Existing conditions on Sandy Blvd are… not great. (Jonathan Maus – BikePortland)
Tonight’s event flyer.
A key section of Sandy Boulevard has big potential to improve Portland’s transportation system — especially if it can be redesigned to meet a latent demand for cycling.
That’s one of the takeaways from a report made public last month by a group of Portland State University graduate students. The Future Sandy Existing Conditions report was prepared by Strategic Minds Consulting Group as part of a project for PSU’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) program. Students Afroza Hossain Misty, Anchal Cheruvari, Heather Rector, Holly Querin, Katelyn Dendas, and Symeon Walker are working with local nonprofit BikeLoud PDX to investigate the potential of adding a major bikeway to Sandy when it gets repaved by the Portland Bureau of Transportation in 2026. (You might recall that several of these students came to Bike Happy Hour on April 10th to garner feedback.)
In a bid to fortify their advocacy push for a bikeway on Sandy Blvd, BikeLoud PDX submitted an application to PSU back in November and the project was chosen for the “MURP workshop”. According to PSU, that program, “is intended to give our students hands-on experience in conceiving, planning, and implementing a community-based planning project in close consultation with a committed client/partner.”
This existing conditions report is the first product of the student’s partnership with BikeLoud.
Intersection of Burnside, Sandy, and 12th Avenue, 1943. Source: Portland VintageMap of streetcar service in Portland, 1912. Source: Portland Bureau of Transportation (Strategic Minds Consulting Group)(Strategic Minds Consulting Group)From Future Sandy Existing Conditions, Strategic Minds Consulting Group
BikeLoud feels the upcoming PBOT repaving project is “an important opportunity to reconfigure the street.” As we’ve reported, Sandy’s flat, direct, diagonal alignment makes it a very seductive short-cut to many important destinations, but it lacks dedicated bicycle infrastructure and most riders don’t feel like the safety risk is worth the time savings.
Strategic Minds Consulting Group hasn’t completed their full report that will offer recommendations on more detailed insights, but the existing conditions report validates BikeLoud’s vision. “The study area’s population density combined with the mixture of commercial development and (mostly renter-occupied) housing along the corridor make it well-suited for investments in transit, walking, and biking,” reads the report.
Here are more of their key takeaways:
Sandy Boulevard has taken many forms through the years and is again poised to change as the number of multifamily and mixed-use developments increase along the corridor.
The median household income of the study area is noticeably lower than the median income of the city as a whole, reflecting a need for low-cost transportation options to serve the community.
Sandy Boulevard is estimated to have a high latent demand for cycling due to its diagonal nature but currently lacks cycling infrastructure, which is misaligned with the corridor’s designation as a Major City Bikeway.
The city and region’s current plans and policies support the transformation of the corridor into one that prioritizes active transportation and transit usage in order to meet goals related to climate change mitigation, safety improvements, environmental health, and quality of life.
PSU MURP student Holly Querin and other members of Strategic Minds Consulting Group at Bike Happy Hour last month. (Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
The students’ fresh eyes on Sandy also validate a lot of what many veteran Portland bicycle riders have known for many years:
“Unless they choose to bike within the travel lanes on Sandy, cyclists currently must zig-zag along the bike network to move southwest to northeast… Even when following the bike routes, gaps in the bike network create a confusing and stressful experience when biking.”
Not only is Sandy “confusing and stressful” for cyclists, it’s current design caters only to car users. And when bicycle users try to avoid it they incur an unfair time and distance penalty.
Strategic Minds believes increasing housing and commercial density along the corridor are another factor that should point toward a bike-centric future for Sandy.
“The city and region’s Vision Zero goals, modal hierarchy, and climate goals support the need to move the corridor away from dominant automobile use and toward active transportation and transit,” the report concludes.
Meet the students and learn more about their Future Sandy project at an hopen house tonight (Monday, May 13th) from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at The Village Free School (1785 NE Sandy Blvd).
Megan Ramey is doing so many cool things to make bicycling better in Hood River it was hard to decide on just one way to introduce her when we connected for an online interview this past Thursday.
The main hat she wears is Safe Routes to School program manager for Hood River County. But if you’ve followed her on X or Instagram, you’ll know she’s up to all sorts of cool stuff — from lobbying for e-bike legislation and donating free used bikes, to leading afterschool bike clubs and getting grants for demonstration projects.
During our conversation, Megan shared:
how she first got involved in transportation reform advocacy,
how raising a daughter sharpened her appetite for safe streets work,
what a typical week is like for her,
how some folks have the wrong impression about the type of families who call Hood River County home,
what she’ll do with a recent $25,000 federal safety grant,
why she started afterschool bike clubs for elementary school kids and the impact it has had on them,
what music is most often requested for the ride playlists these days,
and more!
Listen and/or watch via YouTube in the player above. And stay tuned for the audio-only version that will hit our podcast later today.
Ghost bike procession of walkers and bikers through streets of Hillsboro Saturday. (Noah Langenwalter – Ride Westside)
I have been crushed to know that our worst nightmares are another family’s reality.
