Things will be slow around here this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. I’ve got family in town and I probably won’t be working full days again until next Monday.
I hope you can join us Wednesday for a special Friendsgiving Bike Happy Hour at Migration Brewing on North Williams Avenue. We’ll eat together around 5:30 and the folks at Migration are offering a $20 meal (burger, drink and a side) deal for us. Sweet plantains for desert!
Below are the most notable stories I came across in the past seven days. Thanks to everyone who suggested links this week.
Best of the worst: Portland earned the top ranking of all U.S. cities with its 35th place in a global report on bike-friendly cities. We placed 11th worldwide when this list first came out in 2011. (Copenhagenize)
Clarity about a crisis: It’s infuriating that we have such a clear grasp of how many people are being killed by drivers on dangerous roads, and the response from the system feels like a huge shrug. We all need to be more aggressive in how we talk and organize around this public safety crisis. (Washington Post)
Free transit works (in Iowa City): “Since the fare-free program began, people in Iowa City have driven 1.8 million fewer miles and emissions have fallen by 24,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, the same as taking 5,200 vehicles off the roads.” (NY Times)
Wout’s vision: I like that Belgian cycling superstar Wout Van Aert spent time in the U.S. and is now encouraging us to build a stronger business around professional cycling. Unfortunately, American’s won’t care about road cycling until we can cycle safely on our roads. If bike brands invested as much into advocacy as they did into R&D, there would be more people buying their expensive parts. (Velo/Outside)
Case in point: If you think the above item is out of line, see this story about an avid roadie who’s decided to stop riding because he’s so spooked. (I know it’s from the U.K., but they have a similarly dysfunctional driving culture). (Bike Radar)
Native trails: Indigenous people are turning their land into economic assets by developing trails — including many ambitious bike path projects across the country — into tourism hotspots. (BBC)
Induced evaporation: I love this deep dive into a bridge in London closed to cars due to structural problems. After it became used only by bicycle riders, predicted traffic chaos never happened and about 9,000 auto trips simply vanished forever. (Nick Maini on Substack)
High cost of bike share: The steep cost of using New York City’s Citibike has some advocates pushing for public subsidies of the wildly successful transportation mode. (Streetsblog NYC)
When I experienced the bike path through the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam for the first time in 2013, I was awe-struck. I called it (along with the Hovenring bike bridge in nearby Eindhoven) one of the two “wonders of the bicycle world” and it remains one of the coolest pieces of bike infrastructure I’ve ever seen.
I would have never expected to have something similar here in my own city; but with the opening of the Portland Art Museum’s (PAM) new Rothko Pavilion Thursday, the unexpected has become reality. Portland has added an amazing piece of civic architecture-slash-transportation infrastructure to the Central City that belongs right up there with Pioneer Square, the Aerial Tram, and the Tilikum Bridge. Officially named the Pat and Trudy Ritz Passageway, the tunnel pierces a new glass pavilion that connects two museum buildings and allows walkers and rollers to move freely between SW Park and SW 10th avenues. The design also allows passersby to peer into museum galleries, while visitors inside can watch tunnel traffic as they walk across the skybridge between the two buildings.
The tunnel is a triumph and stands as a powerful demonstration of Portland’s commitment to walking and biking. But what’s most remarkable (and mostly forgotten) is that it almost never happened and was not part of the initial plans.
When PAM first shared designs of the Rothko Pavilion expansion in 2016, there was no tunnel through it. As word spread, local residents and biking and walking advocates voiced concerns about how the pavilion would cut off access across the former plaza. In early 2017, I began to report on those concerns and opposition to PAM’s plans grew. Museum leaders incorrectly assumed that Portlanders would happily trade public plaza access for a major upgrade to this important institution. They were wrong. Local residents, advocates, and even City of Portland planning commissioners, attached great value to the permeability of that plaza and PAM’s attempt to change the public easement through the property that had existed since 1968 was met with stiff resistance. Once plans to close access to the plaza became widely known, the city’s bicycle and pedestrian advisory committees came out in opposition against it and pushback at its first city council hearing was so stiff, a decision on the design was delayed.
In response, PAM came up with a new plan in November of 2017 they hoped would quell resistance. PAM Director Brian Ferriso even attended a PBOT Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting to ask for support from cycling advocates. Unfortunately for PAM, the proposal didn’t go far enough because it still closed off the plaza and would only allow people to walk bikes through an enclosed pavilion structure.
Ferriso tried to convince BAC members that the tradeoff would be worth it: Yes, folks would have to walk through the museum to get across the block, he explained; but in exchange they’d get a major investment into the museum. But biking and walking advocates weren’t having it. Former BAC member Chris Achterman told Ferriso, “If this is a door, that’s not going to work. I hope that as you approach this project you see it as Portland’s version of the Rijksmuseum.”
