Hi everyone. As you might have sensed, things have slowed down a lot on BikePortland lately. There are a lot of reasons for that, and I might share them in more detail some day. For now, I just want you to know that I need a bit of space from the daily grind. BikePortland has taken a lot out of me for 21 years, and I’ve finally taken time to think deeply about what that means for me, my family, and our community.
I’ve always been honest with you and I just want you to know where I’m coming from. This is me saying I need a reset and the community needs to reset their expectations of BikePortland. For now, at least.
I’m not sure yet exactly how things will be different going forward, just that I’m sure things will be different. I’ve come to realize that I can’t find the clarity and space I need to chart a different path forward until I get off the path I’m on.
I’m sure for some of you this won’t be a surprise since I’ve been dropping hints for a while. Heck, there was an article about me in The Oregonian in 2007 — just two years in! — where I was already talking about the toll of this work on me and my family. I’ve come a long way since then in my work-life balance and in how I handle my role in the community. But the fact remains that doing BikePortland to the extent I believe it needs to be done, is a heavy burden. I need to let some of it go.
Maybe I’ll come back with a smaller editorial scope. Or perhaps I’ll stop creating as much for social media. Maybe I’ll turn BikePortland into just a podcast, or just focus on videos, or focus solely on watchdog journalism. It’s the trying-to-do-everything-well-at-once which has really wore me out — in addition to the natural shifts in energy and mindset that happen to a 51-year old. I might also consider an entirely new role in the community. I’m not exactly sure yet!
And to be clear, I’m in a really great place right now — mentally and physically. I just passed the one-year anniversary of my knee replacements (it’s going well, thanks), I’ve got a new basketball coaching side-gig which I’m excited about, and slowing down with BikePortland recently has put me in a much healthier head space in general (although a messy one at times, as I try to figure out what this all means).
As always, I’m very grateful for your support and I’ll keep you posted on the future as it comes into focus. For now, I hope you’ll consider coming out to the 20th Anniversary Party and Beer Collab Release Party at Migration Brewing on May 13th. And while I have your attention, consider grabbing tickets to the “Tough Shit” event on April 24th. It’s hosted by Oregon Humanities and I’ll be one of panelists for what will be a very engaging discussion.
Feel free to ask me questions in the comments or via email. And I’ll still hold my virtual office hours Friday from 10:30 to noon if you’d like to meet and talk face-to-face (sign up for a 15-minute slot here).
Thank you!
Thanks for reading.
BikePortland has served this community with independent community journalism since 2005. We rely on subscriptions from readers like you to survive. Your financial support is vital in keeping this valuable resource alive and well.
Please subscribe today to strengthen and expand our work.
Bittersweet news Jonathan, but always happy to see you taking care of yourself. When I moved to Portland in 2021, I had only vague ideas about transportation politics and policies, but I knew I liked riding a bike. I can’t imagine I would’ve ended up being interested enough in urban planning and transportation to go to graduate school if I hadn’t gotten plugged into bike stuff via this site. And the couple of op-eds that you’ve published of mine really helped me feel like my writing and analysis was of interest to others.
I’m sure I’m just one of hundreds of people like this – but you and your reporting made a profound impact on my life. I’m working full time in Seattle for a small planning firm now, so I haven’t been as plugged in with Portland as I used to, but looking forward to following whatever you do next.
Enjoy the well-earned rest and relaxation!
That is so cool to hear blumdrew. Thanks for sharing and for being a reader and supporter.
Thanks blumdrew,
Very cool to hear BP was part of your inspo to get into urban planning.
Good on you for giving yourself space. I appreciate all your hard work and dedication, but it’s a LOT! Best wishes on your journey wherever that may lead you.
Take all the time you need! I could write another guest article if that would help. We have many stories to share!
Yes! I plan to post soon asking for guest articles. Thanks Shawne!
Go with (you fill in the blank) my friend, very few deserve it more than you.
Carry on.
Wow — sort of the end (?) of an era. I’ve been a reader for al of those 21 years, and I appreciate everything you’ve done to keep people up to date on bike culture and bike events; apprised of collisions — and the importance of how we report about them; informed about new infrastructure and the infrastructure that we’re not going to get; linked to news stories all over the world; prompted to think with insightful comments and editorials; and aware of transportation discussions, proposals, and decision in Portland and beyond. Indeed, BikePortland has been one of the best sources anywhere for good reporting on transportation issues, which are key to the area’s economy, livability, and climate resilience. And BikePortland has been fun — your photos, videos, interviews, etc. are always fabulous. And that’s not even mentioning the dizzying array of in-person events and social media posts — whew!
