House Bill 2025 has passed out of committee for the final time and will get a vote on the House floor Friday. The $11.6 billion package of transportation funding underwent considerable changes since it passed out of the Joint Committee on Transportation Reinvestment last week. Authors of the bill lowered the overall revenue of the bill by about $3 billion by reducing the gas tax provision and eliminating a new vehicle “transfer tax.”
Those changes helped persuade one Republican on the JCTR to vote in favor of the bill. In remarks at the committee meeting this afternoon, Senator Kevin Mannix said, “Where are we going to go if we don’t move forward with this legislation? The easy thing is to say, ‘Well, we’ll just sit back. I mean, I’m a Republican, I’ll just let the Democrats carry the water.’ But wait a minute, I’ve had an opportunity to participate in this process… and I know it would be easy enough to sit here and say no, but I’ve decided that I need to say yes so that we can move forward.”
The bill was voted out of committee 8-4, with “no” votes coming from Senators Bruce Starr and Suzanne Weber, as well as House Representatives Jeff Helfrich and Shelly Boshart Davis.
Starr and Davis were the most vocal opposition and framed their concerns primarily around the tax increases in the bill and what they felt was a lack of bipartisanship throughout the negotiations.
While Starr and Davis said Oregonians couldn’t afford to pay for safe routes and reliable transit, JCTR Co-Chair Senator Khanh Pham said she supports the bill because a dysfunctional and disinvested transportation is unaffordable. “One in three, or one in four Oregonians can’t afford a car, or maybe their household depends on one car and can’t afford a second car,” Pham said in her closing remarks. “They depend on reliable bus service and they can’t afford to be late. That is more expensive. That is costly when you’re late for work and you lose your job. Those, those are the the expenses that I worry about when it comes to impacts on Oregon families.”
Just hours before the meeting, Senator Mark Meek, a former member of the JCTR and Democrat who opposes the bill, posted an update on his Instagram page saying HB 2025 would impose a new tolling program on I-205. Meek’s assertion is completely false and it led to committee co-chairs and Governor Tina Kotek having to make remarks to debunk the rumor at the outset of the meeting.
From here, the bill, known formally as HB 2025-A28, will move to the House Floor for a vote on Friday. Given the recent changes to the bill and the relatively calm comments from lawmakers in committee today, I have a strong hunch the bill will have the votes it needs to pass.
What level of responsibility does the City of Portland have to implement a key safety policy — even if they don’t have capacity to address every location that needs it?
That’s one question lawyers sought to answer when they claimed, in a 2020 lawsuit, that the Portland Bureau of Transportation was negligent in the death of Elijah Coe in May 2019. Coe was riding his motorcycle eastbound on East Burnside Street approaching SE 17th as the driver of a car drove up 17th and began to try and turn left (westbound) onto Burnside.
According to the suit, because PBOT didn’t prevent other car users from parking all the way up to the corners at the Burnside and 17th intersection, the driver and Coe were unable to see each other. When the driver entered the intersection, Coe veered suddenly to miss them and was killed in a head-on collision with a driver coming the opposite direction.
Oregon law (ORS 811.550) states that parking is not allowed within 20-feet of crosswalks at an intersection. Portland City Code (16.20.130) also specifies a 50-foot parking buffer at intersections and a prohibition of vehicles over six feet high. Armed with those laws, activists spent years urging PBOT to enforce them. The issue is especially important for vulnerable road users because they can be very hard to see by cross-traffic when tucked behind parked cars.
In part due to the 2020 lawsuit and pressure from advocates, PBOT began to hasten their implementation of intersection daylighting. In 2021, the city announced 350 intersections would get the treatment. But three years later, they hadn’t made the progress they promised. PBOT made another announcement earlier this year about their intention to spend $200,000 on vision clearance work.
Meanwhile, the 2020 lawsuit was dismissed by a Multnomah County Court judge in 2022. Lawyers for the city leaned on the concept of discretionary immunity, a legal concept backed up by state law (Oregon Tort Claims Act, ORS 30.265(6)(c)) which says cities are largely immune from liability for policy decisions that involve the exercise of judgment on behalf of the agency or authority in question.
In the case of intersection daylighting, the city’s attorneys said PBOT was correctly following their adopted policies when it comes to parking setbacks at intersections. Specifically, PBOT lawyers cited three sources of policy: the Comprehensive Plan, which PBOT used to allow parking up to the crosswalk; the PedPDX pedestrian master plan that called for removing parking at the corner of E Burnside and 17th during the next capital improvement or paving project; and the city’s complaint-based system for addressing road safety-related concerns.
Put another way, City of Portland attorneys convinced the trial court that PBOT managers made appropriate judgment calls and should be granted immunity from negligence because, given their limited capacity, they had to use discretion on where they implemented the policy.
But lawyers for Elijah Coe appealed the dismissal and the Oregon Court of Appeals decided in their favor in a judgement released Wednesday.
In a 10-page judgment issued by the Oregon Court of Appeals yesterday, they say the city’s defense focused solely on parking setback policy in proving their immunity — when the court feels there were other factors in the crash that revealed negligence. Here’s an excerpt from the judgment:
“… parking management is only one means by which the city could have addressed sight distance issues at the intersection or exercised reasonable care on which her negligence allegations are premised. Because sight distance depends on various factors, including the allotted speed limit and street design, other means of addressing inadequate sight distances include decreasing the speed limit, installing a traffic signal, eliminating permissive right and left turns, and providing advance warning signage. It follows that, even if the city were to establish that it was entitled to discretionary immunity as to decisions to allow or remove parking at the intersection under those two policies, those decisions would not provide a complete affirmative defense to any one of plaintiff’s alleged specifications of negligence.”
