2024 Archives

Republican lawmakers say cyclists should be tolled, question bike lanes on new Interstate Bridge

Republican lawmakers from both sides of the river are concerned that the project to widen I-5 between Portland and Vancouver and replace the Interstate Bridge is too focused on non-drivers.

In comments made Monday during a meeting of the bi-state legislative committee for the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBR), Washington lawmakers questioned the wisdom of devoting lanes to walkers and bicycle users, and one wondered whether bike riders should have any access at all. And an Oregon House representative floated the idea of tolls for pedestrians and bicycle riders.

These are not random elected officials speaking out of their lane: these are influential legislators on important transportation committees that decide the fate of billions of taxpayer dollars.

The IBR is estimated to cost upwards of $7.5 billion, with $1.1 billion each coming from the states of Oregon and Washington and the rest split between tolls and federal grants. The project will widen five miles of I-5, build seven new freeway interchanges, and replace the existing bridge over the Columbia River (see graphic below). Despite delays due to traffic modeling disagreements, permitting negotiations, and environmental analyses, IBR Administrator Greg Johnson said at Monday’s meeting they are “steaming toward a path” of construction in 2026.

“I have a concern that we’re paying more attention to modes of transportation that are not at the top of mind. We need to be paying attention to, and directing our building of this bridge, according to the majority of what the bridges should be used for, which would be traffic and freight.”
– Lynda Wilson, Washington state senator

Left to right: Sen. Lynda Wilson (State of Washington), House Rep. Ed Orcutt (State of Washington), IBR Admin Greg Johnson (IBR), House Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis (Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Monday’s meeting was a chance for Johnson and other project staff to convince lawmakers that the project is doing great and moving forward as planned. There was a real “nothing-to-see-here” vibe to the presentations from project staff. As for legislators, beyond pointed questions from Oregon House Rep. Khanh Pham about modeling projections and concerns voiced by Washington reps about the possible loss of buildings on the Vancouver riverfront due to the freeway’s wide footprint, the most notable exchanges were, surprisingly, about bicycles.

Washington Senator Lynda Wilson, a Republican who represents the 17th district that includes rural Clark County, doesn’t seem to think that bicycle riders, transit users, or walkers are “traffic.”

“Traffic remains below 2019 levels and transit is actually lower than that. So I think we cannot lose sight of the fact that we’re building this big bridge with this big train on it to move very few people —and the important thing is that we have traffic moving,” Wilson said during the meeting.

Sen. Wilson also expressed concern about figures she read about in a story published in The Columbian on May 23rd, that despite the new bridge being almost three times as large as the existing one (208 feet of surface area compared to 75 today), it will devote only 55% of its lane space to “cars and freight” versus the 89% currently devoted to those modes.

Scope of the project (told you it’s not just a “bridge replacement”). North Portland is on the left. (Source: IBR)

Johnson knew what Wilson was getting at: “We’re not neglecting the highway mode,” he said, in a diplomatic but forceful tone. Johnson explained that while the new bridge will still have three through lanes for car and truck drivers, they will be wider (12 feet instead of 10 and-a-half today), there will be two auxiliary lanes, and four, 12 to 14-foot wide safety shoulders (in addition to the light rail and bike/walk lanes).

Then Johnson offered a question of his own: “Folks who believe we can widen this thing and put more through lanes in it, I ask the question: ‘What do you want us to tear out, Fort Vancouver or downtown Vancouver? Because if you widen and put more through lanes, that’s exactly what you will end up doing.'”

Then later in the meeting when Johnson was sharing a series of bridge visualizations, Wilson asked another question.

“Biking, walking, rolling, whatever you want to call it, ‘active transportation’, we can do that [on the bridge] now,” Wilson said, as if to question the wisdom of funding a major bikeway upgrade. “I would like to know what percentage of the rolling, walking biking is happening now compared to traffic?” she added, once again making it clear that in her mind, bike riders are not “traffic.” Then Wilson dropped all pretense:

“I have a concern here that we’re paying more attention to modes of transportation that are not at the top of mind, right? We need to be paying attention to and, and directing our building of this bridge, according to the majority of what the bridges should be used for, right? Which would be traffic and freight.”

