2025 Archives

Job: Mechanics wanted – TomCat Bikes

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Mechanics wanted

Company / Organization

TomCat Bikes

Job Description

Hiring mechanics for TomCat Bikes!

TomCat bikes is a small and vibrant bicycle repair shop in the Brooklyn Neighborhood in SouthEast Portland. We service almost any bike that can fit through the door. We are seeking seasoned mechanics who can work on yesterday’s electroforged Schwinn, today’s electric bikes, and everything in between.

Skill sets:
An understanding that bicycle repair and service is the primary business model
Accurate estimates of service work; thorough documentation of work-in-progress in customer file; explaining work performed during handoff
Electric bike diagnostics and repair
Hydraulic disc brake systems
Efficient wheelbuilding
In depth knowledge of vintage and modern drivetrain compatibility
Sales of refurbished and new bikes
Experience with Lightspeed POS and Square Appointments
You know these acronyms: QBP, JBI, HLC, BTI, TCB, WTF, MVP, FLAME

Bonus:
social media experience
website optimizing
secondary marketplace posting
alternative POS systems

Ideal temperaments:
Open and welcoming to everyone of all ages, genders, orientations, origins, and incomes
Problem solving
Communicative on the phone, email, text, in person at shop
Respectful of boundaries
Works well with others
Interested in learning new technologies while honing already established skills
Not afraid to seek a second opinion
Positive customer outcomes
Can articulate upgrades or modernization and make it make sense to clients
Independent, productive work ethic while the Cat is away
Confident of skills without being arrogant
Less Oscar the Grouch, more Big Bird

Benefits:
Flexible (no-really!) schedule
Relaxed and welcoming work environment
W2 wages and associated benefits
Parts and accessories discounts from primary suppliers
Wages: $18-22, depending on experience
Tips are split among mechanics

How to Apply

We are hiring for full time work or part time work and peak season hours. Total hours based on seasonal volume. That said, I am surprised at how much work there is in this shop in the off season.

Know your stuff
Be awesome
Send relevant work history with verifiable references to: tom@tomcatbikes.com
Please, no phone calls, no texts, no DM slidin.
Share widely, email directly.
Thanks!

Funding crisis dominates first ever meeting of Transportation & Infrastructure Committee

Councilors (left to right) Loretta Smith, Olivia Clark (chair), Angelita Morillo (vice chair), Tiffany Koyama Lane, and Mitch Green at Portland City Council’s first-ever Transportation & Infrastructure Committee meeting on Monday, February 10th.

If you care about Portland’s troubling transportation budget situation, the first-ever meeting of City Council’s new Transportation & Infrastructure Committee offered good news and bad news. We heard serious funding warnings, got some hope that they’ll be taken seriously, and heard what key councilors want to prioritize going forward.

Let’s start with the bad news: the Portland Bureau of Transportation has a $38 million deficit (this is separate from the city’s $100 million deficit) and it comes on the heels of six years of significant cuts. After listening to presentations from PBOT Director Millicent Williams and Deputy City Administrator for Public Works Priya Dhanapal on Monday, T & I Committee Chair Olivia Clark offered this blunt assessment: “I think it would be irresponsible — if not even criminal — of us to not address these issues because they concern our health and safety every single day of every person who lives in Portland.”

“Thinking about the very real consequences of that under-investment is what keeps me up at night,”
– Millicent Williams, PBOT director

“It would be irresponsible — if not even criminal — of us to not address these issues.”
– Olivia Clark, city councilor and committee chair

If PBOT is forced to cut $38 million from its budget the impact would be profound. Director Williams told the five members of the T & I Committee that, “We will never be able to return to proactively maintaining roadways, bridges, signals, street lights and sidewalks — much less meet the policy goals that you, the council, set for us.” “Thinking about the very real consequences of that under-investment is what keeps me up at night,” Williams continued. “Assets failing, safety compromised, livability diminished, public trust destroyed.”