The city’s argument also rested on the fact that PBOT Engineering Supervisor Carl Snyder said their complaint-based system hadn’t reported a parking or visibility-related safety concern at this intersection. However, the court referenced testimony from Snyder where he described a complaint filed with PBOT by the nearby Childroots daycare and preschool in 2010. In that complaint, Childroots said SE 17th at Burnside was too narrow and PBOT responded by removing some parking on 17th.
“From that evidence,” the court wrote in its judgment. “The city had notice and knowledge of broader visibility concerns at the intersection—indeed, of the precise sight distance issue at the south side of the intersection where Whitfield turned left onto East Burnside in front of Coe in this case.”
Based on those findings, the Court of Appeals ruled that the city is not entitled to discretionary immunity.
Now the case can move forward to trial.
One of the lawyers representing the plaintiff is Scott Kocher of Forum Law Group (also a BikePortland advertiser). “The appeals court gave our case a green light to go to trial because it ruled the city has no immunity for allowing parking in sight triangles,” Kocher explain in a message to BikePortland today.
“If the city continues with its lip service approach of fixing only a handful of locations it can be sued and will have to pay.”
Riders getting loud n’ lit in 2024. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
I’m loving all the Bike Summer ride reports. Y’all look like you’re having an amazing time. I’m doing really well with my second knee surgery and recovery is happening faster than my first one. In a few weeks I’ll be out on my bike again, capturing all of your beauty and bike rides. I can’t wait!
As for this weekend, swipe or scroll down a bit to see which events and rides made the cut for the guide:
Saturday, June 28th
Inner Child Ride – 2:00 pm at Colonel Summers Park (SE) If you’re tired of adulting and holding it together while the world falls apart, come out and find your inner child on this ride that promises lots of play. Remember that parachute game in preschool? Bring your stuffed animals, favorite toys, nostalgic snacks, bubble makers, and get ready to make new friends! More info here.
26″ or Die Day One – 6:30 pm at Something Cycles (E Burnside) Join a fun, flat-bar and knobby-tire crew on an urban assault ride. You’ll be hoppin’ curbs, balancing on ledges, or whatever other fun diversions you can find. More info here.
Loud n Lit – 8:30 pm at Irving Park (NE) The baddest, loudest, craziest ride of Bike Summer is back for another roll. Join the pre-party at Irving Park and enjoy DJs connected to massive mobile sound systems. Light up your bike and your outfit and enjoy the illuminated flair of others as you ride and dance the night away. More info here.
Sunday, June 29th
PDX Gold – 9:00 am at Brooklyn Park (SE) You wanna’ climb? Then do this 55-mile, 7,000-feet elevation gain route that’s been vetted by really neat dudes and comes with safety (and pain) in numbers, some mechanical support, an aid station, and even an after-party. And it’s totally free (but donations to local nonprofits encouraged!). More info here.
Birding By Bike – 10:00 am at Farragut Park (N) Grab your binoculars and get ready to pedal to some bird-spotting spots with fellow lovers of winged creatures. More info here.
Red R Criterium – All Day on Swan Island (N) A multi-lap road race around a short loop in an industrial park with two tight corners and one sweeping one before the finish. It’s a perfect course to challenge your skills and get your thrills. If you’re crit-curious, this is the race for you. More info here.
Rocky Point Trail Maintenance – 8:30 am to 1:30 pm (Scappoose) Don’t you hate riding singletrack and you look down and your shins are stinging red and bloody? Weeds can do that. Now you can get your revenge by whacking them off the trail. Join NW Trail Alliance for this work party and do some good for your local trail network. More info here.
Bike Swap – 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at Migration Brewing (NE) It’s a bike swap, but the vendors are bike shops and local bike companies. You don’t want to miss the cool parts and bikes these folks will bring out of their basements to offer at really good prices. Vendors so far include Metropolis Cycles, Cyclepath Bike Shop, Portland Design Works, Anson’s Bike Buddies (Hood River), Joe Bike, Ruckus Composites, Shovel Research, and more. More info here.
Sunday Parkways Northeast – 11:00 am to 4:00 pm in Cully area (NE) It’s that time again. Time for you and your friends and family to grab bikes and take to the streets for a festival of freedom from cars that connects our communities and neighborhoods. Expect great activities at parks along the way, food vendors, and more. 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.
ODOT staff are on the edge of their seats. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Democrats in Salem have made their final play in a desperate attempt to curry support for their transportation funding plan. With just a few days left in the legislative session, the latest move to find support for House Bill 2025 includes major changes and one final stop in committee before what will be an all-out sprint to the finish line.
The bill, known as HB 2025-A28 will get its final public hearing and committee vote later this afternoon.
As I reported yesterday, the version of HB 2025 that was adopted by the Joint Committee on Transportation Reinvestment (JCTR) six days ago, known as HB 2025-A, has been amended. Documents posted to the legislative website Wednesday afternoon reveal a new bill with a smaller tax footprint that omits several provisions that spurred opposition among moderate Republicans and even some Democrats.
The authors of the bill need to do three things in very short order to fulfill their top priority of the session: pass the bill out of committee, get three-fifths majority on the House floor, and make sure that the language of the bill doesn’t spur a ballot referral.