Nearly one year after that BAC meeting, PAM and Ferriso finally relented, the tunnel proposal emerged, the advocates were satisfied, and Portland got its version of the Rijksmuseum tunnel.
I got chills Thursday as the gentle downhill grade pushed me and my bike into the glass gallery. Nodding and smiling at others who seemed similarly smitten with this novel passageway, I recalled the effort it took and the people who spoke up to make it a reality.
As I stopped to prep for another ride through, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson walked by. He wasn’t aware of the tunnel’s history, but he knew it was cool. “I’m so glad we have it,” he said as he walked through it with the excited urgency you’d expect from a mayor who’d just cut the ribbon on something that will help his efforts to revitalize downtown. “It’s extraordinary. This is what you talk about as far as urban living — where you bring the active transportation into the actual cityscape. It’s what makes a community a community. You look to to your right and you’re actually in a museum while you’re going down a city street. It’s brilliant.”
By “city street” Wilson was referring to SW Madison, which was closed off at SW Park in 1968 to build the museum. That closure came with a condition that the museum would maintain a public easement through the plaza. It was that easement PAM officials initially wanted to change, and that the new tunnel keeps constant.
In addition to the new passageway, there’s a new bike parking area on the SW Park side that has four stainless steel staple racks. When I noticed a very proud and well-dressed woman taking photos in front of a plaque nearby that read, “Barbara Bours Brady Bike Bay,” I figured she was likely the donor. Sure enough, it was Brady. Turns out Brady is an avid cyclist who’s logged over 130,000 miles as a member of the Portland Bicycling Club since the 1980s.
“I’ve cycled for many, many years and I wanted people to have a place to park their bikes so they didn’t have to drive their cars in downtown Portland, including myself!” Brady, a long time museum donor and resident of downtown, told me Thurdsay. “I have to get some dressy black pants so I can bike up here and if I get a little grease on them it won’t matter!” she added.
Judging by the crowded racks on Thursday, she won’t be the only one. The new pavilion — and the tunnel that runs through it — appear to be an instant hit.
— Go check out this fantastic addition to the museum and bike and/or walk through a tunnel a few times. Access to the museum is free through Sunday, November 23rd. See PAM’s website for more info.
PBOT is looking to replace plastic with concrete on NW/SW Broadway.
Despite an uncertain budget and a new form of government that has had growing pains, the Portland Bureau of Transportation is still managing to pump out exciting projects that will dramatically improve how we get around.
Christmas came early for bus and bike riders with the new lanes on Southwest 4th Avenue, which — if weather holds — could be completed all the way to Burnside before the end of the year. But that’s just the tip of the handlebar. At Tuesday night’s Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting, PBOT Bicycle Coordinator Roger Geller shared an update on several other projects that come with significant bicycle infrastructure elements.
Below are several project updates from our cycling Santas at PBOT:
NW/SW Broadway Streetscape Project
“We went from potentially removing these bike lanes a number of years ago, and now we’re going to make them more permanent.” That’s how Geller described PBOT’s new project to further harden and improve the existing bike lanes on Northwest and Southwest Broadway. This vital biking corridor between the Broadway Bridge and Portland State University was threatened with a major downgrade in 2023, but we saved it and now it’s slated to get even better.
The plan is to further harden the existing design by replacing many of the ugly, flimsy, plastic delineator wands with concrete curbs, medians, and planters. Geller said they’ve got about $550,000 to do the work. Construction is expected to begin next summer. Check the project website for more info.
N Willamette Active Transportation Corridor Project
Great news on this one: PBOT has confirmed construction has begun (actually demolition, but you know what I mean)! “This is going to be a fantastic project,” Geller said Tuesday night. This $6 million, federally-funded project will transform North Willamette Blvd from the busy, car-centric hellscape it has become, into a biking and bus riding paradise. Protected bike lanes will be built from N Rosa Parks Way all the way up to N Richmond in St. Johns. Because PBOT is using federal funds, they must get all the money out the door and have construction complete by September 2026. Let’s f’ing goo!!
The only bad news here is that the work zones around the demo and construction might make traveling on Willamette challenging in the months to come. “It’ll be ugly for a little while,” Geller warned. See the official project page for more info updates.
Southwest Terwilliger Connections
PBOT is tagging onto a sewer project to do some street updates that include a safer and better bike path and sidewalk on SW Terwilliger between Sam Jackson Park Rd and SW Sheridan. Geller said design is underway for this project and it’s expected to be built in spring 2027.
There’s also interest to extend the bike and pedestrian connection about 0.2 miles west on Sam Jackson up to the Marquam Nature Park trailhead, but funding for that portion of the project remains uncertain.
When I last reported on this project back in May, the new sidewalk and bike path was only slated to be built along Duniway Park. But PBOT has secured an additional $470,000 in Fixing Our Streets funding to extend a protected bike lane on Terwilliger (toward downtown) all the way to Sheridan. In the outbound direction, Geller said they’ll build a wider, buffered bike lane at first and will plan to come back later and add concrete for more protection.