PBOT is reeling in large part because the city’s General Fund starves the bureau’s budget of valuable discretionary dollars. Nearly three-fourths of PBOT’s $600 million annual budget (about $415 million) is tied up as grants (or other set-aside obligations) and must be spent on specific projects. Currently less than 1% of the General Fund flows to the Public Works service area despite the agencies within it (PBOT, Water, and Environmental Services) being responsible for 90% of the city’s built assets. Dwindling revenue from fuel sales and parking meters has also contributed to the funding deficit.

And past political decisions have come due: About 30 years ago, City Council established the Utility License Fee (ULF), a fee paid by companies that place infrastructure in the public right-of-way. 28% of that fee was supposed to flow to the transportation bureau. But year-after-year the ULF was carved into for the General Fund and used as a City Council piggy bank. “That funding source, which would account to about $30 million a year,” Director Williams said at Monday’s meeting, “has decreased to zero.”

Ideological and illegal funding actions by the Trump Administration have added to anxiety around PBOT’s budget. Williams told councilors that an estimated $115 million in grant funds are, “in suspense right now as we continue to understand what will be happening at the federal level.”

Despite all that doom-and-gloom, the fact that a candid and in-depth conversation about the budget is happening at all is reason for optimism. The T & I Committee is a component of Portland’s brand new form of government that never existed in the past. It gives councilors an opportunity to get educated by staff (and by the public) and discuss issues outside of regular City Council meetings.

Former City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, writing in her “Street Wonk” newsletter this week, shared that the committees, “represent a radical departure from how policy has historically been developed at City Hall.” Here’s more from Eudaly on how the new committees differ from the old process:

“In the past, commissioners worked behind the scenes, relying on city attorneys for guidance and engaging in shuttle diplomacy between offices. Unless there was significant public outreach—which often wasn’t the case—the public had little opportunity to weigh in before a nearly finalized proposal came before council for a first reading. Because those meetings could be lengthy and contentious, councilors had limited ability to genuinely deliberate or meaningfully address concerns raised by their colleagues or the public. Amendments could be proposed and passed, but the process didn’t always yield the best possible outcome.”

At Monday’s meeting, Bureau of Fleets and Facilities Director Maty Sauter echoed Eudaly’s sentiments. During her presentation about why the city faces such a challenge when it comes to asset management and the $13 billion maintenance backlog, Sauter said, “I think it’s also important to acknowledge the institutional element of this. [The bureaus and their assets] were also managed by basically five separate CEOs. Some of them really didn’t really have a background in infrastructure before they were making decisions about what to do with their funding. And so I think there’s a sense on on the part of City Administrator [Michael] Jordan that charter reform is the right moment — this is the time when we can start thinking about how we do things comprehensively.”

So while we face a historic funding cliff, we also face a historic opportunity to do something about it. That work will begin in the T & I Committee.

At the outset of Monday’s meeting they were given a chance to share their top priorities. District 3 Councilor Angelita Morillo said addressing dangerous corridors like Cesar E Chavez Boulevard and 82nd Avenue is her top priority. Morillo also said she wants to make sure that, “Our infrastructure across the city is physically changed… to slow our streets down.” Part of her vision is also to, “think about closing more neighborhood streets, making them more pedestrian friendly.” Morillo said her vision for transportation includes having more kids feeling safe enough to play outside. She also mentioned her “big dreams for Sandy Boulevard” that include a rapid transit line or a bike lane on the diagonal thoroughfare that’s been teed up for big changes next year.

District 4 Councilor Mitch Green said having sound infrastructure is, “the foundation of the value of the regional economy,” and added that he wants to focus on financing and funding as the “big lynchpin” of his vision. Green said he will prioritize bringing more complete infrastructure to parts of the city like east Portland (District 1) and southwest and also mentioned the value of investing in 15-minute cities and mixed-use density like what local planning advocates refer to as, “four floors and corner stores.” “This is an opportunity for us to think about the west and east parts of the city as having a common cause,” he said.

