BikePortland

A big, BikeCraft update: Full vendor list and other fun details

Since I last checked in, my co-organizer Max and I have been hard at work on BikeCraft: We’ve added great vendors and have confirmed fun details that are sure to make this a memorable event. This post will get you all caught up, so buckle in. But if you read no further, just remember it all goes down this Wednesday, 12/17 from 3:00 to 8:00 pm at Migration Brewing on North Williams Ave.

Before I share more about the vendors, below are some fun details to keep in mind:

You’re encouraged to dress in festive attire (you know, holiday sweaters and such).
Migration is brewing up hot, mulled, non-alcoholic apple cider just for us!
If you’d like to sing or share music or read a holiday poem, just let me know and I’ll give you the mic!
We’re working with mutual aid group, Holding Hearts Bloc to help them build up a “Cycle Closet” for unhoused folks that ride bicycles. We’ll have a bin where you can donate your new or gently used items like: inner tubes, patch kits, lights, saddles, multi-tools, bottle cages, lube, gloves, and so on. Note: If you work at a local bike shop or bike company and want to stoke our bin with a few new items, please contact me (or just show up!).

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… Announcing our 2025 BikeCraft vendors:

“Lady” Max / Flat Tire Creations

Max repurposes recycled inner tubes and bike spokes into useful art with a purpose. @flattirecreations on Instagram

Nando Collazo / Chronic Carry

Nando creates convenient and unique accessories for the everyday cyclist. Check out the Adjustable Can/Coffee Holder with Lid, no more splash! @chronic.carry on Instagram / website

Misia Pitkin / Double Darn

Misia offers an assortment of hand-sewn cycling caps — from lightweight to winter wool. Her other small goods (musettes, fanny packs, simple wallets, and small pouches) make great gifts as well! @double_darn on Instagram / website

Gigi Lascurettes / Gigi’s Handy Work / Helmuffs

Gigi Lascurettes makes handmade helmet earmuffs from up cycled wool or fleece. Keeps your ears covered and cozy. Website

Shawn Granton / Urban Adventure League

Shawn is an author, photographer, illustrator, and urban historian who creates zines, postcards, books, and other works of art inspired by cycling in Portland. Shawn plans to bring: the Stark Street Mileposts zine, a self-guided bike tour of SE’s curious stone markers; along with the Cycle Touring Primer and other publications. @urbanadventureleaguepdx on Instagram / website

Richelle / UpTassels

Richelle upcycles mylar party streamers into joy-inducing handlebar tassels. Grab a pair of UpTassels for yourself or as a sparkly stocking stuffer! @uptassels on Instagram

Spencer Hawkes / Nomad Patches

Nomad Patches illustrates and designs bike-themed stickers and patches. @nomadpatches on Instagram / website

Joe Perez / BikeLoud PDX

Joe will offer BikeLoud pennants (hand-screened by Rendered in Southeast Portland) to raise funds for local bike advocacy. Joe will also have blank pennants, blank bandanas stencils and markers for you, or your kids, to make your own! @bikeloudpdx on Instagram / website

Andrew Shaw-Kitch / Bikes for Humanity PDX

Andrew, from the craft department at this local nonprofit that specializes in reconditioning used bikes, grabs cute bike doohickeys out of the wastestream and makes arty little knickknacks out of them. @b4hpdx on Instagram / website

Tamara Goldsmith, Lindsey Konopka, and Kathie Wise / Stained Glass Artists

We are lucky to have these three accomplished, local stained glass artists join us. They’ll share unique, bike-inspired pieces from their collection and are making several works just for BikeCraft! Tamara Goldsmith transforms bike parts into adornment for the home, tree and body. She’s turning bicycle cogs and wheels into sun catchers made just BikeCraft! @magichourglass on Instagram / website. Kathie Wise is with Marvelous Mosaics (Instagram / website).

Samples of stained glass pieces that will be for sale at the event.

Eric Ivy / Squid Prints

Eric has made some silly and affordable items for you or your friends: including 12 oz can holders that use bottle cage mounts or cable ties, mini milk crates, earrings, and tree ornaments. He is also selling “I Love Bike Happy Hour” stickers with all all proceeds going to BikePortland.

Mike Young / Black Stone Stitchworks

Mike makes quality, handmade hip packs for cyclists and outdoor adventurers from USA sourced materials @blackstonestitchworks on Instagram / website

Iris / Reflective Society

Iris makes really cool, reflective items like shoelaces, bandannas, pins, and more. I have a pair of their shoelaces and absolutely love them! If you want to add a splash of visibility to your biking wardrobe, stop by this table! @reflectivesociety on Instagram / website

Ryde Safe

This brand is new to Portland, so let’s give them and their cool, reflective and fun safety products a warm, BikeCraft welcome! @ryde.safe on Instagram / website

Shift

Shift board members will be on hand to sell stickers and to answer your questions about the resources they provide our community, and how you can get involved by becoming a Shift board member. @shift2bikes on Instagram / website

I am loving the energy around BikeCraft and just so happy that it’s coming back to its roots. Please help us promote the event by sharing our flyer on social media and/or printing it out and posting it around town. This is grassroots, community endeavor that will only be as cool and special as we all make it. Thanks to everyone helping out. Can’t wait to see everyone on Wednesday!

