation as a neighborhood greenway and as laid out in the Central City in Motion plan.

Since we last checked-in on the 7th Ave Neighborhood Greenway back in December 2022, PBOT has striped new bike lanes on the five blocks between NE Tillamook and NE Weidler. They’ve also added a few speed bumps south of Tillamook. This is a busy commercial/industrial section of 7th that has long been a troubling gap. The new bike lanes are unprotected, but they come with a generous buffer space that someday (hopefully?!) PBOT will fill with some sort of protective curb or other treatment. They’ve also added green cross-bike markings to reinforce the bikeway through the intersections. It’s notable that PBOT swapped space previously used for free, on-street car storage in order to fit the new bike lanes. More photos below the jump…

These are straightforward bike lanes that are a welcome addition to this section of 7th. Hopefully PBOT can prevent people from parking in them and keep the new lanes clear of leaves and gravel through winter.

Moving further south, I spent a while observing the new crossing treatment on SE 7th at Stark. PBOT has installed a center median diverter using yellow plastic curbs and wands. They also left a large channel in the middle wide enough for bi-directional bike lanes to fit through the center. On each side of Stark the sharrows transition to green-colored bike lanes to signal to riders that they should be in the center of the street to cross. There’s also a green cross-bike through the entire intersection.

This design is meant to facilitate cycling traffic, make it easier to cross Stark, slow down drivers by reminding them this is a bikeway, and reduce the amount of cut-through traffic on 7th by forcing drivers to only turn right.

It’s a nice idea; but far too many drivers are making the dangerous and illegal decision to simply drive right through the gap in the center of the median. It’s clearly a bike lane (the color green should tell everyone that) and there are (way too small and low) “Right Turn Only” signs, but none of that stops the majority of car users who disobey the rules and drive on through.

PBOT Communications Director Hannah Schafer told BikePortland they’re aware of these behaviors and are, “working on a few avenues for improvements.” She said the project team had added temporary traffic control devices, “to help reinforce the operational changes.” Schafer might be referring to a traffic cone places in the middle of the gap; but she might not be aware that as of yesterday it was gone and only its base remained.

Schafer also added that PBOT are reaching out to the Portland Police Bureau to see if they can do “spot enforcement to re-affirm the changes.” “This has worked well at other locations when we see compliance issues,” Schafer shared. And a more permanent fix might be possible through a small PBOT project program known as Missing Links.

We’ve seen this pattern play out many times over the years: a new bikeway design is so anemic that many drivers ignore it, then PBOT throws out some cones or makeshift signs, and we hope for a permanent solution. It’s a frustrating dance that erodes confidence in PBOT’s work — and more importantly — leaves bike riders exposed to unnecessary risk. We must do better.

Thankfully, Schafer said PBOT doesn’t plan to wait the typical six months to collect data and see if the changes are (or aren’t) working. Because of the safety concerns, she says the project team has “elevated the timeline for this specific intersection.”

Related to the crossing at Stark is a new crosswalk and bike lane one block south on SE Washington. In order to facilitate westbound bike traffic onto 7th (from 12th and other points east), PBOT has turned the block of SE Washington between 8th and 7th/Sandy into eastbound only for car drivers and added a westbound bike lane. That new bike lane feeds into an enhanced crossing of 7th/Sandy where PBOT has added a green cross-bike and constructed a new center median island out of yellow plastic curbs and wands.

This intersection of SE Washington, 7th and Sandy is very wide. It also has five openings and a curve, and is at the base of a downhill slope. These elements make it dangerous for all users, especially bike riders who have to navigate onto the greenway from a busy section of 7th Ave en route to the new bridge. As you can see, PBOT and community partners have already reclaimed some of the space by adding cones and planters (even a small dumpster!) to calm traffic. These efforts have reduced driving space and sharpened turns to prevent speeding.

These are all small steps forward as we wait for better designs and protection that will encourage more people to ride and keep safe those who already do. And of course, the ultimate solution at this intersection is the one proposed by Depave that would prevent drivers from using 7th north of Washington and add concrete to separate and physically protect bicycle riders at the corners.

Until then, hopefully all this plastic and paint will do.

Have you ridden 7th lately? What about the Stark crossing? What has your experience been so far?

PBOT says cancellation of $299,000 app contract won’t impact Transportation Wallet program

The Transportation Wallet program has reduced driving and parking in the bustling Central Eastside District. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

“It’s not a ‘screw-up’. It’s cutting our losses.”