Once again Johnson was ready with a quality response:

“I have walked across the bridge back-and-forth 42 different times. And it is an unpleasant experience on the best day. You have very narrow walkways, you have folks who are hauling bottles and cans on large conveyances on that pathway. You can’t hear well because if someone is coming they have to basically holler to get your attention for you to slide into the truss members. So the current bridge does not encourage walking or biking… I’ve been a bike rider all my life, and I refuse to ride across the bridge.”

Then Johnson made it clear that it doesn’t matter what his personal opinion is because quality bike and walk facilities are called for in the project’s adopted “Purpose and Need” statement so the project is obligated to build them or jeopardize federal funding.

“So we’re not neglecting any mode,” Johnson repeated. “We’re making sure that we’re building something that if you choose not to be in a car, you can safely have an enjoyable trip across this bridge.”

A few minutes later, Oregon House Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis followed-up on Wilson’s comments. Boshart Davis is a Republican who represents rural Willamette Valley, owns a trucking company and is co-vice chair of the legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation.

Rep Boshart Davis was also hung up on how much space on the new bridge would be allocated to non-drivers. “As we’re talking about that great percentage of space [going to bikers and walkers] — which in my mind says money and costs — in that aspect, is that part going to be tolled?… We’re talking about a $7 billion budget and how we’re paying for the project. Is it equitable across the modes of transportation, and the people actually using the bridge?… I want to make sure that as we’re paying for the system, that we are looking at equity, as we’re talking about it all the time.”

“We’ve heard the question of whether there will be tolling for bicycles or pedestrians,” Johnson replied. “I’m not aware of situations across the country — or even across the world — where bicycling or walking is tolled. We’re trying to create options to to decongest the freeway system and that would be at odds with that purpose.”

Then Johnson took it a bit further as he sought to reset the narrative. “The thought that the biking and walking is an add-on is a misnomer. This is part of the Purpose and Need of this project. So as freight is a part of the Purpose and Need, so is biking and walking a part of the Purpose and Need. We can’t pick and choose which Purpose and Need statements we’re going to meet and which ones we’re not.”

Beyond their clear bias against and misunderstanding of people who can’t or don’t want to drive, the comments of Sen Wilson and Rep Boshart Davis are in part motivated by cost concerns, which became clear when Wilson asked Johnson to give her the total dollar amount the project will spent on the “extra lanes” for biking, walking, and transit. (As in “extra” because they’re non-essential.)

Even the bi-state legislative committee’s chair, Washington House Republican Ed Orcutt, got in a dig at bicycling and walking. Orcutt challenged Johnson’s reference to biking and walking as an important component of the project: “There’s about 308 miles of I-5 in Oregon, and I believe 280 in Washington. You say part of the need for this project is bike/ped. Can you tell me how much bike/ped is allowed on the other 590 miles of I-5 in Oregon and Washington?”

And again Johnson kept his cool while responding to another bad faith question. “Representative,” Johnson responded, “one of the one of the issues is that we have very limited crossings of the Columbia River in the Portland-Vancouver area. So when we have an opportunity to connect biking and walking facilities on each side of the river, that was part of the Purpose and Need that was established and agreed to by the transportation partners. So once again, we can’t ignore it… this is a unique opportunity that would be missed if we ignored the bike/walk community at this location.”

It’s good to know Johnson won’t be cowed by these legislators. But it’s not good to know we have such high-ranking public officials in positions of influence over transportation funding who suffer from such intense windshield bias.

Job: Master Technician – Clever Cycles

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Master Technician

Company / Organization

Clever Cycles

Job Description

We are seeking a skilled and thoughtful individual to join our service team. We are an urban devoted shop entirely to bicycles as primary transportation, serving urban households seeking to avoid dependence on cars with practical, stylish bikes for everyday use.

Responsibilities:
Repair and maintain all types of bicycles, including folding, ebikes, and cargo bikes.
Provide customers with accurate cost estimate quotes and maintenance suggestions.
Thoroughly and accurately complete bike builds, repairs, tune ups, sales checks, and accessory installs on time and with the highest quality standards.
Maintain organized and efficient service areas.
Assist with the daily operations of the store.
Assist sales associates and customers with technical questions and purchases.