To Democratic leadership, this means the bill needs to be less of an easy target to lawmakers and voters who think it takes too much out of their wallets. Their latest changes to the bill shrink it by $3 billion. According to OPB, the state would take in about $11.6 billion in new revenue over the next 10 years with the newly amended version of HB 2025, instead of $14.6 billion in the bill passed last week.
Democrats have also caved on their plan to raise the gas tax and index it to inflation. The original bill would have raised the per gallon gas tax by 15 cents in the coming three years, followed by an automatic increase pegged to annual inflation rates. In committee hearings, Republicans strongly opposed indexing the gas tax to inflation because they feel it would abdicate their power.
The newly amended bill scraps the indexing plan and would simply raise the gas tax by 12 cents starting next year.
Another way the Democrats have scaled back the bill is to give up on a new “transfer tax” that would have been levied on the retail price of used and new vehicles at a rate of 1% and 2% respectively.
To make up for that revenue loss, the new plan is to increase the dealer vehicle privilege tax and general vehicle use tax. That tax is currently 0.5% and applies only to new cars. It was boosted to 1% in the current version of the bill. The latest proposal is to increase it to 2.25% and apply it to used cars for the first time.
Money raised from the privilege tax would be distributed to these projects and programs:
38% to the Great Streets Fund, which invests in urban state highways to make them more humane, main streets.
38% to the Anchor Project Fund, the new name for what lawmakers say is “unfinished business” from the previous transportation package that mandated completion of key megaprojects like the I-5 Rose Quarter, Abernethy Bridge, I-205 widening, and so on.
10% to the Zero Emission Incentive Fund, which gives out rebates for purchasing electric cars (but not electric bikes because once again the legislature has failed to create equity between cars and bikes in that program).
8% to the Connect Oregon Fund, which invests in non-highway infrastructure like airports, marine terminals, rail, and some biking and walking projects.
6% to the Railroad Fund which can be spend on passenger rail maintenance and operations.
Money raised from the use tax would be spent as follows:
Up to $5 million to the Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Fund
Up to $25 million to the Safe Routes to School Fund
Anything left over would be distributed via the 50/30/20 formula to the state, counties, and cities respectively.
Another hot-button issue with the version of the bill was the volume and size of increases to dozens of vehicle-related fees such as ones folks pay at the DMV for titles, registrations, new license plates, and so on. The new bill slashes those increases by significant amounts.
One final change I’m still trying to fully understand is how the new bill handles the bicycle tax. HB 2025-A kept the $15 tax on new bicycle intact. HB 2025-A28 appears to fold the bike tax into the general vehicle use tax, meaning it will now be a more progressive, percentage-based tax of 1% of the purchase price of a new bicycle. (Note: I’m still trying to find clarity on this provision and will update this post when I figure it out.)
Those are the big differences with the newly amended bill. It will get a public hearing and final vote in the JCTR today at 3:30 pm. From there, it should move onto a floor vote. According to OPB, the extremely tight timeline means Democrats need some procedural help from Republicans to get it over the finish line. I’ve heard some Democratic support for other bills this session authored by Republicans have created the opportunity for this to happen, but there are no guarantees.
Stay tuned. This bill could pass or fail. It’s anyone’s guess at this point.
As Democrats in Salem scramble to pick up the pieces of the transportation bill in the final few days of the legislative session, I feel like it’s worth looking more closely at what’s in the bill they’re trying to pass.
With headlines devoted to the drama of the process and Republican opposition, some folks might forget what’s at stake with the actual policy that hangs in the balance.
But first, let’s recap where things stand: House Bill 2025-Apassed the Joint Committee on Transportation Reinvestment (JCTR) on Friday with a party-line vote of 7-5. It was due for a floor vote Monday, but instead, Democrats pulled the bill and referred it back to committee. Lawmakers likely did this for two reasons: either they were afraid the bill didn’t have enough votes to pass, or they worried it would be referred to voters, something one group is already vowing to do. Sources say authors of the bill are currently revising some elements of the package to make sure the vote will go their way. Those changes should be made public any day now. Once they’re out, the floor vote would happen quickly. Since Democrats have a super-majority they need to pass tax increases, as long as they get their party in line (and Republicans don’t pull procedural shenanigans), the bill will pass.
So what’s in the bill? Yes it’s a big tax increase. But Oregonians have been underpaying for their privilege to use the transportation system for too long and the bill has finally come due.
Here’s what we’d gain and lose (in terms of money in our pockets) with HB 2025-A:
10-Year Revenue Outlook
Over the next 10 years (the state budgets in two-year cycles called biennia), the bill’s fees and taxes would generate about $14.6 billion. Because the fees and taxes come into effect at different times and get progressively higher over time, here’s how the biannual revenue would play out:
2025-2027: $1.06 billion
2027-2029: $2.5 billion
2029-2031: $3.4 billion
2031-2033: $3.7 billion
2033-2025: $4.0 billion
Accountability
I personally don’t think the accountability measures go far and deep enough, but here’s what HB 2025-A would do:
Mandate performance audits every other year on capital projects and state highway fund spending.
The Governor would appoint ODOT director, instead of the Oregon Transportation Commission (this is a charade, as pointed out by City Observatory).
The bill beefs up the existing Continuous Improvement Advisory Committee membership, meeting requirements, and reporting responsibilities.
Mandates a review by the Joint Committee on Transportation of all major projects over $25 million on a quarterly basis. The committee would look at cost, scope, and schedule changes to make sure there’s no funny business going on.
The Legislative Policy and Research Office would do an audit of ODOT on whether and how the agency addressed recommendations from study conducted this year.