– Hannah Schafer, PBOT

The Willamette Week reported today that the Portland Bureau of Transportation has cancelled a contract with an app developer and the $299,000 they spent will not be recouped. The app, which was supposed to launch this year, was related to PBOT’s Transportation Wallet program, a successful initiative that provides thousands of Portlanders big discounts on services likes bike share rental and transit passes.

As we reported a year ago, the Wallet program has become so popular that it has been expanded and taken from a pilot (that launched in 2017) to a permanent program. PBOT manages three types of Wallets, one for low-income residents (“Access for All”), one for Portlanders who just moved to town (“New Movers”), and one for people who live or work in places where parking is regulated by permits. In these “Parking Districts,” individuals can swap a parking permit for a Transportation Wallet that gives them a collection of passes and credits on transit (TriMet), streetcar (Portland Streetcar), bike-share (Biketown), e-scooters (various companies), and car-share that are worth hundreds of dollars.

The contract in the Willamette Week story relates only to the parking district Wallet program.

Contents of the 2023 Wallet.

Reached for comment about the story and future of the program this morning, PBOT Communications Director Hannah Schafer said the mobile app work was an effort to improve the program both for users and staff. “The web-based and mobile app was envisioned as a tool to streamline and automate the delivery of various Transportation Wallet components,” Schafer shared with BikePortland. “Components that staff are doing manually today and will continue to do in the future.”

Schafer said she realizes this story doesn’t look good for PBOT, especially after the situations on SW Broadway and NE 33rd in recent months, but she took issue with my characterization of it on social media this morning. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), I referred to this as yet another “screw-up” by the agency.

“It’s not a ‘screw-up’,” Schafer contended. “It’s cutting our losses from a vendor [Canada-based RideShark] that wasn’t providing the service we wanted… It just wasn’t working with the app and the vendor.”

In a letter sent Monday to committee members who oversee the parking districts, PBOT Active Transportation & Safety Division Manager Renata Tirta wrote, “We could not in good faith deliver our services reliably, timely, or consistently using the software solution this vendor was developing,” and, “By terminating the contract before the App would have been available for public use, we saved the Bureau and the parking districts money and ensured there are no disruptions to our delivery of the Transportation Wallet in the Parking Districts.”

Schafer said the decision actually saved PBOT money because total contract with RideShark was $350,000 (and was terminated at $299,000). Funding for the contract came from the parking districts ($100,000 each) and PBOT paid for the remaining amount with other sources.

PBOT has distributed 8,400 Transportation Wallets to parking district residents and employees since 2017 and they’ve led to a significant decrease in driving and parking. According to PBOT analysis, people with Wallets drive to work less than half as of much as those without (14% and 32%, respectively). And in the Northwest Parking District, people with Wallets walk twice as much as non-Wallet holders for commute trips (24% and 12%, respectively) and take Portland Streetcar 2.5 times as much (12% and 5%, respectively).

While the termination of the app development contract is another blow to PBOT’s already-ailing budget and reputation, Schafer said it will have no impact on their ability to continue the Wallet program — especially the Access for All Wallet which is set to receive $25 million thanks to the Portland Clean Energy Fund.

Tonight: It’s ‘Bike the Lights’ night at PIR

Riders at the 2016 edition of Bike the Lights at PIR. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Grab your lights, warm coats, and all the kiddos for a fun holiday tradition. Tonight (Tuesday, 11/28) is the annual Bike the Lights night at Portland International Raceway. This is the 14th year the folks who put on the Winter Wonderland light show at PIR have welcomed bike riders for a night of their own.

It’s an opportunity to meet friends and roll on the racetrack north of Kenton under thousands of lights — including the big, illuminated tunnel near the finish line. The event also includes a vendor area that has snacks, treats and warm drinks to make the fun last a bit longer. You can do as many laps as you’d like!

Don’t miss our video from 2021 (below) to get a sense of what it’s like.

If you want company getting out there or aren’t sure of the route, join a group ride. There are at least three rides that will lead to Bike the Lights this year:

  • Meet at Blumenauer Bridge (south entrance, NE 7th and Flanders) at 6:00 pm, ride at 6:30. Ride leader: Tom Howe (@nagitpo on IG). Ride will be slow and social, suitable for all ages. Shift Calendar listing.
  • Meet at Irving Park (basketball courts) at 6:00 pm, ride no later than 6:45. Ride leader: NakedHearts:PDX/Moorland Moss (IG). Ride will be slow and social. Shift Calendar listing.
  • Meet at The Mercado (SE 72nd and Foster) at 6:30 pm. Ride leader Foster Night Ride (IG). This is a faster ride aimed at more experienced riders. Shift Calendar listing.

