Eva Frazier and I are back with another episode of “In The Shed.” This episode was recorded earlier today in the BikePortland Shed in north Portland after Eva and I attended the Jason Ruhmshottel ghost bike installation event.
As usual, we had a really great chat about a wide range of stuff. Here’s a taste of the topics this week:
Reflections on our attendance at the Jason Ruhmshottel ghost bike installation event
BikeLoud’s Squeaky Wheel project
PBOT budget update
Commissioner Mingus Mapps goes full Shoupian
East Portland bike tour with Timur Ender
Riding alleyways and through parks
Rolling through stop signs
When cops lecture us
Eva took the bus to Seattle and liked it more than Portland
Why City of Portland doesn’t have a lot of money
Bike shop news – Trek Portland, Gladys, Golden Pliers
How the MAX light rail killed Interstate Ave
New Season Arbor Lodge is the story of Portland
The Boom Bike
Thanks to Brock Dittus of Sprocket Podcast fame for our theme music.
Thanks for listening and see you in the Shed next week!
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!
Christina Cuanalo places flowers at a ghost bike installed for her brother Jason Ruhmshottel while BikeLoud volunteers Sarah Risser (purple jacket) and Steve Cheseborough (red), his mother Jill Ruhmshottel (white flowers), and other members of Jason’s family look on. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
A few hours ago, a ghost bike was installed where the Smith & Bybee Wetlands path crosses North Portland Road just south of Marine Drive. Jason Ruhmshottel was struck and killed by a driver while riding across this intersection on September 19th, 2023.
Today at the site, Jason’s family — his mother Jill Ruhmshottel, sister Christina Cuanalo, brother-in-law Mario Cuanalo, and niece Michelle Ruhmshottel — met advocates from BikeLoud PDX and held a small ceremony to mark the memorial site with the bike, flowers, and photos.
BikeLoud volunteer Sarah Risser took on a project to make roadside memorials for crash victims (more on that later). This was her first time coordinating a ghost bike. She met the family, and along with other BikeLoud volunteers, they attached signs to the bike and then Mario placed it along the busy road.
Risser knows the pain the family is going through, since she lost a son of her own in a traffic crash. “As a mother who has lost a son. I think there’s a general hesitancy that a lot of people have about showing up for the family or publicly honoring the loss of a loved one. I think in most cases it’s a great comfort to the family to have the community show up and to have the community express love or acknowledgement because it means a lot.”
L to R: Jill Ruhmshottel (mom), Christina Cuanalo (sister), Mario Cuanalo (brother-in-law), Michelle Ruhmshottel (niece)
Christina Cuanalo said she hopes the white bicycle helps people remember her brother. “I want Jason not to be forgotten. I want people to know what happened here,” she said. “For this bike to be here, maybe it will make a statement and something like this won’t happen again.”
While standing out there it becomes very clear how dangerous this crossing is. There is no flashing beacon, no signal, nothing to slow drivers down. People speed by so quickly. Some slowed, but many barely did. It makes it easy to understand how a tragedy like this can happen. Hopefully people take time to not just see Jason’s ghost bike, but to think about what it means for someone to be killed while using our roads — and that each one of us has a responsibility to prevent it from happening in the future.
Crowded parking in Kerns neighborhood. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Portland’s transportation bureau walked slowly away from the edge of a financial cliff on City Council budget work session on Thursday. Battered by years of revenue loss made worse by not charging road users enough for the service of safe streets, and a change in travel behaviors exacerbated by the pandemic, the Portland Bureau of Transportation was an agency on the brink when they approached council for help five months ago.
With a $32.4 million shortfall and the prospect of laying off 118 full-time employees that would have been “gutting to the bureau” (according to its director), something had to give. In a proposal shared for the first time yesterday, we learned that PBOT will plug about one-third of that revenue hole by charging drivers more to park and register their vehicles. Combined with funding from the Portland Clean Energy Fund and the expected (but not guaranteed!) passage of the Fixing Our Streets local gas tax renewal in May, PBOT has chiseled that shortfall down to a manageable $4.6 million and just four full-time positions (which likely won’t result in any layoffs).
PBOT’s budget was presented at council yesterday along with the budgets from the water and environmental services bureaus (it was the first time all three bureau directors teamed up under the “Public Works” banner, a nod to the upcoming change in government that will group bureaus into “service areas” to encourage collaboration).
How PBOT will avoid falling over the cliff.
PBOT Director Millicent Williams laid out the plan (at right) by saying it’s long overdue that the city starts to “more efficiently collect resources” owed by drivers who starve parking meters and have expired tags. “Over the course of many, many years,” Williams said, “PBOT has been quite altruistic and has taken on opportunities to be in service to community without necessarily charging… and that’s part of what has added to where we find ourselves now.”