— BikePortland.org/BikeCraft

PBOT Director traveled to Saudi Arabia for a conference

A TriMet MAX train is on the home page of a Saudi Arabian transportation conference. Inset: A graphic shared by Director Williams on her Linkedin page.

Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Millicent Williams attended a conference in Saudi Arabia from December 7 – 9.

Williams participated in a panel at CoMotion Global ’25, an event held in the city of Riyadh that, “connects the brightest minds, cities, and companies shaping the next chapter of transportation — globally.” Her panel was titled, “Managing Cities in the New Age of Data” (you can watch it here). The front page of the event website features a TriMet MAX train in downtown Portland.

According to an official press release, CoMotion Global is supported by, “key Saudi government partners shaping the Kingdom’s mobility future.”

Traveling to Saudi Arabia as a representative of the City of Portland is likely to give many Portlanders pause. The country’s government has an abysmal human rights record and they use major conferences, along with sports and entertainment events to whitewash their actions.

In 2018, men working for the Saudi government murdered a Washington Post journalist who had been critical of the ruling family. Cracking down on free media is just one black mark against Saudi Arabia. Amnesty International’s list of 10 ways Saudi Arabia violates human rights includes mass executions, discrimination against women, unfair trials, lack of free speech, and a law against public protests.

But the first thing I thought about when I learned Williams was helping Saudi Arabia burnish their international reputation, was the killing of Fallon Smart.

In August of 2016, 20-year old Abdulrahman Noorah drove recklessly down the center lane of Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard at a speed police estimated at 55-60 mph. As he approached SE 43rd Ave, he ran into 15-year-old Fallon Smart. She died in the street. Smart’s death sparked widespread outcry and sadness in our community. I recall crying in the street as I tried to cover a memorial event with Smart’s family.

Two weeks before Noorah would face justice at a court trial, men working for the Saudi government helped him escape the country and he’s never been seen or heard from since. That episode remains a very deep open wound for many in our community, and Williams’ attendance at this event does nothing to help with the healing.

According to PBOT Communications Director Hannah Schafer, “The conference paid for Director Williams’ travel and accommodations, and her travel was reviewed and approved by City Administrator Michael Jordan.”

UPDATE, 12/11 at 7:00 pm: A post on Williams’ personal LinkedIn page that said she was “excited” to attend the conference was deleted following the publication of this article.

Albina Vision Trust rescues I-5 Rose Quarter project. Again.

The I-5 Rose Quarter project received a stay of execution today thanks to last-minute maneuvering from leaders of Albina Vision Trust, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and three Metro councilors.

As I reported last month, the beleaguered, $2 billion project that aims to expand I-5 between I-84 and the Fremont Bridge and build highway caps and other surface street improvements, faced the possibility of being defunded by the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC). After years of delays due to lawsuits, a skyrocketing price tag, and a political roller coaster ride, the project is at a low point. Desperate to maintain inertia, the Oregon Department of Transportation asked the OTC how to spend the remaining $167 million in the project’s construction coffers. Option 1 would use the money to begin an early phase of construction, Option 2 would use the funds to finish design and make it shovel-ready for full construction later on, and Option 3 would pause funding and re-allocate it to other projects (note that ODOT claims the funds could only be used on other regional highway expansion projects).

ODOT Rose Quarter Program Director Monica Blanchard poked serious holes in Option 3, saying that, in addition to ODOT staff and project advisory committees being against it (big surprise), “Portland’s Black community would see this as walking back on commitments, and cancelling the project would be further eroding their trust in ODOT.”

Even facing steep odds, the fact that a defund option was even on the table was a huge development.

No More Freeways (NMF), a nonprofit that’s filed multiple lawsuits against the project, put out a call to action among its members that resulted in over 200 comments in favor of Option 3 filed with the OTC before today’s meeting. NMF sensed an opportunity to strike a mortal blow to the project. But Albina Vision Trust, a nonprofit that supports the project and wants to rebuild a neighborhood on top of the highway caps, also sensed an opportunity — not just to save the funding, but to bend the project even closer to their vision.

And they called in some influential partners to make it happen.

In a letter to the OTC dated December 10th, AVT Executive Director Winta Yohannes — along with Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, Metro President Lynn Peterson, Metro Councilor and Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation Chair Juan Carlos Gonzalez, and Metro Councilor Ashton Simpson — said all three options proposed by ODOT, “fail to adequately balance investment that would concurrently advance I-5 mainline (freeway widening) and highway cover related improvements.”

These influential partners proposed a fourth option, one that wasn’t known to the public until the meeting was already underway. Their Option 4 sought to use the $167 million to move the project forward, but to spend that money on project elements identified, “in collaboration with regional partners,” and “to ensure parity of mainline and highway cover improvements.”

Yohannes, speaking at the OTC meeting today, said, “We need to make sure that what’s [constructed] at each stage maintains the coalition that is ultimately supporting this project… we’re saying, ‘We want to work with you.'” “At a time when this project is facing so many threats,” Yohannes continued. “We think that our power is working together… we believe we can come to a thoughtful phased approach that everybody supports and that ultimately contributes to the overall success of the project.”