Winter Wonderland’s Bike the Lights is a fundraiser for Sunshine Division, a nonprofit that has provided free food and clothing to families in need for 100 years. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under (2 and under are free). More info at WinterWonderland.com.

See you out there. Be sure to dress warm!

Podcast: In the Shed with Eva & Jonathan – Ep 4

Eva Frazier and I are back with another episode of “In The Shed.” This episode was recorded November 22nd (day before Thanksgiving) in the BikePortland Shed a few blocks from Peninsula Park in north Portland.

Thanks to everyone who’s told us how much you like this series! It’s nice to know folks like hearing it as much as we like putting it together. As per usual, Eva and I had a fun, informal chat about a wide range of stuff. In this video we talked about:

  • How I’m trying to capture video of these episodes so we can share them in a new way (but it didn’t work this week so I’ll try again next time).
  • How my art history degree helps me remember Portland’s new council districts (finally!).
  • My recent meeting with a council district 2 candidate.
  • The most popular tire size sold at Eva’s shop (Clever Cycles).
  • The ultimate accessory for my Tern work bike.
  • Our plans for winter warmth at Bike Happy Hour (any sponsors want to help?!).
  • Latest developments on the BikeLoud PDX v City of Portland lawsuit update (background here).
  • World Day of Remembrance event (for more, here’s my recap and podcast).
  • My mixed feelings about memorial events in general.
  • The failure of Vision Zero, and how to turn the tide.
  • Trail Blazers’ new minor league basketball team, the Rip City Remix.
  • Our favorite Thanksgiving side dishes.
  • What I’m grateful for.
  • Eva’s Thanksgiving plans.

Thanks for listening! We’d love to hear feedback and please feel free to suggest topics for the next episode. Listen in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.

Comment of the Week: A challenge to comment better

Every once in a while a comment comes in that surprises me. This one was short and sweet and seemed a perfect way to begin the season of lights.

Gregg Dal Ponte works for the Oregon Trucking Association (an advocacy and lobbying group for truckers and freight businesses). I’m always happy to see him post on BikePortland not only because it shows that we are succeeding somewhat at not being a groupthink bubble, but also because I like reading what he says.

Gregg spent the long weekend in a “take-on-all-comers” situation in the comments section of our post about missing Naito bollards. He was holding his own just fine, but then something must have happened on Sunday, because after reflecting for a few hours, his thoughts became more introspective.

Then he posted this gem:

A final thought …. I told myself I wouldn’t do it again and in this very thread my sarcasm is on display. So, my apologies to everyone on this forum. The truth is I struggle with some of the thoughts expressed here. Going forward I am going to try very hard to draw my inspiration from something said by a friend of mine:

“A place to start: Cut the trash talk. Stifle the snide remarks. Don’t sugarcoat Oregon’s shortcomings but aggressively attack the state’s problems, not its policymakers. Develop workable solutions, regardless of whose idea they are, by finding common ground.” (Dick Hughes)

That’s a tall order. If I slip up feel free to call me on it.

Gregg quotes from a Thanksgiving piece Dick Hughes wrote in the weekly newsletter, Capital Chatter. Most of us could benefit from taking that advice to heart — dropping the gotchas, and working on being able to disagree with someone without vilifying them.

Thank you for commenting, Gregg, and for sharing these good thoughts.

Monday Roundup: Banned truck ads, deadly DOTs, and more

Welcome to the week. Hope you had a nice holiday and were lucky enough to take advantage of the spectacular, sunny weather.

Here are the best stories we’ve come across in the past seven days — from sources you can trust.

