Month: March 2024

As Ladds 500 grows, organizer feels pinch of expenses

When David Robinson launched the Ladds 500 in 2016, he had no idea it would become a phenomenon. I mean, who would want to ride 500 laps (about 100 miles) around Ladd Circle Park? Even Robinson’s self-deprecating slogan, “Let’s do something stupid!” didn’t seem like the best way to attract the masses.

But over the years, this event has become a favorite on Portland’s bike fun calendar. As the first big event of the year, it’s much more than a ride and it has blossomed into a community gathering where friends are eager to meet after a long, dark winter. Last year about 400 people crowded into the park (a planted roundabout where eight streets come together) and now Robinson is feeling the growing pains of success.

Organizer David Robinson at last year’s Ladds 500. (Jonathan Maus – BikePortland)

As an all-volunteer event, costs for things like porta-potties and the permit have traditionally been offset by a few community sponsors and from sales of commemorative patches and stickers. As crowd have swelled, however, so too have expenses. More people means more sanitation facilities are needed and the cost of the event permit has tripled since 2020 and now sets him back about $1,200 — about a quarter of the total event budget.

“Demands have continued to scale from a financial perspective,” Robinson shared in a conversation with BikePortland Thursday. “I keep getting more [porta-potties] every year and then the lines are still halfway across the circle. I’ll need about 6-8 this year at $250 each. It adds up and the big hole in my pocket was scary going into this year.”

Thankfully, as word spread in the community, a fundraising effort has been “wildly successful so far” and Robinson says the event will survive for at least another year. “Community support allows me to make decisions regarding event logistics without having to worry about whether I (as an individual) will be reimbursed,” Robinson said.

So mark your calendar for April 13th, grab some friends, make a team, and get ready for what Robinson calls, “A celebration of the inane, and bikes, and spring.” And remember it’s not a race, it’s a relay.

— Follow @ladds500 on Instagram for updates. Find a PayPal donation link here.

Jobs of the Week: Dirty Freehub, Community Cycling Center

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Job: Seasonal Mechanic (Spring 2024 Opening) – Community Cycling Center

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Seasonal Mechanic (Spring 2024 Opening)

Company / Organization

Community Cycling Center

Job Description

UNION/NON UNION: Non Union
HOURS: Part time or Full time
COMPENSATION: $21 per hour
TERM: Seasonal
SCHEDULE: 4-5 day week, workdays may vary, hours
may fluctuate, will work evenings and weekends
REPORTS TO: Processing & Production Manager
and Retail & Workspace Manager
BENEFITS: Sick Time, $200 Used Parts Allowance

Organizational Overview

We love Portland and bikes. So we put our two loves together 30 years ago, creating a nonprofit organization on a mission to broaden access to bicycling and its benefits.  Our goal is to help build a healthy, sustainable, and vibrant Portland for all community members. Our vision is to help build a vibrant community where people of all backgrounds use bicycles to stay healthy and connected. We believe that all Portlanders—regardless of income or background—should have the opportunity to experience the joy, freedom and health benefits of bicycling. This is the motivation behind everything we do. 
 
The Shop Department of the Community Cycling Center consists of a DIY Workspace and retail storefront, regular salvage sales, and occasional pop-ups and events. This department is a revenue stream to provide funding for community programs.

This position splits time operating out of our warehouse work space and the retail storefront at our membership based workspace in NE Portland. Here at the CCC we value and support one another through the work we do and are committed to working collaboratively to meet our goals. We acknowledge and value diversity and its many intersections. We are proud that people of color, women, neuro-divergent, gender non-conforming and LGBTQIA+ folks choose to work at our organization. We encourage more people from varied and diverse backgrounds to join our lively, talented team.

The Community Cycling Center is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity, equity and inclusion. Individuals with diverse backgrounds, abilities and experiences are encouraged to apply. 

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY
The Seasonal Mechanic is responsible for working service, retail, and production shifts which include the refurbishment of used bicycles and teardown of donated bikes for recycling and to harvest used parts. Based on qualifications, Seasonal Mechanics may also work shifts in the Alberta street DIY Bicycle Workshop. Those shifts will involve monitoring the appropriate use of tools, checking out the correct specialty tools for a variety of projects, enforcing safety and cleanliness guidelines, and answering questions and providing guidance to people using the workspace.Seasonally, shop staff will need to provide retail support at pop-ups and events. Staff in all positions at the shop will also be responsible for providing support to the Programs department as needed. This may include working mechanic shifts at one of our free service events or locations, providing ride support at events, or assisting at a learn to ride event.