Community members, city leaders (including Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway and City Councilor Beach Pace), safe streets advocates, family and friends gathered for a memorial event on Saturday in remembrance of the life and loss of 12-year-old Joseph Brausen.
Joe was killed while riding his bike to the playground to play basketball on February 10th. The memorial ride and walk took the path he intended to travel, and delivered his ghost bike to the basketball courts – “the ride Joe didn’t get to finish” — then returned to the spot where he was killed to install the ghost bike in his memory.
The week leading up to the memorial was painful, as we prepared to face this loss in the place it happened. (How much more so for Joe’s family?!) Both my son and I were having terrible nightmares. I dreamed my son had been hit by a car and that I had to find his body on the side of the road. A few days later, my son told me he had had the worst nightmare of his life. I expected monsters and villains, but he dreamed I was killed on my bike. He was trying to help me, but didn’t know how and couldn’t find anyone to help him.
Our nightmares were our fears and our empathy. Though I have tried to shove the sleep-stealing terrors out of mind, I have been crushed to know that our worst nightmares are another family’s reality. And what comfort can we give to them or to each other?
(Shannon Johnson – BikePortland)The author speaking to an assembled crowd on SE 10th Avenue in Hillsboro. (Noah Langenwalter – Ride Westside)(Shannon Johnson – BikePortland)
It is not enough comfort, and it is not what any of us want, but gathering to remember Joe and installing a ghost bike for him was one thing we could do. The all-white painted bike was moving, beautiful and terrible. I had never connected with the ghost bike tradition until this moment, but immediately I saw the power of it. Seeing the angel-white bike, without its rider, immediately brought me to tears. It told the story. And it hurt. I suppose it must.
I’m so thankful to all those who stepped up to create this event, including Noah Langenwalter and other members of Ride Westside, to all those who attended, and to the Brausen family who let us into their lives to share their grief.
Sometimes a traffic fatality gets only a one-paragraph mention, or a brief gape from the nightly news, then drifts away without further thought. I have a few such traffic deaths in mind, where I couldn’t find any organized memorial to attend, nor any follow-up news reports with important details. It often seems like these tragedies simply disappear — out of sight, out of mind, gone. It has added to my grief, that my grief had no outlet. And I have grieved to think the bereaved families in my community could understandably feel abandoned and forgotten, uncared for by their neighbors and peers.
This memorial gave our whole community the opportunity to stand beside the Brausen family, to cry together, and assure them that we have not forgotten.
It’s clear why folks get so passionate about safe streets. They know what it means. They know the stakes. They know the cost. They know they never want to attend another ghost bike memorial. To never have occasion to paint another bike white.
And so, many of us will be working in Joe’s memory, and for every kid on a bike, to fight for their right to ride safely to the park to play, and to come home again in time for dinner. I’m so sorry we did not achieve that safe ride, safe route, and safe homecoming in time for Joe and his family. That’s really what I want to give them: safe streets, so that every kid comes home.
Below is the text of the speech I shared at the event:
Sharing words as Joe’s parents look on. (Noah Langenwalter – Ride Westside)
Hello everyone. Thank you for coming today, most especially to the Brausen family: I’m grateful that you are here with us, and that we get to come out and surround you with our love and support – as many of us have longed to do – but I must say, I truly wish we did not have occasion to be here today. I wish that instead of doing a memorial ride, we could just be out for a ride, and that instead of installing a ghost bike, we could wave at a boy on his bicycle, riding to the park to play basketball. I admit, part of me didn’t want to come at all, because the thing I want most in the world, as a mother, is to give back the boy to the mother who lost him, and I know we can’t do that.
But I did come. We have all come. To bear witness and share our deep regret and grief over the loss of a child, a loved one. Some of us have come without knowing Joe or his family, but we want them to know: we see you. We stand beside you. And we are crying too. We are so sorry for your loss, which is also a loss to all of us, both the loss of your Joe, and with him, a sense of loss of the innocence that should accompany every child who is out riding a bicycle.
I am a mother. I also have a boy who rides his bike, on his own, to the park. And that should not be a mortal danger. All kids should be able to ride their bikes to the park, to do so safely, to do so with the whole community watching out for their safety, prioritizing their safety, ensuring their safety. That is the kind of community we want to live in, and today we grieve that we have not achieved that in time to protect the life and safety of Joe Brausen.
(Noah Langenwalter – Ride Westside)
To remember Joe, we are putting up this ghost bike in his memory. A ghost bike serves as a reminder to all who pass by: a life was lost here, in this spot, while riding a bicycle. Like any memorial, a ghost bike honors the loss and is a reminder of the grief, which the family continues to bear. But a ghost bike is also an important reminder for our whole community of our shared responsibility to keep each other safe as we travel. It is a stark reminder to drivers to slow down and pay attention, to look for pedestrians and cyclists and children–to see them!–and to drive with caution and care for others above self. It is a reminder to transportation planners and government leaders that we need safer infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians. It is a reminder to police officers that we need strong traffic enforcement, especially against speeding and distracted driving. But most of all, it is a reminder that Joe Brausen is missing from among us, and we are missing him.