The (bike) motor city: Imagine if Detroit became a hub of manufacturing and design for light electric vehicles like bicycles? Some folks are actually making that happen. (Bicycle Retailer & Industry News)

Size matters: There is no doubt that the ever-increasing size of SUVs (for no reason other than design trends) is terrible for people and the planet with a new report showing that auto emissions could have gone down significantly if cars were smaller. (The Guardian)

DOTs and deaths: Federal crash data proves a point many of us know far too well — that state-owned roads and highways claim a disproportionate amount of lives each year. (League of American Bicyclists)

Break car culture: An op-ed from New York City that has strong relevance in Portland because of how it addresses the need for leaders to lead and help us “break” car culture if we truly want to save public transit (and so much else). (Streetsblog NYC)

More of this, please: What happens in a country with functioning advertising regulations? Auto ads that show terribly irresponsible behavior are banned. This is a huge problem I’d love to see treated more aggressively here in the states. (Jalopnik)

Why are climate talks stalling? Maybe because some lobbyists from major oil and gas-producing countries in the Middle East are co-opting the most important international climate change conference to negotiate fossil fuel deals. (BBC)

Where Vision Zero is reality: “The idea behind Hoboken’s Vision Zero is to make its streets less car-focused, and more welcoming and accessible to all kinds of transport,” says mayor of the one American city that has tamed traffic to keep its residents safe. (Bloomberg, and for more about Hoboken’s recipe for safety success, see our profile of their DOT director from back in April.)

Just in case: A new company offers bike-specific insurance policies that will cover full cost of your damages in event of a crash or accident. (Bicycle Retailer & Industry News)

More coolness from Montreal: Imagine how cool it would be to rent a bike-share bike with studded tires so you can roll easy on snow and ice! (Cycling Magazine)


Thanks to everyone who sent in links this week. The Monday Roundup is a community effort, so please feel free to send us any great stories you come across.

Guest Opinion: Cycling in Amsterdam was eye-opening, and boosted my resolve

Teen girls cycling in Amsterdam in 2017. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

— By Jen Guzman, Portland resident

“When I ride in Portland, I feel like there’s a target on my back… Here, it’s just fun and easy.”

– My 17-year-old son

This summer I spent nine days in Amsterdam with my 18-year-old son, eager to explore the city on two wheels. So much is written on the city’s transformation into a biking mecca that it almost feels cliche to visit and write about Amsterdam. I wondered if there was anything new I could learn and share.

Despite years of biking in Portland, it took me a minute to adjust to Amsterdam’s critical mass of bikes. I wasn’t used to navigating in such tight packs of bikes and the rules of the road weren’t always obvious. I learned quickly that a bike-centric city, while a huge improvement over a car-centric city, is not a utopia. Jerks on bikes will cut you off and curse you, much like some drivers on I-84. And also like many cars, very few bikes stop at crosswalks for pedestrians. In Amsterdam, cars tended to drive passively and slowly, yielding to bicycle and pedestrian traffic. I was in The Upside-Down World.

But by my second day, biking in Amsterdam felt easy and often joyful. The city is a giant maze of well-maintained bike paths with excellent signage. It felt like riding on a race track. No need for hunting down a bike lock and helmet because Amsterdam bikes have built-in wheel locks and no one wears helmets. I just hopped on my rental bike and rode away for the day. Bike parking was plentiful. The bike fashion scene was on point.

The author and her son in Vondelpark in Amsterdam.

My 18-year-old son, who will typically choose TriMet to get around Portland, biked in Amsterdam. Even after experiencing the efficiency of Amsterdam’s public transportation system, he loved the thrill and adventure of biking the city. But he said something that struck me while we were biking through Vondelpark one day.

“Mom, when I ride my bike in Portland, I feel like there is a target on my back. As if it’s only a matter of time before I get hit by a car. Here, it’s just fun and easy.”

I understood exactly how he felt. While a small element of danger existed due to the sheer number of bikes in Amsterdam, getting clipped by another bike had far less consequences than anything a car would do to us.

Coming back to the U.S. and saddling back on my bike, I felt a visceral loss of freedom and safety. And I think I finally accepted traffic violence as a true epidemic facing our city and country.

The risk of death for people on foot or bike was 23 per million in the Netherlands in 2019. In the US, that same risk in the same year was 686 per million. Pedestrian and biking deaths in the U.S. have increased 77% since 2010 and last year 7,508 people were struck and killed by vehicles, the highest number in 41 years. In Portland, 63 people have died this year by traffic violence, continuing the upward march of fatalities in our city that reflects national trends.

It is important to understand that Amsterdam wasn’t always bike nirvana. In the 1960s, cars began to clog the streets. The city faced a crossroads. Would it become car-centric like other international cities? Some city planners proposed dismantling historic neighborhoods and paving over the city’s beautiful canals to accommodate more cars. After walking and riding through those beautiful neighborhoods, that feels nothing short of tragic.