Thanks to you, Jonathan, for giving BikePortland — and all of us — your all, and to making Portland a better place to ride and to live in the process.
Hi Dan,
21 year reader! That’s amazing to hear. Love it. Thanks so much for the kind words.
I wish I could be there on May 13th – I speak for so many when I say we truly value all of your reporting and work Jonathan. As a union organizer, I can’t help but think “how do we get more hands on deck to support you and your work, to delegate and share the load”? Thank you truly, and let us all know how we can build a small BikePortland urbanist army so it isn’t all falling on you to report, post, write, and be present everywhere all the time.
Hi Harper. Thanks for the words of support. I appreciate it. And yeah, I haven’t been good about building a team that lasts. Finances are always a barrier, but I’m also more of a lone-wolf personality I think. But also, I’m thinking of new paths where “urbanist army” could be unlocked. Like making the next chapter of BP something more akin to a community forum where everyone can submit their own articles. We’ll see. Stay tuned.
It’s nice to see that you are finally admitting a major focus of this blog: boosterism of free-market [SIC] amenities for college-educated upwardly mobile millenials/xillenials that does little to disrupt the wealth-based barriers created by their parents/grandparents (and will end up creating new types of class-based barriers#).
# “green” “small”-houses/plexes/cottages/coffee-shops/brew-pubs/natural-foods-stores/yoga-studios/doggie-daycares etc from which urbanists can scoff at the gross NIMBY troglodytes on the urban periphery (who also tend to be more diverse, poorer, and less privileged)
Good god. Do you have any settings other than “insufferable 20-year-old who just discovered politics from Reddit”?
I’m curious about his demographic. I’m willing to bet he’s in his 50s with a healthy income.
Whatever the next chapter of this site is, I beg you to write yourself out of it.
Enjoy the break – and yes, when you come back, pick one hat you most enjoyed wearing and focus on that. You can always ask for volunteers to do the other stuff.
Good for you Jonathan! I’ll miss the articles & advocacy but glad you’re prioritizing your and your family’s well being. Thank you for all your hard work!
Beginning hiatus on April 15th right as there is a ton of amazing playoff basketball to watch, including the Blazers? I see you.
Good for you though Jonathan, taking the time you need. I’ve always enjoyed and appreciated your bike news coverage and will miss it.
Haha yes Adam, you figured it out!
Thanks for the kind words.
Thank you for all the years of good informative transportation articles and opinions. I hope some of your previous guests keep some of the information flowing here. I’ll definitely miss the details about the various inner-workings of our government and transportation advocacy.
We will miss you!
Jonathan, you have been a powerful reporter and advocate. I wish you the best…and I will miss you.
Jonathan, Please take good care of yourself. You have done so much, so well, for so long.
BikePortland has been an enormous gift to our community, city, and the planet we all share. As for now: Be proud. Be healthy. Recharge.
I feel like it’s important to crowd source the work you do if you’re not going to continue. There simply aren’t any local news orgs that are providing the level of detail on what’s happening in Portland.
Good luck with your endeavors Jonathan! I’ll bet you’ll miss me.
Cheers,
Angus
Thanks for all the work over the years! Your blog really helped me understand the local scene when I moved here over a decade ago, including all the weirdness that is transportation politics in Oregon.
Thank you so much for your leadership, reporting and advocacy over the years. Enjoy a break!
Dear Jonathan,
In addition to your excellent reporting you have done so much for cycling community in so many ways not the least in being such a gracious host at the bike happy hour. Without a doubt as publisher, reporter and editor of Bike Portland you’ve had your finger on the pulse of the many layers of the Portland Bike culture for the past twenty years – Geoff
You didn’t know it but you were a big mentor to me on how to be an advocate for the community I love. Thank you for everything you’ve done and good luck in what’s next!
Thank you for everything you’ve done for our city!
You take care of you, b’cuz no one else will.
Personally, I won’t miss BikePortland. I landed in PDX in 2008 and for the first couple of years I was here trying to live a car-free lifestyle it was great.