Geller added that PBOT will also invest $350,000 on a project to connect Terwilliger to the new protected bike lane on SW 4th. When I shared a video on the SW 4th project, many folks complained that connecting to where it starts at SW Caruthers was not easy or safe. For more on this project, check out my story from 2024 and stay tuned.
SW 6th Avenue
Back in January I reported that a repaving project for SW 6th over I-405 to SW Jackson would come with new striping that finally improves this route for bicycling. Unfortunately PBOT crews restriped the newly paved road without those changes. PBOT has acknowledged the mistake and is working on a design that will extend the bike lane on SW 6th through this area. Geller said we can expect this to be complete, “early next spring.”
Jade and Montavilla Multimodal Improvements Project
Geller said this project is substantially complete. PBOT has build new protected bike lanes on SE Washington Street from 74th to 92nd (just before I-205 path). Those bike lanes connect to new bike lanes on SE Thorburn that go up to E Burnside. For more on the Jade/Montavilla project, see project website. Geller said the new bike lanes on Washington will eventually be extended all the way east to the Portland city limits as part of the forthcoming SE Stark & Washington Safety Project.
SW Bertha Blvd
Geller said PBOT has finished design of a project that they hope will include protected bike lanes on SW Bertha between Barbur and Vermont. Right now they’ve got $200,000 in the bank and it sounds like they’re looking for more to make the protected bike lanes a reality. Construction is expected to begin spring 2026. Learn more on the project page.
NE Halsey Safety and Access to Transit
PBOT is currently building this project which includes a two-way protected bike lane on the south side of NE Halsey between 80th and 92nd. It’s expected to be in construction through July 2026. This will connect to another project that will reconstruct the NE Halsey and 92nd intersection and build two-way buffered bike lanes between NE Jonesmore and 92nd. Just south of I-84, PBOT is also building a mini-roundabout on Halsey where the overpass meets NE 81st and 80th. Learn more at the project website.
NE 148th From Halsey to Powell
PBOT recently earned a $7.1 million grant from Metro to build new crossings, bike lanes and improve transit access on NE 148th between Halsey and Powell. Geller said the bike lanes are expected to be a mix of buffered and protected designs. Final design is to be determined, so check the project website and stay tuned for opportunities to weigh in.
It’s so exciting to see all these projects in motion. Later in Tuesday’s meeting, Bicycle Advisory Committee Chair Jim Middaugh said PBOT’s work on these projects is yet another sign of Portland’s comeback:
“I think all of us know bikes really are going to be part of the solution — from climate perspective, economic recovery perspective, from an equity perspective. Bikes were what one of the major things that made Portland cool and really competitive at one point, and I think they’re going to be a key part of doing that again.”
Me too!
Stay tuned for updates and more coverage of all these projects.
I’m excited to announce that BikePortland will once again host BikeCraft. After a five-year hiatus for the event, the 16th edition of this bike-inspired holiday gift faire will happen at Migration Brewing on N Williams Avenue from 2:00 to 8:00 pm.
Before I go any further, please indulge my need to reminisce…
Me and a friend (hi Michael!) welcoming folks to the first BikeCraft in December 2005. That little baby in my sling has graduated college and lives on her own now.
It wasn’t long after I launched BikePortland in early 2005 that I realized our city was full of makers and artisans whose creations were inspired by bikes and the people who ride them. I was so inspired by the people I was meeting in the community and the websites I was finding (this was long before social media existing, so you would actually scour the Internet for things you liked and then create “blog rolls” of your favorites) that I wondered: What if we put all this amazing creative bicycling energy under one roof, for one night? Imagine what it would say about Portland’s bike culture if we could have our own holiday market!
So I found a large coffee shop in a central location willing to host us for free, and put out the call. I didn’t charge vendors and it was free to get in and I no idea if anyone would show up. And despite it being a very cold and icy night, hundreds came through the door. I recall being so happy to see all the bike people in one room. All kinds of cool products and crafts emerged that night — people sold things I’d never even seen before, some folks made new things just for the event, and others sold out of everything they brought. We had a poetry reading, a freakbike weapons demonstration by Dingo the Clown, and I talked so much for so long, my voice was hoarse by the end of the night.
I’m convinced there was no other city on the globe in 2005 that could have hosted such an event.
After that first magical night in 2005, I organized it the next five years and it grew a lot. We moved into bigger venues and it became a huge thing. The quality and variety of items was astounding. I’m talking really cool bags, hats, racks, artwork, jewelry, saddle covers, fenders, mud flaps, fashion, terrariums (!), sculptures, clocks, and so much more — and it was all either made out of bike parts or inspired by cycling. In 2011 I sold the event to some local guys who wanted to do even cooler things with it (including an e-commerce element that I had always dreamed about but never pulled off). Those new owners did it for five years. The event took a year off (2016) and then my friends Elly Blue and Joe Biel of Microcosm Publishing took it over in 2017 and ran the event for three years until its last run in 2019.