Thank you to everyone who helped create this memorial and to all of you for coming.
Today, we have come to put up his ghost bike, to remember Joe and to say to his family that we remember and we honor your loss and we grieve beside you. Joe Brausen, you are greatly missed. You will not be forgotten.
Like probably a lot of readers, I had my head in my hands as I waded through last Friday’s post about the funding shortfalls the Oregon Department of Transportation faces with its I-5 Rose Quarter expansion and the I-205 Abernethy Bridge projects.
What is it about the words millions and billions that befuddle everything?
But maybe it’s not actually the numbers that cause the confusion, maybe it’s the looking under the cushions for quarters (or billions of quarters) aspect to the story that is so disorienting. In either case, I appreciated the clarity that JaredO’s comment brought to the issue:
This is the Robert Moses approach.
Promise the world. Pretend it’s going to be cheap. Lie outright to legislators to fund it. (Bent Flyvbjerg has documented this across the world).
Get something started, be shocked – shocked! that it costs more than you claimed, then make everyone feel like it would be a waste to stop it.
Steal money and projects from the least powerful people in a community. Pretend there are no opportunity costs.
The whole conversation makes me sick.
As a side note, if we don’t value something enough to pay for it, and are only doing it because the federal government will pay for most of it … we’re making the wrong decisions.
Perverse incentives from the feds means safety – road maintenance – and transit, walking, and biking projects will be destroyed. ODOT claims safety is their top priority. This is exhibit #1,412,342 on why that’s simply not true.
It’s time to provide real leadership and avoid sunk-cost fallacy.
Cancel the projects. Keep the commitments to the Oregonians around the state who need safety and choices. We’ve done it before. Time to do it again.
Thank you JaredO, I was kind of leaning that way myself, but it sure was nice to have someone else just lay it all out. You can read JaredO’s comment in context under the post.
Happy Monday friends. Hope you had a good weekend.
This week’s Roundup is sponsored by The eBike Store. If you’re e-bike curious, check out The eBike Store. Portland’s original, all-electric bike shop offers great service and solid brands. Swing in for a test ride today!
Here are the best stories and other items we came across in the past seven days…
How to do carfree streets: This week’s must read is all about how Canadian cities are realizing carfree zones are a huge win. I like how this piece shares how successful they can be, and how to get around potential pitfalls. (CBC)
Letter from Sweden: It doesn’t have to be like this. Portland could elevate itself into one of the greatest cities in the world if we took steps toward charging car users more to enter our beautiful central city. Don’t believe me, learn about what happened when two Swedish cities took the leap. (Streetsblog NYC)
Future of northwest Portland: The planned streetcar line extension into the far reaches of industrial northwest Portland hold a lot of promise if we get the details right. (Portland Mercury)
Constructueur moderne: Portland’s Ira Ryan is back to building custom bicycles on his own after splitting off from Breadwinner Cycles, and this profile catches up to him in his backyard shop. (The Radavist)
‘Vagina girl’ and swollen labia: Far too many women who ride frequently suffer from swollen labia that often leads to permanent changes that force them to stop riding. Embarrassment and cycling’s suffering culture are just a few reasons why this problem has only just now emerged as a “silent epidemic”. (Bicycling)
Non-drivers in spotlight: Thanks to an excellent new book by Anna Zivarts, the idea that about one-third of Americans cannot drive cars is finally getting its due. (The War on Cars Podcast & Streetsblog USA)
Cell signals and safety: A coalition of major bike brands is coming together to push for “Connected Vehicle to Everything” or C-V2X technology so that one day car and bike users will have a direct line of communication — and maybe even stop running into each other so often. (Ars Technica)
Better bike parking: NYC’s DOT plans to launch a major bike parking initiative that will bring enclosed, secure stations to residential and urban locations in the coming years. It will be the largest attempt at next-gen municipal bike parking in the country and I’ll be watching very closely to see how it works. (Gothamist)
Thanks for listening, thanks to our paid subscribers, and thanks to Brock Dittus (of Sprocket Podcast fame) for our theme music.
Thanks for listening, thanks to our paid subscribers, and thanks to Brock Dittus (of Sprocket Podcast fame) for our theme music. Listen in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.
ODOT’s Urban Mobility Strategy has pushed the agency’s finances to the brink.
Because the State of Oregon has routinely over-committed to building freeway expansion megaprojects without the means to pay for them, its transportation department now finds itself with only bad choices. But instead of internal management shifts, cutting back or pausing those projects, or asking Oregonians to pay more for the privilege of using them, they might go even further into debt and/or raid the coffers of vital, already-funded projects in order to maintain business as usual.
On the chopping block are road maintenance, bridge seismic retrofit, public transit, and bicycling and walking projects.