Working under the direction of the Shop Leadership Team, they will cultivate the delivery of consistent quality, help meet sales goals and support staff working in their department. Experience in a high-volume shop environment, clear communication skills, and proven effectiveness in supporting staff are crucial to the success of this position.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Production Shifts
• Assess and repair bicycles for retail sale and for use in our programs
• Perform teardowns to harvest parts and recyclable material from donated bikes
• Under the direction of shop leadership and senior staff, work alongside staff to produce quality bicycles and reach inventory and sales goals

Workshop (TBD based on skill)
• Monitor member’s use of the shared workspace
• Be prepared and able to answer any mechanical or bike related questions customers may have, guide them to a resource, or be able to help them research the answer with enthusiasm
• Observe tool and equipment use and instruct proper use of tools and equipment
• Be able to confidently help customers complete projects from beginning to end if they buy one-on-one time with a mechanic
• Instruct organized classes on a variety of bike related topics including but not limited to brake adjustments, shift adjustments, bike care and maintenance, flat repair, tubeless setup and maintenance, wheel build and truing, etc.
• Make sure members are following all safety guidelines for working in the space Sales and Service (TBD based on skill)
• Assist customers with the purchase of used bikes, and new and used parts and accessories during salvage sales, pop-ups and events, and from the retail store at the workshop
• Provide service on customer bikes at the Alberta store
• Perform a la carte, on the spot repairs on bikes during salvage sales, and at pop-ups and events

Programs
• Provide mechanical support to programs for ongoing projects and programs events as needed

General
• Participate with all staff in the ordering process to ensure we have adequate workspace supplies and inventory to support the department’s operation
• Participate in regular tool audits
• Moving & lifting bicycles up to 50 lbs. is a regular part of this job but reasonable accommodation can be made

Other Responsibilities
• Help advance the mission of the Community Cycling Center across all departments
• Contribute to a standard work environment – answer phones, maintain a safe, clean & organized workspace
• Work as directed by senior staff to contribute to the training and support of less-experienced mechanics, including youth interns and apprentices
• Other duties as assigned

REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
• Customer service experience
• Familiarity and working knowledge of a large variety of new and used bicycle related components and materials
2+ years of professional bike mechanic experience
• Experience supervising, training and supporting staff
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Strong organizational skills including the ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously
• Ability to meet project deadlines and account for detailed objectives
• Experience and success in creating inclusive work environments where people from diverse backgrounds feel safe and welcome
• Ability to lift, bend, squat, climb and more—this is a physically demanding job but reasonable accommodations can be made

PREFERRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
• Attention to detail and a methodical approach to accomplishing tasks
• Experience with workflow improvement methods
• Experience in a high-volume bike shop
• Valid driver’s license
• Experience with Lightspeed POS, Excel, Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe
• Proficiency in Spanish

How to Apply

Please send your resume, cover letter, and (3) references by email with “Seasonal Mechanic” as the subject line to Jobs@CommunityCyclingCenter.org. No phone calls, please.

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
The Community Cycling Center is an equal opportunity employer. We will not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, age, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, veteran status, marital status, sensory disabilities, physical disabilities, mental disabilities and/or any other bases protected by state and federal law. We take proactive measures to ensure against discrimination in hiring, compensation, promotions, and termination of staff, selection of volunteers (including board members) and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, customers, clients, volunteers (including board members), subcontractors, vendors, and other members of our community.

How to Apply

Please send your resume, cover letter, and (3) references by email with “Seasonal Mechanic” as the subject line to Jobs@CommunityCyclingCenter.org. No phone calls, please.

PCEF committee: Community groups must play large role in grant applications

From PCEF website

The Portland Clean Energy Fund Committee is walking a tightrope: If they play too hard-to-get when it comes to opening up revenue from their corporate tax earnings to City of Portland bureaus, they risk stoking the ire of City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez who is desperate for bureau funding and is poised to refashion the tax and refer it to voters for a complete overhaul to get it. But if the committee compromises too much with Gonzalez and City Hall, they risk alienating the powerful sea of nonprofit groups who helped pass the policy and support it wholeheartedly in its current form.

PCEF was passed by voters in 2018 as a 1%  tax imposed on large retailers with $1 billion in national revenue and $500,000 in revenue in Portland. It aims to invest in climate change-related projects that will benefit low-income and Portlanders of color who are on the front lines of extreme weather and other climate threats. So far the fund has been a boon to bicycling and has dedicated $80 million to an e-bike purchase subsidy and other programs. It’s also helped save the PBOT budget thanks to a $112 million injection into the transportation budget from Commissioner Carmen Rubio (who oversees the fund through the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability).

But there’s still money to spend. Thanks to a spike in corporate profits and a delay in tax filings after the pandemic, the fund has amassed a huge sum — an estimated $540 million — beyond projections. That has left PCEF’s coffers swelling just as the City of Portland’s coffers are nearly empty. That dynamic has set up a tug-of-war around how the money should be spent and who controls the pursestrings. Gonzalez wants the money for police and fire bureau needs and Rubio is going after the interest to fund Portland Street Response — neither of which have a connection to climate change.