“I find your comments very persuasive,” responded Commissioner Lee Beyer (a former state legislator and one of the architects of the 2017 transportation bill that funded the Rose Quarter project). And so too did the other three commissioners present at today’s meeting. They all voted to support Option 4. The plan now is to bring this issue back to the OTC in February or March with a more detailed preliminary construction plan — a plan that is shaped by project partners and not just ODOT staff.

So the I-5 Rose Quarter project lives on, and AVT — the group that has held the keys to the project for years now — found a way to assert even more influence over its future.

In the end, Option 4 is much better than Option 1 (which was a very likely choice going into the meeting). It’s not the defunding some project skeptics wanted, but Option 4 introduces a bit more delay and more accountability about what gets built first from AVT, the City of Portland, and Metro. That should provide some checks on ODOT’s worst impulses and make it more likely that the agency won’t build the wider freeway first and value-engineer the caps out of the project down the line.

What about those 200-plus folks who sent in comments hoping to defund the project? Commissioner Jeff Baker acknowledged them at the end of the meeting.

“There were a lot of impassioned comments that come into us on Option 3, and I would encourage those that have a real strong feeling on Option 3 to do what I did: to learn about this project, go take a walk with Mr. [JT] Flowers… I think an understanding of this project and what it all means, not only the public investment, the private investment from Mr. [Phil] Knight, the [Portland] Trailblazers, and what this project means to the community — it’s very enlightening. And by walking it and seeing it, and hearing from somebody who grew up in the neighborhood, I think it would be really good to at least understand what it’s all about. It may harden their feelings, but I have a feeling that once they really understand and walk through it, it might be very enlightening.”

— See ODOT’s press release about the decision here.

Raymond Lee confirmed as Portland’s city administrator

On Wednesday, Raymond Lee became Portland’s first full-time and permanent city administrator. When Mayor Keith Wilson announced his nominee for the role in front of City Council yesterday, he described Lee’s job as, “a role that will oversee day-to-day operations across more than two dozen bureaus and departments, ensuring accountability, alignment, and service to our residents.”

Lee earned unanimous support from council and never faltered or flinched during nearly two hours of questioning from city councilors and the media. During his opening remarks, Lee shared that he comes from a family of public servants. His mother was a city manager and his father spent 30 years in the Dallas Fire Department. After leaving his hometown of Dallas, Lee earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Kansas and a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Henderson State University in Arkansas. According to his resume, Lee has also completed leadership and financial certification programs at Cornell, Harvard, and Yale.

Lee faces the daunting task of realizing the (sometimes competing) visions of Mayor Wilson and the 12 councilors. And whether or not he should even have an opinion about specific legislation and policy ideas is still up for debate. During his questioning of Lee, Councilor Eric Zimmerman said, “The city administration has to have a spine. [Council] will come up with good ideas, but we will also come up with some bad ideas. It doesn’t work if the city administration does not have an opinion on our legislation… It requires you to enter the knowledge void and get into the mix with us about what is good and what is bad policy.”

But during a press conference that followed his confirmation, Lee was asked by Willamette Week reporter Sophie Peel about that exchange. “Do you think you should have an opinion?” she asked.

“No,” Lee clarified. “My role is just to provide our professional expertise and call in knowledge.”

Biking and transportation-related issues weren’t discussed during the confirmation hearing (except for Councilor Jamie Dunphy saying to Lee, “Portland is a weird place, and it’s weird in that we have naked bike rides and Voodoo Donuts and things like that.”). However, I was able to ask Lee a question at the press conference.

After inviting him to an interview-by-bike, I asked:

“Can you share your personal experience with mobility and getting around? Do you ever take the bus? Do you mostly drive? Do you walk? Do you have a bike? Do you ride it? And how will those experiences inform the way you look at transportation issues in Portland?”

To which he responded:

“You know, I’ve done it all. I’ve walked to work when I actually lived downtown in Dallas. I’ve driven to work, so I understand how much time residents and people who work in the downtown area may waste time of their life just in traffic as a whole. And I want to make sure we’re getting people to point A to point B in the safest, securest way possible, in the fastest way possible, ensuring that’s happening at a rate that is adding life back to people — instead of taking away time from their loved ones and the work that they enjoy doing every day.

And that’s looking at, how do we address transportation overall? Not just for today, but also for tomorrow, and ensuring that the plans that we have, that we’re partners with other entities and quasi-governmental entities that partner with us in Portland, to ensure that all of our plans are integrated to help move traffic and transportation forward as a whole.

A good portion of my career has been spent in transportation and ensuring it’s done in an efficient, effective and economical manner. And that’s always been a proponent of my philosophy, ensuring that people are being able to get to their destinations in a safe and secure manner.”

You can watch our exchange in the video below:

Lee faces a daunting task. Our city government and Portlanders in general are restless and desperate for an injection of confidence and civic victories. Mayor Wilson cultivated broad council support for Lee and that effort provides Lee with solid footing to begin his work. But there’s likely to be a big adjustment coming from the relatively small city of Greeley to the much larger, and at times almost ungovernable, Portland.