This year will be the 16th edition of BikeCraft and we’re bringing it back to the grassroots with a small list of vendors and a small venue to test the waters. If it goes well, we will consider changes next year.
Finally, I want to give credit to my friend Max “Lady Max” Nash for the BikeCraft rebirth. She’s the one who urged me to do it and convinced me over weeks of conversations at Bike Happy Hour — and has done all the organizing. Max is the maker behind Flat Tire Creations and she’s gathered a group of vendors that should make for a really fun night of shopping and socializing.
So mark your calendars for December 17th and stay tuned for the full list of vendors and more details in the coming days and weeks.
NE 7th Avenue right now, after workers blew leaves into the bike lane. (Photo sent in by a reader)
Welcome to being-pissed-off-about-leaves-in-bike-lanes season. Last night I sympathized with my former colleague (now Portland Mercury reporter) Taylor Griggs after learning she took a nasty spill on leaves while using the bike lane on Northeast 7th Avenue (see below). At the same time, I happened to be watching Portland’s bicycle coordinator share an update on bike lane maintenance.
Portland Bureau of Transportation Bicycle Coordinator Roger Geller shared a brief presentation on this very popular topic at the monthly meeting of the Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) last night. He gave an update on the $10 million bike lane sweeping initiative PBOT has been working on. As I reported back in February, PBOT won a grant from the Portland Clean Energy Benefits Fund (PCEF) that gives them $2 million per year for five years to keep bike lanes clean.
That funding is being used to purchase two big-ticket items: a new bike lane cleaning team and tools to do the work. Specifically, those tools include: a new fleet of battery-powered, bike lane-sized sweepers and leaf blowers for those hard to reach places.
I have written a lot about the perils of poorly maintained (and leaf-filled) bike lanes. That didn’t stop me from wiping out in one just now, falling on my face and scraping up my knee pretty badly. This is a truly hazardous situation, @pbotinfo.bsky.social. When are you going to do something?
Slides shown at BAC meeting last night. Middle photo is one of the new electric bike lane sweepers (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Last night Geller said PBOT has hired seven of the eight new staffers. And so far, two of the new e-sweepers — designed specifically to fit inside protected bike lanes — are already here. I’ve seen both of them parked in PBOT’s Stanton Yard, a maintenance vehicle facility on the corner of N Graham and N Mississippi. The cute little sweepers are dwarfed by a massive diesel generator (which I hope isn’t their final solution for charging these babies). According to a slide shown at the BAC meeting last night, in addition to those two e-sweepers, PBOT has purchased two Ford Lighting pickups for all the hand sweeping and more detailed clean-up work a mechanical sweeper can’t do (aka “bunching support”).
So far, the PCEF-funded team has been working on areas with heavy leaf canopy. A map of future sweeping routes is still in the works. A public-facing map and a leaf pick-up request dashboard is also being worked on, but not yet ready for launch. Another slide shown last night included a map of the latest spots that have been swept (see above)
None of these updates are likely to make many Portlanders feel better about the current state of bike lanes — and the vast volume of leaves that have overtaken many of them. “Appreciate your patience, the leaf drop was early this year,” the slide reads.
So for now, take extra caution through the leaves, don’t turn sharply in corners, and hope for the best. If there’s a particularly bad spot, you should report it to 311 so city crews get it on their list.
There’s more to transportation than freeways. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
A group led by Oregon Republicans wants to claw back new revenue for transportation recently passed by the legislature. Operating under the banner of No Tax Oregon, volunteers have already collected over half the 75,000 or so signatures they need to put key elements of House Bill 3991 on the ballot. The pitch is easy: Sign here if you don’t want to pay more taxes.
While signing is easy, operating the Oregon Department of Transportation without the additional $430 million the bill is expected to raise each year, might not be. ODOT says the $4.3 billion the bill raises over 10 years is everything and nothing. It’s everything they have to keep the agency afloat, but it’s nothing more than a stop-gap measure to stave off massive layoffs and do the minimum amount of road maintenance necessary to keep roads clear and people alive.
Republicans don’t believe that. They think ODOT can manage its 8,000 miles of roads and 3,000 bridges with existing revenues if the agency cuts everything that’s not a “core function.” The problem is, reasonable people disagree what a “core function” is. For example, Democrats believe transit and safe routes to school are a core function of ODOT. Republicans do not.
During this past session, Republicans put forward a bill that would have made radical shifts in state transportation policy. The Republican’s proposal would have required ODOT to completely ignore transportation’s impact on greenhouse gas emissions (despite transportation being the top contributor to them) and its impacts on Oregonians who’ve been historically left out of transportation conversations and harmed the most by the product of them. Their bill would have zeroed-out state funding for bicycle infrastructure, rail maintenance and construction, the Safe Routes to School program, transit service and expansion, and more. The bill even went so far as to repeal Oregon’s vaunted “Bicycle Bill” that was signed in 1971 and is known as the country’s first-ever complete streets law because of how it mandates a minimum investment in bicycling and walking facilities.