That was the shocking scenario presented to members of the Oregon Transportation Commission at their meeting Thursday where they were asked to advise Oregon Department of Transportation staff on how to move forward on two key projects after tolling plans the agency was counting on to pay for them were scrapped by Governor Tina Kotek two months ago.
At Thursday’s meeting, commissioners got a presentation about ODOT’s Urban Mobility Strategy, an ambitious plan that includes five major freeway projects in the region and carries a price tag of about $7 billion.
“We’re in a pickle, because we’re spending more than we expected to spend, and we’ve probably got a real credibility problem around the state,” said OTC Commissioner Jeff Baker at the meeting. “It’s a really hard choice, and there are no good answers,” Commissioner Sharon Smith added.
OTC Chair Julie BrownVice-Chair Lee BeyerCommissioner Jeff BakerCommissioner Alicia ChapmanCommissioner Sharon SmithYour Oregon Transportation Commission
ODOT’s I-5 Rose Quarter and I-205 Abernethy Bridge projects are in need of an estimated $1.5 billion in additional revenue to be completed, and because they both have serious political inertia at the moment (the Rose Quarter has VIP status at USDOT thanks to Albina Vision Trust and Abernethy is already under construction), ODOT is desperate to keep these snowballs rolling down the hill.
And with no money on hand, the choice is to either delay funding of other, already-promised projects, or plunge ODOT further into debt — a massive black hole the agency already throws one out of every four dollars into.
While the Rose Quarter has made recent headlines for winning $488 million in federal grants, that amount is nowhere near its $1.9 billion estimated price tag. ODOT announced at the meeting yesterday that since the USDOT already awarded Oregon $450 million for the Rose Quarter through its Reconnecting Communities & Neighborhoods (RCN) grant, the project is now automatically on a “highly recommended” list for the federal INFRA grant program that could net ODOT another $750 million. That prospect has ODOT and members of the OTC and Oregon Legislature salivating.
The catch with the INFRA grant is that it requires a 40% match — 20% of which must be paid by ODOT (the other 20% will be paid with funds from the aforementioned RCN grant), and they’ve already applied for the grant even without having the estimated $250 million local match secured.
And even if ODOT won another $750 million grant for the Rose Quarter, they’d still be unable to finish the project. At yesterday’s meeting, ODOT Urban Mobility Office Director Brendan Finn said with the money from the three federal grants and other revenues on hand, they’d be able to finish the highway cover, build all the I-5 freeway safety and operational improvements, and construct a bicycle/pedestrian bridge over I-5 south of NE Weidler. But to tie the new lanes into I-405 and I-84, they’d need an additional $300 million.
So as it stands today, even if ODOT won the $750 million federal INFRA grant, they’d still need to come up with at least $600 million to complete the I-5 Rose Quarter project — the $250 million in matching funds and $350 million to finish the freeway elements.
To finish the $750 million Abernethy Bridge project, ODOT needs another $304 million.
To climb out of this hole, ODOT Assistant Director for Revenue, Finance and Compliance Travis Brouwer asked the OTC what they should do.
“First, should ODOT repay some of the funding that was transferred from the Rose Quarter to I-205, or just focused on closing the funding gap for the I-205 Abernethy Bridge project? And second should the funds that are needed to close this gap come from making cuts by deferring projects in the 2024-2027 STIP [Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, a list of funded projects] or do you want to spread out those reductions over the next 12-25 years by covering the gap through bonding or do want to do some combination thereof?”
Another way to handle the shortfall is to scale-back projects to reduce their cost, but that option wasn’t talked about much. When Brouwer mentioned, “opportunities to look for value engineering and scope modifications,” he was quick to remind OTC members that that’s, “always a very challenging conversation both with with ODOT and with partners on the projects.”
No OTC members offered ideas to reduce the scope of the planned freeway projects, but there were several comments that questioned the need for the estimated $70 million bicycle and pedestrian bridge planned over I-5 near Moda Center. “The bicycle path has nothing to do with the original plan,” remarked OTC Commissioner Lee Beyer, who then said Portlanders should support it more if it’s truly that important.
If the OTC advises ODOT to take money already allocated toward the upcoming STIP, they’ll have to decide which specific projects get delayed. A list of hundreds of bridge maintenance, seismic renovations, and bicycle and pedestrian projects that are on the chopping block were made available in the meeting packet.
On the chopping block.
“It’s clear just from looking at the list, closing the gaps will lead to deferring projects and will be very painful,” Brouwer shared. “We have about $600 million in bridge projects that are shown on this list, so you’d be potentially getting rid of almost all of those bridge projects in this coming STIP.” “Of course there’s going to be serious concerns from those communities and from those interested parties,” he added in a major understatement.
While commissioners were not eager to address this funding conundrum, ODOT staff pressed for guidance. In the end, they agreed to continue with the federal INFRA grant application and just hope that they could come up with the $250 million required local match. “If they give us the grant, we’ll find the money,” Commissioner Beyer said, confident the legislature would not want to refuse $750 million.