District 3 Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane said she wants to work toward, “decreasing traffic violence” and mentioned streets like Cesar Chavez, SE Division, 82nd, Powell and Sandy. Koyama Lane called out her interest in pushing for increased visibility around intersections in the form of “daylighting” — a treatment where parking next to the corner is prohibited. She also mentioned the need for safer routes to school, how her family is a regular participant in their school’s bike bus and that safe streets are also essential for older Portlanders. “There’s that slogan from Portlandia that this is a place ‘where young people go to retire.’ We also want Portland to be a place where people can stay and retire, and can age here, and can do that safely and with dignity,” she said.

Committee Chair Olivia Clark was busy taking notes throughout the meeting and said she’s putting together a work plan based on what she’s heard so far. Clark will also be listening at the next T & I meeting set for February 24th where a deep-dive on PBOT is planned and there will be considerable time set aside for public comment.

The T & I Committee meets the second and fourth Monday of each month from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Learn more on the committee website.

Portland bike shop offers e-bike subscriptions

Are you curious about adding an electric bike to your life, but not quite ready to part with $4,000 – $7,000 for a high-quality model? Local retailer Clever Cycles might have a solution for you. They now offer an e-bike subscription service so you can pay by the month before taking the plunge.

Clever Cycles broke ground in 2007 as the first shop in Portland to import Dutch cargo bikes. One of the shop’s original co-owners, Todd Fahrner, was also a pioneer in electric-assist bikes with his “Stokemonkey” add-on motor system that debuted in 2011.

With their new subscription service, Clever looks to keep the stoke alive. They currently offer five models: front-loading cargo bikes from Urban Arrow and Cube, two handy haulers from Tern, and a step-through city bike from Cube. The monthly subscription fee ranges from $299 to $349 per month, there’s a two-month minimum to get started, and a $500 security deposit in case anything happens to the bike. If you decide to buy the bike, you can apply 15% of your subscription payments to the cost of your new rig.

Clever Cycles Co-owner Dean Mullin says the move is, “Reminiscent of the software industry’s shift from ownership to subscription services, and we’re starting to see hints of something similar in our industry.” It’s just the latest idea from a shop that’s never been afraid to try new things. After all, this is the same shop that launched a hot tub rental service (delivered by bike!) in 2013.

“We’re just coming up with ideas to get people to be able to try e-bikes and see if it works for them,” Mullin added. “We don’t see bikes as sporting equipment. We treat them like a tool such as a drill. We want people to try drilling to see if they want their own drill in their toolshed. The subscription allows people to try it without spending thousands.”

In addition to the lower upfront cost, Clever’s subscription plan comes with maintenance and service at no extra cost. There are some limitations: bikes cannot be used for commercial services (like courier or delivery services), the offer is only available in Portland, and all subscribers must be 17 years or older.

This is the first e-bike subscription service I’ve heard of in Portland. The idea isn’t new however. A company called Wombi launched in Seattle last summer. They offer subscription plans that start at $135 a month.

In related news, the City of Portland’s electric bike rebate program is set to launch later this summer. And a statewide rebate program is being considered in the Oregon Legislature.

For more on Clever’s monthly e-bike subscription service, check out their website.

Guest Opinion: Portland needs more cul-de-sacs

By Sam Balto, northeast Portland resident and co-founder of Bike Bus World.

A recent Bud Light Super Bowl commercial features a neighborhood cul-de-sac transformed into a joyful community hub — kids playing, neighbors socializing, and life happening at a human scale. It’s a striking image, not just for beer drinkers, but for anyone who cares about livable streets. And yet, in cities like Portland, we’ve spent decades resisting the very concept of cul-de-sacs in favor of a traditional street grid that prioritizes car movement.

It’s time to rethink that approach.