If this new budget plan is adopted, Williams will hire 28 new parking enforcement officers. Six will be assigned to write citations to Portlanders with expired registration and the rest will patrol parking meters and permit districts citywide. PBOT estimates of the one million previously registered vehicles in Portland, about 460,000 are eligible for renewal. Citations for expired tags and other parking infractions could net PBOT $5.5 million in the coming fiscal year.
To soften the blow, Williams told council that revenue from these citations will help her agency preserve popular services like: pavement preservation, block party permits, snow and ice response efforts, homeless camp cleanups (which PBOT does a lot of these days), staff support for the three modal committees (bike, walk, and freight), street plaza activations, parade permits, 823-SAFE request support, and more.
In addition to writing citations for these violations, Williams said having more parking officers on the ground will help general livability because it, “provides an additional set of trained eyes and ears are situations that arise on our streets.”
PBOT also wants to shift payment of the parking meter credit card usage fee from the city to car drivers and index the parking meter rate to inflation with a 20-cent across-the-board increase in all parking districts — moves they estimate will safe them an additional $5.3 million a year. (The 20-cent increase is to make up for previous years’ inflation rates. In future years, the rate will go up eight cents per hour per year.)
Slides shown by PBOT Director Millicent Williams at council work session Thursday.
“There will be some political blowback here,” Commissioner Mingus Mapps said during yesterday’s work session. “We haven’t really been in the business of actually ticketing people for not registering their cars, and we’re going to hand out more tickets when you don’t plug the meter.”
Mapps said he’s also looking to add more paid parking districts around the city and framed it as a necessity given how much demand there is on curb space in dense residential and commercial areas. Sounding like a parking reformer who understands that pricing spaces is key to turnover in busy areas, Mapps added, “The dynamics of parking have changed dramatically in the last five years or so… If you are a small business trying to sell flowers or fresh bread and people can’t pull up to their store to facilitate that, we’re really killing business by not addressing this.”
Director Williams assured council that even with these proposed increases, parking rates in Portland are “still quite low” and would bring our prices up to about $2.60 an hour per meter, about 50% less than most major cities.
One new element of PBOT’s budget plan we learned yesterday was how the PCEF infusion will free up $7.4 million in general fund dollars that can be put to other uses. Specifically, PBOT showed a slide that said they’ll use the money to do more street sweeping, harden bike lanes, daylight intersections, and invest in other traffic calming upgrades.
In discussion among council members that followed the presentation, Commissioner Rene Gonzalez and Mayor Ted Wheeler expressed concern that PBOT still isn’t addressing the fundamental problem the bureau faces: that the behavior we want less of (driving) is largely what pays for everything else.
“I think one of the weaknesses in this for PBOT is that this is always such a transactional discussion… this annual fight between downtown business owners and PBOT over what it’s going to cost them to park,” Gonzalez said. He added that it’s easier for him to get business support if parking rate increases are locked-in and predictable year-over-year, instead of cuts one year and increases the next.
And Mayor Wheeler again expressed concern that many Portlanders feel they are being taxed to death already and can’t afford higher prices to drive. “There’s a lot of people who are driving in the city… who can’t afford to drive. And they’re driving even though they can’t afford to drive because the public transit system isn’t adequate,” he said. Wheeler also urged PBOT to move beyond this annual plea for new fees and “convene a community conversation about ‘How to people want the city to function going forward 25 years? What do we want it to look like?'”
PBOT Director Williams could be seen and heard nodding as Wheeler spoke. She assured him that, “There are a number of of intense and intentional conversations that are happening to ensure that we are thinking creatively about how we can move into a different conversation, one that is more centered on problem-solving versus pointing fingers at who’s to blame and what didn’t happen before.” “But,” she continued, “In the interim, there is the challenge that we have to maintain the system that we have.”
PBOT’s final budget request is due February 16th. Then the debates and politics will continue in the coming weeks and months until the Mayor releases his budget in early May and council takes action to approve a final 2024-2025 budget in lae June. Learn more at the City Budget Office website.
Grab a bike. Find some friends. Get out there. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
It’s almost Friday, time to plan your weekend.
Here are some fun things to do for bike lovers this weekend…
Friday, February 9th
New to Portland Ride – 12:00 noon at SE Caruthers Plaza on Eastbank Esplanade (SE) The City of Portland wants to welcome you to our wonderful biking scene with a classic ride around the Willamette River on some of our best paths. More info here.
Saturday, February 3rd
Curated Winter Light Fest Ride – 6:45 pm at Oregon Convention Center (NE) Join a Portlander who happens to have a huge sound system on their bike as they share a route of their favorite Winter Light Fest installations. Note: This ride isn’t part of the official festival. More info here.