The Ideal Candidate:
Positive, friendly and professional.
Excellent customer service skills.
Well organized, with the ability to manage time and prioritize workflows for self and our service team.
Strong attention to detail.
Love for order, detail and communication.
Willingness to learn about electric and non-traditional bikes.
Excellent written and verbal communication.
Able to work both independently and as a member of a team.
Adaptable, teachable and thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
Previous bike shop experience is a requirement.
Weekend availability is a must.

Job Type: Full-time
Salary: $20.00 to $28.00 /hour based on experience

Other benefits include:
Sick pay
Paid vacation
Health insurance
Retirement plan
Employee discounts

How to Apply

What We Want From You:
A resume
A cover letter (tell us why we want you!)
At least 2 current references
Your availability
Email: hr@clevercycles.com

At Bike Happy Hour this week: Candidate Rex Burkholder, Bike Fun App, and WeBike!

Left: Rex Burkholder at Bike Happy Hour in April (Jonathan Maus/BikePortland). Right top: WeBike group photo at Peninsula Park (The Street Trust). Right bottom: Bike Fun App ride leader tokens.

Bike Happy Hour
Every Wednesday, 3-6 pm
Gorges Beer Co. (2705 SE Ankeny)

Bike Happy Hour (BHH) is right around the corner and we have a fun night planned. It’ll be hard to top last week, but perhaps you’ll join us and make it even better?!

(By the way: If you’d like to support BHH, help us pay for free fries and other cool stuff, consider making a contribution here.)

We have two special guests lined up so far: leaders of The Street Trust’s WeBike program and Portland City Council candidate Rex Burkholder. I’ll also have Bike Fun App ride leader tokens to hand out. Here’s the rundown…

It’s Pride Month, so we’ll share the mic with WeBike, a cycling group that, “aims to dismantle the barriers of cycling for trans people of all genders, gender non-conforming people, Two Spirit, and cis women.” WeBike began as a program from The Street Trust known as Women Bike in 2015. WeBike goes beyond bike rides and connects people through social gatherings, mentorship, and knowledge-sharing events. They’ve also got a private Facebook group where folks can tap into the collective wisdom and connect for rides and meet-ups.

Tomorrow night (Weds., 6/12) at 6:30 pm WeBike will host a fix-a-flat clinic at The Street Trust HQ in Lloyd Center, but they’ll hang with us on the patio first. Around 5:00 pm one of their leaders will be on the mic and then they’ll lead a ride over to the clinic. Come out and learn what this group is all about and consider tagging along on their ride. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet some great folks and end up joining them on an upcoming overnight bike camping adventure?

Also at BHH this week we’ll be joined by Portland City Council D3 (southeast) candidate Rex Burkholder. Many of you know Rex as one of the founders of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (which became The Street Trust) and as a former Metro councilor. This will be Rex’s second visit to BHH. If you caught his speech back in April you’ll know why he’s running. Come out and hear more from Rex, then decide if he deserves one of your votes for D3.

And last but not least, I’m helping Aaron Corsi spread the word about his amazing Bike Fun App. If you haven’t heard, this app puts the entire Shift/Bike Summer calendar into your iPhone with a very easy-to-use and helpful app. Aaron isn’t able to join the fun on his bike this summer due to a lingering medical issue (he’s fine, it’s just a bummer!), so he wanted help handing out his ride leader tokens. What are these? They’re cool little plastic cards he created that allow anyone who’s leading four or more rides to share them with someone. There’s an RFID chip so you can just tap your phone and see all the leader’s rides. Watch his IG video for more info.

I have tokens to give to the following ride leaders:

Abernethy Bike Bus
Bad Bitches Bike
Bicycle Kitty
BikeLoud PDX
Breakfast on the Bridges
Corvidae BC
Cycle Cats
Cycle Homies
Dr. Doughnut
Joseph Bicycles
Kidical Mass PDX
Maplewood Bike Bus
Nakedhearts:PDX
Nic Cota
Pamela Schpamela
Ride Safe PDX
The Street Trust

What else?