Where Revenue Would Come From
Weight Mile Taxes
The bill would simplify weight mile tax tables for heavy trucks, making it simpler for freight haulers to comply. It would also create a new weight mile table heavy electric vehicles that are over 26,000 pounds.
Gas Tax Increase
HB 2025-A would raise the gas tax by 10 cents, to 50 cents per gallon starting January 1, 2026. It would go up to 55 cents per gallon in 2028, and then starting 2029 it would be pegged to inflation.
Payroll Tax Increase for Transit
While the Republicans pushed a bill that would have zeroed out state spending on transit, HB 2025-A will increase transit spending via an increase in the payroll tax. Currently at 0.1%, the bill increases the tax to 0.3% by 2030. Revenue from this tax funds the Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund, or STIF.
Vehicle Privilege Tax
The vehicle privilege tax is paid by car dealers (for the privilege of selling cars in Oregon). It’s currently 0.5% of the retail price of a car and would increase to 1%. Since this tax is not levied on road users, it’s not constitutionally bound to the State Highway Fund. Therefore, lawmakers would use 50% of revenue for passenger rail improvements and the remainder would go toward EV rebates and the Connect Oregon fund (a program that funds non-highway projects).
General Vehicle Fee Increases
HB 2025-A includes dozens of fee and tax increases to things like DMV-related services, new and used car titles, registrations, vehicle permits, and so on.
Transfer Tax
This is new tax that would be levied on the transfer of new and used vehicles with a gross weight of 26,000 pounds or less and that are sold for over $10,000. Tax rate is 2% of the sales price for new vehicles and 1% of the sales price for used vehicles.
Bicycle Tax
The $15 tax on new bicycles that went into effect in 2018 will remain in place. It amounts to about $1.2 million per year.
The bill will also require owners of delivery fleets to enroll electric fleet vehicles into the OreGo program. Then, starting in 2028, all plug-in electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and hybrid vehicles will be required to enroll.
The per-mile charge for the OreGo program will be pegged to a percentage of what the average cost of a price of gas is per gallon.
Where Revenue Would Go
Gas Tax
The gas tax increase would help fund five “anchor projects” to the tune of $125 million per year (which would still leave huge funding gaps). The top two priority projects are the I-5 Rose Quarter and Abernethy Bridge. Then the OTC would determine priority for funding of I-205 widening, Newberg-Dundee Bypass, and State Highway 22/Center St. Bridge retrofit.
Any remaining gas tax revenue would be distributed via the standard 50/30/20 formula to ODOT/counties/cities respectively.
Transfer Tax
$125 million per year from this tax would go to the Great Streets Fund, a fund that pays for ODOT urban highways to become city-owned main streets (like 82nd Avenue). $25 million would go to Safe Routes to Schools, and $5 million would be put into a new Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Fund.
An additional $125 million from this revenue source would go to paying for debt service on anchor projects (a.k.a. highway expansion megaprojects).
Miscellaneous (Yet Still Very Important!) Provisions
Highway Cost Allocation Study
The HCAS is a study that determines whether or not Oregon road users are paying their fair share. I profiled the issue last year because it’s something freight advocates have been complaining about for a long time. This bill would remedy the issue by calling on the legislature to act if the equity ration between heavy and light vehicles ever goes beyond 1.05%.
Freight Lane Widths
There was a lot of controversy around the initial language of this provision in the bill. Lawmakers changed that language a bit to clarify that 12-foot minimum lane widths would only apply to state highway freight routes that are outside the urban growth boundary.
More Funding for Light Rail Maintenance
Section 170 of the bill would stipulate that revenue that comes into the STIF (the state’s transit funding program) can be spent on light rail capital expenses related to maintenance of existing light rail infrastructure. Currently, these funds cannot be used for this purpose.
Better Highway Project Selection
When the Oregon Transportation Commission considers projects for the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), the bill would require them to weigh whether or not a project “reduces overall demand for motor vehicle travel on a highway,” and whether or not the local jurisdiction has made a good faith effort to maintain and preserve highways (as opposed to just building new ones).
Funding for Oregon Community Paths
The bill would deposit $2 million annually from a portion of the gas tax that’s collected from non-highway uses (like gas for lawnmowers, etc…) into the Multimodal Active Transportation Fund. This fund invests in off-street biking and walking paths and what’s known as the Oregon Community Paths program. The initial bill left this funding out and advocates pushed hard for this.
New ODOT Studies
Don’t sleep on studies! These can often provide a foundation for future policy. HB 2025-A directs ODOT to study allowing all entities (cities and transit agencies) that receive STIF funding to provide transit passes for people under 23 years old. Another study would look at the impact on travel demand for any project that expands driving capacity.
Commuter Rail Expansion
The bill would require ODOT to do a formal study of the expansion of TriMet’s Westside Express Service (WES) to Salem and Eugene. This heavy rail service currently runs north-south between Beaverton and Wilsonville.
No E-Bike Rebate This Session
Note that the e-bike rebate program, which I was hopeful would make the cut when it was included in an amendment last week, is no longer part of the bill.
So there you have it: the major highlights (or lowlights depending on your political persuasion) of the transportation bill as it stands right now. Like I said, there’s a lot at stake here and despite how terribly Democrats have fumbled the bag so far, there’s still a shred of possibility that a bill passes this week. I fully expect lawmakers will propose some changes in the next 24 hours, so stay tuned for that in the coming day or so. There should be some sort of committee meeting Thursday and it will likely include a public hearing. Buckle up!