Now that I’ve a more informed and broader understanding of urban planning, transportation and politics, biking is just one small cog in that big, complicated machine.
After 18 yrs of getting around PDX mostly by bike, I know some good infrastructure improvements have been made for bicyclists that have now mostly been overtaken by either yuppie families w. their giant, $5k+ SUV e-bikes, e-scooters, and the idiots on e-moto bikes, which most of the bike infrastructure wasn’t designed for.
Personally, I preferred the less infrastructure, less traffic and more community feel of 2008 – 2014-ish. It was simpler & freer times.
Nowadays, I prefer to live in a more walk-able neighborhood and only bike when I need to. Even the SWC isn’t an enjoyable experience anymore with all the Lycra-clad wannabe Tour De France racer wannabes using it as their personal training ground and all the electric conveyance riding idiots who go way too fucking and aren’t able to grasp the concept of a Multi-use path and can’t adjust their speed according to the situations & circumstances they’re operating in.
Anyway, you fought good fight and you’re a good man, Charlie Brown, but yeah, maybe it’s time for some younger person or persons to maybe carry the mantle forward in new and interesting ways that can better serve the general transportation needs of the residents, businesses and the city, because as much as I love pedaling my old-ass around town, and will continue to do so for as long as I can, for many very good reasons, it ain’t just about us hard-ass, car-free living, lovers of a simple & efficient machine that also brings so much enjoyment to my life that no other form of transportation does.
Your post made me sad. I’m truly sorry that your life and everyone you encounter is such a disappointment to you.
Seems a bit harsh.
Thank you for your candor. It’s refreshing to read in what has all too often been an echo chamber, and I’m sure it wasn’t easy to offer.
Life changes. People and their needs and goals change.
Jonathan, stepping back from this gig may end up being the best thing for you and your loved ones. I’m wish you a good journey.
I started bike commuting about ten years before you moved here. Honestly, it hasn’t changed that much in 25 years. There are more people living in the city, and more e-whatevers rolling around, but I still enjoy my bike commute or *gasp* throwing on my lycra for a spin on the Springwater. It’s easy to become jaded in middle age. Try to keep a positive attitude and you’ll probably live longer.
Lack of awareness for the positive impact value of bikePortland is not sufficient support of your childish tirade. This is a very small team, participating at a much higher value in the process to help steer this behemoth “economic system” in an acceptable direction.
It’s not about perfect, it’s about active participation aimed at overall moving more in the right direction.
If only you took action to create more functional positive value… maybe then we could have nice things.
Whatever the future holds, one thing for sure – you should be very proud of the past 20 years. You had a positive impact upon a lot of people and places. Thank you.
Thanks for all that you have done. I started reading BP (I think) when my SO did a short stint in Portland in 2007 and I visited her for a few weeks. I’ve been reading on and off ever since, from afar, because your journalism and the community you hosted were valuable for bike advocacy and other bike stuff way beyond Portland. For myself and for others. Thank you.
Dear Jonathan,
Thank you for two decades of excellent journalism, critical and loving observations of cycling in Portland and beyond and a big generous heart.
There are many that have contributed to making Portland a vibrant cycling city (with much more work needed), going back to the 1890s. People who have fought so that women may ride, that there are safe routes, that this wondrous vehicle of personal and societal transportation and transformation gets the respect it deserves. You are in my pantheon of people (or as you are a big basketball fan, in my All-NBA Team) who add so much to our city and the world, whose writing, organizing and weekly gatherings truly make a positive difference.
In these alarming times of state violence, lies, greed and war, when all government programs that aid people and the environment are under relentless attack by individuals and corporations that choose to forget that we were all created in a divine and human image and all deserve a good life, many become frightened or paralyzed. Your work was truly good medicine for the ills. Whether highlighting an individual or group doing amazing work or “afflicting the comfortable,” your articles made me more optimistic. Even when you wrote of attacks on cycling or attempts to push back our fought for gains, there was always a call for action, solidarity and resistance embedded in the words and a reminder that we can and will prevail.
Jonathan, in whatever direction the next years unfold for you, in whatever path you choose to cycle, may your rides be blessed and joyful.
Thank you for this Alon. You always say such thoughtful things about me and BP and they are appreciated. I’m glad you are on the BAC and grateful to have your voice in our community. Hope to see you around soon.