Come at 4:00 for free fries. Stay till 5:00 for open mic where anyone can speak their mind.

See you tomorrow.

Comment of the Week: Doing math at the transportation package roadshow

Jonathan doesn’t like it if I engage in “navel gazing,” but his post last week about the kick-off of the state’s Joint Committee on Transportation 13-city tour in advance of Oregon’s 2025 transportation package was really good reporting. After spending seven hours with the committee — in the bus and, at the round-table, and during the public comments — he captured both the feeling in the room as well as the specifics of what participants said.

And you responded with 200 comments (so far). I just went through all of them again this morning—and this blows me away—all the comments are on-topic! I would say curl up with a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fire and read them, except that it’s nearly summer. But I defy anyone to find a more knowledgeable, civil conversation (open to all) on internet, and I think it’s worth spending time reading the whole thread.

A comment from somone named, “Ivc” is this week’s selection. It got a COTW nomination (those nominations can be really helpful with this volume of comments, so please keep them coming) and a lot of thumbs up. I liked it because it stepped back from the details that many commenters were discussing, and instead zeroed-in on the core problem: the state cannot afford to pay for the car-centric mega-projects it has committed to.

Here’s Ivc’s comment:

There’s a lot to unpack in this post.

I wonder sometimes if advocates for freeway expansions are totally math illiterate. They need billions.

“…Many of those funds were diverted to non-road projects” — my rear end. A quick look at ODOT’s 2023-25 Budget, [shows that] “Public Transportation” (transit and active transportation) amounts to 465 million, 8% of ODOT’s budget for that cycle. Even if the state didn’t spend another penny on bikes or transit ever again, it wouldn’t be enough fund one of these expansions, let alone three of them. If they’re not sitting there dreaming up with massive new revenue sources for these fantasy projects, they need to be advocating for stopping these projects now. Anything else is just delusional.

I do find it curious that Director Williams appears to be completely unaware of freeway traffic in Southern California or around Puget Sound.

Thank you Ivc. Please treat yourself to reading Ivc’s comment in the context of 199 other fine takes on Oregon’s transportation situation.

First Look: New bike path to Portland Airport

There’s a new cycling route to the Portland International Airport (PDX).

Last Friday, TriMet quietly removed barricades from a 1.1-mile stretch of a protected bike path that takes riders directly to the end of the MAX light rail line and PDX terminal. The path was partially funded by the Port of Portland as part of TriMet’s “A Better Red” project, a $215 million investment into the MAX Red Line.

In addition to an extension of the Red Line in Washington County, A Better Red added a second track to sections of the line between Gateway Transit Center and the airport. The project also comes with two new sections of bike path: One from Gateway Transit Center to Gateway Green Bike Park adjacent to I-205, and the other on NE Cargo Road from just west of NE 82nd to the PDX terminal. The new Gateway Green path and all other elements of A Better Red are expected to be complete later this summer, but TriMet has opened the new path to the airport.

The path was built by TriMet and Port of Portland, who provided $2.3 million in funding. The Port seized the opportunity of TriMet’s project to realize their vision of a new path on the south side of Airport Way along the MAX line that was a key part of the Port’s 2014 Portland International Airport Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan.

I took a closer look at the new path on Saturday. I found it to be a welcome addition to the bike network, but it needs better connections to existing facilities. (Watch the video above for more.)

The old bike route to PDX required bicycle users to cross the wide and busy intersection of NE Airport Way and 82nd, then share lanes with car users on a frontage road before connecting to a half-mile path that ended on the north side of the terminal. The new route connects to an existing sidewalk/path near the airport’s designated cell phone waiting area and shopping center on NE Air Cargo Rd. The new path is bi-directional, wider, longer, and provides more protection from other road users. It also connects to a bike parking area near an entrance to the terminal.

Unfortunately the new path isn’t well-connected to existing infrastructure and we’re still a few major pieces away from having a bike route to the airport that’s safe, easy-to-use, and convenient for a broad slice of existing and potential riders.

