Eva Frazier and I are back with another episode of “In The Shed.” This episode was recorded earlier today in the BikePortland Shed, as snowflakes fell from the sky a few blocks from Peninsula Park in north Portland.
As per usual, Eva and I had a fun chat about a wide range of stuff:
How to say my last name (Maus, like paws but with an “m”)
Thanks to Brock Dittus of Sprocket Podcast fame for our fantastic theme music. Listen in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening!
Man walks dog on an unimproved shoulder of SW Sunset Blvd (Photo: Lisa Caballero/BikePortland)
In Wednesday’s StreetsPDX post, I covered the features of its new website, its flow, tools, and the information about city code and policies it brings together in one location. StreetsPDX project manager Mathew Berkow presented the project last month to the transportation committee of southwest Portland’s soon-to-be-defunct coalition of neighborhood associations, SWNI (Southwest Neighborhoods Inc).
Today, I want to follow up on that post and share a bit of the conversation that happened after Berkow’s presentation, between Kurt Kruger, Portland’s new public works permitting czar, and a few experienced transportation advocates. Kruger’s group decides what public works, like sidewalks or bike lanes, the city will require a new development to build in the right-of-way.
Why is this exchange important? Because it got to the heart of what I’m hearing from every transportation advocate in the region, including most BikePortland commenters. Folks do not want same ol’ same ol’. The status quo is not acceptable. And the SWNI committee was no different, it seemed like they were expecting something more or different from StreetsPDX.
Source: PBOT 12/18/2023 presentation to SWNI transportation committee.Source: PBOT 12/18/2023 presentation to SWNI transportation committee.
One participant asked, “I know that your goal is to create this comprehensive thing that makes decision-making clear and transparent for people. But, what’s the larger goal, is the larger goal to make the city better? Is there not a larger goal?”
Another participant, Don Baack, began with colorful language, mentioned “punching the card,” and ended with, “it is totally disgusting that we can’t figure out reasonable ways to solve problems that are very clear to most people on the ground.”
Keep in mind that the goal of StreetsPDX is to make a decision framework for how to allocate space in the right-of-way. And that’s good, it’s needed. But basically, it’s a guide to the inside of the box — way-finding for today’s status quo. Southwest’s problem is that it always ends up on the “How to deviate from standard improvements” pathway, which inevitably leads to shoulder widening, and pedestrians walking in the street protected by a stripe of white paint (see photos above and below). And also with the most incomplete bike network in the city.
Several minutes into the tense discussion between the transportation committee and Kruger, Marianne Fitzgerald asked a question which pivoted the conversation, and I heard something new from Kurt Kruger, for me at least. A glimmer of a suggestion of a way forward, at least in southwest Portland, and maybe in some other locations too. Here’s the exchange:
Woman walks a dog on the recently paved shoulder on SW Gibbs Street (Photos: Lisa Caballero/BikePortland)
Fitzgerald, neighborhood advocate:
How can we help you work together to try to dream about how to get there, do as much as we can to hold developers accountable for the infill … How can we work together for the designs, the dream, and then push for funding to get the network built?
Kruger, City of Portland:
I appreciate that Marianne, I’ll say that I probably got uninvited to town center [West Portland Town Center] meetings because I kept saying, ‘Please don’t give us the same lack of tools that go with the up-zoning of the town center.’ Because I don’t want to be having this conversation with Marianne, or Marianne’s kids, or grandkids — however long I keep working here — because the tools are not effective, they are not delivering solutions. And it’s a tough nut to crack.
So I’m going to suggest: please keep advocating. If the advocation is, ‘prioritize the top five streets in SWNI’s umbrella’ — [then] really we need street plans, we need to land where those improvements should be, what they should look like. And it has to be sort of granular, it needs to recognize certain pieces.
Multnomah Blvd, for example, is going through Multnomah Village. That’s a different construct than it is near the post office. And so a street plan would take in all those different pieces as a roadway travels through different topographies and watersheds.
And so, having a contextual street design gives us that tool that we can point to with a developer. And why do I say keep advocating? Because every advocate out there, you’ve got an equally, if not louder, voice than a developer in city council’s ear advocating for their piece. And they are not mutually aligned. I’ll just say it that way.
That was the first time I heard Kruger mention corridor-length plans. Mind you, they would just be required frontage improvements for future development, and thus decades away from delivering a complete pedestrian or bike network, if ever. But still, it was a faint light at the end of the tunnel, and the only time I have heard any city official acknowledge that there is a growing problem in the southwest that is going completely unaddressed.
Let me parse Kruger’s comment a little: Currently, development review looks at required frontage improvements in a piecemeal way, one development at a time. This is a lousy way to get a sidewalk or bike network built.