Urban planners and transportation advocates have long dismissed cul-de-sacs as a suburban mistake — inefficient, disconnected, and automobile-dependent. But they miss the point: Suburban neighborhoods don’t design cul-de-sacs with cars in mind; they design them with quality of life in mind. By blocking through traffic, cul-de-sacs create safer, quieter streets where people — especially children — can comfortably walk, bike, and play. In Portland, where we claim to prioritize active transportation, why do we let cars dominate our residential streets while the suburbs have already solved this problem?

Let’s embrace cul-de-sacs — not by copying suburban sprawl, but by adapting the concept to make urban neighborhoods safer, healthier, and more connected.
– Sam Balto

Cul-de-sacs at NE 17th and Thompson in Portland. (Photos: Sam Balto)

The Problem: Through Traffic Ruins Neighborhoods

Portland’s street grid is great for navigating the city by car, but that’s exactly the problem. Too many residential streets are treated as cut-through routes, with drivers using neighborhood roads to shave a few minutes off their commute. The result? Speeding, noise, and unsafe conditions that discourage walking and biking.

Take a typical Portland side street: despite being designated as a “neighborhood greenway,” it still allows car traffic to pass through freely. This means families walking to school and kids riding their bikes are constantly at risk from impatient drivers who see the street as a shortcut rather than a shared public space.

The Solution: Embracing the Best Part of Cul-de-sacs

Rather than rejecting cul-de-sacs outright, Portland should borrow their best elements. We should design more residential streets where cars can’t cut through, but people walking and biking can. This is already a proven concept: Barcelona’s superblocks restrict vehicle access while keeping streets open for pedestrians and cyclists. Dutch woonerfs (living streets) make cars second-class citizens in residential areas, rather than the default priority.

Portland has dabbled in this with diverters on greenways, but they are too few and far between. We need to go further. Imagine a city where entire residential zones are blocked off to through car traffic, where every street functions like a cul-de-sac for drivers but remains fully permeable for people walking and biking. This would make our streets quieter, safer, and more inviting—not just for kids, but for everyone.

A Call to Action for Portland

If we truly believe in walkable, bikeable neighborhoods, we need to stop prioritizing car convenience over community livability. That means rethinking our approach to residential street design. Let’s embrace cul-de-sacs — not by copying suburban sprawl, but by adapting the concept to make urban neighborhoods safer, healthier, and more connected.

Portland doesn’t need to resist cul-de-sacs. We need to reclaim them — on our terms.

Monday Roundup: ‘Social safety’ for women, remembering Donald Shoup, and more

Welcome to the week. Here are the most notable news items our community has come across in the past seven days.

Remembering Donald Shoup: Shoup, author of the seminal book, High Cost of Free Parking, passed away over the weekend. He was a giant in urbanism for his clear and creative thinking around parking and the need for reform. (Parking Reform Network)

Rail bills in Salem: There’s a full station of legislative bills that have been introduced down in Salem this session. They look to capitalize on growing ridership and realize rail’s potential as a mass people mover. (KGW-TV)

Green wave in NYC: Cool to see more awareness for signal timing that specifically benefits bicycle users, like NYC DOT has implemented in Manhattan — and that Portland has been doing downtown for decades. (NY Times)

Drivers ruin everything: A major professional road race was thrown into chaos when drivers made their way onto the course at several different locations. (CNN)

Reduced demand: One month after congestion pricing went into effect, over one million cars have been taken off the road. It’s just the latest sign that the program has been a sweeping success. (Fast Company)

Bike tourism trends: If you are in any job or field related to bike tourism, don’t miss this excellent summary of some of the top trends to grow the pie in 2025. (European Cyclists’ Federation)

Sentencing in Portland couples’ death: The driver of a truck whose load fell off and hit and killed Portland couple Michelle and Christian Deaton while they were cycling in Napa, California in 2023 was given a one-year jail sentence. (Patch)