At one point during his confirmation discussion, Lee referred to Dallas, Texas as a progressive city. That led Councilor Sameer Kanal to say, “If you think Dallas is progressive, buckle up.”

Lee appears to be fully strapped-in and seems undeterred by the challenge. “I’m excited about what the future has in store for this great city,” he told councilors. “And I’m excited about the opportunity to be able to partner with the city council and the mayor to shape what the future will be for Portland.”

The ultimate holiday lights bike ride is just south of Portland

This article is from Portlander and veteran group ride leader, Tom Howe.

Portland has Peacock Lane and Starkwood, but just to our south, the cities of Gladstone and Milwaukie also offer some incredible holiday displays in December. There are three that really stand out – the entire street of Ridgewood Drive, Schilling Lights on Lark, and Mitchells Land of Misfit Toys & Frosty’s Magical Land.

Last week, after the holiday tree lighting ceremony in downtown Milwaukie, I rode down the Trolley Trail to visit all three of these venues by following a seven-mile loop route starting at the municipal holiday tree in downtown Gladstone. This tree is conveniently located right at the southern end of the Trolley Trail. And the Trolley Trail can be linked with the 17^th Avenue Bike Path and the Springwater Corridor for a ride almost entirely on separated bike paths from central Portland all the way to Gladstone.

Starting at the Gladstone holiday tree the route takes you through the adjacent neighborhood over to the sharrowed bike lanes on Webster Road. From there it’s a right hand turn onto Ridgewood Drive where nearly all the houses are decorated. This street is similar to Starkwood in East Portland, consisting of a dead-end street and three cul-de-sacs on the west side. I rode all the way to the end of Ridgewood, then looped through the cul-de-sacs on the way out. It is worth noting that directly across Webster from Ridgewood Drive is Clayton Way where most of the houses are likewise holiday decorated.

Leaving Ridgewood Drive and continuing on Webster Road takes you out of Gladstone and into Milwaukie on the way to Schilling Lights on Lark. The route skirts around Lake Leona and Johnson City, which is nestled right next to the lake. At just 0.07 square miles in size, the residential Johnson City has the highest population density of any city in Oregon.

Turning left on SE Lark Avenue, the route takes you to Schilling Lights on Lark, one of most impressive animated light displays in the entire Portland region. The house and large yard are covered with programmed lights that dance in patterns with scenes from holiday classics like “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Home Alone.” Those scenes are displayed on a giant pixel screen that completely covers the double garage doors. During my visit the song “Let It Go” from the movie “Frozen” was played along with spectacular dancing lights throughout the yard.

Just a couple blocks away is Mitchells Land of Misfit Toys & Frosty’s Magical Land. This is quite the contrast to Schilling, as there are no animated lights, and the illuminated lands have many cutout character displays from the 1960s holiday specials “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman.”

I rode the I-205 path to complete the loop back to downtown Gladstone. This is a quick, 1.5-mile ride along the path with no stop signs encountered until reaching the southern end. The route concludes with a few blocks of riding through downtown Gladstone, where the street is adorned with holiday stars.

Since this route uses a portion of the I-205 path, you might wonder why not use that path to get down to the area rather than the Trolley Trail. I prefer the Trolley Trail as it is quiet and there are some holiday decorated houses along the way. But more importantly, it avoids the notorious one-mile gap on the path. This gap routes cyclists onto SE 82^nd Drive near where the Sunrise Expressway was completed back in 2016. Now 82^nd Drive is not to be confused with 82^nd Avenue. Unlike 82^nd Avenue, the gap on 82^ndDrive is a two-lane road with substandard bike lanes on both sides. The most difficult part is linking up with the orphan section of the I-205 path, as it requires going over the bridge where I-205 connects with Highway 212. If you do this route, ride the sidewalk over the bridge and use the three pedestrian signals when crossing the freeway ramps. Government officials are well aware of the I-205 gap, and plans are in place to eventually refine it with separated bike paths on both sides of SE 82^nd Drive.

I really enjoyed visiting these sites in Gladstone and Milwaukie, and hope others can visit them as well during the holiday season, by bike of course!

A bit about Raymond Lee and the city he used to lead

Raymond Lee and a street in his former city. (Inset photo: City of Greeley)

On Wednesday morning, Portland City Council will vote on Mayor Keith Wilson’s pick for City Administrator: former city manager of Greeley, Colorado, Raymond Lee. Lee, 41, was announced as Wilson’s choice on December 2nd. If confirmed he would become the first (non interim) person to ever hold the position of city administrator in Portland’s history.

The city administrator plays a very important and powerful role in our new form of government. It will be Lee’s job (along with his team of deputy administrators) to execute the mayor’s visions and city council’s legislative actions. Among his powers will be the ability appoint, reassign, discipline, and remove bureau directors. According to Rose City Reform, the city administrator will be the, “mayor’s trusted advisor.” and is likely to function as a bridge between the executive (Mayor’s Office) and legislative (City Council) branches.

What’s he likely to do with that power when it comes to shaping our transportation system? I honestly couldn’t tell you. I don’t know enough yet. But I spent a few hours looking at Greeley and Lee’s past work experience to find out what we might expect when it comes to his mobility-related mindset. Let’s dive in….