Much of the planned West Portland Town Center (WPTC) area, like the rest of southwest Portland, doesn’t have formal stormwater facilities so runoff water drains to streams. Because the city has no money to build stormwater facilities, and they don’t feel they can legally make developers build the stormwater system that runoff from a sidewalk requires, the city planned for a two-phased development of the Town Center. The first phase up-zones properties that already have adequate stormwater infrastructure in anticipation of a second phase, in which there is somehow capital to build stormwater facilities for the remaining properties.
This is the same build-and-hope approach that has landed southwest Portland the infamous distinction of having the worst sidewalk coverage in the city.
When Kruger says that “contextual street design” gives him a tool “with a developer,” he is referring to the legal requirement that a city proportionately, appropriately and consistently apply its frontage requirements. (Known as Nollan/Dolan jurisprudence, the U.S. Supreme Court imposed limits on how and how much a government could exact from a developer for public works.) A pre-existing corridor-length plan allows the city to justify a frontage exaction as being consistently required of all developments, thus shielding it from developer claims of unfairness and consequent lawsuits.
And that’s a peek at the insider baseball of land use and transportation. Kruger’s answer wasn’t a home run, but it seemed like a step in the right direction. And it is a good idea to periodically touch base with what Kruger is thinking.
Brentwood-Darlington resident Meesa Long lobbied for this project at Metro in 2016. (Photo: Metro)
Maria Schur loves the Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood just fine the way it is; but even she was excited last week when the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) announced they’d finally break ground on a project that’s been eight years in the making.
“I’m biased. I think it’s a very special neighborhood. That’s maybe because I’ve lived here for 20 years,” Schur shared in a phone call Thursday. “But yes, I’m thrilled.”
Schur said walking to the store on SE Flavel and having to choose between mud and overgrown blackberries, or the street, makes the area feel like “The wild west… err, the wild south!”
The Brentwood-Darlington Multimodal Improvements project will spend $7.8 million ($4.6 from a federal grant awarded by Metro in 2017 and $3.2 from local Transportation System Development Charge funds) to fill gaps in sidewalks on both sides of SE Duke and SE Flavel streets between 52nd and 82nd avenues. The project will also build a new neighborhood greenway on SE Knapp and SE Ogden between 52nd and 87th, including a new signalized crossing of SE 82nd Avenue at SE Knapp and an enhanced crossing of 72nd Avenue at SE Ogden. According to a PBOT map of improvements coming to this neighborhood on Portland’s southern border that’s cradled by the Springwater Corridor path, a total of nine new crosswalks will complement the new greenway and sidewalks.
Lesley McKinley, Chelsea Powers, and Meesa Long receiving a Weston Award from Oregon Walks in 2017. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
The $7 million map.
When a group of women — led by Lesley McKinley, Chelsea Powers, and Meesa Long (above) — stood up in 2016 to demand their neighborhood get the investment it deserves, I recall being shocked at the map they circulated. The map listed all sidewalks with red lines in a section of Portland’s southeast quadrant, and there was one striking, red-free rectangle. “That rectangle is Brentwood-Darlington, we are lacking in infrastructure,” Long said during a 2016 public hearing at Metro.
For the city’s part, the neighborhood wasn’t annexed into Portland until 1986, so several of the streets remain unpaved and the sidewalk network is a “complete hodge-podge” (to use Schur’s term). Because PBOT relies on developers to build new sidewalks with new houses; one house will have one, but the house next door will not (see photo below).
But for folks who live in the area, thirty years was long enough to wait for basic infrastructure. And when Long and her fellow activists came along, their persuasive testimonies earned the neighborhood a multi-million dollar federal grant, and was recognized with an advocacy award from Oregon Walks in 2017.
SE Flavel and 60th, where there’s no sidewalk right next to a neighborhood market.No sidewalk right outside Whitman Elementary School on SE Flavel near 72nd.New house, new sidewalk. Old house, no sidewalk.PBOT mapNew crossing here will be a game-changer!
It has taken seven years to break ground in part because the City of Portland had to acquire property rights to build some of the sidewalks. Now they’re ready to get started.
For Schur, who leads “Hill Killer” rides in the neighborhood and is planning an alley-cat race this summer to share its charms, one of the most exciting parts of the project is the planned crossing of SE 82nd between Knapp and Ogden. It’s an offset intersection that requires bike riders to cross five lanes of high-speed traffic on an state-managed orphan highway.
“The scary part of that you have to play Frogger [to get across 82nd], which is nowhere near as fun as the video game version,” says Schur. “It’s just it’s too many lanes of traffic, and you end up waiting for a long time.”
At least we don’t have to wait longer for changes to finally arrive. PBOT says work is expected to start in the next month or two, and will continue through 2024.
Intercity Transit’s Walk N Roll education program improves transportation access, increases independence, and inspires a healthy lifestyle through activities that encourage Thurston County residents to walk, bike, roll and ride public transit for transportation. We are currently recruiting a Bicycle Mechanic Educator to serve as a Walk N Roll Program Representative. They will oversee the operations of the Walk N Roll educational bike shop, provide bike mechanic education and oversee the repair and maintenance of bicycles that support Walk N Roll’s bike education programs.