True safety after dark: In London, officials are not just talking about how women are at greater risk when riding after dark; they are doing something about it. They’ve deemed some routes “socially unsafe” due to a lack of lighting and escape routes. (BBC)

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

Job: Climate Program Coordinator (Limited Duration) – Oregon Department of Transportation

Job Title

Climate Program Coordinator (Limited Duration)

Company / Organization

Oregon Department of Transportation

Job Description

Planner 3 – Climate Program Coordinator (Limited Duration)
Oregon Department of Transportation
Policy, Data & Analysis Division
Climate Office
Salem

Salary: $6,240 – $9,674 (Per month)

The role:
Are you passionate about making a positive impact on transportation and the environment? We are seeking a dedicated and skilled individual to join our team as a climate programs coordinator. In this role, you will develop and implement innovative transportation funding programs, plans and policies aimed at mitigating greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing the resilience of our transportation infrastructure in the face of climate change. Apply today!

This is a limited duration appointment that is expected to end on or before June 30, 2025. Limited duration appointments are benefits eligible and have a designated maximum length of service. This position has the potential to become permanent.

We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for our positions. We hope you’ll join us on our path to increasing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging through our values, commitments, strategies and actions.

Before applying, visit our applicant information website to learn more about our process. If you are a current State of Oregon employee, you must apply through your employee Workday profile.

A day in the life:
• Manage and implement a competitive grant program based on ODOT’s Carbon Reduction Strategy.
• Research and evaluate the effectiveness of climate policies, programs, procedures and recommend changes.
• Lead workgroups of internal and external partners in the development of climate program funding and implementation plans, and work plans for climate actions.
• Develop funding policies that address climate equity in practice and outcomes.
• Propose improvements to program policies and procedures.
• Provide technical expertise on the Carbon Reduction Program and respond to internal and external inquiries.
• Give comprehensive presentations to department staff, other Oregon agencies, federal and local agencies, other states and to the public.
• Hybrid work options available – work in an office environment with occasional limited in and out-of-state travel required. Will need to work in office at a minimum of 8 times per year.
• To request a copy of the position description, which includes all duties and working conditions, please email ODOTRecruitment@odot.oregon.gov.

What’s in it for you:
• Work/life balance, 11 paid holidays a year, flexible work schedules, paid leave and so much more. Learn more about working at the Oregon Department of Transportation and the benefits we offer.
• Comprehensive and equitable base salary offer within the listed range. Through an equal pay assessment, we will determine the salary offer using the information you provide in your submitted application materials. Please ensure your application materials are detailed, accurate and reflect your skills, experience (paid and unpaid) and education as they relate to the position when applying.
• The salary range listed is the non-PERS monthly salary range. If you are already a participating PERS member or once you become PERS eligible, the salary range will increase by 6%.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness opportunity!

How to Apply

Minimum qualifications:
Six (6) years of planning experience related to the job;

A bachelor's degree in urban or regional planning, public administration, social science, civil engineering, architecture, economics, geography or a related field AND three (3) years of progressively responsible planning experience related to the job;

Note: A master's degree in regional planning, public administration, social science, civil engineering, architecture, economics, geography or a related field may substitute for one (1) year of experience.
OR

An equivalent combination of relevant education, training, and experience.

What we’d like to see:
If you have these attributes, let us know in your application materials! It's how we will choose whom to move forward! You do not need to have all these qualities to be eligible for this position. We may also use transferable skills, experience, education and alignment with ODOT values to help us decide who will move forward.
• Demonstrated experience in program management or project delivery processes, enabling effective integration of climate-focused initiatives into existing frameworks.
• Able to identify and implement creative solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while balancing efficiency, equity and practicality.
• A proven track record of committing to centering equity in all programs, ensuring that disadvantaged and frontline communities benefit from transportation and climate initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience creating and presenting technical information to diverse audiences, including policymakers, internal and external partners and the public.
• Demonstrated experience working in dynamic and fast-paced environments, with the ability to navigate changing priorities, emerging challenges and evolving policy landscapes.

