The sun is about to set on scooters.
(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

It was fun while it lasted.

The end of the line has come for Portland’s electric scooters. The pilot started back in July and — judging from comments by Bureau of Transportation staff in a Willamette Week story published yesterday — PBOT seems likely to keep their promise of officially ending it sometime this week.

The scooters hit the streets on July 23rd. For the most part, the program has been a huge success. It’s really a shame it has to end like this.

Remember before they launched? There were all manner of crazy predictions about how terrible it would be. One of our local weeklies published a story that referenced the “zombie apocalypse” and likened the presence of scooters to an “invasion,” peppering the story with anecdotes about crashes and cluttered sidewalks that were all but unusable.

None of that stuff really came true.

Better Naito worked; but we ended it. The scooter program has been a success; but we plan to end that too.

While there are definitely kinks to work out (that’s what a pilot is for), with nearly 700,000 trips in just four months, the 2,000 scooters have changed mobility in Portland for the better. A survey of more than 4,500 scooter users showed them to be wildly popular and used in a way that aligns with nearly all of the City of Portland’s adopted transportation goals.

The scooter companies (not surprisingly) are begging PBOT to extend the pilot. Scooters have been very controversial in Long Beach, California; but officials there decided to prolong the test period for three months while they address how best to regulate them.

As we saw with strong support from City Council for the Central City in Motion plan last week, the City of Portland wants people to drive less and use more efficient, climate-friendly, and safer ways to move around. The scooters tick all those boxes. And now, just as people have begun to integrate them into their lives, the scooters will disappear.

As for what happens next, PBOT says they’ll share findings from all the data and public input they’ve gathered and make them public in early 2019. “The bureau will consider community input and data findings on e-scooters in Portland, and we look forward to learning from the findings to evaluate and inform a potential second pilot program in 2019,” said the agency in a statement.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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Here are the most notable stories we came across in the past week…

Fewer cars = more business: New research from London (once again) proves that businesses on streets with bikeways do better than those located on streets dominated by auto users.

Plazas for whom?: Public plazas are sought-after amenities, but cities that have them are struggling to manage the presence of homeless people who sleep in them and sometimes make others feel uncomfortable. (You can bet this is one reason why Portland hasn’t created more of them.)
[Read more…]

Need a change of pace? Or maybe looking to get your foot in the door? Check out our freshest job listings.

Learn more about each one via the links below…

–> Senior Associate – Urban Planning & Sustainability – Urban Land Institute
[Read more…]

Job Title

Used Inventory Coordinator

Company / Organization

Community Cycling Center

Job Description

Organizational Overview

We love Portland and bikes. So we put our two loves together over 20 years ago, creating a nonprofit organization on a mission to broaden access to bicycling and its benefits.

Our vision is to help build a vibrant community where people of all backgrounds use bicycles to stay healthy and connected. We believe that all Portlanders—regardless of income or background—should have the opportunity to experience the joy, freedom and health benefits of bicycling. This is the motivation behind everything we do.

In addition to delivering dynamic programs that benefit underserved communities, we operate a full-service bike shop in NE Portland that is staffed by highly experienced mechanics from diverse cycling backgrounds. Our programs and shop services combined help riders build their skills and confidence; empower young people to ride to school and adults to ride to work; offer educational opportunities for teens to earn school credit; and support everyone in riding for health and recreation. We also collaborate with numerous community partners to generate pathways to employment and engagement within the growing bicycle movement by training new educators, leaders, advocates and mechanics.

Our goal is to help create a healthy, sustainable Portland for all community members.

The Community Cycling Center is an equal opportunity employer and strongly values diversity, equity and inclusion. Individuals with diverse backgrounds, abilities and experiences are encouraged to apply.

Job Summary

Status: Hourly, full-time
Location: Portland, Oregon
Compensation: $15.50 – 16.50/hour DOE
Benefits: Includes health & dental; See website for complete li

The Used Inventory Coordinator (UIC) leads our organizational effort to reuse & redistribute donated materials, with the twin goals of meeting monthly sales goals and reducing the amount of usable materials that must be recycled or disposed of. This position focuses on managing donated materials, with an eye toward ease, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.

The UIC implements and supervises best practices in harvesting, identification, pricing, storage, and merchandising of used parts and accessories. The UIC maintains a steady supply of priced and processed used parts and accessories on the sales floor year-round while maintaining orderly storage space and accurate inventory systems. The UIC supports retail staff and mechanics as needed, and they will participate in decision making process with the Shop’s Leadership Team.

Ideal candidates will have experience in a high-volume bike shop environment, clear communication methods, excellent attention to detail and the ability to innovate and develop systems.