If you have:
• Ability to lead and educate others.
• Ability to create a welcoming community space for people of all races, ages, genders, abilities, and backgrounds.
• Basic skills in bicycle mechanics.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities effectively and work independently.
• High level of personal accountability for the quality, safety, and impact of your work.
• Proven ability to work in a collaborative environment and complete projects within a team.
Then this position is for you!
Intercity Transit is looking for a Walk N Roll Program Representative to oversee all operations related to the Walk N Roll educational bike shop. They will be responsible for implementing bicycle mechanics education, programs, classes, and activities. We are looking for someone to expand our bike shop education programs while creating an inclusive community space. The Walk N Roll Program Representative will also serve as Intercity Transit’s Employee Transportation Coordinator overseeing the agencies Commute Trip Reduction program.
It’s an exciting time to join IT!
Build a career you enjoy, in an agency that is a nationally recognized urban transit system with diverse services and strong community support. Intercity Transit provides fixed route transit, ADA paratransit and vanpool services in Washington state’s capitol city of Olympia in addition to the neighboring communities of Lacey, Tumwater, and Yelm. This is an exciting time with great opportunities, and we invite you to join us in our mission to provide and promote transportation choices that support an accessible, sustainable, livable, healthy and prosperous community.
As a Walk N Roll Program Representative, you will:
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the Walk N Roll educational bike shop. Responsible for creating and maintaining a safe, organized, and inclusive educational space. Monitor inventory and order bicycle parts and tools.
• Implement and maintain systems for the retrieval, storage, and repair of donated and fleet bikes. Ensure program bikes are properly repaired and in safe riding condition.
• Coordinate, promote and implement bike shop educational activities, events, and classes. Including the development of curriculum and bike mechanic and maintenance instruction and training to youth and adults.
• Handle the waste stream for unsalvageable bikes and bike parts. Including bike part salvaging, recycling and disposal.
• Oversee bike shop volunteer program including the recruitment, training, and tracking of bike shop volunteers. Provide technical oversight for bicycle repair during volunteer events.
• Coordinate, promote and implement the community bike shop program. Provide technical oversight for bicycle repair during community bike shop events.
• Support other Walk N Roll bike, pedestrian, and transit education, activities, outreach, events, and classes.
• Collaborate with other Walk N Roll staff and volunteers, Bicycle Community Challenge Representative, and marketing staff.
• Serve as Intercity Transit’s Employee Transportation Coordinator overseeing the Commute Trip Reduction Program (CTR). Facilitate committee meetings; prepare agendas, minutes, and supporting documents. Track data, create reports, attend networking sessions, and send communications to Intercity Transit employees about the CTR program.
• Support other marketing and communication activities. Provides administrative support to the WNR program.
• Performs other duties of a similar nature or level.
Are you the one we are looking for?
• Associates degree or a specialized certificate training in education, bicycle mechanics, bicycle riding safety, or other related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job.
• Experience with leading adult and/or youth education.
• Experience with bicycle repair is desired (will provide professional and on the job training)
• Experience leading volunteer recruitment and coordination is desired.
• Ability to get a Washington State driver’s license by the date of hire and be willing to submit to a criminal background investigation, the results of which must meet the agency’s hiring criteria.
• Safe, legal, and competent bicycling skills.
• Ability to work with people of all ages, races, genders, abilities, and backgrounds.
• Willing to learn how to safely operate program van and trailer.
• Computers, basic desktop publishing, database and/or spreadsheet design; modern office procedures, methods, and equipment.
• Ability to work Tuesday-Saturday schedule with consistent evening hours.
What’s in it for you?
• Receive a competitive salary of $30.47 – $41.17 an hour in addition to annual general wage/cost of living adjustments typically received in January and step increases in July (if not at top of salary range).
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and eligible dependents.
• PERS Retirement Plans (through Washington State Public Employee’s Retirement System) along with voluntary deferred compensation plans (401k and 457) with employer match up to 6.2%.
• 12 to 25 vacation days per year depending upon date of eligibility and length of service.
• 12 days of sick leave per year depending upon date of eligibility.
• Up to 48 hours of floating holiday time.
How to Apply
Ready to jump on board?
We would love for you to apply! Please submit a complete electronic application online at www.intercitytransit.com/employment. Your application package must include a letter of interest and resume that clearly explains how you meet the qualifications of the position. Be advised, we will not consider incomplete applications. Intercity Transit’s preferred method of communication is via email, so an accurate and active email address is essential.
Completed applications must be received by 5:00pm on Monday, February 5, 2024.
Intercity Transit is an equal employment opportunity employer and strives to provide a culturally diverse workforce. We also take pride in being a drug free workplace. Note that Intercity Transit is subject to requirements of the Federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and CFR Part 40 & Part 655, which prohibit the use of marijuana at any time while employed by Intercity Transit.