Well deserved. The self care you mention shows so much wisdom. Looking forward to evolution of this platform and you. Cheers! -Tommy Tuite
You’ve done more than probably anyone else in Portland history to advocate for cycling in this city. I’ve been following your site for well over a decade.
So yes, take the needed rest break and let others step up.
well deserved – enjoy your next adventures. you should make this a reddit community – it would be larger and you could be a contributor instead of doing it all. make it a 10 hour a week hobby vs a full time job moderating comments. appreciate you.
I’m very excited to see what comes next. If it happens to be continuing Bike Portland, as is, I would love that too. Very few people have or could accomplish what you have done with Bike Portland, the best bike/ local transportation news and commentary website on the planet.
It’s extremely difficult to imagine cycling in Portland without Jonathan Maus. You are an invaluable source to so many people, and will be sorely missed both on the bike culture side as well as a reliable source of information on local cycling. That’s no small pair of shoes to fill. I’m not sure any one person can fill this gap, but it’s a gap that begs to be filled. I hope you have a healthy retirement-ish time and know that you’ve made a positive difference in Portland Jonathan.
“Cycling in Portland” may change, but riding bikes in Portland as a way to get around and enjoy yourself doing it will remain pretty much the same as it ever was. In fact, in part thanks to JM, it may be better than it has ever been.
Rubber side up! (or whatever it is the bike bros say).
I’m sad to hear this news but not surprised, as any careful reader of BP will have noticed the hints you have been dropping (esp the one about “feeling my feelings a lot lately”).
BP seems like a hugely personal endeavor for you but I have been wondering lately if you have (a) considered spreading around the workload, and/or (b) actually tried to. I know that Lisa and the gal at the Merc and others have been correspondents but maybe that didn’t work out since you couldn’t pay them enough. I wonder if you might consider turning BP into more of a co-operative endeavor. There are lots of cyclists in different parts of town who would be willing to write a story, attend a meeting and report on it, etc. Maybe instead of being the sole person who reports, writes, edits, publishes, moderates, etc etc, you could become more of a coordinator and less of a jack of all trades. You are not yet at retirement age but there are a lot of retired folks in Portland who ride bikes and have time; you might figure out how to draw on their skills and expertise. But that won’t happen if you keep BP all to yourself. Sometimes when you’re in a bind, you can ask for help and people will step up if you are willing to let them do that.
In any event, I hope you find the right path. Change that you make in your life usually works out for the best. I wish all the best to you and your family. You have made a huge difference in my cycling life in Portland. There is not a single ride I take in which I fail to think about something I have learned from BP.
Hi Fred,
Thanks for writing this and sharing it with us.
Yes I have thought about spreading around the workload, but man the devil is in the details on that one. There are a lot of benefits to being solo, not to mention it’s cheap! I am also pretty particular in terms of narrative and framing, and I feel like everything created by BP will fall on my shoulders in terms of responsibility, so having more people writing means I’m responsible for all their work. It’s hard enough sometimes just keeping myself out of hot water in this community, much less worrying about what other folks write/say/create. Does that make sense?
In a nutshell, while being solo has its downsides and its own stressors, having a team isn’t a magic wand to happiness and success either.
That being said, I do think the next chapter will include a lot more guest articles and spreading the work around. One thing I’m thinking of is creating an advocacy journalism training and seeing if anyone is interested. I could work with those folks to write pieces for the site and see where it goes. And yes, a stronger effort to have regular guest articles and op-eds for sure.
I’m so touched that BP has made a big difference in your cycling life!
Question: Are you the same Fred who comes to Bike Happy Hour? Just curious. Thanks.
You of all people deserve a break! You’ve created something essential here. Bike Portland is an organism that is alive. It is a community. I think expanding the slate of guest writers contributing at a regular clip could help keep the site going for a while as you get more clarity on where you want to take it.
John! You nailed it when you wrote, “Bike Portland is an organism that is alive.”
I definitely feel that way. The steady heartbeat of comments coming in all the time for 20+ years is really like a pulse. When they stop, I’m like, “Wait, what’s going on?” And I often joke that I’m a father of four: 3 kids and BikePortland. So yeah, you hit the nail on the head in terms of my relationship to this site and work.