The radical Republican proposal would have rolled back the clock at ODOT to the 1960s and turned it into an even more outdated, freeway-first agency. It’s almost impossible to work across the aisle on such a politically toxic and tone deaf proposal — one that ultimately failed to make it out of committee because it was considered a non-starter by Democrats and everyone else who lives in the real world and understands transportation policy.
Even if you agree ODOT should focus solely on maintenance of existing roads and projects that benefit only car drivers, it’s unthinkable that revenue would stay frozen while inflation and project costs have risen dramatically since 2017, which was the last time Oregon updated its transportation law. Many of the Republicans leading the anti-ODOT, anti-tax crusade live and work in agriculture-based districts, where costs of basics like labor, fertilizer and land have risen about 40% since 2017. Do they really think transportation costs are magically immune to similar increases?
Based on Republicans’ actions during the session and their push to repeal HB 3991, it’s clear their stance on transportation policy isn’t about policy at all. It’s about politics and power. Democrats have it, Republicans want it.
Republican Senator Bruce Starr and House Representative Ed Diehl are spearheading the effort to repeal the funding elements of HB 3991. They claim Democrats “rammed through” the transportation bill without working across the aisle and they believe Oregonians should not have to pay for transportation services. Starr, Diehl, and other leading Republicans see the transportation legislation — and the process it took to pass it — as an illustration of everything that’s wrong with how Democrats govern; but it also says a lot about them.
Beyond not wanting to pay their fair share to use roads and bridges, a central allegation of “No Tax” petition backers is that Democrats didn’t collaborate with Republicans during the session. But similar to their policy and funding proposals, the claim doesn’t hold up. Democrats likely spent too much time currying favor with Republicans. Public hearings and legislative committee debates didn’t even begin until five weeks left in the session.
Why the hold up? Because Democrat party leaders were in (not so) secret meetings with Republicans trying to hash out a bipartisan package. And Sen. Starr, who now shamelessly laments the lack of bipartisanship on social media and media interviews, was one of the people in the room. Not only was Starr involved in early policy negotiations, but he was named by Democratic party leadersas point person on an important ODOT accountability initiative.
Republicans want Oregonians to believe that Governor Kotek and the Democrats are acting like dictators. They’ve even adopted a “No Queens” battle cry. But beyond the aforementioned facts about how Republicans were intimately involved in early negotiations, the clearest example of Republican party influence is HB 3991 itself. Far from the behemoth it’s being made out to be, the bill is an anemic, heavily-compromised, bare-bones package of tax and fee increases that will cost the average Oregonian about $144 more per year than they pay today. HB 3991 also raises just 35% of the revenue Democrats initially sought.
The bill is so small in fact, that Democrats lost significant support from the large coalition of progressive transportation advocacy groups they typically count on. In the end, because Democratic party leaders mistakenly assumed Republicans would negotiate in good faith, the only Oregonians who love the transportation bill are the ones whose jobs it saved. On the flip side, Republicans have launched a massive, misleading PR campaign to excite their base in advance of next year’s general election — a campaign that blames complicated problems on a progressive government bogeyman they would rather destroy than debate.
If early returns are any indication, No Tax Oregon will likely succeed in their signature-gathering effort and ODOT’s future will be on the ballot next November. If we don’t see more Democrats and other progressive leaders stand up, shape the narrative in their favor, and expose bad-faith Republicans, Oregon’s transportation future will be a dead end.
I’ve visited many fatal crash sites over the years, but the one where 68-year-old Rutilo Jorge was hit and killed one week ago may be the scariest yet. I had never biked on Highway 43 south of the Sellwood Bridge before Saturday, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. When I rolled up and saw the horrible conditions, a chill raced through my body as I nervously pedaled to reach the safe harbor of a residential driveway where I could take a breath and gather my thoughts.
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO, the lead agency because it happened just outside Portland city boundary) says Jorge was hit around 5:30 pm. According to their statement, Jorge was riding southbound just north of South Radcliffe Road. That location is just under one mile from the Sellwood Bridge and has a 45 mph speed limit; but people often go much faster because there are no cross streets or visual or physical obstructions. Adding to the danger is the fact that it happened around 5:30 pm, so imagine what my video and photos would look like in the dark.
The only sign of a collision I could see on Saturday was the white spray-painted outline of a car’s wheel track that veered into dirt and pine needles that stand several inches thick almost all the way up to the fog line (see photos below). There are several large, sharp rocks in the shoulder. MCSO says they have reason to believe Jorge hit one of those rocks prior to the collision. Jorge, “lost control of his bike after potentially hitting a rock on the shoulder of the roadway, fell, and was then struck by an SUV traveling south,” the MCSO statement says.