Learn more and apply:
This recruitment closes at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, February 25, 2025.

Please note that we can only accept applications through our website.

For questions, call 503-779-9733 or email ODOTRecruitmentJB@odot.oregon.gov

ODOT is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer

Job: Kerr Bikes Mechanic – Albertina Kerr

Job Title

Kerr Bikes Mechanic

Company / Organization

Albertina Kerr

Job Description

We’re seeking staff for our Kerr Bikes rental store!

Kerr Bikes provides the public with seasonal bike rental services, bicycle service, and adaptive equipment recreation for the benefit of non-profit Albertina Kerr.

The Kerr Bikes Mechanic is a part-time position, approximately 4-12 hours weekly, with flexible hours to fit your schedule.

Click here to learn more about Kerr Bikes!

Essential Duties:
– Assesses fleet for repairs needed, makes repairs, and performs bike maintenance.
– Communicates with manager repairs that need to be done, are in the process of being completed, and have been completed.
– Organizes tools and workspaces.
– Notifies manager of parts needed, parts that are running low, or tools needed.
– Acts within the interests of Kerr Bikes and creates value while on shift.
– Keeps up to date fleet maintenance log, and adaptive fleet maintenance log.
– Effectively uses time keeping app (Paycom).
– Puts parts on order.
– Trains staff on how to do common repairs.
– May be asked to assist with customers or rentals.
– Other duties at the request of the manager.

How to Apply

Please visit https://www.albertinakerr.org/careers/ to apply!

Weekend Event Guide: Illuminated, All Bodies on Bikes, new library and more

Gotta’ do what you gotta’ do. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Don’t let the weather get you down. There are plenty of fun ride options to inspire you and people who will face the cold, rain, snow — or whatever else is thrown our way — with you!

Friday, February 7th

Bike Dykes – 6:15 pm at Wilshire Park (NE)
There’s a country dance happenin’ and the fun crew at Bike Dykes wants to take you there. More info here.

Saturday, February 8th

New Library Day Ride – 9:00 am at Grand Central Bakery (NE)
The new North Portland Library is re-opening after major renovations and since bike lovers and book lovers are one in the same, it’s very fitting to ride together and celebrate this awesome new community resource. More info here.

Saturday Social Ride – 10:00 am at Woodstock Park (SE)
An experienced road ride leader from Portland Bicycling Club will lead this 20-mile or so excursion in the metro area. More info here.

Illuminated Bike Ride – 6:30 am at Roses Equipment and Supply (SE)
The Winter Light Fest is here and there’s no better way to see it all than from the seat of your bike… especially if your bike is all lit up! More info here.

Sunday, February 9th

Ride Westside – 10:00 am at Garden Home Recreation Center (SW)
Explore new sections of the wonderful Fanno Creek Trail with a merry band of cyclists and advocates. More info here.

All Bodies on Bikes Chapter Kickoff – 1:00 pm at Hollywood Library (NE)
Don’t miss the launch event for Portland’s very own chapter of All Bodies on Bikes — a nonprofit that promotes inclusivity and bicycle for everybody. This event begins with a film screening followed by a ride. A co-founder of ABOB will be on hand for inspirations and questions. 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.

Job: Paid Internship – Metropolis Cycle Repair (FILLED)

Sorry. Job has been filled.

Portland will daylight 200 intersections over next two years

The City of Portland has made a new commitment to daylight 200 more intersections over the next two years. The news comes in the form of a quiet update to the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s website.

Daylighting, or what PBOT refers to as “vision clearance”, is an intersection treatment that removes visible barriers like parked cars and trucks from corners in order to improve visibility. The treatment has gained popularity among transportation advocates nationwide because of how it can radically improve safety at intersections (where most serious injury and fatal crashes occur) and it’s extremely inexpensive. In Oregon it also has legal backing.