This driving lane on W Burnside at 10th became a plaza in 2023. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
There’s a growing consensus on city council that Portland has more streets than it needs for driving on and that in the future, plazas and other creative uses of the right-of-way will flourish citywide. With support from council and city staff, backed up by Portland’s existing transportation policy and programs, and combined with an eager network of advocates — we could be on the the brink of an exciting new chapter in how we use streets.
At a meeting of the Portland City Council Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Monday, the Portland Bureau of Transportation Deputy Director of Planning, Art Pearce, shared an overview of transportation planning. But the conversation about converting streets from thoroughfares to public spaces began before Pearce made his way to the dais.
During a presentation about a city proposal to “vacate” (a legal process to terminate public ownership of a street and turn it over to adjacent property owners) a stretch of SE Oak Street through Laurelhurst Park, Councilor Mitch Green asked a notable question: “How long does the process take?” he asked David McEldowney, who works in the city’s right-of-way permitting division.
Some people in the room knew where Green was going with his question. The economist, Democratic Socialist, and first time council member believes one way PBOT can reduce its maintenance liability is to reduce the assets it’s required to maintain. Back in February, Green suggested that PBOT ban drivers on some streets as a money-saving strategy. “Every mile of road is a liability in terms of unfunded, ongoing operations and maintenance, which will then be always costlier in the future,” he said.
Green was probing McEldowney about the street vacation process because he thinks it might be an avenue toward converting streets into plazas, cul-de-sacs, community gardens, superblocks, and so on. McEldowney said the process takes about a year, to which Green replied: “So would you say that if the city was interested in doing a lot more of these, we’d be looking at a year?”
“I think in the future we’re going to be wanting to look at streets that are underutilized that could maybe be turned into other things.”
– Olivia Clark, city councilor
Green is not the only councilor looking at streets with this perspective.
“Councilor Green, I think I know where you’re going with this,” chimed in committee Chair Olivia Clark after Green’s exchange with McEldowney. “I think in the future we’re going to be wanting to look at streets that are underutilized that could maybe be turned into other things.”
Clark said she was “shocked” to learn 30% of Portland’s land area was managed by PBOT in the form of city streets. “That’s rather astounding, and gives me some pause, especially when we think about the fact that we’re so far behind in asset management and taking care of those streets,” Clark said. “So many of them are failing that we’ve had some informal discussions among the committee members here about how we could convert those spaces.”
Residents of Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood turned this driving lane into a public square in 2022. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Clark is looking beyond plazas to reduce PBOT’s maintenance liabilities. After doing a walking tour of downtown, she mentioned the possibility of greening Flanders Street through northwest. “There’s a lot of interest on this committee to look at alternatives like that, not just plazas, but other other ways of looking at these assets.” “Because,” she asked rhetorically, “will we be able to raise the funds over time to really maintain 30% of the land space?”
When PBOT’s Deputy Director Pearce got into his presentation about transportation planning in Portland, he made it clear city policy supports not just turning streets into “other things,” but also that it’s the city’s goal to significantly reduce the use of cars. Pearce connected the high cost of driving to housing affordability and explained the tradeoffs in building a car-centric city: “If we are putting funds into building structured vehicle parking, for instance, that can be $50,000, even $80,000 per unit per parking space that should be spent — both the space and the money — should be spent on housing people and not on cars, and so we need to make a system that is less reliant on that need.”
After Pearce told councilors that 30% of Portland’s land area is PBOT right-of-way, he said it’s a “constant choice about how we use our space.” He then framed that choice as, “whether we want to use it for storing cars and mobility, or use it for creating public space.”
When PBOT does choose to use streets for mobility, Pearce said a recent study commissioned by the city showed how inefficient it is when cars are the majority vehicle in the mobility mix. “In just six buses,” Pearce noted, “We were moving the same number of people as 241 cars.”
Slide shown at city council committee meeting Monday by PBOT Deputy Director of Planning, Art Pearce.
Pearce knows streets will have to move more people in the future and that, as Portland becomes more dense and adds new residents, more people will need streets where they can feel free to not move at all.
Pearce sees PBOT’s street plaza program taking a more prominent role in city planning as neighborhoods become more crowded. “If you’re creating less space in each apartment or each house, you need more and more space for people to be connected outside together,” he explained to councilors. “If we’re thinking about being an interconnected community who sees each other outside, and being less stuck in our own bubble and algorithms, it’s in those public spaces where, maybe there’s music happening and there’s kids playing, that you’re having really human connection. And I think that’s instrumental to Portland’s next chapter.”
Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane also spoke highly of plazas. “A lot of us up here value these street plazas,” she said before asking Pearce what he thinks about tactical urbanism. “I hadn’t heard that term yet,” she acknowledged, “but it’s something I think a lot of us have been talking about, maybe without using those exact words.” Koyama Lane defined tactical urbanism as, “opportunities for community members, businesses, grassroots organizations, other similar entities, to lead and even fund some interventions within the public right of way,” and “working with community to make our streets safer and more vibrant.”
Pearce took that as an opportunity to share a key takeaway from a staff retreat in January where his Planning, Policy, and Projects team came up with a theme to guide their year. That theme? “Enabling co-creation.” “Creating with community is instrumental to that,” he added.
The best, most recent example of this approach in action is in north Portland where bike bus leaders worked with PBOT to install temporary diverters along their school’s morning bike bus route. Another example is when PBOT worked with a neighborhood association leader in 2023 to create a plaza in a former lane of West Burnside at 10th. Empowering Portland’s army of street advocates and neighborhood block party lovers could be a very powerful way for PBOT to leverage its impact citywide, quickly transition streets to more healthy uses, and create a base of content constituents to support the agency’s forthcoming funding requests.