PSU Farmer’s Market Ride – 10:00 am at SE Clinton & 41st (SE) This weekly ride is sure to bring a smile to your face and a satisfied feeling to your tummy. Meet others who care about the local food ecosystem by supporting the largest farmer’s market in Portland. More info here.
Gaza Sunbirds Ceasefire Now Ride – 1:00 pm at Blumenauer Bridge (NE) “We are a group of queer, multi-faith Portland riders who support a Free Palestine. We demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire, an end to the illegal occupation, and a stop to the US funding Israel’s military.” More info here.
Lloyd Light It Up Light Fest Ride and Dance Party – 5:30 pm at Broadway Grill (NE) The Street Trust will host an official PDX Winter Light Fest event where you can get your bike lit, celebrate the night, and move your body as you take in the wonder of beautiful light displays. More info here.
Sunday, February 4th
Overlook Neighborhood Ride – 9:30 am at Stacks Coffeehouse (N) Roll over to north Portland and get to know the people and places that make the Overlook neighborhood such a cool place to live, work, and play. More info here.
Mutual Aid Distribution Ride – 1:00 pm at Golden Pliers Bike Shop (N) You’ll ride about 20 miles to various stores and fill up your panniers and racks, and then distribute the goods to free fridges and pantries. More info here.
Corvidae Bike Club Ride – 2:00 pm at Peninsula Park Rose Garden Fountain (N) Are you Corvidae-curious? This welcoming, fun-loving group will take you on an adventurous route to a tranquil “hidden beach oasis.” 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, or just email me at maus.jonathan@gmail.com if it’s easier.
A carfree path on NE 113th between Glisan and Oregon that Timur helped get built when he worked at PBOT. The path connects a neighborhood greenway to nearby schools via a planned signalized crossing. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
I’m excited to bring you this interview-by-bike with Portland City Council District 1 candidate Timur Ender. Timur is running to represent east Portland and he invited me on a ride on Tuesday to get a closer look at his district.
I’ve known Timur since he was fresh out of Lewis & Clark Law School. He showed up to one of our Wonk Night events in February 2013. Timur was a volunteer for tactical urbanist group Better Block PDX and was one of the leading organizers of their Better Naito pilot project that ultimately became the official City of Portland project that we all love riding on today. Timur has worked as transportation policy advisor for former City Commissioner Steve Novick and served a five-year stint at PBOT as part of their capital project team.
In short, I could think of no better person to give me a tour of bike infrastructure in east Portland!
Corner of NE 102nd and Glisan.NE GlisanCenter lane hardening to prevent early merging.NE Glisan and 108thCarfree path on NE 113th between Glisan and Oregon.Future signal at NE Glisan and 113th.E Burnside and 117th.E Burnside and 122nd.Crossing East Burnside at 122nd.Come on, dude. 122nd122ndSE 117th where Timur wants to pave a walkway similar to NE 60th in Cully.SE 117th SE Market122nd122nd122ndSE MillSE Mill near Lincoln City ParkSE Mill greenwaySE Mill greenwaySE Division.SE Division and 136thSE 136thProtected bike lane on SE 136th.Protected bike lane on SE 136th.Protected bike lane on SE 136th.Protected bike lane on SE 136th.Protected bike lane on SE 136th.Crossing 136th near Center.136th really needs to be swept!SE Center greenway.SE Powell BlvdSE Powell BlvdSE DivisionDivision and SE 160thSE DivisionSE DivisionProtected intersection at SE Division and 162ndProtected intersection at SE Division and 162ndSE 162nd.SE 162nd.SE 162nd.SE 162nd and Mill.SE 162nd.SE 162nd.SE 148thSE 148th near StarkSE 148th and StarkNE 148th.NE GlisanNE GlisanNE GlisanNE Glisan at Menlo Park Elementary.NE Glisan at Menlo Park Elementary.NE Glisan at Menlo Park Elementary.NE Glisan at Menlo Park Elementary.NE Glisan and 122nd.Timur at Glendoveer Gold Course.Carfree path connecting to Gateway Discovery Park.
In this episode, you’ll hear Timur and me talk about various bikeway treatments and projects as we pedal a loop (view route map below) from NE Glisan and 102nd, down to SE Powell, then over to 162nd and up to Glendoveer Golf Course. (Don’t worry about getting lost, we call out cross streets at regular intervals. Also note that photos above are in order.) Hear how vital shortcuts and opportunism (like his idea to pave a path through gravel on NE 113th between Oregon and Glisan to connect to a planned new traffic signal as part of a Safe Routes to School project) are key to making cycling better in east Portland.