Lee’s former town is much smaller than Portland. While he made it clear in just about every video I watched that, “Greeley is one of the fastest growing cities in the state,” it still has a population of about 116,000. That’s one-sixth the size of Portland (pop. 630,000). It’s represented by Democrats in the U.S. Senate, but the county it’s located in (Weld County) voted 61% for Trump and only 39% for Harris in the 2024 presidential election and several residents on Reddit described it as “conservative.” Greeley is on the plains just east of the Rocky Mountains and about an hour drive north of Denver. It’s home to a large meat-packing plant, a mid-sized public university and a community college.

From a bicycling perspective, there’s not a lot to write about. The League of American Bicyclist gave Greeley a Bronze award for its bicycle friendliness, but from what I can tell the city’s 85 miles of bike lanes are most just standard, painted lanes — often next to high-speed car traffic. To Lee’s credit, Greeley has recently made more noise for transportation reform: They launched a bike share system in October 2024 and by the following spring they’d deployed 250 bikes along with 80 shared electric scooters (about 25% of all bike share use is on the local college campus).

Greeley declared a goal in January of this year to reach zero traffic deaths by 2045 — and kicked off their effort with a $9.9 million federal safe streets grant. The city had 11 total traffic deaths in 2024, and they even hosted a World Day of Remembrance event to raise awareness about it.

Greeley is currently rebuilding a major downtown corridor into a more human-centric environment with public art, roundabouts, less driving space, and wide sidewalks. In the concept drawings I saw however, there was no dedicated space for bicycling.

Lee will have had some experience with free bus service, an idea that pops up in Portland from time-to-time and is getting a life lately because it’s an idea championed by New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Greeley’s transit system has implemented a free transit pilot for two months in the summer through a state program to improve air quality.

When it comes to Lee’s professional experience, he doesn’t talk about transportation much. In his 12-page resume, Lee shares a long bullet list of accomplishments, yet none of them are transportation-related. The largest transportation project he’s overseen is a $132 million investment into Greeley’s biggest highway — US 34 — which bisects the city. The Mobility Enhancements for Regional Growth & Equity (MERGE) Project will build two interchanges for the freeway in order to reduce crashes and will develop transit hubs where folks can safely connect to transit and other modes.

The highest profile project Lee has been involved in is a major redevelopment project known as Catalyst (or Cascadia), a public-private partnership estimated to cost around $1 billion that would build an arena and related amenities for a local hockey team. According to the Greeley Tribune, a community group that’s skeptical about the project ran a successful petition campaign that will put a repeal of the zoning for the project in front of voters. A public vote is coming in late February.

Here’s more from the Tribune:

Residents who oppose the project have remained doubtful the project will deliver the promised economic boom. More concerns arose once the city issued certificates of participation, one of the primary funding mechanisms for the early stages of the project, which temporarily leased city buildings to secure a loan.

Another group, Greeley Deserves Better, petitioned to put the city council’s approval of the certificates of participation issuance on November’s ballot. After a city-appointed arbiter ruled that such an action was not within the residents’ power, Greeley Demands Better gathered more than 5,000 signatures in an effort to repeal zoning for the project that was approved in September.

Before his tenure in Greeley, Lee served a four-year stint as public works director for the city of Amarillo, Texas.

I’ve reached out to a few transportation advocates in Greeley to see if they have anything to add about Lee, but I’ve yet to hear back. If you know anything about his views on transportation, please share them in the comments. I’ll get to see and hear from Lee in person on Wednesday morning, so stay tuned for more about this man who will play a pivotal role in the future of Portland.

UPDATE, 12/10: After posting this story, I learned that Greeley’s Public Works Director Paul Trombino (their point person for major transportation projects) also resigned shortly after Lee did. I’m trying to learn more. For now, check out the stories about this from local blogger Jack Bogdanski.

UPDATE, 12/10: I asked the City of Greeley Mobility Manager Michelle Johnson to tell me more about Lee’s work/position on transportation. Here’s what Johnson shared:

“During his time here, City Manager Lee supported several projects that helped move Greeley forward on mobility. He backed the work on our Mobility Development plan, which focused on improving safety and connections for people walking, biking, driving and using transit. You can see an overview of that work here: speakupgreeley.com/mobility-development-plan.

We are currently working on year 1 activities based on this plan, which will include route improvements, the introduction of a transit app, and expanding regional transportation with a new line between Loveland and Greeley.

Also under his leadership, we launched our first micromobility pilot, which gave residents more short-trip options and helped us learn how shared scooters and similar tools could fit into our system. Details on that pilot are here: speakupgreeley.com/micromobility-pilot.

Overall, we have worked hard to expand mobility options, trying new (to us) approaches to give people more ways to get around our city.“

Update, 12/10: Jim Riesberg, founder of nonprofit advocacy group Greeley Walks and organizer of events like Week Without Driving and World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims, said he thinks Greeley is on a solid trajectory when it comes to transportation reform. “I think Greeley is way ahead of many other cities, particularly of its size and the attention that they’re paying to transportation, mobility, safe streets, improving public transportation and making it easier for people to get around,” Riesberg shared with me in an interview this morning.