As I rode on NE Alderwood toward 82nd Ave, I wasn’t sure where the new path began. I relied on signage or other design cues that I hoped would make it obvious, but I was disappointed. After a few wrong turns near the intersection of 82nd and Air Cargo Rd, I got up onto the sidewalk to check a map and emails on my phone. Once I found it where the new path began, I crossed 82nd in a painted crosswalk, navigated a slip lane (there are two at this intersection), and made my way onto the sidewalk on the northeast corner of NE 82nd Ave and Air Cargo Rd. I headed northwest past wide, busy driveways of a gas station, mini-mart, and fast food outlets and eventually found the start of the path.

Directing bicycle riders onto a sidewalk (even if it’s wide) with busy driveways is no way to introduce them to a protected path. Hopefully TriMet/the Portland will add more signage (including pavement markings) to let riders know they are in the right place and let drivers know they are crossing an important regional bikeway.

The path begins at NE Air Cargo Ct., a small but busy road that provides access to the PDX cell phone waiting area and rideshare driver parking lot. Again, more signage and perhaps an enhanced crossing is needed here to let drivers know this is more than just another crosswalk. Once I was finally on the new path, my blood pressure dropped and I could relax a bit. I looked up and saw a “PDX Terminal” bikeway network sign and knew I was in the right place.

The Port decided to route the path away from Airport Way and onto NE Air Cargo Rd (current alignment above), which is a change from the recommendation in their 2014 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan shown above.

The new path is separated from other lanes via a standard curb. The width felt adequate at about 10-12 feet wide, although I was the only person out there so I couldn’t judge what it would be like with opposing bike traffic. A bit further north the path is directly adjacent to the MAX line and becomes an above-grade facility on its own raised track. About half-way on the path it crosses the MAX rails (“We really want to stress the importance of safety,” a TriMet official emailed me about the crossing). After the crossing is where the new path gets really nice. There’s a grove of trees (beyond the “Welcome to Oregon” sign and those wooden horses you’ve seen when you drive home from the airport) and grass. On one side you’ve got runways and airplanes next to light rail tracks, and on the other you’ve got the busy traffic lanes and the airport.

This final section of the path feels safe and separated and there’s a lot of interesting stuff to look at. The path is separated from multiple lanes of car users by heavy-duty steel posts and cables. Eventually the path ends into the airport MAX station. Just a few hundred yards away from the end of the path are a few bike corrals at a designated bike parking area. Keep in mind there are hundreds of employees at the Airport, so many of the users of this path will be shift workers. For travelers who need secure, long-term bike parking, the airport needs better options. There’s a gated bike parking area on the opposite side of the terminal, but I haven’t seen it for many years and I’m unsure of its status.

It’s also notable that the southern part of the new path veers away from the MAX tracks and Airport Way and instead goes along Air Cargo Rd and the new Travel Center development. That wasn’t the original plan. As you can see in the graphic above, the 2014 plan included a more direct route that would connect this new path to an existing path along Airport Way with a better connection to Cascade Station shopping center and other paths.

According to the Port, the 2014 recommendation is no longer in the plans. Port Media Relations Manager Allison Ferre told BikePortland they built the sidewalk on NE Air Cargo Rd with the intention that the new path would connect to it. As for why they chose to route the new path away from the MAX line along Airport Way, Ferre said, “The existing bike/pedestrian network converges at 82^nd Ave and Air Cargo Rd, so the plan is to keep that as the focal point for practical and safety reasons (separate from vehicle traffic on Airport Way).”

Where an existing path drops into a slip lane at northwest corner of NE Air Cargo Rd and 82nd Ave.

If that’s the case, we must improve the 82nd Ave/Air Cargo Rd intersection. Currently it’s a mess (see above) and shows zero regard for bicycle travel. There are two slip lanes which add to the stress. It’s not enough to make islands of good bikeways when 95% of riders can’t swim.

Overall, this is a nice addition to the airport biking network and TriMet, Metro, and the Port should be applauded for making it happen! I can’t wait for the new path coming to NE Cornfoot Rd in 2026 and other improvements planned in the coming years. There’s no reason we can’t have safe and convenient bike connections to the airport from existing neighborhood bikeways in the Parkrose, Cully, and Woodlawn neighborhoods.

Monday Roundup: Hochul’s blunder, Ladds 500, exhausting men, and more

Welcome to the week.