You’ll also learn about Timur’s ideas for making streets safer and less car-centric — like his vision to create a Barcelona-inspired superblock bounded by 102nd, Glisan, Stark and 122nd.
One thing that struck me during our ride was how much impact a single, dedicated and thoughtful PBOT employee can have on how our streets work. At one point while biking on East Burnside, Timur pointed out a buffer stripe that gives the bike lane more space between car drivers. “I’m really proud of this buffer,” Timur said, as he explained how he was in a meeting and said, “Just paint another line.” And they did.
Timur is someone with a love of east Portland that really comes through in this episode. While biking across SE 122nd near Market he wanted to stop and point out one of his favorite intersections. I figured he’d talk about infrastructure, but he proceeded to point out several small businesses: an Ethiopian restaurant he loves, his favorite bodega, a community space where he had a memorable dinner, and so on.
Interspersed with talk about bus rapid transit (which he sees as “low-hanging fruit” on streets like 122nd, Halsey, and Stark), buffered bike lanes and housing policy (Timur supports more housing in inner neighborhoods because he feels it will decrease displacement in his district); you’ll hear Timur share why he (reluctantly) decided to run for council, how he first fell in love with cycling, why he chose to live in Portland, what it’s like being carfree in east Portland, and much more.
Listen to the full episode above, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Are you interested in joining our well-rounded crew of talented and diversely-skilled mechanics? At Joe Bike, we pride ourselves on providing excellent service and communication with every customer. We like making personal connections and finding solutions to meet customer needs and budgets. Our team also knows how to have fun and enjoys collaborating on projects. We offer competitive wages based on experience, paid time off, health benefits, and a retirement plan.
How to Apply
If this sounds like you, please send an email to info@joe-bike.com with your resume and answer the following questions to help us get to know you:
1. What are your best mechanical strengths when working with bikes, and what areas are you less confident in?
2. Our bike shop is a busy and dynamic environment. How would you prioritize your time when deciding between working on bikes, helping customers with test rides and product selections, and working on cleaning, organizing, and completing side projects around the store?
3. What is your ideal bike shop environment and why?
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.
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.
Position: Bicycle Mechanic
P/T: Wednesday-Saturday ~ 32 hrs/week
Reports To: p:ear Works Director / Shop Managers Compensation: $19/hr.
Bike Mechanic Job Description
bike works is looking for a dynamic individual to help support our social purpose enterprise community bike shop in East Portland. In partnership with the Rosewood Initiative, bike works supports Portland’s Eastside communities, providing low cost, low
barrier access to bike education, repair and sales of refurbished bicycles and parts. Prior community bike shop experience is a big advantage. Our shop is located at 141276 SE Stark St.
The primary role of the bicycle mechanic from January through March will be to build up the shop’s inventory of bikes that are ready for sale before business picks back up in the spring. This position will require mechanical aptitude and attention to detail. Additional duties include: tearing down unusable bikes and processing used parts, help with customer service and miscellaneous shop functions, participate in shop inventory counts and shop organization efforts.
As demand for repair services increases in the spring, the mechanic role will increasingly focus on customer repairs and direct customer service. This will include check in/out of customer bikes and bike repair assessments and sales. As an essential part of our team, you will model excellent customer service and professionalism for our youth interns.
Required Qualifications & Competencies
● 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 – several years preferred
● Excellent customer service and communication skills
● Able to work independently, problem solve and complete tasks with minimal
oversight
● Bilingual a plus
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
● Exemplifies compassion and understanding around the barriers of homelessness and underrepresented populations in the community
● Maintain an organized and efficient work environment
● Professional communication with supervisors
● Proficiently execute assembly, repairs and maintenance for all types of bicycles,
particularly used and older bicycles
● Adheres to any and all safety procedures regarding lifting, usage of tools and bicycle safety checks. Helmets must be worn when riding a bicycle.
● Assemble, test and service new and used bikes
● Represent bike works and its mission positively and professionally
● Identify barriers and recommend solutions to better serve the community
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 parts used per project
o Maintain a neat and organized workspace
o Maintain a high level of professionalism
o Perform quality control checks on bikes built
Winter Production Work
● Select and fully repair bicycles for sale through the shop
● Produce 2 complete bicycles per day
● Track inventory and inputs on each production bike
● Complete no fewer than 100 sale bikes by the 1st of March
Shop Operations
o Salvaging usable parts from bike donations
o Cleaning and organizing used part inventory
o Assist customers in the shop with purchases and bicycle repairs during
sales
o Strong proficiency with bicycle tech
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, creating 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 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.
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
How to Apply
TO APPLY: Please send resume and answers to the questions below as PDFs to the questions in lieu of a cover letter to nathan@bikeworkspdx.org with “Bicycle Mechanic” in the subject line. The job will remain open until full. Email only, no phone calls, please – phone calls will not be returned. Successful candidates will be contacted for an interview starting early January 2024.