As cars filled the roads and deaths linked to cars increased, people throughout the Netherlands organized and protested. The STOP de Kindermoord, or “Stop The Murder of Children” movement pressured the government to do more to curb traffic violence. The Dutch are nothing if not direct.

This strong advocacy forced change. The government lowered car speed limits and added bike routes, and as a result, more and more people chose to bike. Today, more than half of all trips in the central area of Amsterdam are done by bicycle.

Amsterdam city leaders continue to aggressively incentivize bike use by closing streets to cars, reducing parking (there is currently a plan to remove car parking along the city’s canals), and continuing to invest in bike infrastructure. To reach their vision of a safer, more livable city with a smaller carbon footprint, Amsterdam made biking the easiest way to get around town.

After spotting a good number of riders smoking and vaping on their bikes, I am convinced the Dutch ride less for their health, and maybe even less out of concern for the environment, and more for pure convenience. We, as humans, tend to do what is easiest.

Maybe that is part of the power of travel: Experiencing a better way to live and realizing the status-quo back home, in this case, rising traffic violence, is not acceptable. I have great appreciation for the work of groups such as Families for Safe Streets Oregon/Washington, and The Street Trust, who advocate for safer streets — and I have newfound energy to immerse myself in the work of making our streets safer.

Despite the differences between our cities and the political opposition we often face here in the United States, we can get closer to our goals of safer streets by continuing to do the hard work of education and advocacy.

Once you’ve biked the streets of Amsterdam, it’s hard to sit back and do nothing.

— By Jen Guzman, Portland resident

Steel bollards on Naito have gone missing, leaving bike riders exposed to head-on traffic

At a press conference to celebrate the new cycling facilities on Naito Parkway in May 2022, then director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation Chris Warner was asked to address concerns about the increase in cars and dangerous drivers on the roads. “There might be more cars,” Warner replied. “We just have to keep pushing along and making the case and if the facilities aren’t safe, people aren’t going to ride. The safer the facilities are, the more ability we’ll have to really change the culture.”

Warner could be confident in that statement because a few minutes later he cut the ribbon on Better Naito Forever, a project that established 1.2 miles of bike lanes physically protected from auto traffic by concrete curbs, grade separation, street trees, and/or steel bollards.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for key parts of that protection to be wiped away due to a combination of political compromise, reckless driving, and suspected vandalism.

Video taken September 11, 2023.

Almost immediately after Better Naito opened, we heard complaints from readers about people parking in a section of the bike lane between SE Ankeny and the Burnside Bridge. As we reported in October 2022, that violation of the protected space was sanctioned by PBOT as part of a deal they cut with Portland Saturday Market decades ago (Naito had a standard unprotected bike lane for years before it was updated in 2022) to allow vendors to use the bike lane for loading and unloading. According to a permit renewed by City Council ordinance this past March, vendors are allowed to park in the bike lane for 10 minutes at a time on weekends, before and after the market opens as long they display a permit on their windshield.

Unfortunately that permit system has been a failure on several fronts. We found many people parked in the bike lanes without a permit and at least one vendor told us (via comment on our October 2022 story) it’s mostly customers who park in the bike lane.

To facilitate this weekly opening of the bike lane to car parking, PBOT installed about three dozen removable steel bollards as part of the Better Naito project. Today all those bollards are gone. Combined with missing bollards near Salmon Street Springs, we estimate at least half of the 85 ornate steel bollards installed last spring are missing.

We first heard about these missing bollards this past summer when reader Daniel Fuller cc’d BikePortland on an email to PBOT Capital Programs Manager Gabe Graff on June 21st:

“I have noticed over the past couple of weeks that most of the removable steel bollards protecting the Better Naito cycle track between SW Ankeny Street and the Burnside Bridge have been missing,” Fuller wrote. “I assume they were temporarily removed for loading & unloading and never replaced. Was this intentional or just an oversight? Any information you can provide would be appreciated.”

Graff replied a day later saying PBOT staff were “troubleshooting this issue” with Portland Saturday Market.

One month later, Fuller emailed Graff again, telling him that several more of the steel bollards had gone missing:

“Now only two remain… This seems to defeat the purpose of having a two-way, protected cycle track, since there is nothing between southbound bicyclists and oncoming vehicles in the northbound lane. Has there been any progress in finding out why the bollards are not being replaced?”