Oregon’s bicycle passing law (ORS 811.065) states that if a driver overtakes a bicycle rider on a highway without a bike lane and with a speed limit over 35 mph (both conditions met in this case), they must give the bicycle rider enough room so when they pass there is space, “sufficient to prevent contact with the person operating the bicycle if the person were to fall into the driver’s lane of traffic.” MCSO has made contact with the driver and they have not announced any traffic citations or criminal charges in the case. Once they’ve completed their investigation, they’ll hand it off to the District Attorney’s office and that’s where decisions about any charges will be made.
While I was out there on Sunday, I was overcome with frustration, fear and sadness. Drivers flew by so fast that leaves in the shoulder flew off the ground and I worried my bike would blow over. I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like on that dark night.
I believe the crash happened right where that silver Subaru is.Looking north from the crash site toward Sellwood Bridge.Looking south from Sellwood Bridge ramp to Hwy 43.Looking south from Sellwood Bridge ramp to Hwy 43.
I know a lot of folks will wonder why Jorge would ever be on this stretch of road at that time of day. But let’s remember that we don’t know what he was going through or why he made that choice. When Martin Greenough was hit and killed while biking on a scary stretch of NE Lombard that had a gap in the bike lane in 2015, many people wondered why he put himself in that position. We learned later that he was new to town and likely had no idea what he was getting into until it was too late.
As I demonstrate in the video, if the gate into River View Cemetery was closed at dusk (which has been common lately), Jorge might have felt he had no other choice but to take the highway. And if it was his first time, he might have pointed his bike south at the Sellwood Bridge, where there’s a wide and smooth shoulder. By the time he realized how narrow and sketchy the shoulder had become, he might have already committed and was just hoping and praying he could make it through safely.
I’ve been in that position myself many times. And I’m sure many of you have been too. No one deserves to die in those situations.
This gap in our system cannot stand. Regardless of how dangerous it is, it’s legal to ride on Highway 43 and plenty of people do it. It’s also currently the only feasible way for bike riders to get between the Sellwood Bridge and the Dunthorpe/Lake Oswego area when the cemetery gate is closed. And with River View’s board growing tired of the legal burden that comes with public access through their private property, we might be forced to find alternate routes sooner than we think.
I know there have been studies and discussions about building a multimodal connection in the past — either along the river and trolley rail right-of-way, a new bridge, or on the highway itself. I can only hope this human sacrifice is enough to dust off those plans and begin those conversations anew.
Yesterday, on a cold and rainy Sunday morning, elected officials, advocates and survivors of fatal and serious injury traffic crashes gathered at Luuwit View Park in East Portland. They came together for the annual World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, a global event that holds space for people who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice in the war against traffic violence.
The event was organized by Families for Safe Streets Portland, the local chapter of a national organization that raises awareness and pushes for policies that make roads safer. FSS Portland is an all-volunteer group on rise thanks to dedicated leaders like Sarah Risser (whose work on memorial signs I recently profiled) and Michelle DuBarry. Both of these women share an unwanted bond: they lost their sons to traffic violence.
I wasn’t at Sunday’s event, but I spoke with DuBarry this morning. I wanted to hear how it went and learn more about an exciting development in her work: FSS Portland and their coalition of partners plan to lobby the Oregon Legislature for a bill that would install speed-limiter technology inside the car of drivers who repeatedly speed. Dubbed “Stop Super Speeders,” the campaign has already led to new laws in Virginia and Washington and is proposed in nearly a dozen other states.
Below is the text of my conversation with DuBarry. You can also watch the interview in the player above or on YouTube.
Jonathan Maus: What was your role in the World Day of Remembrance on Sunday and what is the point of the event?
Michelle DuBarry: I am the board chair for the Portland chapter of Families for Safe Streets. We partnered with, Portland Bureau of Transportation, The Street Trust, Bike Loud, Portland Parks and Recreation, 1000 Friends of Oregon and Oregon Walks. Our event is intended to honor everyone who has been injured in a traffic crash and to support survivors and grieving families. It’s a memorial event, but there’s an advocacy component.
Jonathan: Take me to the event. What happened there and how could attendees participate?
Michelle: Everyone who is there as a member of Families for Safe Streets had a sign with a photo of their loved one and their age. Those signs were set around the little pavilion. Some of the family members held the signs and there were flowers. There was a small altar where anyone could light a candle to honor somebody who’s been impacted by traffic violence. It was very cold and and it was raining, but I think that makes it even more meaningful to those of us who have lost family members… Just knowing that people brave the weather on a Sunday morning to spend time with us and support is really, really meaningful to us.
Jonathan: It’s somber and said, but you mentioned that it’s also hopeful. Why would this actually be a hopeful event in some ways?