1. How will you incorporate equity into your work as a bike mechanic at bike works by p:ear? Please outline your approach to customer service and working with underserved communities.
2. Describe your level of bike mechanic expertise and proficiencies, including types of bikes worked on and past or current shop environments that you have worked in.
Gladys Bikes owner Cassie Hidalgo in 2021. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Three well-known Portland bike shops will go through major changes in the coming weeks.
11 days from now there will no longer be a bike shop on SW 10th and Salmon. The Trek Portland Downtown store will close on February 18th and re-open March 1st in a new building 1.2 miles away. And Gladys Bikes, the small but mighty shop that opened on NE Alberta Street in 2014 plans to call it quits. And in a serendipitous cycling situation, Golden Pliers Bike Shop on NE Skidmore will move into the old Gladys Bikes location and take over their lease.
Trek Portland Slabtown will be the new name of the downtown Trek store and a major upgrade as they move out of an older building and into brand new digs on the corner of NW 21st and Raleigh. An employee at the downtown store told BikePortland he’s “pretty excited” about the move. “We had a lot of issues with all the normal downtown shenanigans. I’m looking forward to being in a part of a town that’s a little bit more alive, has more foot traffic, and maybe a little less open drug use.”
The lack of downtown commuters has hurt Trek Portland’s downtown location hard. The new location is in a fast-growing part of northwest where new, multi-story residences and numerous retail business have sprung up in the past few years. If your bike needs repairs, the shop plans to keep their service department open during the move and will send out a truck to pick-up and drop-off customer bikes.
Another shop moving across town is Golden Pliers. This small shop opened on NE Skidmore just east of Interstate in 2018. In a social media post earlier this week, owners Kevin Purcell and Becky Newman said they’d been looking for a new location with more foot traffic and it just so happened Gladys Bikes lease was up for renewal. “We’re honored and obliged to step into the space,” Purcell and Newman said, referring to an offer from Gladys owner Cassie Hidalgo to make the move.
“We’re seeking a livelier area with more foot traffic, more retail neighbors, a little more room, and a building with some character and history. And this spot ticks all the boxes,” Purcell and Newman posted.
Golden Pliers should be moved into the new space by the second week of March.
And after a 10-year run, Gladys Bikes will say goodbye to Portland. The shop first opened in 2013 on N Williams Avenue with former owner Leah Benson at the helm and was purchased by Hidalgo in 2020 (just as the Covid emergency was declared).
“There isn’t one specific reason why we’ve come to this decision but rather several industry changes, financial situations, and the perfect timing of our lease being up; now really is a great time to end this 10 year chapter for us,” Hidalgo posted to the Gladys Bikes website this week. “We are hopeful the people will keep the vibes going and that bike shops in general will hold themselves to a higher standard of inclusion and kindness even through these hard industry times.”
You can support Gladys and their crew as they venture onto new adventures by grabbing some gear at big discounts now through February 10th. From February 13th to 17th, you can make an offer on store fixtures and whatever’s left.
The post-pandemic-boom-and-bust cycle has hit many shops hard. We are lucky in Portland to have quality places to find essential gear, advice, and service. Thank you Cassie for sharing Gladys Bikes with us, and good luck to everyone as you embark on these exciting changes!
The lovely crowd from last week. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
It’s Wednesday, and you know what that means… It’s time for Bike Happy Hour (BHH). This will be our 44th week! Hard to believe we are approaching a one-year anniversary.
Last week we had so much fun sharing time and space with Roo and Luis from Warpaint. Thanks to everyone who showed up and hung out with us in the Ankeny Rainbow Road plaza. Speaking of plazas, if you missed our latest “In the Shed” podcast, Eva and I talked about the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s 2023 Street Plaza Annual Report. In addition to the fun fact that 90% of over 2,000 people surveyed told PBOT they want these carfree spaces to continue. That’s a lot of support. Another fun nugget in the report is where PBOT gave a nice nod to Bike Happy Hour. Here’s an excerpt from the report:
“Among other events, Ankeny Rainbow Road proudly hosts the cherished “Bike Happy Hour”, which started this year. This weekly event, held Wednesday evenings, brings together cycling enthusiasts and community members in a celebration of urban cycling culture.”
Isn’t that nice?!
If you want to sample this “cherished” event, show up tonight (Wednesday, February 7th) from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. The weather says we should be rain-free and it should be near 50-degrees — perfect for being outside!
Tonight’s guests: Lawyer Chris Thomas (left), and City Council candidate (D2-N/NE) Mariah Hudson. (Thomas photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland – Hudson photo: MariahForPortland.com)
Around 5:00 pm I’ll grab the mics and introduce two special guests.