A document made public today lays out for the first time how the PCEF Committee proposes to balance these competing forces in the next allocation of $158 million.

The committee has been under pressure to make a recommendation to Portland city council about how to spend that additional revenue. They laid out three options for how do so at a February 15th meeting. Two of the options included a “rapid timeline” that would come up with a process to allocate the funds by May (in time to be included in the Mayor’s proposed budget). A third option called for a longer timeline that would give the committee time to solicit more collaborative proposals and would allocate the funding by this fall.

The first two options were better for city bureaus who want money immediately; but the third option would allow PCEF to more closely adhere to the policy that underpins the program — a policy that mandates a more collaborative approach where nonprofits play a significant role in allocation decisions. But the details of option three were limited, and PCEF committee members felt they couldn’t vote until it was fleshed out.

The proposal released today lays out four eligibility requirements for applicants who want one of the $20-$100 million grants: Funded projects must “meaningful and measurable reduction or sequestration of greenhouse gas emissions”; the primary applicant must be a nonprofit or government entity and demonstrate support from a community coalition, and all applications must include a community benefits agreement. The last eligibility requirement is perhaps the most important: The aforementioned coalition must include, “At least one non-profit community-based organization with a minimum of eight years’ experience in conducting community engagement in Portland focused on PCEF priority population.”

If those requirements are met, then applicants must go through a two-step process: submit a letter of interest (LOI) and then, if approved, they can submit a full application. The PCEF Committee expects to invite four to eight applicants to submit full proposals. The deadline for LOIs would be May 10th and project recommendations would be made in early September.

While this proposal likely isn’t exactly what Commissioner Gonzalez would prefer, it also clarifies the eligibility of city bureaus and gives him and all other members of council an opportunity to benefit from PCEF. Whether it’s enough to make him reconsider his previous stance on PCEF remains to be seen.

This proposal will be shared publicly for the first time at the PCEF Committee meeting that begins at 6:00 pm tonight (3/21). Once it receives support from the committee, it will then be forwarded as a recommendation to City Council where conversation will continue. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: The PCEF Committee voted in support of the proposal at their meeting Thursday night. Now it goes to city council. The Oregonian reported Thursday night that Commissioner Rubio has abandoned her plan to use funds from interest on PCEF revenue.

Weekend Event Guide: Worst Day Ride, Tracklocat, bike swap, and more

You never know what you’ll see at the Worst Day of the Year ride. (Jonathan Maus – BikePortland)

This week’s Event Guide is sponsored by the Worst Day of the Year Ride, one of Portland’s iconic group rides that is sure to brighten your mood with all types of creative and zany costumes and silly folks inside them. Register and learn more here.

Have fun out there!

Saturday, March 23rd

Volcano Ride 2 – 6:45 pm at Irving Park (NE)
This ride will get to the center of your heart, where the magma flows inside of you. Led by NakedHearts:PDX will lead this “meditative” ride. More info here.

Dead Freeways Ride – 10:00 am at Wallace Park (NW)
Join local historian and Zinester’s Guide to Portland author, Shawn Granton for his annual exploration and discussion of freeway fights of yore. You’ll ride to locations where freeways were prevented and where they were ripped out. More info here. – Cancelled.

Spring Bike Swap – 11:00 am at Baerlic Brewing (SE)
It’s baaack! Grab goodies from local bike tinkerers, makers, and artisans as you gear up for spring and summer riding season. More info here.

Tracklocat 3 – 1:30 at Ladds Circle (SE)
An alleycat race that’s an inclusive mix of cyclocross, singlespeed, fixed-gear track bikes, and whatever else shows up. Expect six checkpoints an bring $5-10 to contribute to the winner’s pot. More info here.

Ride Westside Spring Kickoff – 2:00 pm at Beaverton Central MAX Station (West Side)
Get to know the best bike routes through central Beaverton with a merry band of bike advocates and bike-curious Beavertonians. Loop begins and ends at the awesome BG’s Food Cartel pod for food and conversation. More info here.

Sunday, March 24th

***Worst Day of the Year Ride – 9:00 am at Lucky Lab (SE)***
The quintessential Portland costumed bike ride that’s been an institution for many years. Entry fees benefit Community Cycling Center. More info here.

Guerilla Gardening Seed Dispersal – 12:45 pm at Laurelhurst Park (SE)
Help boost Portland’s bloom by spreading native seeds all around southeast. Bring a spice shaker or something else to scatter your seeds. 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.

Survey reveals depth of abuse women experience while biking

(Jonathan Maus – BikePortland)

“We’ll be targeted if we’re assertive… But cyclists need to be assertive to be safe.”

– Survey respondent

The most recent counts by the City of Portland estimate that only three out of every 10 bicycle riders are women and the gender split hasn’t budged since counting started in 2006. In east Portland, the City tabulated just 17% of all bike riders as women. As we ponder the reasons for this disparity, a survey has revealed one factor that’s causing it: the high rate of demeaning interactions and aggressive behaviors some women experience while riding.