Essential Functions

Please note that the percentage indicators below represent an estimate of how much time each week will be spent fulfilling these functions. In terms of importance, all areas are valued equally.

Used Inventory Coordination (85%)

Train and supervise staff, volunteers, and interns in the harvesting, pricing, cleaning, and organization of donated goods
Maintain and improve systems to recognize and harvest usable parts off of unusable bicycles
Work with Retail Manager to creatively display and merchandize used parts and accessories in our shop
Maximize utilization of all reuse outlets including shop sales, online sales, program delivery, reuse partnerships, and on-site salvage sales
Maintain and improve procedures to help consistently reduce the waste created from operations
Ensure a clean, organized and accurate inventory through regular cycle counts and other best practices

Planning and Evaluation (15%)

Work with the Shop Leadership Team to utilize storage and floor space to maximize accessibility to customers and staff
Evaluate trends in products sales, returns and customer feedback
Track and assess current reuse and recycling efforts on a monthly basis, with an eye towards consistent improvement
Evaluate and innovative systems and structures within your department
Coordinate with other departments to provide for the needs of Cycling Center programs
Work with shop management team to improve operations at our bike shop

Qualifications & Characteristics

Required

Familiarity and working knowledge of a large variety of new and used bicycle related components and materials
Knowledge of fundamental retail framework
Ability to troubleshoot problems and seek out creative solutions
Commitment to the concept of environmental sustainability
Commitment to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace
Ability to meet project deadlines and account for detailed objectives
Strong interpersonal communication skills

Preferred

Experience managing inventory systems
Valid driver’s license, clean driving record, and skill driving a box truck
Fluency in spreadsheet software and comfort navigating inventory management systems
Spanish language fluency
Experience supporting or supervising staff members or volunteers

Please include in your resume all experience that relates to this position, such as volunteering, community service, lived experience, workshops, etc.

How to Apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume by email with “Used Inventory Coordinator” as the subject line to jobs@communitycyclingcenter.org.

This announcement was originally posted on November 16th, 2018.

Position is open until filled; please apply promptly if you are interested.

Eighth grade is not an easy time for many young girls. As a father of one of them, I can vouch for that. Getting them to challenge themselves, try something new, and make themselves vulnerable is often like harder than pulling teeth.
[Read more…]

Susan Bladholm, president of Frog Ferry, at the Oregon Transportation Commission this morning.

The ‘Frog Ferry’ has taken a major leap forward this week. The passenger ferry concept is making its first major public debut with media coverage and a spot on the agenda at today’s meeting of the Oregon Transportation Commission (the governor-appointed body that sets transportation policy for the State of Oregon).

Spearheading the effort is Susan Bladholm, a former director of Cycle Oregon and corporate marketing professional who spent 10 years each with Business Oregon and the Portland of Portland. Bladholm has spent two years researching and building support for her plan to establish a ferry service on the Willamette River that would shuttle customers between Lake Oswego and Vancouver.

Flanked by Portland Spirit Owner Dan Yates and Metro Project Manager Chris Ford (fresh of his win as project manager for the SW Corridor, which was approved by Metro Council last night), Bladholm said, “It’s time for a new mode of transportation to be introduced.”
[Read more…]

(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

It’s time for Portland to build more efficient streets downtown where walkers and bicycle riders can get around without fearing for their life. And to make it happen, we need to move forward with the Central City in Motion plan and more people need to stop driving cars.

That was the message newly-appointed Transportation Commissioner Chloe Eudaly shared at Thursday’s city council hearing. Commissioner Eudaly made activist hearts flutter when she opened the meeting with a speech that set a strong tone that helped pass the plan with flying colors in a vote of 3-0 (two commissioners were absent). Eudaly’s tone throughout was “Blumenauer-like” one source told me after the meeting, referring to U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer, who served as PBOT commissioner in the 1990s when our city put itself on the map as a leader in bicycling, walking, and transit.

Recounting her experience being stuck in Hawthorne Bridge traffic next to a TriMet bus, in her opening speech Eudaly said Portland needs to encourage incentives and disincentives so people, “Change their deeply engrained behaviors and their cherished traditions — namely to not drive their single occupancy vehicles [into downtown].” She also promised that no public funds would be spent on auto parking garages and that the city is current “over-investing” in east Portland, pushing back against any claims that central city investment is not equitable (an issue that has plagued bikeway investments in the past).
[Read more…]

Screen shot of coverage of the incident by The Oregonian.

Two of the three men arrested last week for stretching string across the I-205 bike path are set to make their first appearance in court today.