Graff had the same response and said he’d try once again to follow up with market staff to see if they’d made any progress on the issue.

Fuller waited another month, then email Graff yet again on August 18th. “Since your last email I have noticed that all the steel bollards along the Better Naito cycletrack near Saturday Market have been removed and not replaced,” Fuller wrote. Then continued:

“I am seriously concerned about the safety of bicycle riders traveling next to oncoming vehicle traffic with no physical separation here. Would it be possible to install plastic flex posts (“delineators”) at this location? I am thinking they would be less likely to go missing, and vendors could safely drive over them. Please let me know what else can be done to address this issue.”

Fuller hasn’t heard from Graff since that August email.

In September I shared a video on social media that confirmed all the steel bollards were gone and there was no longer any protection between users of the Better Naito bike lane and drivers on NW Naito.

One day after I posted that video, PBOT laid out orange traffic cones where the bollards used to be. Even with the cones, one person (who has raced road bikes at an elite level) responded to the video by saying riding that section, “Felt sketchy.”

The whereabouts of those ornate steel bollards remains unknown (I’ve heard reports of them being strewn about in the bushes next to the street), and now even most of the traffic cones are missing. Someone who lives nearby shared with me this week that there are only about 2-3 cones still present for the entire stretch where over 30 steel bollards were once installed.

Earlier this month, I confirmed with PBOT that the bollards are indeed missing in action.

I emailed PBOT Communications Director Hannah Schafer on November 17th to ask why both the bollards and cones had disappeared. Schafer was grateful to learn the cones were missing (“That wasn’t on our radar,” she wrote via email) and encouraged folks to call PBOT’s 24/7 maintenance dispatch hotline (503-823-1700) to report that in the future.

As for the bollards, Schafer reminded me about the agreement they have with the market to remove the bollards for loading/unloading. “Unfortunately, that concept worked better in theory than in reality,” she wrote. “And most of the bollards have gone missing primarily due to vandalism.”

So for now, we have just plastic traffic cones (which are mostly MIA) to separate bike riders from oncoming car traffic on one of Portland’s most marquee bikeways. That’s hardly the type of facility that will, “Really change the culture,” like former PBOT Director Warner hoped for when Better Naito opened last year.

It’s also particularly troublesome to leave this bike lane unprotected for so long, given PBOT’s experience on NE 21st, where there’s a similar two-way bike lane design that had bicycle riders pedal directly into oncoming car drivers without adequate protection. On 21st, a woman was violently hit by a driver who swerved into the bike lane, and a few months later PBOT responded with large concrete barricades.

On Naito, Schafer says PBOT traffic engineers are currently sketching out a new, “permanent solution.” “But we have yet to identify funding for the actual installation.”

Hopefully they come up with something soon. Before another horrific collision.

A driver hit a 12-year-old crossing the street, broke their leg, then fled the scene

View of NE 41st from Glisan, looking east.

Two young Portlanders were crossing Northeast Glisan Street Friday afternoon when a driver sped by, hit one of them, then fled the scene.

In an email sent Monday to families who attend nearby Laurelhurst School, Principal Alyson Brant said two students were crossing NE Glisan at 41st around 3:00 pm when the collision occurred. Brant says the victim suffered a broken tibia in addition to bruises and scrapes. “We are incredibly lucky that the situation did not have a more dire outcome,” Brant wrote.

41st is a designated crossing of a neighborhood greenway. It has a striped crosswalk, a push-button activated overhead signal, and yellow caution signage meant to warn drivers of the presence of people crossing. A story in The Oregonian yesterday reported that, despite all this, witnesses said the driver was going about 40 mph, which is “extremely fast for the area.”

This section of Glisan is just three blocks from Laurelhurst School. It’s a school zone with a speed limit of 25 mph. It’s also just one block east of the large Coe Circle where two eastbound lanes merge into one.

The school says they’re in contact with the Portland Bureau of Transportation to consider changes to the intersection that would make it safer. “We hope to soon have an engineer come assess the area and review possibilities for enhancements, including flashing lights along the crosswalk, more visible ped xing signs in the center of the street, etc.”

In her email to parents, Brant expressed how dangerous drivers are a common threat in the neighborhood and urged everyone to drive more safely. “A number of near-misses and non-injury accidents have taken place in recent weeks right around the school building,” she wrote.