In 2020 nonprofit Oregon Walks launched a “Clear the Corners” campaign to ratchet up pressure on the City of Portland to abide by the Oregon Vehicle Code (ORS 811.550 section 17) which says drivers can’t park within 20-feet of a crosswalk. But the law makes individual cities responsible for parking regulations, and road safety activists think PBOT is using that to shirk legal requirements. Also in 2020, the City of Portland was slapped with a lawsuit brought by a person who was hit as a result of what his lawyer claims was negligence on the part of the city to enforce the daylighting law. Pressure from the lawsuit (which is still pending in the Court of Appeals) and advocates worked. In 2021, former Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty secured $200,000 to daylight 350 intersections.

But as BikePortland reported one year ago, there are still way too many intersections in Portland with terrible visibility due to people parking cars at the corner.

In fact, an analysis by Portland State University student and road safety advocate Melissa Kostelecky found that there are about 4,000 intersections in Portland that should be cleared of parking. At around $600 per intersection (the price for signs and poles at four corners), that would cost about $2.3 million. Kostelecky’s report analyzed 18,143 intersections citywide and looked at factors such as proximity to a school, presence of ADA ramps, crash history, speeding patterns, bike network connections, and so on.

Determining which corners to clear first is part of the challenge. PBOT’s standard practice is to apply vision clearance standards (no parking within 20-feet of the corners) on all major paving and capital projects. But when they find extra funding, they have expanded that scope to include more locations. The upcoming treatments will be targeted near schools, neighborhood greenways, and in designated pedestrian districts (as identified in city plans). PBOT will also respond to specific locations based on complaints. Anyone can call PBOT Parking Enforcement at 503-823-5195 (and wait for option 3) to report a dangerous corner for consideration.

The latest promise from PBOT to daylight 200 intersections will be funded from a $50,000 commitment from the Fixing Our Streets (local gas tax) program and from a portion of PBOT’s General Fund allocation for safety improvements.

View a map of eligible daylighting corridors and learn more on PBOT’s Vision Clearance website.

Bike travel tales slideshow series kicks off Tuesday!

As we hunker down in Portland winter, why not let your mind wander to the possibilities of you and your bike on the open road? There’s simply nothing like traveling our world on two wheels and there’s an event tomorrow (Tuesday, February 4th) that will help bring you closer to that undisputed truth. Ted Buehler, a longtime friend of mine through his tireless advocacy for cycling, is hosting the first in a series of bike touring slideshows.

“I’ve been bike touring since I was 18, and have met a lot of fellow Portlanders who have also gone to far flung parts of the world on their bicycles,” Ted says. “So I’m organizing this slideshow series to give us all an opportunity to learn from each other, and provide motivation and instruction for people who would like to begin touring the world by bicycle.”

Join Ted and three other special guests for a night of storytelling and tips to help you take that trip you’ve always dreamed about. The event will take place at Migration Brewing on North Williams Ave (same place as Bike Happy Hour). Below are the folks who will be presenting at the kickoff event tomorrow:

Spruce Railroad Trail along the north shore of Crescent Lake. (Colleen Barclay)

6:30: Ted Buehler — Bike touring in Rural Ukraine I rode through the Carpathian Mountains, visited the cities of Lviv, Odesa and Kyiv. Rode trains from place to place. Enjoyed the chill pleasantness that was Ukrainian Culture pre-2022. Photos, maps, stories on my Facebook page.

7:00: Maren Souders — Touring Around the USA by Amtrak, with a Brompton and Trailer
Maren took about 15 months in 2021 and 2022 to visit dozens of Intentional Communities and botanical gardens, from Portland to San Diego, to Florida, to Quebec, to British Columbia. Many adventures along the way, on the backroads and highways getting from Amtrak stations to outlying destinations. See Maren’s blog for more.