Michelle: I think that all of us who do this work are really motivated by not wanting other people to experience what we’ve experienced, and the knowledge that there is or there are solutions that just aren’t being used because of lack of political will and lack of money — it’s frustrating.
So raising awareness and letting people know that there is a path forward to prevent traffic violence, engaging our political leaders, building support on the ground so that we can actually create momentum for potential solutions, is really exciting.
The other thing I should mention about the event is… We try to center our own members, so a lot of our will share their stories. It’s incredibly powerful. It’s really sad. This year we had a couple of folks who are new to families for Safe Streets and so having them there was very powerful. There was one woman who had just lost her fiancé nine days ago and managed to show up for the event and is looking to get involved with our group.
The idea that somebody can show up for an event like that after going through something so tragic, I think it’s sad, but it also demonstrates incredible hope.
Jonathan: It demonstrates a lot too to the elected officials that show up and I saw there were several at this event. I think more, more so than usual. Is there anything about what an elected official said that stood out to you?
Michelle: I was really moved by Dacia Grayber, a state representative. She’s a paramedic for her day job and so I think that she understands on a very deep level what the impact of traffic violence is for victims and families. I felt like she gave a really powerful speech from her heart.
City Councilor Jamie Dunphy was there too, and he’s been pretty vocal in recent weeks talking about traffic violence because he’s had three constituents who were killed in crashes in a matter of a few days [actually one day]. And the event was held in his district in East Portland where we know that traffic violence is a more serious problem. So it was really meaningful to have him there both as a resident and as a city councilor.
We heard from State Representative Mark Gamba. We heard from Thuy Tran, who’s also a state representative. Both of them spoke really movingly in support of what we’re doing. And obviously Tiffany Koyama Lane city councilor from District 3, who’s been a big champion of Vision Zero on the council, gave a really wonderful speech.
Jonathan: Remembering people that have been killed in traffic and holding space and bringing these people together is really important; but you also want to actually do something about it. What is this I hear about new legislation regarding speeding that you’re working on?
Michelle: The legislation is called Stop Super Speeders and it is a bill that would require repeat offenders or people who have very serious reckless driving or speeding convictions to install technology in their vehicle known as intelligent speed assist (ISA). It uses GPS, digital maps and road sign recognition cameras to prevent a vehicle from going over the posted speed limit. It’s kind of similar to the technology that prevents impaired drivers from driving.
Jonathan: Is it modeled after the effort in New York? Isn’t there a New York State Assembly person working on this?
Michelle: They haven’t passed a bill in New York yet. But there’s a lot of momentum there. The states that have passed laws are Virginia and Washington and Washington DC has also passed a law and they’re broadly similar. I think there are some details that are different that will need to be worked out in Oregon, such as; what’s the threshold for mandating someone install ISA?
But the great thing about this legislation and why I think it will earn support from a broad spectrum of leaders is it replaces the need to suspend driver’s licenses — which is not a effective strategy for reducing crashes. We know that people who are convicted of these offenses, who have their driver’s licenses suspended, usually keep driving. And so this technology allows people to continue to drive so they can go to work so they can keep participating in society. They just can’t speed.
Jonathan: Wow. Okay. I didn’t realize it was actually in place in some states already. Interesting to know you’re working on that. What’s the timeline or the next steps on the super speeder legislation?
Michelle: Right now we’re planning for the 2027 session. So we’ll spend the next year or so gathering sponsors and hammering out the details of the legislation.
Jonathan: Your group’s been like busy in other ways too. Tell folks about the new website.
Michelle: Our new website is pdxfamiliesforsafestreets.org. My colleague and my friend Sarah Risser, has really led the charge on getting this website set up and she found a nonprofit who was willing to donate their time and we just launched it. It’s a really beautiful website. It has a section, with memorials for victims, so anyone who’s lost a family member or a loved one — or who has been injured in a crash — is welcome to send us a photo and share a little bit about what happened to them. And we have this online memorial space, which is really nice. There’s also information about our advocacy both at the state and the city level. We’re hoping the website can be a place where people can go for information on the legislation that we’re hoping to pass. You can sign up for our emails, you can donate. It’s just in the last month that we’ve had that kind of capability, so it’s really exciting!
But we are a fully volunteer organization. We don’t have any staff. We don’t have a budget. And so we’re, we’re hoping to get, you know, a small trickle of donations coming in just so that we can pay for things like storage and Zoom membership and our email listserv, things like that.
Jonathan: Is there anything else you want to add about the work you’re doing or anything we haven’t talked about yet?
Michelle DuBarry: The only thing I would say is that World Day Remembrance is a really hard event. As someone who’s lost a son in traffic violence, it’s a difficult event. But the connection to the community is really healing in a lot of ways. Feeling connected to people not only in Portland, but across the country and across the world is really powerful and I think it really does drive increased awareness — and hopefully, political change.