A survey conducted in February by nonprofit BikeLoud PDX asked women to describe the worst or most common incident of abuse they’ve experienced while cycling. A shocking 311 out of the 329 women and non-binary people who answered that question reported some level of traumatic incident. The woman who led the survey project, Cathy Tuttle, analyzed the results and found that 229 respondents experienced a Level 3 Trauma (swearing, honking, catcalling, rolling coal, etc), 53 experienced a Level 2 Trauma (deliberate close pass, tailgating, menacing, etc), and 29 experienced a Level 1 Trauma (hit and run, throwing projectiles, aggressive stalking, etc) — the most severe category of abuse.

The vast majority of these aggressive behaviors came from people driving cars. Respondents said 88% of the aggressors were in cars, 7% were identified as homeless people and 5% were other bike riders.

In a summary of the survey results made public Monday, Tuttle shared several examples of the responses. I’ve pasted a few of them below:

A man screaming “get the f*ck off the road” repeatedly while I was cycling on a low traffic route downtown, revving their engine constantly and pulling up too close behind me. I finally got off the road, shaking and crying and called 911. The dispatcher told me there was “nothing we can do, it’s not illegal.” She didn’t want me to report the behavior, even though I had the license plate.

I had a driver stop to tell me that I needed a rear bike light so they could see me. I didn’t respond so the continued to verbally harass me. When the light changed they followed me and kept trying to yell at me. Eventually I came to park and biked into it so they couldn’t follow me. I was scared to bike for a while after that.

A woman yelling out her (passenger) side window “hit the bitch” after I pointed to the stop sign that they were rolling through when I had right of way.

Tuttle also included a longer response from someone who took the survey that is worth reading (edited slightly for brevity):

After he physically threatened me with his car, and after honking, I was told by a man, “I’m going to kill you the next time I see you” while I was biking — legally — on a typically busy (but not at all busy right then) 3 or 4-lane one-way road that has no cycling-specific infrastructure and doesn’t see much bike traffic, but which was at the time a crucial connector that I needed to be on to get across a freeway without going extremely far out of my way…

He didn’t yell it. He said it slowly, deliberately. I’ll never forget it. It wasn’t inflamed reactive rage; it was a slow, methodical, simmering threat. He looked right at me. I can still hear it many years later: I’m going to kill you.

I’ve had men in SUVs and trucks deliberately swerve into me, almost, but not quite, hitting me more times than I can count. This is a cross-Oregon problem, in urban, suburban, ex-urban, and rural areas, all of which I’ve biked in extensively. I’ve been called a dumb c—, a stupid b—-, and other misogynist slurs, again, more times than I can count. I’ve also been treated to yelling misogyny from male street joggers, who run in the street against traffic all the way to the side of the road, right where cyclists typically are… This is weirdly common in Portland, and they are often very rhetorically and even physically aggressive. I’ve also been in collisions with street joggers, and their dogs, and I, the cyclist, have always been the more injured person, so it’s a real problem actually. I’ve encountered groups of 3 men jogging with 2 or 3 huge dogs who are taking up literally the entire street and are very aggressive when confronted with a cyclist — me, one woman — trying to get to work.

Once I was biking to work in Portland with a male cyclist who was behind me, and a truck deliberately swerved into me at a high rate of speed to threaten me or worse, and the man who was biking behind me chased the driver down and yelled at him because he saw it all happen in a way I did not have the vantage to and he was pissed. The truck driver was likely annoyed by my male companion, who he encountered first, but didn’t do anything. Then when he encountered me, he became enraged and deliberately tried to intimidate me by swerving into me. If anything had “gone wrong,” I’d probably be dead now, due to the speed of the driver. Still have a pretty visceral reaction to light blue Leer-brand pick-up truck toppers to this day because of this decades-ago incident.

None of these described incidents are rare, aberrant, unusual, or even, really, worthy of note anymore, but they’re the specific ones that come immediately to mind with no thought at all, but that are representative of a whole problem. They happen ALL THE TIME, for seemingly no reason often. The misogyny comes out almost immediately, reflexively. I feel that if a female cyclist doesn’t preemptively display deference to motorists — of any sex, but especially male — they will be targeted, and if we’re assertive, then all the more so. But cyclists need to be assertive to be safe. Male cyclists too often seem like they’re not our allies (aside form the aforementioned male cyclist — this was actually a rare instance in my experience). The dismissive ‘male glance’ is real, on the bike as in all of life. I can distinctly recall men realizing another cyclist (me, almost 50) is behind them, at a red light or whatever, and looking back, only to discover a woman who is older than he is, on a not-interesting-to-him bike, with no interesting blingy gear on it, and have him turn away, barely able to acknowledge I was there at all. What was he expecting to see? A sexualizable object young enough to be worthy of his attention? Men are far more sexist than they can admit. As many jobs become more gender-integrated, men find new ways to assert their male supremacy. There seems to me to be a distinct strain of “biking everywhere with no infrastructure makes me a man” in the Portland bike ecosystem and it’s detrimental to a lot of folks, not just cis-gendered adult women.