Portland City Council candidate (D2-N/NE) Mariah Hudson will join us. When she’s not working in public health communications at OHSU or leading the PBOT Budget Advisory Committee, Mariah can be found riding around the Alameda neighborhood on her orange Radwagon e-cargo bike with her young kids. You might recall that I shared a short video interview with her earlier this week. Come out and meet Mariah and see if she’s someone you can support for city council.
We’ll also have a chat about bike law with local lawyer Chris Thomas. Chris is a partner at Thomas, Coon, Newton & Frost, a downtown Portland firm that has supported safe streets advocacy for decades (Chris’s dad Ray Thomas wrote a book on Oregon bike law and is a veteran of legislative lobbying in Salem). Chris has also written a few articles for BikePortland, is a staunchadvocate for the rights of bicycle riders, co-authored a free legal guide for e-bike riders, and is a regular BikePortland commenter.
Please bring your legal questions and get ready for an enlightening evening!
A few quick BHH housekeeping items: Please don’t order food at the bar. Only use QR codes at tables for food order and stay put until your order arrives! We don’t want staff wasting time looking for you. Also, please treat staff well and remember to tip on your pre-discount total.
Bike Happy Hour – Every Weds, All Year Long 3-6 pm at Ankeny Tap & Table on the SE Ankeny Rainbow Road (between SE 27th & 28th) $2 off drinks at Ankeny Tap, Crema Coffee (on the corner), Gorges Beer Co. All are welcome – Family friendly More info here
A fledgling nonprofit with an outlandish name that launched in Portland six years ago, now sees itself alongside 17 other organizations statewide who have come to the same conclusion: “Highway expansions are pulling our country into an environmental, budgetary, and public health crisis and it’s time to end this destructive, unsustainable practice and set a responsible course toward a cleaner and more equitable future.”
No More Freeways formed to fight the I-5 Rose Quarter project in 2017 and has been stalwart in its mission ever since. Today they are one of 195 organizations who signed onto a letter that pressures elected officials to put a moratorium on highway expansions. That line above is just the opening salvo in a call-to-action that not only demands no more freeways, but also offers a prescription to repair our ailing transportation infrastructure machine.
The organizations, led by national nonprofit America Walks, are marshaling their respective troops to contact lawmakers and urge them to pause all existing highway projects until climate, equity, and maintenance goals are met. This demand is similar to what Portland-based activists have been asking the Oregon Department of Transportation to do on the I-5 Rose Quarter project for years now: Complete a full and transparent environmental impact statement before investing more money and time into the wrong kind of project.
In today’s statement, the signees call for “community-first infrastructure” which they define as, “increasing frequent, reliable, and accessible public transportation; policies that build homes close to jobs and amenities; and making neighborhoods healthier, quieter, and safer.”
Instead of continuing to spend billions to make driving on freeways even easier and more convenient, here’s what this new coalition wants DOTs to spend money on:
1. Fix It First: maintain existing roads and bridges before building new, larger ones. 2. Safety Over Speed: retrofit dangerous roads and streets to make them safer for people walking, biking, and driving. 3. Make Transit Work: provide capital and operations funding for reliable, affordable public transportation that connects people to jobs, services, amenities, health care, and each other. 4. Reconnect Communities: dismantle targeted highways and invest in the communities around them to increase opportunity and redress the harms these projects have inflicted.
Here are the 17 Oregon-based groups who’ve sign onto this campaign:
1000 Friends of Oregon
350PDX
AORTA-Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates
State Capitol building in Salem in 2009. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Note: If you are aware of a transportation-related bill that’s not on this list, please contact me.
The 2024 session of the Oregon Legislature kicked off Monday and now there’s a 35-day sprint to make new laws before the gavel comes down. It’s a short session (Oregon only has full sessions on odd-numbered years), so pundits like to say the only things that will get attention are major bills from the most powerful players. But you never know, and judging by the hundreds of bills already filed, it appears many lawmakers are willing to roll the dice.
I’ve spent a bit of time wading through the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) and have found a bunch of bills that have transportation implications. Note that there are some bills we expect to see that I could not track down. Those include: A funding request for safety upgrades on inner SE Powell Blvd; a change to bike lane law being pushed by trucker advocates, and a bill to clarify Oregon’s recreational immunity law (it just came out 2/9, see below). I’ll update the list below if/when I find those and any other bills that may come to my attention in the coming days.
Check out the list below to see the bills BikePortland will be keeping an eye on this session…
House Bills
HB 4048 (Overview) Sponsored by Reps Helfrich and Breese-Iverson (Rs) Summary: “relaxes housing standards, establishes a housing office to enforce housing laws, allows a new UGB amendment and limits counties’ role in UGB amendments.”