Wake Gregg, owner of The E-Bike Store in north Portland, rides a Specialized Haul e-bike. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
A bill set to make its way into the short session of the Oregon Legislature that begins next month would create a new statewide task force on electric bikes, scooters, and other small, motorized vehicles.
Currently in draft form as LC 164 (“LC” stands for legislative council, where bills go for final edits and drafting before being given an official bill number), the bill was shared with advocates in Portland this week and was the topic of discussion at the monthly meeting of Electric Bikes For All, a coalition of e-bike advocates that meets monthly via Zoom.
According to minutes from that meeting, this bill will be sponsored by Rep. Hoa Nguyen, a Democrat who represents District 48 (outer southeast). You might remember Rep. Nguyen as the force behind the successful “Bike Bus Bill” that was signed into law last session.
LC 164 is considered a bill that will help lay educational and political groundwork for a more substantive electric bicycle bill that will be floated in the 2025 session. That bill will likely be some version of Eugene House Rep. Emerson Levy’s “Trenton’s Law” that we covered late last year. I’ve reached to both Nguyen and Levy for more background and comment on LC 164 but haven’t heard back.
If LC 164 passes, a new Task Force on Electric Micromobility would becreated. It would have 19 members appointed by the director of the Oregon Department of Transportation (currently Kris Strickler). Here’s how the membership would have to be broken down:
Two members who represent the Department of Transportation.
One member who represents the State Parks and Recreation Department.
Three members who represent electric micromobility device operators, manufacturers or businesses.
Two members who represent law enforcement and emergency medical services.
One member who represents a city transportation department.
One member who represents a county government. (g) One member who represents a metropolitan planning organization.
One member who represents a public university.
One member who represents the insurance industry.
One member who represents a nonprofit organization with statewide experience on transportation electrification and micromobility.
One member who represents roadway users with disabilities.
One member who represents roadway users.
Two members who represent active transportation organizations.
One member who represents off-road vehicle and trail users.
And here’s the charge of the task force:
Review the existing Oregon laws relating to micromobility and personal mobility devices;
Examine whether safety and education requirements should be required for motor vehicle users, electric micromobility device manufacturers, retailers and user groups;
Examine how electric micromobility devices can be best utilized to promote equity, safety and climate goals in the transportation sector;
Examine best practices for the use of electric micromobility devices, including but not limited to use on highways, bicycle paths, bicycle lanes, public lands, public spaces and mixed-use trails;
Examine statutory definitions of electric micromobility devices;
Address electric micromobility devices for commercial use;
Examine provided education and certification programs relating to electric micromobility devices; and
Seek input from a broad range of community partners, including but not limited to community partners from institutions of higher education, consumer advocacy groups and small, medium and large businesses.
Legislative concepts will be made public tomorrow (Friday, January 12th) and the session officially begins February 5th. In order for a bill to have a chance of passing, it must be pushed out of its originated committee by the end of the first week. The short session ends March 10th.
We got hammered with the fluffy white stuff in 2021. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
They say we might be in for some wild weather the next few days, so get your bikes ready for interesting times. If you head out in snow, lower your tire pressure a bit, watch those turns, and try to stay toasty! We’ve shared loads of wintry weather riding tips over the years and this post is a good place to start.
If you’re looking for community support and inspiration, and don’t feel like heading out on your own, check out the rides below.
PSU Farmers Market Ride – 10:00 am at SE Clinton & 41st (SE) Join a merry crew for this weekly jaunt from inner southeast, across the Tillikum Bridge, and into downtown to purchase and peruse wonderful food and other items at the market. More info here.
Sunday, January 14th
Ole Bolle Troll Ride – 9:30 am at Paulson’s Floor Coverings parking lot in Cedar Mill (West Side) The Portland Bicycling Club is on a mission to find and pay respects to the giant troll public art project by Thomas Dambo. Will they find it? You’ll only find out if you join them on this ride! More info here.
Ride for a Ceasefire – 12:00 pm at Blumenauer Bridge (NE) Ride organizers Rose City Indivisible say, “We are a group of multi-faith Portland riders who are demanding that Earl Blumenauer listen to his constituents and call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire, an end to the occupation, and an end to the US funding Israel’s military.” More info here.
Corvidae Second Sunday Funday Ride – 2:00 pm at Peninsula Park Gazebo (N) This fun-loving and welcoming bike club will brave whatever weather comes our way with a group ride to ring in the new year. More info here.
— Don’t see an event? Please tell us about what’s going on in your neighborhood by filling out our contact form!
PBOT Director Millicent Williams outside City Hall in August 2023. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is facing three of its most daunting challenges ever, and they’re all happening at the same time: the bureau’s budget is structurally unsound and they face major cuts and layoffs if nothing changes; their reputation (and resulting staff morale) is in the toilet as distrust of government continues to grow and PBOT has alienated many of its allies due to various avoidable controversies, and; PBOT faces hard questions about the record number of people who continue to be killed on our roads year after year — despite a much-ballyhooed commitment to Vision Zero.