During Lee’s tenure as city manager, the Greeley Public Works Department has been busy with traffic calming initiatives, Riesberg says. “A number of what were four-lane streets have now been reduced to two-lane streets by painting medians and things in them.” Riesberg also added that Lee hasn’t attended any meetings or forums he has hosted and he’s never seen Lee at a meeting of the city’s Citizens Transportation Advisory Board.

As for the quality of bike infrastructure? Riesberg said Greeley has 27 miles of bike lanes and the majority of them are of the unprotected, door zone variety.

“The city has increased the number of bike lanes getting into the downtown area,” Riesberg shared, “But we don’t have any good bike parking stations in downtown yet. We’re working on that.”

Riesberg also said he was “shocked” by the resignation of former Public Works Director Paul Trombino, who left his post shortly after Lee resigned. “I had high praise for [Trombineo],” Riesberg shared. “And [his resignation] really shocked me because I thought he was just moving Greeley in a very important direction — and quite rapidly. So I’m not sure what happened there.”

When Riesberg asked city council members about why Trombino resigned, they didn’t tell. “They won’t share anything,” he says. “They just said, ‘I can’t get into that.'”

Advocates spar ahead of pivotal Rose Quarter project vote

Looking north on I-5 through the Rose Quarter.

When people talk about racism and the I-5 Rose Quarter project, they usually talk about how government agencies destroyed hundreds of homes in the vibrant Albina neighborhood where many Black people once lived, in order to build parking lots and a freeway.

But race has simmered under the lid of this project for years as advocacy groups plant their flags and the Oregon Department of Transportation tries to navigate various constituencies.

In 2020, ODOT disbanded an advisory committee that had become skeptical of the project and hand-picked members of a new one to replace it. ODOT said the move was made to “intentionally center Black voices,” but the folks pushed out felt it was done to silence opposition. In 2021 BikePortland published a guest article by climate attorney Ka’sha Bernard, who attended an Oregon Transportation Commission meeting where ODOT brought in Black construction firm owners to, “say how good the minority contracts granted by the State would be for the community, while a bunch of young white kids got up there in tears proclaiming how their climate fates would soon be sealed.” “I thought ODOT would not stoop as low as to pit Black community members against young environmentalists,” Bernard wrote.

I’ve watched committee meetings where Joe Cortright, the White co-founder of No More Freeways (the nonprofit group that has done the most work to stall the project through lawsuits and community organizing) is vehemently criticized by Black committee members. “I take great offense to some of these comments,” Historic Albina Advisory Board member Leslie Goodlow shared at a meeting in March of 2024. “It’s the paternalistic tone. These people think they’re educating us? Hard pass.” “Joe Cortright’s on here talking about ecological stuff,” another HAAB member said after his testimony. “And I’m with some other people who say: ‘Where was he when they was building all this stuff and they took all this money and gentrified our community with all that money?!'”

That dynamic — where many of the project’s most ardent supporters are Black and many of its most ardent detractors are White — remains to this day.

With a pivotal vote about project funding looming at Thursday’s OTC meeting, No More Freeways put out an action alert telling supporters to demand that commissioners vote to defund the project. With $167 million dedicated to the project, the OTC can tell ODOT whether to begin partial construction, delay full construction, or to stop spending entirely.

No More Freeways says ODOT simply cannot afford to keep spending money on the project while the state’s lack of transportation funding is an “existential emergency.” “We simply cannot afford to let the Oregon Transportation Commission continue to throw good money after bad and allocate another $160 million towards this boondoggle when the state has so many other needs,” No More Freeways writes.

Screenshot of No More Freeways Instagram post and JT Flowers comment.

When the group posted their message on Instagram, JT Flowers replied in the comments. Flowers is director of government affairs for Albina Vision Trust, the nonprofit that in many ways controls the future of the project. To be clear, Flowers was writing from his personal account (I’ve reached out to him for comment and have not yet heard back), but his candor and critique of No More Freeways raised eyebrows.

“And gut decades of Black-led work to reconnect Albina via a highway cover and reroot displaced working communities back in the heart of our city? No thanks, NMF,” Flowers wrote. “You folks are starting to veer into a politic defined by green-washed racism rather than justice, equity or true climate consciousness.”

Someone from No More Freeways replied that they are in full support of the highway covers and that there are no current plans to spend any money on them. “Our grassroots opposition has consistently focused on our concern about the doubling of the width of the freeway that adds more car traffic, air pollution and carbon emissions into the neighborhood and makes building caps significantly more expensive and difficult,” No More Freeways wrote.

To which Flowers replied:

“‘Supporting’ the highway covers actually means heeding nearly six years of combined community engagement through which thousands of community members across Oregon (many of them being Black folks whose families, like mine, were displaced by the construction of I-5) collectively pointed towards an imperfect compromise: a partial expansion of the 28th worst bottleneck in the country built alongside an 8 acre highway cover that offers true vertical development opportunity on top of the cap, reconnecting Albina in a generationally transformative way. This is a statewide transportation project, meaning that it only has legs if it can appropriately serve the many competing needs of stakeholders of differing beliefs and ideologies. As someone who is an active champion of transit and an unapologetic defender of a transit-oriented, anti-single-driver-vehicle future in our city, it is still crystal clear to me that this project is not about the expansion of the highway — it’s about the statewide politics that make a restoratively redeveloped future possible for the daughters and sons of Lower Albina. You folks cannot continuously claim to be supportive of the cover while actively undermining the community-driven compromise that made it possible in the first place.”