This crash underscores a disturbing trend of pedestrian collisions and hit-and-runs. At least seven of the drivers who killed walkers on Portland streets so far this year failed to stop. And according to PBOT’s Vision Zero Action Plan Update published this earlier this month, hit-and-run crashes are up 27% in the last five years (2017-2021) compared to the five years prior.

“The emotional scars that the injured and non-injured student sustained at the scene will linger far after the scrapes have healed and the bones are mended.”

– Alyson Brant, Laurelhurst School

While advocates push for changes and government leaders promise changes to address these statistics, Portlanders are left in a state outrage and fear that often results in people being reluctant to let their children roam free on our streets.

“The emotional scars that the injured and non-injured student sustained at the scene,” Brant wrote, “will linger far after the scrapes have healed and the bones are mended.”


UPDATE, 12:49pm: Police confirm the crash and say the driver of a reddish/brown early 90s Volvo is still on the loose.

Podcast: World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

In this episode, I’ll take you to the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims event that happened this past Sunday. You’ll hear interviews recorded with participants of the walk from Lloyd Center to a memorial demonstration at the plaza in front of Veterans Memorial Coliseum. You’ll also hear excerpts from the speeches made at the demonstration, and an interview about safe streets funding and policy with The Street Trust Executive Director Sarah Iannarone.

The event was organized by The Street Trust, Oregon Walks, and Families for Safe Streets OR/WA.

People in this episode (in order of appearance):

  • Jonathan Maus (host), founder/editor/publisher, BikePortland
  • Lena Wiley (unnamed in the episode, sorry!), pedestrian and march participant
  • Brendon Haggerty, Healthy Homes and Communities Manager, Multnomah County
  • Claire Vlach, Oregon Walks
  • Jackie Yerby, bike advocate and member of the board, The Street Trust and Cycle Oregon
  • Sarah Iannarone, executive director, The Street Trust
  • Michelle DuBarry, member, Families for Safe Streets OR/WA (also interviewed in episode 16)
  • Wendy Serrano, equity and inclusion manager, Portland Bureau of Transportation
  • Charlene McGee, director of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Multnomah County
  • Sarah Iannarone, executive director, The Street Trust executive director

I think you’ll love this episode, particularly my interview with Iannarone. Here’s just one exchange:

BikePortland:

“So for instance, when ODOT says the I-5 Rose Quarter project is a ‘safety project,’ you think that’s something advocates should be skeptical of? Or maybe look at more closely and be like, ‘How are we really defining safety here?'”

Iannarone:

Sarah Iannarone

“Or maybe we actually need to more effectively define ‘safety’, either through statute or through planning rules, right? Because if that does qualify as a safety project now, and that’s not where people are dying, and we aren’t able to even get the $135 to $185 million for inner Powell Boulevard, where we know people die, month after month, year after year, then there is a disconnect in what’s actually happening in our system based on what the definition of safety currently is.”

Links from the episode:

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Free2Move carsharing bites the dust, leaving low-car Portlanders in a lurch

(From Free2Move 2021 press release announcing Portland service.)

A carsharing service many Portlanders relied on in lieu of owning a car of their own, has shut down. Free2Move, a company that began service in Portland in 2021, emailed customers Monday saying all their cars would be off the streets by November 30th.

Free2Move is one of four carsharing providers currently operating in Portland (the others are Getaround, Turo, and Zipcar); but it’s the only one that offers “free-floating” service where users can rent a car by-the-minute and return it anywhere within a designated area. When Free2Move launched in March 2021 they said 200 Jeep Renegades would be available in a market that has, “has consistently demonstrated its commitment to alternative mobility solutions.” In 2015 Portland was ranked 7th on a list of 70 U.S. cities for its plethora of non-driving mobility options.

BikePortland reader Craig Harlow, who doesn’t own a car of his own, was a dedicated customer. He used Free2Move cars for family trips to the Tacoma area and shuttling his kids around Portland. “Carsharing is what allowed me to sell my family vehicle so many years ago,” Harlow shared with us via email Monday. “That was the start of me bike commuting, which led to so much more.”

“Zipcar and Getaround each have their place,” Harlow added. “But neither satisfies the day-do-day, ad-hoc flexibility of a free-floating program.”

Even with Portland’s relatively large number of low-car and no-car residents like Harlow, Free2Move couldn’t survive. The company said the decision was made for two reasons: “rising infrastructure complexities in the US transportation sector which have resulted in much higher costs” and a lack of users to build up necessary revenue to pay for it.