So when the current PBOT Director Millicent Williams gets interviewed on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Think Out Loud show, we should all pay attention.
Williams joined venerable host Dave Miller on Monday’s program and he asked her questions about all three of the aforementioned challenges. You can listen to the entire interview on OPB’s website, or check my edited version of the main takeaways:
Dave Miller, OPB:
Last year, the highest number in three decades despite so much focus on safety on Vision Zero. How do you explain this?
Millicent Williams, PBOT:
It’s a really hard question to answer. There are any number of factors… The increase is not unique to Portland. I attribute it to a number of things… Some of the width of the roadways are also challenges. And and we focus on education and ensuring that people understand what their responsibilities are as they’re traversing the city… We have to make sure that we’re enforcing, we have to make sure that we’re causing people to slow down, we have to ensure that we’re considering some of the other societal challenges that we have right now… It’s a staggering number, but one that we can trace back to certain things: distraction, intoxication, or otherwise impaired — all those things are our factors.
Dave Miller:
Traffic deaths dropped something like 10% last year, while they went up in Portland. Do you think something is different in Portland?
Millicent Williams:
The way that the city is designed is different. The way that the population has grown is different… As we see the population continue to grow and shift the way that people are using the roadways is shifting. We anticipate that we’ll continue to need to address those challenges in really systematic ways… The numbers do reflect a difference in the ways that cities are built and designed. We have a really intricate network of streets and sidewalks and roadways that sometimes lend themselves to people showing up in ways that are less than helpful… We’re really working to make sure that we’re educating users of all modes in ways that help us to bring those numbers down, but I do think a lot has to do with the way that the city is populated, the way the city is designed, and the size of the city.
Dave Miller:
What are you doing to focus on particularly vulnerable populations?
Millicent Williams:
We use an equity matrix to help to inform where we make investments and build projects, because we recognize that every community needs to be served and served well… As it relates to those who are unhoused, I think the challenge we have as a city, and as a county, and as a country, is to make sure we’re treating people with dignity, and helping them to find options that move them away from the roadway… I don’t want to suggest that I’m blaming anyone for their condition or their situation; but what we can do is work hand-in-hand with community members to make sure that we are providing them with safe passage, that they have wide enough sidewalks, that they are able to go to places that are safe and clean and protected from potential vehicular traffic that would potentially be a fatal crash for them.
Dave Miller:
Your bureau did a number of surveys of Portland residents and PBOT employees and different constituent groups this year… What’s your top priority?
Millicent Williams:
My top priority is making sure that as the leader for the Bureau of Transportation, we’re serving all communities well. I do think it is important for us to be able to, quote unquote get “back to basics” — make sure that the city is clean, that is well maintained, that we are promoting livability and the ways that we’re promoting and delivering our work… We receive significant funding from outside of the city — federal funding, state funding and other funding to do that innovative work — but it’s important to me that that innovative work have has as its foundation, safe passable roads, clean bike lanes, connected sidewalks, crossings that are connected from one side to the other, that there are signals in place, there’s lighting in place. Those are things that are important to me. I’ve been saying here lately: “We’ve got to get things done, we’ve got to get them done right, and we’ve got to get them done well.”… Maintenance is safety, maintenance is asset management, maintenance is livability… And so we have to focus on all of those things… So that we can do some of that more futuristic thinking about how we can transform our city for what’s coming ahead.
Dave Miller:
What do you see as a long-term solution [to the budget problems]?
Millicent Williams:
… If we do our jobs, well, we do put ourselves out of business. If we create the opportunity for people to use different options to get around town, we do kind of make the gas tax null and void. So we do have to look at alternatives to ensuring that we’re funding the bureau and we’ve had a series of conversations internal to the bureau with city partners about what we might do differently… parking management, we’re going to be looking at VMT, vehicle miles traveled, as an option for funding and how we attach fees to that, there is a utility licensing fee that was established 35 years ago. Right now the transportation bureau is not receiving any of that funding. However, if we have the opportunity to begin to recoup some of the funding — the percentage of that funding that has been reallocated to other interests in the city — we would be able to fill at least some of those gaps…
Dave Miller:
Soon after you became the head of PBOT, the bureau got a lot of flack for an effort to revert a section of protected bike lane on Broadway… There were a lot of bad feelings from from cyclists and other members of the community at the time. What are you doing to build back trust?
Millicent Williams:
That was a challenging moment for me personally, and for the bureau. I recognize that it did cause harm. One of the things that I’m doing is connecting directly with the folks who are most affected, continuing to have the conversations and continuing to show up and be in the spaces that are important. I don’t fear having conversations. I don’t fear conflict and I recognize that we won’t always agree on things. But the way that we get to resolution is through coming together, and so that’s what I’m committed to doing. That’s what the bureau is committed to doing.