7:30: Emily Wilson (and maybe Ben Foote) — Vashon Island by Bicycle, Train and Ferry
It’s an easy starter bike tour — Amtrak to Tacoma, ride to the ferry, ride the length of Vashon Island (Seattle’s greenest suburb in many ways), then ferry to Seattle and Amtrak back to Portland.

8:00: Colleen Barclay — Olympic Peninsula by Bicycle
Colleen is new to Portland, and bicycled Whidbey Island and the Olympic Discovery trail in 2023, self-supported. But she is not new to the Pacific Northwest — in 1978 she and a friend did a much longer bike camping trip up Vancouver Island, then to Prince Rupert by ferry, and across British Columbia and through the Canadian Rockies to Banff.

This is the first event in a three-part series at Migration’s back patio o North Williams Ave. Free and informal. Come and go as you’d like. Enjoy Nicaraguan food from Papas Frita Chef Rene. And the beer and other drinks are good too! See the Shift Calendar listing for more details.

Woman killed on SE Cesar Chavez was Tuyet Nguyen, and she’s not latest victim

Detail of funeral service for Tuyet T. Nguyen, the 71-year-old killed while walking on SE Cesar Chavez on Sunday, January 26th.

The bad news is another person was hit. The good news is changes are likely coming soon.

As a southeast Portland neighborhood grapples with the loss of a beloved member of their community due to a fatal traffic crash along Southeast Cesar Chavez Blvd, BikePortland has confirmed that yet another person on foot was hit by a driver on that street yesterday.

According to the Portland Police Bureau, a person walking at the intersection of SE Stark and Cesar Chavez (Laurelhurst Park) was hit and injured around 4:15 pm on Sunday. Officers responded to the collision and found an adult female had been struck by a car driver. A Reddit user posted that they drove by and “saw a car… on top of a pedestrian.” The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment of back pain. PPB have confirmed the case with BikePortland and say the driver was given a traffic citation for failing to stop for a pedestrian (ORS 811.028).

That collision comes just one week after 71-year-old Tuyet Nguyen was killed by a car driver two miles south of Stark St. That crash is still under investigation and I’m working to learn more about how it happened.

I’ve also learned that a memorial service is planned for Nguyen. A witness who was one of the first people to arrive on the scene of the collision reached out to BikePortland and shared the memorial event flyer. The flyer gives us a photo of Nguyen and shares names of the people she left behind — including three daughters, a son, and eight grandchildren. The memorial will be held in Newberg on February 8th.

Many Reed and Woodstock neighborhood residents were familiar with Nguyen as she walked their streets constantly. “She was the most kind and gentle woman who always had a smile on her face,” one witness told me, then added: “I truly hope something is done to make Cesar Chavez safer. I live two houses off Cesar Chavez and Cora and it’s awful. The speeding, reckless driving, and amount of accidents is insane.”

On that note, there’s some good news to share: In response to questions about the future of SE Cesar Chavez Blvd today, PBOT Communications Director Hannah Schafer said they are in the process of setting up a project page on their website for, “a new safety project in the area” funded through the Oregon Department of Transportation’s All Roads Transportation Safety Program (ARTS).

This is the project I mentioned in the wake of the Jeanie Diaz tragedy in 2023 where PBOT is going to consider safety updates on SE Cesar Chavez between SE Powell and Holgate. A lane reconfiguration (aka “road diet”) is not guaranteed yet (since public outreach hasn’t started), but after Diaz was killed by a driver while waiting for the bus at SE Chavez and SE Taylor, PBOT City Traffic Engineer Wendy Cawley told the Richmond Neighborhood Association that PBOT would consider going from the current four-lane cross-section to a three-lane cross-section, “or potentially even a two-lane cross-section.”

Today Schafer confirmed we will know more very soon about the safety project between Powell and Holgate, and said a separate project will bring a new signal at SE Gladstone. PBOT is still working to make sure full funding is in place before moving forward, and we will know more once the project webpage is published. Stay tuned.

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