Based on this comment, Flowers is no longer agnostic about the freeway widening element of the project. He believes it’s better to allow ODOT to move forward adding lanes to I-5 if it means the highway covers — and the Albina Vision — can be realized, rather than risk the entire project.

As if the OTC’s decision Thursday wasn’t difficult enough.

Stay tuned for more coverage.

Video: Join me on the Cranksgiving Scavenger Hunt Ride

On Sunday I threw on a rain jacket and rolled over to Nomad Cycles at Northeast 59th and Sandy to check out the Cranksgiving Scavenger Hunt. I spent the day exploring Portland by bike to raise money for Portland Street Medicine. Along the way I discovered some new (to me) hidden roadside attractions, met some nice folks, and chatted with event organizer extraordinaire John Carter and Nomad Cycle owner Brad Davis.

Watch the video above or on the BikePortland YouTube channel.

61 businesses sign onto letter opposing bus lanes on 82nd Avenue

Lines have been clearly drawn in the debate over what type of bus service is right for 82nd Avenue. In three letters sent to TriMet today, influential politicians and high-profile advocacy groups made their positions known. At issue is the agency’s $350 million 82nd Avenue Transit Project, envisioned as a major upgrade for a key East Portland arterial that’s in dire need of a way to move people more safely and efficiently.

As BikePortland has reported, a rupture has formed between two transit options under consideration: one option would keep the central (highest traffic) segment of the street relatively unchanged from its current four-lane cross-section, and the other option would construct semi-dedicated, “Business Access and Transit” (BAT) lanes along the entire 10-mile project corridor between Clackamas County and the Columbia River. The two options are known as “Some BAT” (build semi-dedicated bus lanes only on each end of the corridor) and “More BAT” (build them on the entire corridor) respectively.

In mid-October, TriMet staff shocked many project watchers when they released a recommendation for the “Some BAT” option. Advocates who expected a big bus upgrade felt betrayed, some elected officials were caught off-guard, and even a TriMet board member voiced disagreement with the decision.

TriMet tried to do damage control, saying the recommendation was only meant to start a conversation and delaying the final decision. But it’s clear that TriMet is nervous about two elements of the “More BAT” option: a higher ($8 million) project cost increase they say could jeopardize delivery, and vehement opposition from business owners. At the project’s Policy & Budget Advisory Committee meeting on November 7th, TriMet made it clear that they won’t push for the “More BAT” option unless partner agencies bring more funding and political capital the table.

With an update on the project expected to come at a TriMet Board meeting this Wednesday, groups on both sides of this issue are making their voices heard.

A letter signed by 14 elected officials and sent to TriMet GM Sam DeSue and the agency’s Board of Directors stated that nothing short of the “More BAT” option is acceptable. “We are concerned by the news that TriMet is considering a watered-down proposal… Anything short of full BAT lanes for this corridor significantly hampers the catalytic potential to spur new housing growth, support local businesses, and greater local and regional mobility,” the letter reads. Among its signees are six Portland city councilors, four Metro councilors, and four Oregon legislators.

Another letter in support of BAT lanes was signed by leaders of 32 local nonprofit organizations. The organizations who signed onto the letter go far beyond the typical transportation groups and includes: Native American Youth and Family Center, AARP, Coalition of Communities of Color, The Grotto, African Youth and Community Organization, Vestal Elementary School, ROSE Community Development, South Tabor Neighborhood Association, and JOIN.

Throwing cold water on the BAT lane idea is a letter from Portland Metro Chamber signed by the owners of 61 businesses located along the project corridor. They say TriMet should stick with the “Some BAT” option and that if new bus lanes were created along the entire corridor, there would be a, “significant increase in traffic congestion.” They want more studies to ensure businesses would not be harmed and they believe the full BAT lane design is only a marginal upgrade that isn’t worth the extra cost and potential project delays. This business coalition fears that BAT lanes would devastate some businesses. Here’s more from the letter:

“As business owners, we are deeply worried about the loss of safe and effective access to businesses and the potential catastrophic loss to a major mode of transportation to the corridor during critical business hours. We agree that improvements to transit could lead to an increase in customers of some businesses (but not all) who choose to use this mode, but there is no existing analysis that justifies the damage of increased car congestion to existing customers’ transportation choices. Customer surveys conducted by businesses on the street have found that over 90% of current customers arrive by car. Finally, we are concerned that the proposal includes untenable bus stop locations that block driveways, prevent safe and effective access to business destinations, and cause unsafe visual obstructions to vehicles exiting business driveways.”

The Federal Transit Administration will not award the project federal funding if it scores poorly on congestion relief and adverse effects on existing businesses. This is no time to be driven by ideological rigidity given the current economic and political climate.”