Aloha Jonathan, thanks for the update. And do what you need to keep it FUN for you and your family! Hope to see you cycling on the road soon!!
[PS. It is going to be a shock -for many – to return to the pre-2005 era of bike information by ‘monthly’ newsletters!]
A huge thank you for everything you’ve done for Portland community and cycling over 21 years! Just wow!!
I recall the uncertainty at the 10 year mark – party at Velocult – and I was delighted that you continued … even stronger.
I’m pulling for you in your search for the right balance. You’ve had more help in the past, and frankly, I don’t know how you’ve done so much in recent years. It’s beyond my capabilities – you are a champ!
Your support of my efforts at Truck Trike over the years was amazing. I love that you embrace all manner of cycling types.
Everything has it’s time. Many of us hope that whatever the new version of BP is, that the mission continues forward and that you find peace, happiness, and contentment.
Best to you, and we will definitely see you around!
Hi Bill! Nice to hear from you. (BTW someone who knows you calls me everyone once in a while asking for you. Sort of odd, but I hope you’ve connected to them).
Thanks so much for the kind words, encouragement and support going forward.
I can’t thank you enough for the great meeting space you created. It brings me to thinking about how to contact some of the members and discuss how to keep in contact and move forward. Shou I start at Bike Loud?
Hi Steve,
Bike Happy Hour will continue. I might be touch and go there for a while (one thing is my son has track meets the same time on Wednesday nights and I want to see him compete), but BHH will keep going. And yes, definitely connect with BikeLoud they have a very cool Slack with lots of activity and wonderful people. And I might formally give Bike Loud the keys to BHH for a while to see how that goes. Stay tuned and take care. I’ll see you soon.
I join others in expressing appreciation the information hub and community you’ve built, and the hope that the hiatus is rejuvenating. I haven’t been to BHH for a while — getting to Migration on Wednesdays is a little harder for my schedule, and I can’t make the May 13 event. I wonder if some of us might continue to BHH each Wednesday back at Ankeny Plaza thereafter. It is such a great way to connect with friends/community each week. Maybe Jonathan will even stop by “as a civilian.”
BikePortland has been fundamental for my own growth as a safety activist, and despite the Same People Posting The Same Toxic Takes, it has been quite meaningful for me.
Hi Lois,
I’d love to see folks host Bike Happy Hours all over the city. It’s never been about owning the event and I have zero ego around it. I just want it to be successful and to spread. Imagine if every n’hood had a well-established Bike Happy Hour where bike-minded folks knew they could meet cool people and plug into the scene?
And thanks for the kind words. I’m glad BP has been helpful to you! It’s been fun getting to know you and our work isn’t done yet.
If you decide in the future to start a regular rotation of volunteer writers, I’d absolutely throw my hat into the ring. I imagine two decades of writing and advocacy has taken it’s toll.
With the state of the world around us, making room for another generation of such outspoken activists while there’s still plenty of time to train and guide them seems like a wise decision!
Thanks Katherine.
Allowing all verified and logged-in users to create their own posts and then have a moderation system in place to publish them is one of the things I’m considering. And yes, I hear you and training up new writers is definitely something I could see myself putting time into. Keep in touch!
Jonathan! Thank you for fostering a wonderful community and doing such incredible journalism all these years. I’m especially grateful for you passing the hat after my bad (but well-publicized) bike accident on the Hawthorne Bridge in 2009. The Community Cycling Center fully repaired my bike, which at the time was my sole means of transportation on my shoestring budget. It meant the world to me then, and it still does today.
Hi Erica,
Ah yes, passing the hat for folks like you in those bad situations is something I’m so proud that BP was able to do! I’m glad it helped you and thanks for sharing this comment.
I am impressed that you ran the site for 21 years! And the service you provided to the community! I lasted 12 as the founder of a tech news site and just recently retired. I will be at the Tough Shit event. I look forward to meeting and maybe someday get a coffee. Cheers.
Hi Alex,
Thanks for the note and offer for coffee. Be sure to say hi at that event tomorrow.
Just wanted to say thank you for all that you’ve done over the years writing and maintaining and moderating with care. It’s meant a lot to me and I appreciate it! Follow your heart. I know all too well how doing a good job at creating something great can become a personal burden.
You were absolutely tireless! A really good show and the last commenting space i felt was civil and productive enough to continue in.