If PBOT is to continue along this trajectory, they’ll need buy-in from their leader, Director Millicent Williams. And it turns out she’s on board too. “We have a tremendous opportunity,” she said in remarks to council Monday. “Now is the time to look at how we can do things differently — whether it’s a weekend, a season, a pilot, something that can become a permanent installation, to get people used to some of the change.”
When it comes to changing how streets are used, Williams wants Portlanders to know, “It’s not a threat. It’s really an opportunity to reimagine our communities and see them as we’d like to see them.”
For businesses along SE Hawthorne and 37th — the location of PBOT’s latest and greatest street plaza —what they wanted to see was a street full of color and community, not cars. A brightly painted mural and benches have helped create a welcoming plaza that’s become an instant hit (and also attracted a visit over the weekend from city council members Angelita Morillo and Steve Novick.)
What’s exciting about these street transformations is that they don’t have to take a long time. Green’s inquiry about street vacations notwithstanding (that’s a specific process and not always required), Williams was quick to point out that the new Hawthorne street plaza only took a few months to go from conversation to completion.
And they want to build more of them. PBOT is all about the bottom-up approach these days. Street design ideas that originate from residents, activists, neighborhood groups, business owners, and so on — are often more actionable than those that emanate from dusty planning documents.
So now is the time to share your dream street idea. Pearce said he wants to get conversations going now, so he and his team can take necessary steps to make it happen over the winter season, “And have it ready to bloom with the roses.”
W Burnside and 10th. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Downtown Portland’s renaissance will get another jolt of energy thanks to a newly funded project that will improve walking conditions.
Travel Oregon, the state’s tourism commission, announced $6.2 million in grants today. Awards were granted to 65 projects statewide, including two from the Portland region. One of them is a $150,000 grant to the nonprofit Oregon Walks for a project that will, “develop and deploy a pedestrian wayfinding pilot project in downtown Portland.”
Oregon Walks is a nonprofit that focuses on making walking safer, more convenient, and more fun. They worked with the Portland Bureau of Transportation as a partner on the grant application. Better wayfinding signage in downtown Portland was recommended as a top priority in the City of Portland’s Pedestrian Master Plan.
Oregon Walks Executive Director Zachary Lauritzen said PBOT played a major role in making this happen. “They’ve been an amazing partner. [PBOT Pedestrian Realm Coordinator] Gena Gastaldi and her team put together a really compelling pitch/design and deserve a ton of credit for moving this forward.”
According to a statement form Travel Oregon, the “Walk Portland” project will include installation of high-quality maps and signage, public art and lighting, visitor engagement, data collection and photo/video documentation. Described as a “pedestrian wayfinding system in downtown Portland,” there will also be an accompanying website.
“Through signage, artwork, and a designated downtown walking route, Walk Portland will help people feel more confident exploring downtown as a pedestrian—whether you’re new to Portland or have lived here your whole life,” says Lauritzen. “We’re stoked to lend a hand in the rejuvenation of downtown,” he added. “We really believe in activation—getting more people out and about—as a way to make places feel safe and welcoming.”
Joint Committee on Transportation Reinvestment at their meeting on Friday.
With just one full week left in the legislative session, Oregon’s transportation funding package, House Bill 2025, is in a very precarious position.
The bill is seen by supporters as a vital funding lifeline for the Oregon Department of Transportation as the agency transitions away from the gas tax and looks to shore up its ailing highway fund. It comes with dozens of tax increases and several new funding sources in order to pay for bridge and road maintenance, freeway expansion projects, safe routes to schools, updates to urban highways, new off-street paths, public transit, and more. Overall, HB 2025 is slated to raise $14.6 billion in new revenue for transportation over the next 10 years.
An amended version of the bill (-23 amendment) passed out of the Joint Committee on Transportation Reinvestment on Friday on a party-line vote of 7-5; but it took a last second procedural maneuver by Senate President Rob Wagner (a Democrat) to make it happen. Since Democratic committee member Mark Meek made clear his intention to vote against the bill, Wagner replaced Meek in order to ensure passage.
As if having a committee member present but unable to vote wasn’t awkward enough, a pointed exchange between two committee members punctuated a meeting full of strong disagreements.
Boshart Davis is a leading voice from a chorus of Republicans who think HB 2025 is nothing more than a Democratic tax grab and that ODOT needs to focus on its “core mission” of catering solely to car users and letting cities fund transit and cycling needs. “We are looking at the largest tax increase in Oregon’s history,” she said at Friday’s meeting. Boshart Davis is also opposed to what she calls a “really bad process” that was “grossly irresponsible” because she feels the public hasn’t had enough time to weigh in on the bill (the full fiscal analysis wasn’t released until Friday).
As Boshart Davis repeated these stinging critiques at Friday’s meeting, committee Co-Chair Senator Chris Gorsek — a Democrat and architect of the bill — interrupted her (see exchange above). “Excuse me,” he said, “You are impugning all of us that have worked on that bill. So stop with that! You’ve made your point representative. Enough!”
Committee Co-Chair Susan McLain calmed things down, but the damage was done. Later in the meeting, Boshart Davis said she planned to make a formal complaint about Gorsek’s behavior. Today, House Republicans issued a statement calling for Gorsek to be removed from committee assignments and face censure on the Senate floor.