“I think given the indications we have from the Feds that they’re willing to put the money on the table, we will be imprudent in not asking for that,” he added. And OTC Chair Julie Brown agreed: “It isn’t very often you get a congressional push behind a project like this.”
But Commissioner Smith shared concern. “We’d be committing $600 million to complete the Rose Quarter, and we don’t know where that money’s going to come from. And then we are already under contract to complete Abernethy Bridge, so we don’t have a choice there,” she said. “… Continuing to agree to spend money we know we don’t have is very concerning.”
“From a business sense, it doesn’t make sense that you commit to something when you don’t know where you’re going to find the funding,” Chair Brown replied. “But this is the way our government works. It’s crazy. And now it puts us in a place where we have to work 10 times harder to make those sacrifices.” Brown feels these hard choices should encourage people to reconsider tolling to help raise funds.
ODOT Director Kris Strickler popped into the meeting to share his thoughts, saying he doesn’t recommend delaying any planned STIP projects to fill the gaps. He thinks the path forward is a financing plan and to lobby the legislature for a bailout in 2025. Strickler is confident that lawmakers will want to “complete the unfinished business of HB 2017 [the previous infrastructure spending bill]” and that the only remaining business is to fully fund the Rose Quarter project.
Finding money will be hard for ODOT and the legislature, but finding support from Oregonians for whatever course they choose, might be even harder.
At the end of the meeting, after hearing that giving ODOT another $300 million in bonding capacity would cost taxpayers about $22 million a year, OTC Chair Brown said, trying to muster some optimism, “It’s doable. I’m smiling at the State Senator in the back of the room. It’s doable.”
An existing trail along the northern edge of Rose City Golf Course. (City of Portland)
Some cycling advocates and riders are frustrated that cycling is being overlooked in a multi-million dollar trail project.
(City of Portland)
As we reported last week, PP&R recently launched their Rose City Recreational Trail Project — a $4 million investment into trails that could circumnavigate and bisect Rose City Golf Course and Rose City Park. The design and alignment of the trails is still undecided, but a project manager shared at the April 25th launch meeting that up to 2.3 miles of new trails could be built on the 168 acres of land. “So that’s a really robust trail system and it would be an amazing asset,” said Parks Capital Project Manager Jonathan Fain.
“Amazing” and “robust” perhaps, but not if you were hoping to bike on the trails.
Much to the chagrin of some cycling advocates, PP&R’s online survey to gauge public feedback on the project doesn’t include cycling among the seven answers to a question that asked respondents to share the types of activities they’d be most likely to engage in on the new trail. Another question asks folks to list their top three priorities for the project. There are eight choices, including “dog walking,” “bird/nature watching,” even “sitting and resting.” But “bicycling” was nowhere to be found.
From Portland Parks & Recreation Rose City Recreational Trail Project online survey.
“Shared-use trails that are open to off-road cycling play a critical part in providing access to nature and safe cycling routes for kids,” said Lisa Olivares, executive director of the nonprofit Northwest Trail Alliance (NWTA), in a statement to BikePortland. Olivares called the exclusion of cycling from the PP&R survey a “huge disappointment.” NWTA has spent years trying to create more dirt trail opportunities for Portlanders so people can “Ride to their ride,” and avoid costly, toxic, expensive, hour-long car rides just to enjoy a trail.
But beyond, NWTA’s core members, having places in neighborhoods where people on bicycles can enjoy unpaved surfaces closer to nature than a typical bike lane, could be amazing additions to our urban landscape. Think about a mom or dad who wants to jog on these trails and have their little ones trailing along on their bikes. Why not create a trail system that explicitly allows that?
That context is why advocates fear PP&R is up to old tricks and this $4 million investment in Rose City Park will once again leave them at the trailhead with nowhere to ride.
Even more troubling for NWTA and their allies is that the Off-Road Cycling Master Plan specifically recommends Rose City Golf Course as a site for bicycle trails. Page 91 of the plan states:
Recommendations
• Develop a natural surface loop trail for family-friendly cycling, walking, running and enjoyment of nature. Off-road cycling skill features (like rocks, logs, or skinny bridges) could be added along the sides. The loop trail could provide safe walking access along NE Tillamook and connect neighborhoods to the south of the golf course to Glenhaven Park. Creating a full loop may require on-street segments. Care should be taken to limit potential conflicts with the golf course. Metro’s Glendoveer Golf Course’s fitness trail could serve as a model.
and/or
A small bicycle park (about 5,000 to 10,000 sf). Bicycle parks have areas for family recreation and skill building. Given the continued use of the property as a golf course, the under-utilized slope between NE Sacramento Street and NE 72nd Drive on the northern edge of the property is the most suitable location for a bicycle park. Building a bicycle park or trail here will require coordination with the Rose City Golf Course and additional planning and community input.