Let’s start things off with a recap of the best stories our community came across in the past seven days…

**This week’s Roundup is sponsored by The eBike Store, where e-MTB season has begun.**

Oh Hochul: New York Governor Kathy Hochul caved on congestion pricing and she might have cratered her political career as a result. It’s the biggest political blunder I’ve ever seen in the transportation space — and the latest reports say she might need to update her infamous video to say it’s back on again. (Streetsblog NYC)

Engineering death: A former traffic engineer has written a tell-all about his former profession that lifts the veil on how design decisions are made and reads like a plea for reform. (Bloomberg)

Kids these days: The “throttle kids” phenomenon we covered two years ago has made it into a national news outlet as the trend of kids hopping on e-bikes instead of cars is alive and well. (Wall St. Journal)

Ladds 500 paean: A beautifully captured report on last April’s Ladds 500 event was well worth the wait. (Defector)

Blumenauer’s e-bike gambit: Excellent context on the bill announced by Portland Congressman Earl Blumenauer last week that aims to boost competitiveness of American electric bike manufacturing. (The Verge)

Heavy pedals: City of San Francisco employees are speeding all over the city, according to records dug up by a local news outlet that examined logs of the city’s vehicle fleet. (San Francisco Standard)

Decibel dudes: Talk about validating my feelings about people who love making absurdly loud noises with their car (or motorcycle) exhaust! This study found guys who do this (and they’re almost always guys) are often sadistic, psychotic creeps. (Car and Driver)

Power of bicycles: No big deal, just a story from a major city in Pakistan where women are building community and power by riding bicycles together. (Dawn)

Don’t overlook education: Teaching people — especially women and underserved groups — how to be confident on a bike and to integrate cycling into their lifestyle can help cities save themselves and reach cycling mode split goals. (Bloomberg)

Ride style: What should we make of the fact that one of the largest retailers of fast fashion in the world, H&M, delves into performance cycling apparel? (Global Cycling Network)

“Age means nothing”: An inspirational tale from the recent Unbound gravel cycling race where a 73-year old rider not only finished but crushed the course. (Cycling Weekly)

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

Podcast: In the Shed with Eva & Jonathan – Ep 20

Happy Friday and Welcome back to The Shed.

Retired bike shop co-owner and BikeLoud PDX Board Member Eva Frazier and I just wrapped another fun chat.

We had a wonderful chat and I debuted our first official News Quiz. Eva shared about her cross-town box truck adventure, we talked about the big stories of the past week, Eva’s ride downtown for First Thursday, we Googled Shaquille O’Neal’s massive bike, dished about the bike bus, NY Gov Hochul’s horrible decision on congestion pricing, and more.

Thanks for listening, thanks to our paid subscribers, and thanks to Brock Dittus (of Sprocket Podcast fame) for our theme music. Listen via the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.

City will launch $2.6 million trail improvement project at Kelly Butte this summer

A 24-acre natural area in east Portland next to bike paths, arterial roads, and transit access is poised to receive a $2.6 million investment for new trails and visitor amenities.

On Tuesday, Portland Parks & Recreation announced that Commissioner Dan Ryan has opted to inject an additional $560,000 in system development charges (SDCs) into Kelly Butte Natural Area, topping off the project budget and “ensuring its financial stability.”

Ryan sees the heavily wooded parcel in the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood — nestled between I-205, Division and SE Powell — as a way to provide outdoor recreation access for east Portlanders. The big question on our minds is whether or not the city will create quality access for people on bicycles.

At this point the project will begin with development of a management plan that will lay out where trails might be built in the future. “Potential amenities, which will be determined through community engagement and design efforts,” reads the PP&R statement, “may include new trails, signage, and parking.”

Open Street Map Cycle layer with RideWithGPS heatmap overlay.

Riders say Kelly Butte is currently a very unpolished gem that would take a lot of work before it was appealing for a wide range of bicycle riders. The area is nearly undeveloped and only has a few rudimentary unpaved trails and one very steep climb.

“It would be awesome if we could get access from the Powell side and the Division side,” said nearby resident and frequent bike rider Jordan Norris. “It would be cool to do an up-and-over.”

