Meet D3 candidates at Bike Social Hour this Wednesday

Guest article submitted by BikeLoud PDX Operations Manager Claire Vlach.

BikeLoud PDX will be hosting District 3 city council candidates at Bike Social Hour on Wednesday, October 28th. Formerly hosted by BikePortland and known as Bike Happy Hour, Bike Social Hour is now hosted by BikeLoud. Wednesday’s event will take place in District 3 on Rainbow Road Plaza (SE Ankeny between 27th and 28th). Drop by any time between 4 and 7pm to chat with the candidates and other attendees. We’ll get on the mic with the candidates at 5:30 and ask them a few questions.

This follows up on work BikeLoud has previously done to keep people who bike informed of our candidates’ thoughts on biking. Because BikeLoud is a 501(c)3 nonprofit we do not endorse political candidates, but we can ask them about the issues we care about and share that information with our members and the cycling community as a whole. As in previous years, BikeLoud sent out a questionnaire to council candidates. We asked them to share their thoughts on the city’s approach to transportation, specific local projects, our trajectory on safety and mode share, their transportation habits, and more. You can see who answered the questionnaire and read their answers here, sorted in two tabs by council district. You can even use this tool, put together by BikeBus PDX volunteer RJ Shepherd, to create your own personal rankings of the candidates to help you figure out how to vote based on your interpretation of their answers– your rankings are private and won’t be shown to anyone. 

BikeLoud also hosted District 4 city council candidates at Bike Social Hour earlier this month. That event took place on October 14th at Migration Brewing’s Pacwest Patio, and was the first time that Bike Social Hour took place downtown. The District 4 candidates who took part in our Q&A were Eli Arnold, Jamey Evenstar, Josh Leake, and John McDonald. Mitch Green and Jeremy Beausoleil Smith both attended the event and spoke briefly but left before the Q&A to attend another event.  

Our purpose in hosting these events and sending the questionnaire is twofold: one is to inform attendees about candidates’ positions on cycling. The other is to show the candidates that people who bike are engaged, vote, and care about the future of this city. Some of the candidates who attend will be elected to City Council and will have the influence to guide Portland in our dual goals of 25% of trips by bike by 2030, and our moonshot goal of having the highest bike mode share in the country. Our voices matter, so please show up, bring your questions and your curiosity, and then, of course, bike to the ballot box to vote.

Following the D3 candidate event, Bike Social Hour will move to our winter location, Migration Brewing at 3947 N Williams. Our first Wednesday back at Migration, November 4th, will feature a special community project in collaboration with Families for Safe Streets. We will be helping create a visually and emotionally impactful pop-up memorial display featuring colored flags, one for each person killed by traffic violence in Portland since 2016. The total number is well over 500, and Bike Social Hour attendees will be invited to help cut out the flags in preparation for the display. The flags will be displayed in conjunction with World Day of Remembrance on Sunday, November 15th.

Bike Social Hour continues to take place every Wednesday. Contact us to suggest a theme night or special guest, or to schedule a joint Bike Social Hour with partner organizations. We are happy to collaborate with you! As always, all ages are welcome at all Bike Social Hours, but first Wednesdays of the month are Family Night, where kids can expect extra activities and more families in attendance. Please come by to build community, hatch ideas, and ride bikes!

Claire Vlach is an urban designer and transportation advocate who believes in the positive role that active transportation plays in our community. She is currently the Operations Manager for BikeLoud PDX.