Rose City Golf Course recommendations from Off-Road Cycling Master Plan.Off-Road Cycling Master Plan
At the public launch meeting for the Rose City Recreational Trail Project last month, PP&R Capital Project Manager Jonathan Fain was asked by a member of the public if bikes were going to be allowed on the new trails.
“My short answer is we’re not sure yet,” Fain responded. “We have heard from some people in the community that they would like that.” “The golf course staff is very reticent to have bikers on golf property,” he added. “But there again, that might be an opportunity to make better connections with 72nd and that bike lane. So we’re definitely looking into that.”
But if PP&R is open to the possibility of bike access and is “definitely” looking into it, why did Fain never mention bikes in his presentation at the launch meeting and why wouldn’t PP&R want to gauge interest in cycling in their survey?
We can often look to the source of the funding to find clues as to what types of uses should be planned for, and ultimately, allowed. This project’s $4 million budget is made up of $2 million from Parks System Development Charges and $2 million from Metro’s Local Share program, which distributes funds from their 2019 parks and nature bond measure. In section 6.4 of the Local Share Handbook, Metro states (emphases mine):
The bond measure includes a $40 million program to “create trails for walking and biking.”… Trail program funds are limited to projects already identified on Metro’s regional trails system plan map. These “regional” trails typically connect multiple cities, are wide, paved, and are designed with bicycles in mind… These include local in-park trails or any trails that offer people a way to experience nature close to home. Examples include a new bridge over a creek in a local natural area or a new mountain bike trail network within a local park… Local share-funded trails do not have restrictions on length, width, surface material or user type (such as bicyclists or pedestrians) as long as they are consistent with ADA guidance.
So we know Metro has no qualms about their money being used to fund bike trails.
That leaves PP&R on-the-hook to clarify why they’ve decided to not prioritize cycling in this project.
BikePortland asked PP&R Public Information Officer Mark Ross about the Off-Road Cycling Plan, why biking was not an option on the feedback survey, and why bike-accessible trails are not being considered in the design.
When it comes to the Off-Road Cycling Master Plan’s recommendations for cycling at this park, Ross pointed out that the the plan is merely “conceptual” and “does not create any City regulations or make a commitment to any recommended projects.” Projects recommended in the plan will require “site-specific planning… more detailed site analysis and design,” and so on, Ross shared, making it clear that city staff can whisk away plan recommendations at their whim.
Then Ross said “the City will not be excluding bikes” at Rose City Golf Course because PP&R worked with the transportation bureau on a recent project to improve safety on NE 72nd Lane. But I wasn’t asking about bikes being ridden through the golf course in general, I specifically asked about their inclusion in the trail project. I also never asked why bicycles were being “excluded,” — I’m simply curious to understand why PP&R chose to not prioritize them in the planning of this project.
Ross went on to explain that, “When this effort was discussed with the community it was presented as a walking trail; not a cycling or mixed-use path. While the survey does not specifically provide ‘biking’ as a preferred activity, there are ample open comment sections for folks to advocate for additional activities. This practice of listing prioritized options based on project opportunities and constraints, while leaving room for additional recommendations is aligned with our engagement practices.”
PP&R slide
That might be acceptable practice at PP&R, but it sure seems fishy. And Ross still hasn’t answered my questions.
It’s also worth noting that PP&R presents this project to the public as if the grant they received from Metro to fund it requires them to make it a pedestrian-only trail. A slide (at right) shown at the launch meeting states: “Metro grant requirements: Provide Free to Use Pedestrian Trails.” But when asked for clarification, a Metro spokesperson said PP&R’s grant application didn’t ask for a biking trail, “So Metro did not fund a biking trail.” “If PP&R wanted to add a bike trail to this local share project, it is eligible,” said Metro Media Relations Lead Nick Christensen.
The concern I’m hearing from some advocates is that leaving cycling out of the initial framing was baked-into the planning assumptions from the very beginning — and they know from experience that that decision could have a big impact on what ultimately gets built. I’ve asked Ross to clarify PP&R’s decision making around how they chose to frame the project to the community and what specific “project opportunities and constraints” were in play that led to bicycling not playing a more prominent role in the launch of the project.
While Ross hasn’t answered those questions yet, he did say PP&R would include a member of NW Trail Alliance on the project’s advisory committee. And Olivares with NWTA will likely take him up on that offer.
“While it’s a huge disappointment to see bicycling completely left out as one of the recreational/transportation options in the community survey,” Olivares shared with BikePortland. “We look forward to working with our Parks partners to ensure the groundwork the City laid out by including this site in the ORCMP is brought to life.”
That warm bright thing in the sky got you thinking about Bike Summer (a.k.a. Pedalpalooza*)? You’re not alone. While the beloved bike fun fest doesn’t kickoff until June 1st, it’s seems to be on everyone’s mind.
That’s why my “In the Shed” podcast co-host Eva Frazier connected with friends Shawne Martinez and Armando Luna recently to talk about it. Eva put this episode together late last month while I was still down in Medford in the hospital with my dad and I recorded the intro from my motel room on April 9th. It got lost in the shuffle along the way and hasn’t gotten the billing it deserves. So if you’re not one of our loyal podcast subscribers, you might have missed it.