Portlander Michael Mann told BikePortland he’s ridden them and they are, “rough and brushy.” “Homeless camps randomly appear here and there, but the potential is definitely there for some sweet riding and easy access in a part of town that could really use this kind of stuff.”

Ryan Francesconi, one of the founders of Our Mother Mountain, a riding club that focuses on unpaved routes and gravel riding, said Kelly Butte has “a lot of potential.” “We’ve been riding there for a long time, but it’s actually not that good, so I rarely bother.” Francesconi said existing trails are “meh.”

For Francesconi, the most interesting part is that Kelly Butte used to be a nuclear bunker. The site was immortalized in a 1957, Cold War-era film titled, “A Day Called X.” The film was set in Portland and recreates disaster from a nuclear bomb. It reveals the park’s history as a sixty-bed municipal hospital that isolated patients with infectious diseases.

Norris said you can still see parts of the bunker if you know where to look.

In the coming months, PP&R will start a community engagement process with opportunities to share feedback about the design, dreams, and goals for the site.

With memories of a rug being pulled from under them at Forest Park, River View, and most recently Rose City parks — local off-road cycling lovers are conditioned for disappointment from PP&R; but Mann won’t let past experiences prevent him from staying engaged this time around. “I’m choosing to see this as a positive. It might not be MTB Nirvana,” he said, “but it’s almost certain to be an improvement.”

Stay tuned for updates as the outreach process begins.

A ‘gunfire vandal’ is shooting at automated enforcement cameras

A Portland driver has unlocked a new level of rage. In several acts of what the Portland Police Bureau are referring to as “gunfire vandalism,” someone is driving around and shooting at automated enforcement cameras.

In a statement Thursday, the PPB said the suspect has fired a handgun at “city equipment” at least seven times and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. While they didn’t mention what type of city equipment is being targeted, it’s very obvious what’s going on based on a video released by PPB in an effort to track down the shooter.

In a PPB video from May 27th around 5:10 am, a man is shown driving a black Subaru WRX eastbound on SE Washington through the intersection of 103rd. When he see the traffic camera just east of the southeast corner, he hits the brakes, swerves over and parks in the bike lane, hops out, draws his weapon, aims it high, fires off three shots, then runs back to his car and drives away.

There’s a Portland Bureau of Transportation “intersection safety camera” at that exact spot. The camera snaps photos and sends citations in the mail to folks who run the light and/or speed. It was installed within the last year and is one of 27 automated enforcement cameras currently operated by PBOT (with more on the way). The agency sees the cameras as a vital part of their Vision Zero effort that has zeroed in on speed as a main culprit of traffic deaths and injuries.

The camera that was shot at, as seen in an October 2023 Google image.

It’s a setback for a program that was beset by delays for years due to what city officials said were delays in procurement and problems with the vendor. It was only last fall when the logjam broke and a flood of new cameras were able to hit the streets. PBOT chooses camera locations based on crash history and law requires them to only be used on streets with an above average rate of collisions.

Most of the revenue from the citations (around 70%) goes to the State of Oregon. Of the money that does come to the City of Portland, most of it goes back into maintaining and operating the system. Anything left over is dedicated to safety projects on high crash corridors. Some violators are given an option to attend a safety class in lieu of payment.

When I shared a video about this on Instagram this morning, several commenters expressed concern about stray bullets. Others cheered the shooter, calling him a “hero.” “Why are we mad about this? These cameras suck,” someone wrote. This situation reflects an erosion of norms since the pandemic that has resulted in more reckless driving and wanton disregard among some drivers for courteous vehicle operation and compliance with traffic laws.

PPB are asking anyone with information about the suspect to email crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov and put “Property Crimes Unit case number 24-134019” in the subject line.

— Learn more about PBOT’s enforcement camera program here.

UPDATE, June 11th: They caught him.

Jobs of the Week: BikeLoud PDX, ODOT, Nomad Cycles

Need a job? Want a better job? Just looking for a change? You are in the right place. Don’t miss these recent job announcements. (Remember, you can always stay abreast of jobs as soon as they get listed by signing up for our Job Listings email.)

For a complete list of available jobs, click here.