We live in a deeply sexist society and misogynist backlash to feminist gains is observantly real across both dominant culture and most if not all subcultures. Women already experience this whether they have the interpretive lens to see it or not. Many women I know just don’t want to be extra-burdened by the physical and emotional danger of biking routinely for transportation, because they’re already burdened enough in a way men just aren’t.

The responses to this survey give us all a lot to think about and should add urgency to create a better cycling environment in Portland.

Tuttle based her survey on one conducted by the Women’s Freedom campaign in London. She said after hearing similar responses to their survey, bike advocates in London built an entire campaign around it with rides, petitions, letters to city council, etc.

What should Portland do to address this problem?

— Read the survey summary here.

New draft plan for Alpenrose site is good news for bicycling

Preliminary plan for the proposed Raleigh Crest development on the Alpenrose Dairy site. North is to the right.

The Hayhurst neighborhood association presented preliminary plans for development of the Alpenrose Dairy site last week at their March 11 open house about the property. The group obtained the draft plans through a public records request, and shared them at the neighborhood meeting and with BikePortland.

The 51-acre Alpenrose campus holds special importance to cyclists because of its Velodrome, which closed permanently in 2021 after 60 years of operation. But it was also home to an operating dairy, Little League playing fields, and a faux frontier town. So overlapping communities have strong feelings about the future development of this property, including the neighbors who live closest to it in southwest Portland.

I have been keeping an eye on the plans because new development is the main avenue through which southwest Portland is supposed to get bike lanes and sidewalks. But because most of the southwest lacks a formal stormwater conveyance system, the city often only requires developers to fulfill frontage improvements in a rudimentary way. What I have been waiting to see is if development of the Alpenrose property would bring a safe place for pedestrians and cyclists to travel along SW Shattuck Road, the two-lane collector which fronts the site to the east.

According to these preliminary plans, the answer is yes, and that is a very pleasant surprise for me. In the cross section below, you can see a design for a multi-use path separated from the roadway by a “stormwater facility,” and also a curb.

SW Shattuck Road looking south with drainage ditch to the right.
Plan drawings acquired by Hayhurst Neighborhood Association.

Keep in mind that this has not been approved. The permitting log on PortlandMaps shows that the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) each approved a “Concept Review” with corrections on March 12th. [UPDATE: 3/22/24 9:20 — the permitting log actually says “Approved w/corr,” I assumed the “corr” meant “corrections” but it could also mean “correspondence” or anything else that fits.] Hopefully the MUP isn’t something which will be corrected away. And, to be honest, I am confused about the process. The preliminary plans are quite finished, and are much more detailed than I would expect to see given that there doesn’t seem to have been a Public Works Alternative Review (PWAR) meeting. My limited experience is that a developer doesn’t go forward with the expense of a detailed plan without knowing what the city expects to see.

I put in a public records request to BDS last week for any recent PWAR forms and was told that PWAR was a PBOT matter, and that PBOT hasn’t “yet received the Public Works Alternative Review for this location.” My understanding from Marita Ingalsbe, president of the Hayhurst Neighborhood Association, was that the developer intended to file plans in mid-April.

A mid-April filing doesn’t leave any time for the back-and-forth a PWAR often entails.

So I don’t know exactly what is going on, except that stuff is going on and, knock on wood, things seem good with the Shattuck frontage. I am not going to follow-up with a flurry of further public records requests (for example, for the “corrections” to the concept plan, or trying to time when PWAR forms will arrive at PBOT). But things are happening and perhaps we will have firmer information in the near term. Stay tuned and please contact me if you have any information to share.

Getting the family bike fleet ready for spring

Our garage. Don’t judge! (Shannon Johnson – BikePortland)

Did you enjoy the sunshine last week? It’s been beautiful! (I think the rain is beautiful too, but it’s nice to change it up, yes?) I was so excited to get outside. I wanted to take the whole family for a long bike ride, but I realized we weren’t really ready. So instead, we went through our entire family bike fleet and began getting everyone set up for Spring and Summer riding.

We pulled every single bike and scooter out of the garage, pumped all the tires, test-rode everything, and figured out who fit what, what to keep, what to give away, and what needed some maintenance TLC.

Here’s what we did:

We figured out who fits what

Too small…
That looks better!

The kiddos keep growing and it’s important to check their bikes for a good fit. I try to go through all the bikes the same way I go through all the clothing: every fall and every spring. What fits? What needs to be passed along? (You should check helmet fit too, while you’re at it.)