So sit back and relax with some of the best folks in our community. You already know Eva (former co-owner of Clever Cycles and current BikeLoud PDX board member), and you should know Shawne and Armando. Shawne is the amazing bike dad who’s written several stories for us over the years and is a must-follow on Instagram at @Tigard_Stripes. And Armando (@dudeluna) is known as Portland’s Bike Fun Mayor and is a mainstay at bikes events citywide.
In this episode, they chat about…
how basketball can help you become a safer bike rider
fender etiquette
great Bike Summer ride memories
memories of their first Bike Summer rides
why Armando isn’t a Naked Bike Ride guy
leaf blower noise and how gas lawnmowers support kids riding bikes in Oregon
and much more!
Thanks for listening, thanks to our paid subscribers, and thanks to Brock Dittus (of Sprocket Podcast fame) for our theme music. Listen in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.
*Note: Pedalpalooza and “Bike Summer” are synonymous, but in case you’re confused why they are both used, here’s the deal: Bike Summer was the original name when festival first came to Portland in 2002. Local folks loved it so much, they did it again in 2003 and called it “Mini Bike Summer.” Then in 2004, with the Lollapalooza music fest making big cultural waves, the name was changed to “Pedalpalooza.” 20 years later, the organizer is feeling like the “- looza” thing is a bit played-out so she’s wanting to refresh and prefers to use Bike Summer. But really, either one is fine! – Jonathan
Portland is poppin’ right now. Get out there and enjoy it. (Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Is there a better time in Portland than right now? Everything is so lush and colorful, and everyone is looking forward to summer fun. Yes, there’s a lot of heavy and serious stuff to think about, but that doesn’t mean you have to neglect your two-wheeled friend.
Here are some fun things to do on a bike this weekend…
Friday, May 10th
Midnight Mystery Ride – 11:30 pm at Putter’s (SE) Join Maria “Bicycle Kitty” Schur for this late-night ride that is sure to scratch your itch for adventure, fun, and camaraderie. There will be a hill and Maria says you’ll need to be able to lift your bike over several large downed trees. More info here.
Saturday, May 11th
Kids Bike Fair – 10:00 am at Abernethy Elementary School (SE) Free tune-ups, a bike swap (bring a bike, get a bike), and a traffic garden to give kiddos confidence — it’s all happening at Abernethy! More info here.
Best Day Bike Ride – 12:00 pm at Beaverton City Library (West Side) An excellent family ride opportunity hosted by Beaverton Downtown Association. Show up for an awesome prize raffle and fun route where you can gain riding skills and meet other families who pedal together. More info here.
Know Your Greenways – 1:00 pm at Rainbow Road Plaza (SE) This is part of a series of rides organized by BikeLoud PDX that aims to familiarize you with new connections in the greenway network. Come out and learn about new routes that access the 70s and 60s greenways. More info here.
The Reggae Ride – 2:30 pm at Abernethy School (SE) NakedHearts PDX will lead vibin’ ride full of sweet reggae rhythms and chill people. Leader will build playlist based on your requests, so share a song you love with the community and enjoy it while pedaling through the city. More info here.
Joe Brausen Memorial Walk & Ride – 3:30 pm in Hillsboro (West Side) Joe was just 12 and on his way to play at a park with a friend when he was involved in a collision with a driver. Now friends and family will complete his ride. Walkers and rollers welcome. Ride will end with ghost bike installation at site of his death, SE 10th and Gumleaf Lane. More info here.
Sunday, May 12th
Día de las Madres Bike Ride – 11:30 am at Milagro’s Zocalo (SE) The Street Trust and Milagro Theater are teaming up once again for this annual ride, “For mothers and their families as well as folks who might not have mom or family along and want to celebrate the special day with us.” After a gathering at the plaza outside Milagro, there will be a three-mile, guided ride to view murals in the central eastside. More info here.
Taurus Birthday Ride – 12:00 pm at Sellwood Park (SE) If this is your sign, this is your ride. Join other Taureans and, “Indulge on decadent treats and let our Taurean stubbornness guide us on a mystical ride.” More info here.
Heart of St. Johns Peninsula Ride – 3:00 pm at Columbia Park (N) Join filmmaker Amit Zinman on a journey north on a classic, PBOT-endorsed route as he compiles footage for an upcoming video. More info here.
— Did I miss your event? Please let me know by filling out our contact form, or just email me at maus.jonathan@gmail.com.
Date: May 8, 2024
Position Title: Inside Sales
Reports To: Castelli Director of Sales
Hourly or Salaried: Salary
Position Description:
The inside sales position works closely with Castelli’s territory representatives and retail accounts across the US. The position’s objectives are to build strong customer relationships through excellent customer service and to ensure the company’s financial goals are met by facilitating accurate, on-time order deliveries.