While Democrats have a super-majority in the House and Senate, they spent weeks trying to hash out a bill that would garner at least a few moderate Republican votes — but that effort has produced no fruit. A large bloc of Republicans that are vehemently opposed to the bill are already saying they’d work to refer it to voters if it passes. There are also threats of a walkout if and when the bill comes to a floor vote. One Republican, Darcey Edwards, who represents portions of Washington and Columbia counties west of Portland, boycotted today’s floor session because of her opposition HB 2025.
While a floor vote was scheduled for early this week, a few hours ago Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that Democrats would send HB 2025 back to committee for consideration of possible amendments.
So far no further committee meeting has been scheduled and no new amendments have been posted.
With just days left in the session, Democrats still have road blocks to clear before passing their highest priority legislation.
At the end of Friday’s meeting, Portland Democrat Khanh Pham said, “I recognize this is a major investment, and that is part of what I think is my responsibility, our responsibility as as legislators, to actually govern for our state. And for that reason, I am unapologetic about the need for investing in our roads, for the health of our communities and the health of our economies.”
UPDATE, 3:05 pm: Senate President Rob Wagner has taken himself and Sen. Gorsek off the committee and has added three new members: Senator Khanh Pham, Senator Lew Frederick, and Senator James Manning Jr. HB 2025 has also been rereferred to the committeeand OPB has the latest on how House Speaker Julie Fahey is trying to amend the bill with moderate Democrats to ensure passage.
I’m three days post-surgery on my second knee replacement and I’m feeling OK. I plan to work when I can, but things could be touch-and-go for the next week or so depending on a combination of factors like pain, the effects of my pain meds, and so on. The great news is that in a few weeks I’ll be on my way to a new chapter in my life. One where my knees are healthier and I can move through the world with more confidence. I’m excited, but I’ve gotta’ get through this tough slog first. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Here are the most notable stories that came across my desk in the past seven days…
In defense of vision zero: After a newspaper’s editorial board labeled Boulder’s quest for vision zero “juvenile,” an advocate responded with a very thoughtful and effective defense of the road safety approach that Portlanders would be wise to read. (Daily Camera)
A mural and a culture war: A colorful mural with the message “All Bike(r)s Welcome” touched off a huge controversy in Bentonville, Arkansas — a city that prides itself on being the most bike-friendly in America. The debate revealed a clash of cultures in a city full of contradictions. (Cycling Weekly)
Parking wars: People in a U.K. town have resorted to blockades and physical altercations as they fight against an “invasion” in car parking from a nearby neighborhood. It’s a war on cars IRL. (Birmingham Mail)
Parade death: A truck carrying one of the U.S. Army tanks used in Trump’s military parade ran over and killed a pedestrian on the streets of Washington D.C. (USA Today)
Pike Place pedestrianization: Seattle’s iconic public market finally went carfree because their mayor stood up and wanted to make it happen. So far it appears to be going very well. (Seattle Met)
Hypercar hypocrisy: It is totally absurd that we allow automakers to sell “hypercars” that go 0-60 mph in under two seconds regular people to be used on public streets. Seriously. When will a leader step up and say enough is enough? No regulatory agency that stands by and allows these products to be sold should be considered credible when it comes to discussions of road safety. (CNBC)
An expensive addiction: This article is an excellent overview of the many ways cars have become even more expensive to own in recent years, and it helps explain why city leaders and planners have an opportunity to swoop in and give folks options to ditch driving for good. (Wall St. Journal)
Cycling and dementia: A major new study shows that people who cycle regularly into older age are less likely to have dementia because their brains stay sharper and more active. (Vice)
Damn allergies: A pro cyclist decided to end his career because his allergies were so overwhelming. I’m sure a lot of folks in Portland can relate! (Cycling Weekly)
The man who died after being struck by a MAX light rail train on Wednesday was 81-year old Michael O’Callaghan. He was a lifelong activist who organized and implemented several successful community initiatives in over a half-century of public service. And he showed no signs of slowing down, as he ran an inspiring campaign for Portland Mayor just last year.
Some of us got to know “Mayor Mike” during his recent mayoral campaign and his regular attendance at Bike Happy Hour. Mike, who lived in a makeshift shelter on Portland streets for the past 15 years, was eager to speak during open mic and tell us about his ideas.
Zack Reinhardt, a mechanic at Splendid Cycles near the entrance to the Springwater Corridor path, told BikePortland that Mike was a good friend of the shop. “Mayor Mike was a fixture of southeast Portland,” Zack shared. “You could often find him drinking coffee at Spielman’s bagels on Division or riding his bike along the Springwater.”
Michael O’Callaghan. (Photo courtesy of his campaign)
Here’s more from Zack:
“He would routinely visit Splendid Cycles to thank us for providing an open water spigot to the public, occasionally bringing us gifts: freshly picked flowers, a potted orchid, and even once home made blackberry wine. He was a living example of kindness and generosity.”
Mike hailed from Anchorage, Alaska where he was known for decades of grassroots activism that focused on helping people in need. Whether it was giving away free food from the back of his bicycle trailer or free bicycles from a bike share program he created in 1977 — Mike never shied away from a bold idea and was the quintessential do-it-yourselfer.
In 1987, his work earned him a mention as an “unsung hero” in Newsweek magazine.
Mike at Bike Happy Hour in October 2024. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Mike had such an impact on his former hometown that the Anchorage Daily News published a where-are-they-now profile of him in 2020. Here’s an excerpt from that article:
“For several decades, Michael O’Callaghan was one of Anchorage’s most colorful activists and political gadflies. His causes were myriad and wide ranging. With him now in Portland, is there anyone left in Anchorage that combines his mixture of humanism, flair for the dramatic and quixotic inclinations?”