Getting each kid matched up with a well-fitting bike they like can make a big difference in our family rides. Kids on a too-small bike may be slower and uncomfortable. I first noticed this when I had a kid rider lagging behind. The problem was that the bike was too small or the seat too low. Raising the seat can give a kid a lot more power on each pedal stroke. A too-low seat makes pedal strokes less efficient and less comfortable because of the deep bend in the knee. Sometimes a loose seat post just falls down and needs to be raised and tightened into place. Other times, it’s necessary to size up to a larger bike. For one of my kids, we just needed to raise the seat and he noticed an immediate difference: he was much faster and less fatigued, no longer struggling to keep up. I still remember the smile on his face: with the simple lift of the seat, biking became so much easier and more fun for him.

Lately, our newest independent rider has been pretty slow, so he hasn’t been given much riding time because he can’t keep up. We thought he had a good bike fit, because we raised his bike seat such that he was on his tip-toes, but that was with the highest seat height on a very small bike. This weekend, we found a bigger bike and lowered the seat down so that he was also on his tip-toes. The seat heights were about the same, but he will be much faster and more efficient on the bigger bike.

This guy took the too-small bike from his older brother and he’s learning to ride without training wheels. He got it on his first try, but then fell over and scraped a knee, so he’s had enough for the day, but he’s close. We may use a Bakkie pannier to tow this bike for him to use on safe paths and park areas at our destinations.

I find that kids are a little nervous and very wobbly when they size up. A bigger bike feels very different from the one they outgrew, and it takes some practice in a safe spot to get the feel for the bigger bicycle. Less confident riders will be more hesitant about sizing up, as they often feel more in-control of a smaller bike. And it’s a good idea to keep the seat a bit lower for less-experienced riders, such that they can be flat-footed while seated, instead of tip-toes; this gives them more security about putting their feet down to stop themselves and keep from toppling over or crashing (especially if they are learning to ride without training wheels.) 

Sometimes the style of bike makes a big difference too. My daughter (above, right) had two good-fitting bikes, but she refused to ride the mountain bike because she didn’t like the feel or riding position. She prefers riding in a more upright fashion, as on a leisurely stroll. The handlebar style/position makes a big difference to her. On one bike she’s happy. On the other bike, she feels uncomfortable, even scared. That makes for a pretty easy choice. We’ll keep the bike that makes her happy, and pass the mountain bike on to someone else.

We assessed our family biking situation

Kids grow and change, and so do families. Sometimes, you need to reassess your entire family biking situation: Are any of your kids newly independent riders? Do you have a new infant or toddler passenger? Are there destinations you want to bike to, but don’t? Is there a solution that would allow you to bike there? Or maybe you have a kid in-between, almost independent but not quite. These family changes may suggest a change in your bike set-up.

Or maybe you need to think outside of your current set-up. You may even need a whole new bike or one with e-assist, or perhaps a trail-a-bike for the almost independent rider. If you’ve been using a bike trailer but you are adding a third kid passenger, it might be time to get a box-bike. If a tricky section of traffic is making you nervous, maybe a trail-a-bike would allow your little rider to pedal, and give you the peace of mind knowing they won’t be able to veer off course.

Finally, how do you envision your riding situation to change in the next few years? Will you have more babies and little riders? Or will you be graduating riders to ride independently? What bike investment makes the most sense for you now and in the years to come? Does it make more sense to get the bike and accessories with the longest use-life? Or do you prefer to get a bike that best meets your current needs, and trade it in when your needs change?

The “family bike situation” is sometimes the most stressful for me, because it centers around the bike I am riding, and how I will transport the littlest people in our family along with our huge load of “stuff” — diapers, picnic supplies, library books, water bottles, etc. I say “stressful” because any change is usually quite expensive — or rather, it’s a large investment — so I want to get this part right. I’m still adjusting to the fact that my “Momma bike” situation has evolved, and will continue to evolve, and that may mean letting go of my first cargo bike, which is sitting unused, to make room for a bike we will use. I might even make a big change this summer, as I consider our new biking configuration of independent riders, those who need carted along, and what we hope to achieve. (I’ll explain this evolution in my next post!)

Let the un-needed bikes go

It’s really hard to let go of a bike you loved, or your kid loved. And if you have a small budget, sometimes it’s hard to let go of anything. (Someone might need it someday! Trust me, I know.) Yes, we save bikes to pass down to our sibling riders, but I also have a tendency to take whatever used bikes friends or neighbors are giving away, “just in case” we need it. As a result, our garage has been such a tangled mess of bicycles that it has been hard to even pull out the bikes we want to ride. Bike-hoarding, you might call it. I have some bikes that have been in the garage over a year, not used, and I finally decided it’s time to part with them. Our local bike shop is a non-profit that will take used bikes and fix them up to donate to kids in need. Bikes beyond repair will be stripped of useful parts and the rest recycled.

Once we got all the kids set up on their bikes, I took a load of un-needed kid bikes to the bike shop to pass on to other kids. It felt refreshing!