This bill would relax housing regulations in Oregon. It would limit the power of Metro and the State of Oregon enforce development within the Urban Growth Boundary and give more of that power to local counties. Among the housing regulations it would allow local governments to adjust are bicycle parking standards for residential units.
HB 4067 (Overview) Sponsored by Reps Nguyen D and Nelson (Ds) Summary: “Creates the Task Force on Electric Micromobility.”
As BP reported last month, this bill would help raise the profile of electric bicycles and all types of non-car e-micromobility vehicles by setting up a statewide task force where new policy ideas could be discussed and vetted.
HB 4103 (Overview) Sponsored by Rep Levy Summary: “… kids under 16 years of age may ride Class 1 e-bikes. The Act also states that only those 16 years of age and older may operate Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes. The Act creates the offense of unsafe e-bike riding. If a person violates the law, the person could face a fine of up to $100. Modifies the definition of electric assisted bicycle for purposes of the Oregon Vehicle Code. Adds definitions of Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 electric assisted bicycles. Provides that children under 16 years of age may operate Class 1 electric assisted bicycles and provides that only persons 16 years of age and older may operate Class 2 and Class 3 electric assisted bicycles. Creates the offense of unsafe electric assisted bicycle riding. Punishes by maximum fine of $100.”
This is the “Trenton’s Law” bill we wrote about back in November. It would be a major change to the legal standing of electric bikes in Oregon.
HB 4110 (Overview) Sponsored by Joint Committee on Transportation Summary: Would award $6 million to the Port of Cascade Locks for Bridge of the Gods project
HB 4147 (Overview) Sponsored by Reps Neron, Hudson, Ruiz, Boice (Bipartisan) Summary: “Permits an education provider to have stop arm cameras on school buses for the purpose of recording persons who fail to stop for bus safety lights.”
Who can possible say no to this law that would allow any educator or school district in the state to install automated cameras to photograph scofflaws?!
HB 4165 (Overview) Sponsored by Rep Boshart Davis (R) Summary: “Requires the Department of Transportation to prepare and submit a report on the statutory changes necessary to balance transportation cost responsibility between light and heavy vehicles.”
This is part of a large debate this session that revolves around who pays their “fair share” of road taxes — especially how much freight truck drivers pay in taxes, versus the damage they have on the system and the benefits they get out of it. Many lawmakers believe trucking companies are paying too much in weight-mile taxes and that ODOT has failed to use the funds to ease freeway congestion. (Expect more from BP about all this soon. And see SB 1519 and SB 1543 below.)
WES from Beaverton to Salem? Lawmakers want to take a closer look at that idea. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Senate Bills
SB 1512 (Overview) Sponsored by Joint Committee on Transportation Summary: Would award $6 million to the Port of Cascade Locks for Bridge of the Gods project
This is the Senate version of HB 4110.
SB 1519 (Overview) Sponsored by Sen Boquist (R) Summary: “lowers weight-mile taxes. The Act directs ODOT to adopt rules so that ODOT may issue refunds to taxpayers who overpaid weight-mile taxes in recent years.”
One of the legislative attempts to change taxation of freight trucks and alleges that ODOT has overcharged trucking companies.
Another attempt to right what some see as unfair taxes on trucking companies and this one goes a bit further by requiring the legislature to establishing budgetary limits for ODOT in specific project categories.
SB 1556 (Overview) Sponsored by Sen Weber, Representative Javadi, Stout (Rs) Summary: Requires ODOT to conduct a study conditions on Highway 30 between Rainier and Astoria and determine what it would take to bring the highway up to a state of good repair.
The bill would require lawmakers to share the report with the Joint Committee on Transportation. This might be an opportunity to advocate for safer shoulders and bicycle infrastructure on this very sketchy section of Hwy 30 that could be much more welcoming to many bike tourists.
This bill would update existing GHG reduction goals and set a new aspiration for the State of Oregon to achieve “net zero emissions as soon as practicable, but no later than 2050.” It would also change the term “global warming” to “climate change” in existing statutes.
SB 1563 (Overview) Sponsored by Senator Anderson (R) Summary: This bill would require ODOT to complete a study of Hwy 101 between Lincoln City and Coos Bay.
Unfortunately it looks like this bill is written in a way that is very car-centric. It says ODOT needs to study the corridor and intersections along it, “to relieve congestion and produce safer driving conditions.” If this passes, ODOT needs to make sure they take a complete streets/safe systems approach to their study.
This exciting bill will be an opportunity for rail advocates to engage with the legislature around a concrete plan to extend existing TriMet WES service to Salem. WES currently runs only between Beaverton and Wilsonville.