And I know I have plenty of work to do to continue to restore the faith and trust. But that’s what I’m here to do.
What are your takeaways from this?
To me, it was notable she mentioned a possible VMT tax. The idea of charging Portland road users by the mile was one of the considerations in PBOT’s 2021 Pricing Options for Equitable Mobility report, but I don’t think we’ve heard it offered as an actual possibility in this type of higher-level context. Is PBOT actually working on it? I also love that she mentioned the ULF revenue that other bureaus have stolen away from PBOT over the years. It’s long overdue for some of those funds to come back to transportation.
I also think her explanation of a “back to basics” mindset is noteworthy. That’s a sensitive topic, because in the past I think most folks have seen maintenance spending and new project spending as a binary, zero-sum conversation. As in, we either take care of roads, or we improve the network. It’s clear Williams is putting herself squarely behind taking care of the roads first, so it remains to be seen how she’ll balance the necessity for doing “innovative work” (which in my opinion could be a euphemism for big bike and bus projects) at the same time.
And finally, her response to what is causing all the deaths was interesting to me. I felt like most of her answer was blaming users of the road, and didn’t make any suggestion that how the roads are designed could play a factor. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as I think given the terrible conduct of more people these days we do need to shift the narrative toward personal responsibility a bit more, but to reverse bad trends Williams must confront the fact that some of PBOT’s decisions play a role in creating the dysfunctional traffic culture she points her finger at.
StreetsPDX is up and running! And to be honest, I’ve got mixed feelings.
All that information I spent years and hundreds of hours poking around internet for—street classifications, the public works review process, early assistance, required development improvements—is now conveniently and attractively packaged in one location. Hey, I had to earn that knowledge the hard way! Now, any Joe Blow can easily access it.
Joking aside, StreetsPDX (formerly called Streets 2035) is great. A web page for people who wonder how decisions about using the right-of-way are made. Why no street trees here? Can’t a sidewalk go there? How about a median?
It’s a decision framework that establishes priorities for what goes in the right-of-way. Its audience, the people who would care about any of this, are mainly city employees, developers and neighborhood advocates. But the site is so well-designed that I think it could be handy for a lot of people, even just as a nice map.
W Burnside and 10th AveSuggested cross sectionsHow to proceed for private devlopment
About that map, find your street, see its classification. What are the options for its street cross section? How wide is it? (No longer will I have to throw a tape measure across a street or run one of those wheel things to get a street width, those days are gone.)
As an example, let’s look at West Burnside at 10th Avenue, right outside Powell’s Books (see figure at left). The road is 44 feet wide, its street classifications are listed on the left and you can find suggested street cross sections by clicking the link. On the top menu bar are guidelines for city staff regarding how to proceed through a sea of city code and policy, depending on whether the proposed development is a city or private project (see code guiding private development at right).
PBOT launched the website last July, and in December I listened to Project Manager Mathew Berkow present it to the SWNI (Southwest Neighborhood’s Inc) Transportation Committee. Also attending that meeting was Kurt Kruger who came to “support Matt.”
StreetsPDX can be viewed as a brain dump of everything Kruger needs to take into consideration to do his job. After years of leading PBOT’s Development Review section, he now heads the public infrastructure permitting team that city council created last year as part of government restructuring and regulatory reform.
If you have ever attended a SWNI Transportation Committee meeting, it’s obvious why a city employee might want to come with support. This is where the old lions of southwest transportation advocacy sit, and where the young come to get trained. It’s an experienced group with a very long memory.
The conversation between Kruger and a few committee members following Berkow’s presentation was quite substantive, and deserving of a separate post of it own. So stay tuned for Part II later this week. Until then, poke around with the StreetsPDX map, it’s fun!
Yes, the transformation of North Willamette Boulevard is something I’m very excited about. And yes, I’ll admit it’s partly because it’s a key bike street in my neighborhood and my family, friends, and I will be among the many people who use it.
I know I’ve done two posts about it in the past few months — one about newly released designs, the other about some project elements that will break ground this year — but it’s time for another. Why? Because at last night’s monthly meeting of the Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC), Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) Capital Project Manager David Backes shared a sneak peek of newer “60%” designs and overlayed them on a Google Map to give us a detailed look at what’s coming.
Backes (who happens to live in St. Johns and rides/walks/drives on Willamette a lot) said the designs and map he shared last night were completed a few weeks ago and haven’t been made public yet. I was watching the meeting and happened to record my screen while he explained the designs (and rationale behind them) to BAC members. Beyond the exciting changes Backes revealed, it’s a fascinating look at some of the thought processes PBOT goes through to arrive at design decisions.
What we see in the video above is Backes going through major elements of the project starting from the corner of N Willamette and Rosa Parks.