On Friday, November 9th, Portlander Carlene Ostedegaard was riding home from work on the path just south of the Division Street MAX station when she pedaled into what Portland Police described as a “booby trap.” She suffered laceration injuries on her face.

Police responded and were able to apprehend three men suspected of committing the crime: 23-year-old Justin J. Jones, 27-year-old Justin R. Tolman-Duran, and 21-year-old Dakota E. Murphy. On Tuesday (11/13) the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office reviewed the case.

DA’s Office Communications Director Brent Weisberg says following the investigation one of the men, Dakota Murphy, was issued a “no complaint”. The other two, Jones and Tolman-Duran, have been re-booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center and are now charged with one count each of felony assault in the third degree. Their initial booking was for misdemeanor assault.
[Read more…]

Job Title

p:ear Bike Works Program Coordinator

Company / Organization

p:ear

Job Description

Required Qualifications & Competencies

• Experience building trusting, healthy relationships with homeless and marginalized youth
• Commitment to advancing equity and creating and maintaining an inclusive environment that is welcoming for all
• Commitment to building strong partnerships/relationships with the Rosewood community
• Excellent interpersonal skills. Must be a positive and strong role model, have a collaborative, team-oriented work style and strong strategic and problem-solving skills
• Commitment to non-violence and compassionate responses
• Experience in bicycle mechanics and staff management. Community bike shop experience a big advantage
• BBI/UBI or similar certification or equivalent work experience
• Excellent customer service and communication skills
• Able to work independently, problem solve and complete tasks with minimal oversight
• Mathematical skills, including how to calculate profit margin and markup, budgeting and projections
• Bilingual preferred

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Teacher & Advocate
o Provide direct support in managing and mentoring four to six youth internships annually
o Create a safe, supportive and learning-centered environment
o Helps facilitate, model, teach and develop professional soft skills for youth interns such as: conflict resolution, attention to detail, business awareness, communication, customer service, information technology, numeracy and interpersonal skills
o Exemplifies compassion and understanding around the barriers of homelessness as it pertains to our interns
o Teach advanced bike mechanics, to interns through a 20-hour certification

• Shop Manager & Lead Bike Mechanic
o Serve as head mechanic and manager during all regular open shop hours, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays
o Monitor and maintain an inventory of parts and accessories, submit and receive parts orders
o Maintain an organized and efficient work environment
o Manage budgets and youth time sheets; this includes tracking expenditures, keeping expenditures under/at budget and working with the Bike Works coordinator to generate sufficient revenue streams
o Work with Coordinator of p:ear Works to expand programming and integrate strategies that keep with p:ear Bike Work’s long term strategic plan and vision
o Proficiently execute assembly, repairs and maintenance for all types of bicycles, particularly to used and older bicycles

• p:ear Floor Support
o Required on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for youth engagement
o Develop healthy, mentoring relationships with youth
o Provide direct support, mentoring and assistance to p:ear youth
o Assistance in teaching Bike Mechanic School when in session
o Collaborate with staff to support the general needs of programs or the floor and seek interdisciplinary opportunities for learning
o Maintain appropriate boundaries

• Community Programming Liaison
o Build and sustain relationships with the Rosewood community
o Represent p:ear and its mission positively and professionally
o Identify barriers and recommend solutions to better serve the community
o Work on integrating and developing long term proposed strategies: community outreach, youth and adult classes and bicycle programs
o Participate in Sunday Parkways, Free Bikes 4 Kids, as well as the occasional Community bike ride events (Safe Routes to School, Oregon Walkways etc.)

Physical Demands

• Able to sit or stand and walk throughout the scheduled work shift
• Ability to lift and/or move up to 75 lbs

How to Apply

Cover letters and resumes can be sent to: nathan@pearmentor.org with “p:ear Bike Program Coordinator” in the subject line. The job will remain open until full. Email only, no phone calls please – phone calls will not be returned. Full job listing at pearmentor.org.

Screen shot from GoFundMe page.

The Camp Fire that ravaged through the small town of Paradise, California burned through the shop of a former Portland bicycle builder.

Mitch Pryor and his MAP Bicycles burst onto the Oregon building scene in 2008. Less than a year later he took home Best City Bike honors at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show.

Mitch left Portland for Chico, California in 2012 to be closer to family. He had recently opened a shop nestled in the woods in Paradise. I haven’t heard directly from Mitch yet, but friends say his new home and shop were completely destroyed in the fire. He lost everything — parts, supplies, machines, tools — and escaped with only the clothes on his back.

[Read more…]