SB 1576 -3 (Text) Sponsored by request of Judiciary Committee
This is a legal omnibus bill that includes language to clarify Oregon’s recreational immunity law after a case in the City of Newport led to confusion among many cities and counties and has resulted in dozens of closed biking and walking trails around the state.
Did I miss anything? Please let me know if you’ve heard of something that should be on our radar.
How a Bill Becomes Law. (Source: State of Oregon)
The next step for these bills is to await committee assignments (see the full process of how a bill becomes law in the graphic above). Then they’ll need to earn a public hearing and a vote in committee. There are deadlines for all these steps and as time goes on we’ll discover which of these — if any — has the momentum and support it takes to reach the finish line.
Barriers keep people out of bus lanes. (Photo: Smart Growth America)
Garrison Christian is a 20 year old undergraduate student at Portland State University. He is studying Urban Planning, with hopes of becoming a professional transportation planner.
Garrison Christian at a recent Bike Happy Hour. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
As most of you already know, 82nd Avenue is going to be redesigned by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) in the coming years. This is our chance to make it much better. In this post, I’ll share my ideas for how to achieve a safer, more equitable 82nd.
The street faces many challenges for safe transportation. 82nd is a high crash corridor, with multiple pedestrian deaths over the past 5 years, including one at SE Flavel Monday morning that marked the second one so far this year alone. Sidewalks along the corridor are particularly narrow, often with utility poles blocking the right-of-way. Many sidewalks lack ADA curb ramps, and 82nd is home to TriMet bus line 72, the highest ridership route in the entire Portland metro area.
PBOT is currently implementing ‘critical fixes’ along 82nd; these will be done in the next few years, addressing some, but not all of the concerns listed above. Following this, a comprehensive redesign will be done in the coming years, likely leading to an adjustment of how street space is allocated. The current street is five lanes wide, with one center left turn lane, flanked by two general purpose lanes on each side. In January, I attended Metro’s 82nd Avenue transit project advisory board meeting. This body is tasked with deciding how to best implement transit along the corridor. While bus-only lanes are under consideration, I have concerns with how they will be implemented.
PBOT staff said they are likely to choose business access and transit (BAT) lanes for 82nd. While fine in a vacuum, BAT lanes need proper design and enforcement to best serve buses. Here are the changes I would like to see applied: First, bus lanes must be implemented on 82nd! I propose keeping the center turn lane, with one general purpose lane in each direction, and bus lanes against the curb. However, putting in bus lanes alone is not enough to improve bus service. Across town, our limited set of bus lanes are often clogged with cars illegally using the lane, which slows down buses. This is due to poor design and lack of enforcement.
Design measures such as a physical barrier should be used along 82nd to keep cars from driving in the bus lanes. Other cities have used Jersey barriers, concrete curbs, or even flex posts as barriers. An issue to contend with is driveway access for the many businesses along 82nd. The barriers between bus and general purpose lanes can have gaps to allow for turns into driveways. If planners refuse to use physical barriers, automated camera enforcement is another option. Cameras can be deployed to fine those who drive in the bus lane, with an exception given to cars turning to enter/exit the street.
Bus riders deserve to not be inhibited by cars clogging up the bus lane, and well executed design can prevent this conflict.
Raised crosswalks, like this one in New York City, are key to slowing vehicle speeds and welcoming walkers. (Photo: NYC DOT)Effects of speed on stopping distance
As for pedestrian safety, there are many design treatments we can use to improve 82nd. First off, sidewalks should be made wide, to accommodate foot traffic, as well as those with mobility devices. A minimum standard for sidewalks is six feet, but I propose 8-10 ft sidewalks, which allow for greater separation from traffic, and less crowding. Raised crosswalks are also a great tool to improve pedestrian safety. While having a posted speed limit of 30 mph, the wide lanes of 82nd allow for car speed of 40 mph or faster. Collisions between cars and pedestrians at this speed almost always leads to death of the pedestrian. Raised crosswalks force cars to slow down and this reduced speed gives drivers more time to react, drastically lowering the chances of death if a collision occurs.
The posted speed limit on 82nd should be 25 mph. Measures we can put in place to enforce this behavior through design including 10-foot lanes. 10-foot lanes lead to more cautious driving. By comparison, many streets use 11-13 foot lanes, which have been proven to lead to faster, unsafe speeds. Raised crosswalks are especially useful to prevent vehicles from turning at high rates of speed. A turn taken at 15 mph is much safer than one at 30 — for both the driver and pedestrian.
In conclusion, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change 82nd for the better. We can achieve better safety along the corridor for all road users, reduce our emissions by improving bus service, and create a more hospitable environment for pedestrians. As the public participation process starts for this project, be sure to tell PBOT you want the changes listed above, so we can have a better 82nd, and community at large.