It’s still unclear what exactly happened before Mike was struck and killed. He lived along the Springwater Corridor, very close to the rail crossing at SE 8th and Division, and had likely made it across that same intersection countless times without any problems. What we do know is that Portland has lost a wonderful human who embodied much of what makes our city so special.
Yard sales by bike are so fun. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Honestly it is sort of a bummer putting this guide together knowing that I get my second knee surgery tomorrow and I’ll be out of commission (again!) for a bit. Have fun for me and I hope to be back out there documenting fun rides later this summer or early fall.
🚨 NOTE: The Hawthorne Bridge will be closed to all vehicles (bikes included!) from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm this Sunday (6/22)! More info here.
Below are my selections for the best rides this weekend…
Saturday, June 21st
Urban Arrow Product Launch Event – 9:30 am at Clever Cycles (SE) Cargo bike company Urban Arrow has a big new model and Clever Cycles is having a party to celebrate the big reveal. Come and enjoy family-friendly activities and learn more about this cool new bike. More info here.
Laurelhurst Yard Sale Ride – 9:30 am at Crema PDX (SE) There’s no better way to peruse a massive, neighborhood-wide yard sale than from the seat of your bicycle. Prizes given for bikey-est item, most unusual find, and more. More info here.
Grilled by Bike – 11:00 am at Ladd’s Circle Park (SE) It’s the 10th anniversary of this wonderful tradition that melds grilling, chilling, and bicycles. Put a grill on your bike and join the fun — or come out and gawk at the cool contraptions and burner set-ups and get inspired to build your own. More info here.
Salmon Painting – 4:00 pm on Salmon Street between 10th and 11th (SE) Join Strongtowns PDX, City Repair, and Pacific Rivers for a street painting block party. On the agenda: Painting big salmon on our beloved greenway. More info here.
Sunday, June 22nd
Sandy Donut Ride – 10:00 am at Meadowlark Shopping Center (SE) The Portland Bicycling Club will lead this group ride to the famous Joe’s Donuts in Sandy. Expect a 35-mile route through rural eastern parts of Multnomah County. More info here.
Bike Milwaukie Monthly Ride – 10:00 am at Milwaukie Station Food Cart Pod (Milwaukie) Get hip to the next big things in the cycling network of Milwaukie, the quaint city to our south. Experienced Milwaukieites will show you where future greenway routes could go. Ends at a great place for lunch. More info here.
Pedals, Places, and Possibilities – 11:30 am at Irving Park (NE) Get to know some of Portland’s best placemaking projects — some of which are right under our noses yet often unsung. Ride is led by City Repair as part of the annual Village Building Convergence. More info here.
The MySpace Ride – 2:00 pm at Tanner Springs Park (NW) Harken back to that glorious yesteryear of 2005 when a site called YouTube just launched and folks posted cringey status updates on their MySpace pages. “Because nothing says “social networking” like a bunch of adults pretending it’s still 2005… on bikes,” says the ride leader. 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.
Looking north on SE 8th Avenue where it crosses the rail tracks.
A person riding a bicycle died after being involved in a collision with a MAX light rail train today around 1:30 pm. It happened near Southeast Division and 8th Avenue.
It appears that the bicycle rider was using the street, not the bike path. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office says the rider was headed north on SE 8th when they went around caution barriers that had been lowered due to the passage of a Union Pacific train.
“The cyclist rode his bike into the opposing southbound lanes of travel, where there are no crossing arms, and was subsequently hit by a MAX train traveling in the direction of Milwaukie as he crossed the railroad tracks,” reads the Sheriff’s statement.
There are four rail tracks at this location — two northern tracks for heavy rail and two southern tracks for light rail. According to local news reports, TriMet Media Relations Manager Tia York said at the scene that, “Maybe [the cyclist] was anticipating or looking out for the Union Pacific train and didn’t stop to think that there could be a MAX train here as well.”
With four sets of tracks it’s very possible this bike rider saw one train clear the intersection and believed it was safe to cross — only to be hit by a train they never saw.
There is still more to learn about this crash. Stay tuned for more coverage. If you saw what happened and have anything to share, please get in touch.
UPDATE: A BikePortland reader rolled past the scene right after it happened and shared this account:
I rode past as the 2nd fire rescue was arriving on-scene.
The MAX train was headed east toward Gresham and was in the furthest South TriMet line of the 4 tracks.
There was a white ball-cap (and some misc other debris) in the northbound car lane on SE 8th Ave. and the cyclist was dragged east from the crossing before the MAX train stopped with the cyclist on the south side of the train outside the rail pinned under one of the MAX cars.
Even if there had been a Union Pacific freight train, that would have not obscured the cyclist view of the MAX train. Perhaps there was an approaching UP train that they were racing to beat and had tunnel vision on the UP locomotive. Or they were just trying to beat the MAX train at the very last second, going north in the southbound lane to avoid the crossing arm.
UPDATE, 6/19 at 3:50 pm: KOIN is reporting (via the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office) that the person who died in this collision was 80-year-old Michael O’Callaghan. O’Callaghan, who liked to be called “Mayor Mike,” ran for Portland Mayor in the last election and was a regular at Bike Happy Hour where he spoke several times on open mic about his plans to help the homelessness crisis. This is such sad news. Mike was a really bright and warm guy. Check out his campaign website to learn more about him.