So that will be sad, for me.
But having quit my job which gave me a much better headspace–as you are trying to do, I’m happy for you taking the next step.
If we see more of you down the line, then so much the better.
I’m incredibly grateful for this space you’ve created and community you’ve nurtured. This city (and probably other cities) is so much better because of Bike Portland! Thank you for giving so much of your life force to the community, but also hope you find a more supportive balance! Good luck Jonathan!
Thank you for everything over the years. You’ve had a large and wonderful impact on our community.
Hi Jonathan, I met you last year at the Bike Happy Hour. I know it’s not really in your scope but I would not mind issuing some reports from over here in Central Europe. I know it’s just about as far from the Pacific Northwest as you can get but a lot of exciting stuff is happening over here. Progress and setbacks can be seen everywhere here in Germany, Austria or Italy. I would be happy to write a letter from Europe once or twice a month looking at active transportation issues. Let me know and I can get an article together in the next couple of days.
Thanks for the offer Kirk. Stay tuned as I announce a way for you go submit guest articles for consideration. I’m a big fan of Central Europe (my wife is from Budapest) and have traveled there many times myself, so I’d love to see what you’ve got to share.
How long do you think your haitus will be?
Not sure.
But keep in mind that I am not treating this like a vacation so I’m still around. And still working. Just needed to free myself of the daily burden of regular BP expectation. I plan to post about my progress and share bits of what I’m learning through conversations with folks and so on. I might also start posting guest columns and op-eds and such. Stay tuned!
When I see the word “haitus” I think of similar words like “break”, “leave”, “sabbatical”, “long indeterminate vacation” and even “taking time off” – but I don’t associate the term with “quitting”. My university professor parents took every summer off but sometimes a semester as well, but they always returned to work at some point, usually but not always rejuvenated. I’ve known many friends who have taken job leave and completely changed their employer, job situation, career, and even quit working altogether – I’m sure you’ve known such people too.
Like everyone else, I very much appreciate your blog and your reporting on the happenings in Portland. I lived there for 17 years but last visited in 2017, got my MURP there, worked for PBOT & BPS a bit, successfully helped get $400 million in projects funded through EPIM, even got a coveted Neighborhood Asshole of the Year award from City Council in 2013 (aka the Independent Spirit of Portland award), then left town when I could no longer afford to live there.
I know you’ve been to Florida, but if you ever feel inclined to visit the Deep South, April/May and October are the best times to visit when the weather is very mild. I’m pretty sure you would like Raleigh NC, Charlottesville VA, and Birmingham Alabama, as well as the usual coastal touristy towns of Charleston SC and Savanna GA, most people do.
The comments to my op, are the exact reason why I won’t miss the BikePortland Blog. I’m no journalist, but when I attempt to communicate the problems of biking around PDX due to oversize bikes, e-moto bikes, e-scooters, e-skatebaords, e-unicycles and e-1wheels taking over the narrow bike lanes and other infrastructure that wasn’t designed for the capacity nor speed. The many non-staple style bike racks filled w. e-scooters & huge “family truckster” e-bikes.
All the people who commented hear is I’m angry and sad. Not true, I just enjoy walking around my neighborhood and being able to talk to my neighbors. I spend 4 hrs/day outside in the parks with my dog. I’ve a great community of people who I enjoy spending time with. People who love their community, are helpful, friendly, neighborly and share resources and info.
It only took me 15 yrs to find it and the bike community, for me, never really delivered on the “community” part, because the community is manufactured around a special interest/hobby that doesn’t meet basic human social needs and wants.
Again, livability, quality of life, is bigger than just bikes. I’m 60, and I’ve been riding bikes all of my life and I got no plans for stopping. But I just think the bullshit level is too high for me. Not too mention the roads are just more dangerous with the street racer jack-asses, giant truck/suv rugged rural individual wannabees and the casual speeders and red-light runners all of which I and/or my dog have been hit by over the years.
It’s a fucking rat race shit show on the streets of PDX and it’s way past time for me to move.
The fact that I won’t miss BikePortland isn’t about Johnathon or his work. I applaud his efforts, time, energy/enthusiasm and service to the biking community, but 1 good, concerned, enthusiastic journalist, a small dedicated cadre of bike loving fun-activists, NGO’s, and thousands of casual bicyclists failed to build a great biking city that was safe, clean and fun.
