ODOT Region 1 Director Rian Windsheimer at Metro’s Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) meeting yesterday.
(Photos: Jonathan Maus)

At a meeting of a high-powered Metro policy committee yesterday, the Oregon Department of Transportation was put in the hot seat over their plans to widen Interstate 5 through the Rose Quarter. Peppered with questions from Metro Councilor Bob Stacey, the regional director of ODOT Rian Windsheimer, was forced to came to the aid of an ODOT staff member who was presenting on the project.

Windsheimer’s move demonstrated that sharp criticisms from a gathering storm of activists are gaining strength from elected leaders like Stacey, testing ODOT’s nerves and putting the agency on the defensive. The meeting also made it clear that, while initially sold by ODOT to the public and politicians as a “bottleneck elimination” project, the agency is now reluctant to claim it will lead to any capacity increase.
[Read more…]

A classic urban arterial with the abysmal safety record to match.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus)

(Project area map via PBOT)

The next evolution of 122nd Avenue has begun.

A new planning effort by the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation has the ambitious goal of removing the north-south arterial from the official high crash network.

I say ambitious, because 122nd is arguably the most dangerous street in Portland. It has the dubious distinction of being home to four of the top ten most dangerous intersections and it’s one of only 13 streets citywide that’s earned a “high crash” designation for bikers, walkers, and drivers.

But if all goes according to plan, in just two years 122nd will have a much different reputation.

If that timeline seems optimistic, bear in mind that efforts to improve 122nd Avenue have already begun. In the past three years, PBOT has pumped $4 million into safety upgrades into the street — just half of an $8 million agreement with TriMet wherein the transit agency’s end of the bargain is to implement a frequent service bus line. With the announcement last month that Line 73 will now run every 15 minutes or less, that’s a promise they’ve already made good on.

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Biketown has become a fixture in Portland in two short years.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus)

Can you believe it’s already been two years since those bright orange bikes hit the streets of Portland?

Biketown launched on July 19th, 2016 and today the City of Portland and Motivate, the system’s operator, are hosting a party to celebrate.

Since the launch, the system has tallied over 700,000 rides and there are over 101,000 active users. In a presentation to the City’s Bicycle Advisory Committee on July 9th, bike share program manager Steve Hoyt-McBeth with the Portland Bureau of Transportation said Biketown is on an upward trajectory. “There’s been a lot of growth in 2018,” he said. “We’ve really hit a sweet spot.”

Hoyt-McBeth endured years of delays as PBOT launched bike share long after they expected to. In February 2007 we proclaimed “The race is on!” among big cities who wanted to be the first to get a major system on the streets. Portland ended up 64th. Acknowledging that late entry to the market, Hoyt-McBeth told the committee that, “We felt like it was incumbent upon us to learn from other cities and try to be innovative with what we did.” [Read more…]

There’s something extra special about riding on carfree streets downtown.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus)

The Weekend Event Guide is sponsored by Abus Bike Locks. Thanks Abus!

The weekend is almost here. And with temps expected to heat back up, you might want to plan your riding earlier or later than usual.

A highlight this weekend includes the first-ever Salmon Cycling Classic down in Wilsonville. And Sunday is the most anticipated Sunday Parkways event of the year: A route that will follow the outline of the future Green Loop! PBOT has really pulled out all the stops on this one, with more activities than you could possibly fit into five hours. So check out the event brochure before you go in order to plan your attack.
[Read more…]

So often while driving down Interstate 5 south of Portland my mind wanders: Could I ride to Eugene? What would the roads be like?
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The Street Trust has lost another senior staff member.

Gerik Kransky, who joined the organization in 2010 when they were known as the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, announced yesterday he’ll leave the organization at the end of this month. Kransky has accepted a position with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality where he’ll help administer the Volkswagen Diesel Settlement grant program.
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A sight you hope to never see.
(Photo: Josh Ross)

The Going Neighborhood Greenway is one of the busiest and arguably best example of a family-friendly cycling street we have in Portland. That’s why what happened to Josh Ross and his six-year-old son on Saturday matters.
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Detail of design proposed at Tillamook and 21st.

There’s more good news for inner northeast Portland bikeways: In addition to the new Sullivan’s Crossing Bridge over I-84 and a (potentially) revolutionary new neighborhood greenway on NE 7th, the Bureau of Transportation is planning to update and enhance the bikeway on Tillamook.
[Read more…]

Welcome to the week! Here are the best links we came across in the past seven days…

Sponsored by Efficient Velo Tools: Don’t trust traffic – scan your surroundings with the Safe Zone Helmet Mirror.

Stay in the pack: A study on wind resistance in a large cycling peloton demonstrates that a rider in the middle of the pack gets a minuscule 6 percent of the wind resistance they’d face riding on their own.

Two ways to kill dockless bike share: The City of Chicago said bikes from dockless giant Ofo must be locked to something (not just themselves). So Ofo picked up their ball and went home. In Australia, it was the mandatory helmet requirement that scared Ofo off.
[Read more…]

Job Title

Bike Valet Attendants

Company / Organization

Go By Bike

Job Description

Go By Bike is seeking passionate, friendly, motivated, and creative people to help us valet bicycles. We recently expanded to a second location and have multiple positions to fill. Do you go the extra mile to help your friends get on a bicycle? We need you. Do you believe that getting more people on bicycles is good for the world? This is your chance to get paid to make that happen.

Join one of the most innovative bicycle companies in Portland. We have helped make the aerial tram the most biked to destination in North America and now we are going to show that a hill is no obstacle for a bicycle in 2018. We need your creative ideas and passion to make this location a success.

We have a window from now until September 21st to show that this location is successful. We are hiring morning, evening, and floater shifts ASAP. Days are Mon-Fri with shifts between 20-35 hours a week at $14/hour. Valet bikes and help us develop a program that encourages more people to ride their bikes up Marquam Hill. The position is temporary until September 21st with the potential to be permanent.

How to Apply

To apply send your resume to email to gobybikeshop@gmail.com with a paragraph describing why you would like to work at the bike valet.