Duties and Responsibilities:
• Order management
o Collect orders, allocate, and submit revisions where necessary
o Work with reps to ensure orders are shipped on time
o Ensure all orders are entered accurately according to the terms of sales
o Help create forecasts for monthly shipments
• Manage customer communications
o Respond to customer email inquiries promptly with accurate information
o Field incoming phone calls from customers
• At-once sales
o Leverage knowledge of product line and accounts to generate additional sales from customer calls
• Set up new customers
o Review dealer applications for completeness and accuracy
o Build customer accounts along with opening orders
• Process warranties
o Review submitted claims, build and ship replacement orders for qualifying claims
Personal Qualifications:
The ideal candidate would be someone who has a passion for cycling, understands the importance of quality cycling apparel and can communicate its significance, has excellent customer service skills, and enjoys interacting with our customers to create an enjoyable experience. This person is excited to work with our customers and to create a close working relationship with reps to maintain healthy account relations.
• Excellent customer service skills
• Excellent communication skills (email/phone)
• Attention to detail regarding customer orders
• A team player who is willing to be flexible and help in other areas as needed
• Preferred but not required: Experience working in customer service and in an inside sales role.
• Position is in-office at Portland headquarters
Education & Work Experience Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree preferred but not required
• 2 years of customer service experience
• Knowledge of the cycling, sports and/or outdoor industries a plus
About Castelli/Sportful:
Castelli/Sportful is a premium cycling apparel manufacturer with headquarters in Italy and US headquarters in Portland, Oregon. We operate two apparel brands: Castelli and Sportful. Our history of product innovation and performance goes back over 75 years. Our products have been used by Tour de France winners, World Champions, and Olympic Gold Medalists.
Our office and warehouse are in the Hollywood/Laurelhurst district of NE Portland and close to MAX and bike routes.
Full-time positions offer competitive salaries, health care, 401k, paid time off, and a generous product allowance.
The Castelli/Sportful team strives to create an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Companies that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective are proven to be better companies. More importantly, creating an environment where everyone from any background can do their best work is the right thing to do. We welcome all applicants.
How to Apply
Please email your resume to careers@castelli-us.com
Show up! Or someone will speak for you. (Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
The upcoming session of the Oregon Legislature will have vast ramifications for transportation. Lawmakers are expected to hammer out a deal that will allocate billions to infrastructure programs and projects. The last time this process occurred, in 2017, the governor signed over $5.3 billion to the cause.
Many capitol insiders and professional advocates have been preparing for the session for months already. Priorities are being laid out and the lobbying has begun. But most regular folks have plenty of other things to worry about. If you’ve been putting off doing your homework for the 2025 session, it’s time to circle an important date on your calendar: June 4th.
That’s the opening day for what the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation (JCT) is calling their State Transportation Conversations Across Rural and Urban Communities for the 2025 Package Tour (seriously). “This is the beginning of the process of outreach for community connections and input for the 2025 package,” read an email sent to committee members Friday.
This time around already looks better than how former Oregon Governor Kate Brown went about gathering input prior to the 2017 session. Brown put together a Governor’s Transportation Vision Panel that toured the state. While lawmakers touted the meetings as listening sessions that reflected the voice of the people, that’s not what happened. I don’t recall any events that were well-publicized and open to the public and the media. Instead, I recall invite-only guest lists and a limited scope of feedback that seemed assured to tell the governor and lawmakers exactly what they wanted to hear.
This time around, thanks in large part to Portland-area House Representative (and JCT member) Khanh Pham, the process should be different. How much so remains to be seen.
For now, here’s what we know so far about the 2025 Package Tour:
The locations and dates:
Portland – June 4, 5:00 to 7:00 pm at PCC Cascade (Moriarty Auditorium, 5518 N Albina Ave)
Tillamook – June 18
Albany – July 16
Eugene – July 17
Coos Bay – August 7
Medford – August 8
Ontario – August 28
Hermiston – August 29
Bend – September 12
The Dalles – September 13
Salem – September 25*
Happy Valley – September 26
Hillsboro- September 27
*Note that the Salem date will be a virtual hearing in order to provide a place for folks to testify who were unable to attend other events.
According to the JCT, each stop will include roundtable discussions with local officials, site tours, and a public comment period. As for the site tours, Oregon Department of Transportation staff will “work with local communities” to identify 2-3 locations that, “demonstrate the type of ongoing maintenance needs that the local community may want to share with the legislators at each meeting location.”
The goals (according to the JCT)
Build public understanding of transportation funding challenges and potential funding tools to address those challenges
Build legislative understanding of statewide transportation needs and shared priorities
Build local, regional, statewide support and a sense of urgency for a transportation funding package focused on maintenance, operations, and safety
Gather input from the public and community leaders about preferred methods for addressing the transportation funding challenge
Local nonprofit No More Freeways is already urging folks to attend, writing in a recent email that the June 4th stop in Portland will be, “a critical opportunity to demand investment in transit, street safety and maintenance over spending billions of dollars in freeway expansion.”