Jonathan: Thanks so much for sharing it with us, Michelle. And thanks for all the work you’re doing.
Browse the gallery below. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Saturday was another gorgeous fall day in Portland so I pulled over while on a ride to shoot some bike rider action portraits — or what I like to call people on bikes. It’s a series I’ve been doing for many years and have shared images from all over the U.S. and beyond.
On Saturday I was out and about working on Highway 43 (story later) and when I was done I stopped at the lower gate of River View Cemetery for a few minutes. Streams of riders came by from every direction. I ran into a few BikePortland fans, which is always fun, and I took advantage of the nice view looking east toward the Sellwood Bridge. It was crawling with cyclists! I decided to pull over just south of the Ross Island Bridge to see what I could capture. The result is an interesting mix of people and their bikes. I love being able to freeze the frame and observe what other folks are riding, how they’re riding it, and what they’re wearing while doing so.
Since this is a carfree path, you’ll notice a lot of fast riders with their colorful kits. What else do you notice? Do any of the riders remind you of yourself? How do these folks differ with who I captured in the first installment of this series in 2011?
If you know of a spot that would be good for this series, let me know! Look back through the People on Bikes archives here.
Welcome to the week. I hope you were able to get outside and recharge a bit over the weekend. I rode down to Sellwood on Saturday and saw so many folks out on bikes enjoying a dry and mild fall day. It was beautiful!
Below are the most notable stories I came across in the past seven days. Thanks to everyone who suggested links this week.
Dark times at Rad Power: The once industry juggernaut, Rad Power Bikes, is reeling after years of cutbacks and after a recent effort to find investors to return the company to glory has fallen through. The company is now facing a real threat of closure. (Seattle Times)
Cycling with heart: A rider shares his personal journey of a heart condition diagnosis, and how it’s more common among cyclists than you might think. (Bike Radar)
China is anti-speeding: Looks like China has seen enough crashes and carnage from absurdly fast e-cars and might pass new national regulation that would limit how fast the cars can accelerate. (CNEV Post)
Our vehicular health crisis: A major public health news outlet highlights that the time has come for stronger policy interventions to tame drivers as our current efforts to reduce traffic deaths are simply not working well enough. (KFF Health News)
Good bad news?: Trump and his cronies have no clue how to regulate cars and their attempts to influence the auto industry are actually doing the opposite of what they want — which I guess is a good thing? (Grist)
Roadmap for Mamdani: NYC’s advocacy group has laid out a five-point plan to help Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani achieve his goals. Second on the list is, “Biking should be a safe and accessible option for everyone.” (Transportation Alternatives)
Tin track: I refuse to let the dream of a velodrome in Portland die and this news about a Canadian-born, aluminum velodrome opening in Tucson really makes me happy. (KOLD TV)
Growing pains: Seattle seems to be experiencing the good problem of their e-scooter and bike share system being so popular that more regulation is needed to keep it running smoothly — and to thwart the advance of haters. (The Urbanist)
Before they joined us at Bike Happy Hour on Wednesday, Life After Cars co-authors and War on Cars Podcast hosts Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear swung by the Shed for a chat. The video above is a highlight reel from our conversation. If you missed Bike Happy Hour or their sold-out event at Powell’s Thursday night, this is a great chance to get to know this wonderful duo and to be inspired by the important work they’re doing.
Watch it above or on our YouTube channel (which you should totally subscribe to by the way!).
Instagram post from Adult in Custody, a nonprofit advocacy group.
The person who was killed in a collision with an Amtrak train last Friday has been identified as 58-year-old Wayne Houff.
The full investigation hasn’t been released, but it appears Houff was riding a Lime electric scooter southbound on SE 11th south of Division and was attempting to cross one of the four sets of rail tracks prior to being hit.
According to friends and co-workers, Houff was a paralegal who dedicated his life to helping people navigate the criminal justice system. He served over 20 years in prison and a friend and colleague of his who contacted BikePortland said he rode a scooter because his incarceration made him ineligible for a driver’s license.
The nonprofit Adults in Custody posted a memorial to Houff on Instagram. “He never let the system define him,” it says. “Instead, he studied it—mastered it. Wayne became the go-to for incarcerated people trying to navigate a system designed to break them. He didn’t just read case law—he rewrote futures.”
Here’s more from AIC:
“I vowed to learn everything I could about the Just Us system—not just for me, but for everyone who didn’t have a voice.” That vow never faded. Even after release, Wayne kept showing up—for those still inside, for those newly free, for anyone who needed guidance, compassion, or just someone who understood.
He was a man of many talents. A journeyman builder. A visual artist whose work hung in galleries. A volunteer at Blanchet House. A fisherman. A friend. Wayne could talk law one minute and crack a joke the next. He made people feel seen. Safe. Heard.”
Houff was engaged to be married and I’ve heard his fiancé will attend Sunday’s World Day of Remembrance event. More on that event, here.