To do: Build a repair kit

I admit that I have been really bad about this. We’re just plain lucky we haven’t had a flat more than a few blocks from home. But with hopes for longer bike adventures, and more independent riders, I am trying to finally prepare an “emergency bike maintenance kit” to have with us so we can fix some basic problems and not get stranded with a flat tire miles from home. (And I need to practice fixing flats, because it’s a skill every biking mama and papa should have!) 

With that, we feel ready to go riding. With a big family, it can take a bit of preparation to get everyone’s tires, bikes, and helmets fitted and checked. (And anything involving toddlers takes at least twice as long.) Make a long morning or afternoon of it if you need to. It will give you the confidence that you are all ready-to-go for the next opportunity, the next time the sun peeps out, you can hop on the bikes and get rolling! 

My son just crawled onto my lap and said, “it’s such a beautiful day. Can we pack a picnic and bike to the park?” Now, bikes at the ready, I can enthusiastically say: Yes!

Three Sunday Parkways events coming this season

Big crowds flocked to carfree streets in Multnomah Village for Sunday Parkways on September 11th, 2023. (Jonathan Maus – BikePortland)

The City of Portland will put on three Sunday Parkways events this year. The Portland Bureau of Transportation announced the dates and location last Friday.

The events will be held in east Portland on May 19th, the Cully neighborhood on June 16th and in southwest on September 22nd. For the uninitiated, Sunday Parkways are open streets events that began in 2008. We were inspired by the Ciclovias in Bogota and were one of the first cities in North America to launch such an ambitious event. That first year we had just one event and it was a massive hit. PBOT expanded it to three Sundays in 2009 and by 2010 we were doing five events per year — including a route in northwest.

PBOT organized five Sunday Parkways events each year through 2019. Then we skipped two years due to the pandemic and returned with just two events in 2022. We’ve had three events per year since.

Finding funding for Sunday Parkways is a perennial issue. PBOT has had to hold donation drives and plead with City Council to keep it funded. Currently, the events are made possible thanks to grants from Kaiser Permanente and other sponsors. The Portland Clean Energy Fund has also provided a lifeline for the program as Sunday Parkways was part of a $112 million injection into PBOT announced back in December (but still not finalized).

Check out more details (via PBOT) about each of this year’s three events below…

East Portland – May 19th

The East Portland 3.3-mile down-and-back route will feature Gateway Discovery Park, Ventura Park, and Lincoln Park. More details here.

Northeast Cully – June 16th

The Northeast Cully 6.2-mile looped route rises significantly as one travels from north to south stopping along the way at Fernhill Park, Kʰunamokwst Park, Wellington Park, and Roseway Parkway. More details here.

Southwest Portland – September 22nd

The Southwest Portland route will feature a 2-mile multi-modal route along with a separate 1.5-mile walking route. Start anywhere on either route and bike, walk, or roll as you explore the four featured stops. More details here.

Here’s to another great Sunday Parkways season! I just wish we could figure out a way to spread the love and have them in more parts of the city more often. A measly 15 hours of carfree streets per year after 16 years of success just doesn’t seem right.

Entry to riverfront path on Swan Island blocked by boulders and barricades

View of the path looking west from N Port Center Way. (Steve – @Intersection911 on X)

People driving cars on what are supposed to be carfree paths for bicycling and walking has become a major problem in Portland in recent years. As tents and other temporary housing structures have sprung up on public right-of-ways adjacent to multi-use paths, it has become increasingly common for people who live in the camps to drive cars right up to their front doors. The presence of cars is unexpected for path users and can obstruct people from safely using these areas.

To deal with this tricky issue, government agencies erect barricades to keep the cars out, but those barricades often end up compromising access for law-abiding users of the paths as well. We saw this happen on the Columbia Slough path in 2022 when Portland Parks & Recreation erected large cement Jersey barriers to keep drivers off the path.

Today I confirmed yet another path where public access has been restricted due to concerns about campers and cars: The “Going to the River” path on Swan Island that opened in 2006 and provides a connection to the Willamette Riverfront via N Going Street and Port Center Way.

After coming across a photo shared by @Intersection911 on X earlier today, I contacted Portland Parks & Recreation to inquire about the situation. The photo showed what looked like a complete blockage to the path entrance from Port Center Way just south of Going Street/Channel Ave. This is the path folks take to access Lindbergh’s Beach. It’s a connection to about a mile of continuous, carfree, paved riverfront path between the Union Station Railyards and a boat ramp at the northern end of the Daimler Trucks North America campus. I recommended this route to families in a 2020 post about riding on Swan Island.

Today I learned the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services has jurisdiction over this path. BES Public Information Officer Diane Dulken confirmed that they erected these concrete barriers to prevent automobile access to the path about nine months ago. When they installed the barriers they left room an opening for other users like bike riders, walkers, wheelchair users, and so on. “But an unknown person or persons further blocked the path, as you are pointing out in the photo,” Dulken shared with BikePortland today.