At Rosa Parks, he reveals PBOT will actually widen the road in order to make room for full concrete protection of the bikeway. Then he moves north to the expansive intersections of N Liberty/Oatman and N Vincent/Saratoga — both of which will be severely necked down as part of this project. Next stop is the intersection of Willamette and Bryant, where big changes are in store for the bus stops and the awkward diagonal connection with a major east-west greenway. Then we hear about changes at N Chautauqua, where PBOT will add curb extensions to shorten crossing distances and cut into the bluff for the bike lane. Further north, at N Olin and Harvard we learn about plans to close Olin to drivers. Backes also shares plans for the bike lane at the University of Portland entrance and N Ida just beyond the railroad cut.
Pretty exciting stuff huh? And BAC members were thrilled and thanked Backes and the other PBOT staffer in attendance for their work thus far. Let’s just hope PBOT is taking care of the public process in a way that assures we’ll actually see these changes come to fruition.
On that note, remember that PBOT won’t begin major construction on this project until 2025; but we’ll see big changes to the striping as early as this spring when PBOT tags onto a planned repaving project to lay out the new bike lanes as the plans call for. The bike lanes will get wider, we’ll see removal of on-street parking, ADA curb ramps, and lots of other changes coming this year. Then, when the federally-funded project gets going in 2025-2026, PBOT will come back and add the concrete curbs, medians, and other major elements.
Looking northwest on NE 33rd where PBOT has installed a new, two-way bikeway between Mason (on the left) and Skidmore (upper right) along Wilshire Park. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Over the weekend I finally got a chance to take a closer look at the new protected bike crossing and bike lanes on the Mason-Skidmore Greenway. It’s a welcome addition that makes getting across Northeast 33rd much easier and helps make an important connection in the bike network.
To refresh your memory, the Portland Bureau of Transportation took advantage of a repaving project on NE 33rd over the summer (the same one that led to the big bike lane removal controversy about one mile north) to make improvements for bicycling. With an east-west neighborhood greenway route planned on NE Mason and Skidmore, PBOT needed to do something about the offset crossing of Mason where it dead-ends into Wilshire Park at 33rd and they wanted to create a stronger connection between existing greenways on 32nd and 37th. Their solution was to put two separate projects together and do the 33rd crossing and the Skidmore bike lanes at the same time.
Looking west on Skidmore toward 33rd.Looking west on Skidmore toward 33rd.Looking west on Skidmore toward 33rd.Looking west on Skidmore toward 33rd.Looking south on 33rd from Skidmore.Looking north on 33rd at Skidmore.Riding south on 33rd just before Mason.Looking north on 33rd at Mason.View west on Mason from 33rd.View west on Mason from 33rd.Looking northwest on 33rd from just south of Mason.Looking north on 33rd from just south of Mason.Looking north on 33rd from just south of Mason.Looking north on 33rd at Mason.Looking north on 33rd at Mason.Looking north on 33rd at Mason.From the park, looking north at corner of 33rd and Skidmore.Riding east on Skidmore toward 34th.
For the crossing, PBOT has installed a mix of signal upgrades, colored bike lanes, and concrete medians and curbs to create a short section of two-way protected bike lanes on the east side of 33rd between Mason and Skidmore. PBOT then continued the two-way bike lanes one block on Skidmore to 34th, where they dump back into a shared-street environment via a sharrow marking.
PBOT still needs to install some sort of signal actuators for bike riders to cross 33rd, but otherwise the new infrastructure worked well during my short visit. It was intuitive and I felt relatively safe.
Riding westbound on Skidmore, the design requires you to merge across the road to enter the protected (via flexi-posts) bike lane. I can imagine that being stressful for some riders. Merging across a road to turn left isn’t a big deal, but at this location (which is essentially mid-block) where other road users aren’t expecting that behavior, it could be confusing and a bit more dangerous. Thankfully, PBOT has also added a speed bump on Skidmore just east of 33rd right where the bike lanes end.
The left turn from Skidmore onto 33rd is a bit of an adrenaline rush, since you’re suddenly going head-on against drivers on a relatively busy collector street (33rd is a major north-south artery in the car network).
On 33rd, I was happy to see that PBOT used full concrete medians instead of just “paint and post” (they must have known that with the heavy traffic on 33rd, they needed something more robust than just plastic). They fit the bike lanes on 33rd by taking space from what used to be infrequently used on-street car parking lanes.
“Community members had mixed reactions to the initial design. The updated design allows future projects to consider a range of options, including a shared street neighborhood greenway with full traffic calming improvements or a multi-use path along the park. Multiple options remain available for a future capital project.”
We’ll have to hold them to that promise and see what the future holds.
Perrin Smith in The Shed. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland) Inset map: Smith’s Strava heat map.
43-year-old North Portland resident Perrin Smith has done something extraordinary. In a quest that was part of his life for nearly three years, he walked every single street and alleyway in the City of Portland. That’s about 2,100 miles of pavement, gravel, grass, mud, and sidewalks.