I recall when Jonathon went along a morning ride before work with a small group of us through Forest Park and posted about it.
But then came a time when the dream of great city for bicycling crashed into political reality and Jonathon started to report on the uglier, more complicated and larger scope of urban transportation.
As someone, who grew up in a small town with no bike infrastructure, I was thirsty to drink from the fountain of knowledge and truth that seemed to flow endlessly Jonathon’s blog that increasingly became more about transportation and less about bikes.
Which was great! I learned so much about transportation planning, politics, governance, activism and even just urban living. This is when I mentioned to Jonathon to rename the blog to something non-bike oriented. He was already doing the work, he just needed to expand the scope and bring in a broader audience that would not only maybe stop the bikes v cars war, (I hate them, btw) but build a political coalition interested, motivated and determined to build a better transportation system to serve as many people as possible.
But who am I, but just another blog commenter, whose comments are generally misunderstood, briefly considered and seemingly unappreciated. Oh well, the life of a poor and infamous blog reader/commentator.
Good luck, Portland! I’ll check-in on you, but I know of better biking/walking cities that are cleaner, safer, better funded and better governed where I’d like to move to. Cheers!
Where do you think you’ll end up @pedalpnw ?
Jonathan, thank you for your work here. I’ve learned so much reading Bike Portland thanks both to your reporting of local politics/bureaucracy and the deep knowledge so many commenters here have. Bravo to what you achieved, and I look forward to seeing what’s next for you and Bike Portland. What a run. Cheers!
PS: I hope In the Shed with Eva comes back for one more closing chat!
Hi Paige,
Good suggestion to get back on the pod with Eva. We’ll see about that! But I don’t see this as a “closing.” It’s more of a reset. Come to think of it, I should get on the pod myself and talk about it in more detail. Thanks.
Jonathon, sorry to hear, but not a complete surprise. It is very difficult to put as much effort as it needs into an endeavor like BP and not eventually burn out a bit. On the other hand, we are very lucky to be able to do what we do and have some measure of success in the bike industry. I hope you are able to stay involved to whatever extent necessary you need in order to keep things moving forward. If not, it has been really great working with you all these years, and your efforts have not been unappreciated! See you again at the Blazer games or on the road hopefully!
Hi David,
Nice to hear from you. If anyone knows about keeping something going that you pour your full heart into, it’d be you! I’ll keep BP going in some regard for sure and here’s to working on more cool stuff together in the future.
And go Blazers!!
I’m going to assume that the site isn’t shutting down altogether. So I guess that I will keep my subscription going, for a while.
Hi Seth,
Site is definitely not shutting down!
Thanks for your support.
Please forgive me for bringing up the subscription issue first. I of course appreciate all the hard work that’s gone into bp. Thank you.
I went to thinking “shutdown” based on my past observations of what happens to brick and mortar businesses announcing that they are remodeling or being sold; or web sites or internet services going on hiatus, or being re-tooled, or re-furbished, or sold. Sometimes whatever the thing is comes back. Sometimes it doesn’t.
You say that the site is definitely not shutting down. OK, good.
But, if you do revisit that thought, and you start saying, “I’m done,” please consider this. I think that bikeportland would be really important, useful, and even necessary, during the next bike boom. If I recall correctly, every bike boom since ’73 was driven by a bad economy and/or high gas prices. I suspect that we’re about to go there again, and soon.
Enjoy your hiatus! You deserve it. It will be challenging and hopefully fun to step back and gain some perspective on the last 21 years and what you want to do next. Thank you for your dedication, good humour, and wise words. If you get up to Victoria, BC, come on by!
Linda!
Always good to hear from you. You were around for such an exciting time in BP history. I’ll always cherish you as an advo-crat who really “got it” and created space for me to push the city on various fronts — especially when it came to open streets and eventually Sunday Parkways. Your program is still going strong BTW!
I’ll drop a line when I’m in Victoria. Thank you.
P.S. That is a serious invitation. Bring the family.
As a daily bike rider, I checked in on here every occasionally for bike news and I can now say I took it for granted that you’d always be around. So thanks from someone (and I’m sure there are many of us) who didn’t really contribute but relied on your reporting for Portland’s cycling news over the years.