Be the first to know about new job opportunities by signing up for our daily Job Listings email or by following @BikePortland on Twitter.

These are paid listings. And they work! We’ve helped hundreds of people find great jobs and great staff members. If you’d like to post a job on the Portland region’s most popular bike and transportation news platform, you can purchase a listing online for just $100. Learn more at our Job Listings page.

Video: Highlights from Oregon Legislature transportation hearing in Portland

“When I hear talk about ‘no more highways,’ what you’re really saying is ‘no more Black people’.”
– James Posey, NAACP Portland chapter president

If you missed Tuesday’s big public hearing on the 2025 transportation bill and you don’t want to wade through the two-hour recording on the Oregon Legislative Information Service (OLIS) website, sit back and check out this video. I’ve put together an album of the greatest hits to give you a solid sense of what members of the Joint Committee on Transportation heard from Portlanders.

Here’s a few things to keep in mind as you watch:

This is the hearing that happened after the bus tour and roundtable I reported on yesterday.
I edited chronologically as folks appeared.
I didn’t include everyone and I did a lot of editing to only include what I felt was most salient/interesting/relevant (and yes it was totally subjective!).
I shared a broad diversity of opinions and people who I feel shared particularly notable words.

You’ll hear from a trucking business owner who want lawmakers to fully fund and complete the freeway widening portion of the I-5 Rose Quarter project. You’ll hear a few requests for a downtown MAX tunnel under the Willamette. You’ll hear legendary citizen activist Terry Parker make his infamous argument that bicycles should pay more to use the roads. You’ll hear from climate activists representing Extinction Rebellion and Sunrise PDX. You’ll hear from a bike advocate who help up a sign with the word “BIKE” on it for his entire two minutes.

The scene inside the hearing. After the first photo was taken, organizers told many people to leave the room and watch off-site due to fire code concerns. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Some of the folks in the video who you might know include: northeast Portland environmental activist David Sweet, 18-year-old climate activist Adah Crandall, Portland City Council District 4 candidate Mitch Green, BikeLoud PDX board member Aaron Kuehn, Metro Councilor Christine Lewis, Portland Bridge Book Author Sharon Wood Wortman, Sarah Risser from Families for Safe Streets, No More Freeways Co-founder Chris Smith, and OPAL Bus Riders Unite Community Organizer Abby Griffith.

Another highlight worth watching is testimony (at the 5:00 minute mark) from James Posey, president of the Portland chapter of NAACP. Posey is a member of the I-5 Rose Quarter project’s History Albina Advisory Board (HAAB), the group ODOT assembled in 2020 to represent the Black community displaced by the freeway’s original construction and to help the agency reach its restorative and racial justice goals. Since the project won a $450 million federal grant back in March, Posey has become outspoken with his demands that Black people benefit financially from the vast influx of funding for the project.

Posey has also shared resentment about what he sees as white, anti-freeway activists who stand in the way of hundreds of construction jobs and millions of dollars for Black people in his community. At a March 12th HAAB meeting, Posey said, “[No More Freeways co-founder] Joe Cortright’s on here talking about ecological stuff. And I’m with some other people who say, ‘Where was he when they was building all this stuff and they took all this money and gentrified our community?'”

During his testimony Tuesday, Posey continued that framing of his concerns and added, “When I hear talk about ‘no more highways,’ what you’re really saying is ‘no more Black people’.” That comment garnered widespread attention when I shared it on X Tuesday.

It also elicited a response from Portlander Josiah Kelly (at 15:35), who grew up in the Albina area. “I would like to voice my opposition, specifically as a member of the African-American community,” Kelly said. “Given the historical context of the fact that many hundreds of African-Americans have been displaced by the construction of I-5,” he continued, and then said, in direct response to Posey, “So in essence it’s, more freeways, no more Black people.”

Unfortunately there were a lot more people signed up to testify that didn’t get an opportunity to speak. State Senator and JCT Co-Chair Chris Gorsek ended the hearing promptly at 7:00 pm, even though ODOT staff used up 30 minutes at the beginning of the hearing to share a presentation and video. Hopefully JCT members still read the many pieces of public testimony that have been submitted to OLIS.