Dulken said BES has no plans to remove the barrier because it is “working to protect the public from illicit driving on the river pathway.” Here’s more from Dulken:

“Safety at this site continues to be our top priority. There is a considerable amount of unsanctioned camping in the area and the site has had a history of people camping along the pathway and beach, and driving illegally and dangerously along the pathway, posing an unacceptable risk to people walking, rolling, and biking. Since the barriers have been placed, that driving has stopped.”

Dulken said the public can access the river and path via another entry point about one-tenth of a mile away. The path is to the northwest of the location in the photo and is located about 400-feet west of Port Center Way along the eastern edge of the Daimler Truck First Gear Academy school  (see map graphic above). BES says they don’t own that path and I’m still trying to find out who does. I’ll update this post with that information soon.

Albina Vision Trust in driver’s seat of Rose Quarter redevelopment

Albina Vision Trust Strategic Communications Director JT Flowers (left), along with ODOT Rose Quarter Project Manager Megan Channell and ODOT Urban Mobility Office Director Brendan Finn at an Oregon Transportation Commission meeting in Medford Thursday, March 14th. (Photo via YouTube screenshot)

“The Albina Vision Trust has consistently proven to be both the backbone and the wings behind this project.”

– JT Flowers, Albina Vision Trust

An unlikely partnership between a state agency and a Portland-based nonprofit that could have vast implications for the future of the Rose Quarter took a big step forward last Thursday.

At a meeting of the Oregon Transportation Commission in Medford, Albina Vision Trust and the Oregon Department of Transportation received official approval to develop a work plan for how the future cover over I-5 will be governed. Specifically, the resolution passed unanimously by the five OTC members says that AVT and ODOT now have 60 days to hammer out a plan that determines, “If AVT can have access and rights to the future lease(s) and/or easement(s) for developable air rights on the Project’s highway cover and ownership and development rights for surplus property associated with the Project.” And if current laws and regulations don’t allow AVT to be granted those rights, the plan will determine how to change the law to make it possible.

It’s an unprecedented step that’s likely to put AVT in the driver’s seat of the $450 million investment into lower Albina — the largest federal grant ever received by ODOT — and that sets into motion the largest redevelopment project of its kind in America today.

It’s the latest in a string of eye-popping wins by AVT, a nonprofit that launched in 2017 with a bold idea to recreate the bustling community that once thrived in lower Albina before construction of I-5 and other developments displaced hundreds of Black Portlanders. In February, AVT convinced Portland Public Schools to relocate their headquarters and sell their building to the nonprofit, who plans to build 1,000 units of “working class housing” at the location. And shortly after that move, AVT won $25 million from the Oregon Legislature for the PPS project. The $450 million grant from the US DOT’s Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant program was coupled with an additional $38 million City of Portland grant to rebuild and redesign NE Broadway and Weidler from 7th to the Willamette River through the Rose Quarter project area.

Now, as you’d expect for an organization with this many accomplishments under their belt, AVT is leaning into their power. AVT’s Strategic Communications Director JT Flowers told members of the OTC Thursday that his group, “Has consistently proven to be both the backbone and the wings behind this project.”

Just five years ago, AVT used that backbone to publicly challenge ODOT because of the agency’s initial reluctance to invest in highway covers that would be robust enough to hold multi-story buildings. That squabble seemed very far in the rear-view mirror Thursday, as Flowers sat next to ODOT Urban Mobility Office Director Brendan Finn and Rose Quarter Project Director Megan Channell at the OTC meeting. The trio beamed as they shared news of the federal grant and shared their work plan proposal with transportation commissioners.

“I think the project is a prime example for how community building and partnership goals are well aligned with transportation infrastructure investment,” said Channell, “and we see the Rose Quarter project as an opportunity to be a national model for how it can be a ‘yes, and’ instead of just an ‘either, or'”

No one at Thursday’s meeting uttered the word “freeway” or mentioned anything about ODOT’s plans to significantly widen I-5 between I-84 and the Fremont Bridge. However, Channell might have been referring to it when she said, “It wasn’t that long ago that we were having different conversations in front of you and we were not in alignment on a project design, nor did we have the project partnerships to move forward. So I feel like we’ve worked very hard to incorporate the perspective of our partners of our community, and believe that we now have the right project for the region and for the moment.”

Does the “right project for the moment” include more freeway lanes that will encourage more driving and all the negative consequences that comes with more vehicle miles traveled?

What happens below the new Albina remains to be seen. For now, AVT is focused on making sure they get to decide what happens on the seven acres above it.

“Together, we can redefine what government-community partnership looks like and set a new national precedent,” Flowers said at the meeting. “One that uses development to heal rather than harm.”

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Protestor blocks bus and bike lanes on Division with his car