Harlow certainly felt the lack of investment. He emailed BikePortland last week — before the company made the announcement to shut down — to share his frustrations with a lack of service from Free2Move. He said after a strong start, Free2Move wasn’t keeping up with maintenance and cars he used would often be dirty, have low tire pressure and not enough gas in the tank. Harlow would end up spending more time on the phone with customer service, than using the car itself.

It appears Free2Move suffered the same challenges as car2go, a popular carsharing service that left Portland in 2019 after five years of service. Carsharing expert Dave Brook pioneered the concept in Portland in 1988 and founded Flexcar (which eventually merged with Zipcar). “Sadly, this is the latest in the rise and fall of flexible/one-way carsharing in Portland, and in other US cities,” he shared via email with BikePortland. Brook said carsharing is thriving in Europe and should work in Portland since there’s relatively abundant parking and gas remains cheap.

Nevertheless, the dwindling options for low-car and no-car Portlanders will likely lead more people to purchase and drive a car of their own.

Another reader emailed us to say “For me [getting a car of my own] is going to be the case. The presence of Free2Move made it much more practical to not own a car when public transit or bicycle isn’t a great option (e.g. day trips outside of the city)… there is a hole in transportation options now.”

Harlow echoed that sentiment. “If carsharing were to disappear entirely from Portland, I would regrettably go back to owning my own car, and to all the negative impacts that go along with that.”

And reader Ryan Mottau emailed to say Free2Move’s point-to-point service, “has been critical in filling the gaps in public transit and biking.” “I guess I’ll have to put that money into an e-bike and better/more rain gear,” he added.

On Monday, the Portland Bureau of Transportation told The Oregonian they’re open to other companies stepping in to fill the void, but for now, we’re left with one fewer carsharing options.

Job: Local Operator/Area Manager – LifeCycle Adventures

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Local Operator/Area Manager

Company / Organization

LifeCycle Adventures

Job Description

OVERVIEW
LifeCycle Adventures is seeking a Local Operator to run its self-guided bike tours in Oregon. The role will be suited to a small business or independent contractor residing in the Portland area. For the right candidate, the role could also include:
– the position of Operations Manager for North America to manage bicycle tour operations across our North American locations.
– the development of new tour destinations.

ROLE
The Local Operator will be responsible for running LifeCycle Adventures bike tours in the Willamette Valley, Mt Hood, and the Columbia River Gorge areas. This will include transportation, guiding and on-call services to support trip participants as needed.

LifeCycle Adventures has 20 years of experience running self-guided and guided bike tours in North America and Europe. We will supply training for the role as well as guidebooks, maps, directions, and operating procedures. Day-to-day, however, the Local Operator will work relatively autonomously using their best judgment, experience, and knowledge of the area.

While the Local Operator should expect to work hands on – leading the majority of trips themselves – it will be important that they recruit and train a small number of other guides to help them support trips to ensure demand can be met.

This is not a full-time role, but rather an as-and-when needed role based on sold trips. There are likely to be around of 30 tour per year, the majority of which would run from June through September. A tour may last anywhere from 3 to 10 days. As such, the local Operator must have the flexibility to be able to support a part-time and unpredictable workload.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
A good Local Operator will be a strong guide as well as have the business and organizational skills to manage trips, coordinate bookings and account for expenses. Ideally, the candidate will have their own vehicles/vans to use for tour delivery. In addition, successful candidates will have the following characteristics:

– Excellent hosting skills with a high standard of professionalism & customer service.
– Well-organized with sharp attention to detail.
– Prior bike guiding or related experience.
– Knowledge of local history, culture, and geography of Oregon.
– Enthusiastic cyclist & capable bike mechanic.
– Capable of lifting bikes and luggage.
– Operate out of home or small business office.
– Clean driving record, Oregon driving license and clean background check.
– Current First Aid/CPR Certificate.
– Good availability to lead trips during peak seasons.
– Able to build a small and loyal team of guides.
We are a small company which works closely together and we all enjoy collaborating and supporting each other’s professional and personal objectives.
LifeCycle Adventure’s team members typically work out of their home offices but meet regularly.

REMUNERATION:
Competitive rates within the industry and will vary based on the candidate.

How to Apply

CONTACT:
For more information, please send a resume to Gregory Craig: Greg@lifecycleadventures.com