Born and raised in rural New Jersey, he “escaped” the East Coast and came to Portland in 2006 after graduating from Northern Arizona University. A veteran of competitive running, Smith was geared up for a big season in 2020 when Covid hit and everything changed.
“I was bummed and really needed something to do,” he told me in an interview Monday for the BikePortland Podcast. “I started following people on Instagram who were running every single street and it looked like fun. And I thought, ‘Sure. Why not? I’ll do it’.” (Smith was inspired by Rickey Gates, an author and notable endurance runner who popularized the “Every Single Street” movement.)
Smith fired up his Strava app and, since he was still in competitive-mode, started his challenge running all the miles. When an injury struck, he switched to walking and the real journey began. “I started to realize that I liked walking even more, because I was going slower. I was stopping to take photos, I was looking at graffiti, or someone’s weird artwork in their front yard. And I just I kind of slowed down life and I looked around more, which is not something that I ever did. I was always so focused on running, but it became more about exploring and learning.”
“And ever since then I have done everything that I was doing, slower.”
His day job as a pizza cook didn’t require him to explore Portland, so he found himself navigating new neighborhoods with fresh eyes. At the start, he’d drive across town to start a walk. But a harrowing car crash in August 2022 led him to stop driving. Then he decided to not renew his license, has been carfree for over a year now, and used his bike or public transit to get across town and fill in new parts of the map.
The scariest place he walked? Marine Drive or Airport Way were both “pretty terrifying” he shared. (Note: If there was an off-street bike path adjacent to a street, he would not take it. He felt walking on the street was a required part of the challenge.)
Smith’s Instagram has scenes from his walks and maps of his progress.
His favorite place to walk? Southwest hills: Hillsdale, Maplewood and Markham neighborhoods especially. “It’s so much quieter down there. It’s like a totally different town.”
In one neighborhood he found a bunch of houses that had strange, artistic mailboxes. One of them, jokingly marked “Air Mail” was on a pole, 20-feet off the ground. He also walked with a group of friendly peacocks in southeast near Johnson Creek. One time a guy chased him down and angrily demanded to know what he was doing. “I’m just walking on the street! What’s the problem?” Smith remembers thinking.
But it’s the rich memories of every nook and cranny of Portland and everything he learned along the way that he’ll remember most. “I miss it. I really miss it,” Smith said. “I’d do it again.”
For more about his amazing feat, don’t miss our conversation in the latest episode of the BikePortland Podcast (above or wherever you get your podcasts). Follow Smith on Instagram at @geographically_inclined. You can also follow another Portlander, @slipoker, who’s currently documenting their #everysinglestreet effort.
There was the usual anger and frustration when Rob Galanakis shared an incident of driver road rage with a group of bike advocates online last Wednesday. Portland bike riders have become numb to the bad behavior and disrespect shown to them by many drivers. But Rob’s story was different: He was not only raged at, but physically assaulted by a driver — and it happened as he led a weekly “bike bus” ride!
Bike buses are group bike rides to school where kids (and some parent leaders) meet at pre-determined spots and ride to school together. Rob leads the Glencoe Bike Bus, which swings by several schools in southeast Portland.
Last Wednesday Rob posted to the BikeLoud PDX Slack looking for advice. He wanted to know how best to follow up after experiencing road rage on his ride. “We had a driver tailing within a couple feet and honking… He was yelling he’s a special ed teacher and was late,” Rob wrote. “He got out of his car, grabbed my bike, threw it down, and tried to rush back into his car and drive past me.”
Rob, the kids, and a few other parents were riding north on SE 61st Avenue and were about to cross E Burnside when he first heard the honking from behind. He immediately swung into action and engaged the driver in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. Rob credits his experience doing “corking” (when riders stand in front of drivers at intersections to let large groups pass through intersections together) for giving him the training that led to a mostly positive outcome on Wednesday.
“I just cannot get over how absurd this whole situation is,” he shared in our conversation.
When asked if he’ll use this situation as a teachable moment for the kids, Rob said no. “I want to teach them to love being outside and being active and being a good citizen. And this is just teaching them to be afraid. And I don’t want to teach them to be afraid. And I do believe as long as they are smart and prepared, then they don’t need to be afraid.”
While Rob was sanguine about what happened to him, his experience at the hands of impatient/rude/dangerous river is something we hear about far too often. As bike buses have multiplied throughout Portland, a nascent advocacy coalition has formed to lobby the City of Portland for safer streets. They want more diverters to discourage cut-through traffic, more cameras to catch dangerous drivers, lower speeds on neighborhood greenways, and more.
I talked to Rob via video on Friday to learn more and I’ve shared an edited version of our conversation in the video above. In it, you’ll hear what happened and Rob’s advice for other bike bus leaders who might experience the same thing.
— You can also listen to a version of this interview on our podcast. Listen below or wherever you get your podcasts.