These concerns echo those already made by lawyers who represent several of the businesses who signed onto the letter. Two law firms have already written TriMet detailing their objections and have threatened to sue the agency if full BAT lanes are installed.

It’s unclear whether or not TriMet will make a decision about the BAT lanes at Wednesday’s board meeting. The agency has previously said we shouldn’t expect that to happen until early next year.

Biketown and Oregon Safe Routes have opportunities for high schoolers

Are you in high school? Or do you have a high schooler in your life who’s jazzed on cycling or who understands how biking and walking can positively impact someone’s life? If so, I’ve got two interesting volunteer opportunities to consider — including one that’s actually paid!

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is seeking Biketown Youth Ambassadors. Biketown is Portland’s bike share system, a fleet of rentable bikes that has unlocked mobility for thousands of young people citywide. This PBOT program gives teens a chance to learn real-life skills while making a little money in the process.

Biketown Youth Ambassadors schedule and host in-class presentations and test-ride sessions that familiarize other young people about the system. It’s currently open only to students who 16 years or older (as of January 2026) and are enrolled at Roosevelt, McDaniel, or Parkrose high schools. Three students per school will be selected and the application deadline is December 15th. Ambassadors can make up to $320 for 20 hours of work. More information on PBOT’s website.

The Oregon Department of Transportation is also looking for high schoolers to join its Safe Routes to School High School Task Force. Safe Routes to School is a national program that gets more students biking and walking to school by building safer communities. As a task force member, students will build relationships with peers and mentors, design and lead a community project, and build leadership skills that look great on college and job applications. Oregon students enrolled in grades 9-12 are eligible. The deadline to apply is December 11th at 5:00 pm. Learn more on ODOT’s website.

It’s great to see these agencies partnering with young people. I hope some BikePortland families will get involved!

Monday Roundup: Seattle bike lane innovation, a Bullitt Landspeeder, fake parts, and more

Welcome to the week. The river of rain has arrived and I hope you got out a bit this past weekend before everything got wet.

As we approach the end of another year, please reflect on how much you use and appreciate BikePortland — and then consider becoming a paid subscriber or increasing your monthly payment. BikePortland has served this city for over 20 years with news, resources, and events. The news and information shared here — and the community of people around it — has an immense impact on policies, people, politics, and projects. It took a tremendous amount of work to build this platform and I continue to pour my heart and soul into it! We are on the cusp of another Bicycling Golden Age in Portland and I’d love to have your support as we move into the future together. Visit BikePortland.org/subscribe for all the pertinent links. Thank you.

Now let’s get you caught up on the most notable stories I came across in the past seven days. Thanks to everyone who suggested links this week.

Seattle innovation: What if old car tires could be repurposed into a better bike lane protection product that has many benefits over cast concrete curbs? That’s a question Seattle’s DOT just might answer with their new “Pretred” protectors. (Seattle Bike Blog)

The Power Broker, the movie?: It would be so very cool if the amazing, Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Power Broker, was made into a feature film. There’s a rumor that Netflix is interested. (Deadline)

Counting e-bikes: A research project counted the number of New York City bike riders are on e-bikes and the numbers are a good illustration of just who dominant a mode they’ve become — and not just for food delivery workers. (Streetsblog NYC)

SF says ‘no’ to neckdowns: Transportation officials in San Francisco have admitted that a traffic calming experiment called “neckdowns” didn’t work as intended and will be removed. The design forced car users to navigate a narrow lane in hopes it would create slower speeds and more caution — but turns out it was just confusing and maddening to use as some likened it to playing chicken. (San Francisco Standard)

Empower the people: This article is a good overview of how grassroots groups are pushing city DOTs to re-think their approach to small safety projects projects in light of how grassroots groups can shoulder much of the labor burden. (Next City)

A Bullitt Landspeeder: I love this story about how a guy in California bought a Bullitt cargo bike, turned it into a Landspeeder like the one Luke Skywalker drives in Star Wars, and has used the bike to build community around his advocacy. (Larry vs Harry blog)

Driving to Reed College: After years of progress toward lowering the number of people who drive cars to the Reed College campus in Southeast Portland, numbers from a recent survey show the school is now headed the wrong direction as the number of drivers has gone up. (The Reed College Quest)

It’s not real: Remember that if you see a price for a piece of cycling equipment from a dodgy online seller, it’s probably too good to be true. Counterfit goods from major bike brands are out there. (Bicycle Retailer & Industry News)

Even a broken clock is right twice a day: Hard to know if he’ll do anything to follow through on it, but President Donald Trump and his DOT Secretary say they’ll promote the construction of tiny cars in America. That’s a great idea! (The Hill)

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.

Yes, River View Cemetery is closed to cycling. Here’s why

People hoping to roll through the quasi-public roads in River View Cemetery on Friday were greeted with a “No Cycling Today” sign.

The good news is this is not a permanent closure (although that threat always remains!). The bad news is we can expect more random closures through December and January.

According to River View Cemetery staff that have reached out to BikePortland, various construction projects will require them to close the roads completely to cycling at certain times. At other times, there will be work zone detours that require caution. “Additionally,” the cemetery shared, “weather conditions during the winter may necessitate gate closures if we determine that the roads are unsafe for vehicle, bicycle or pedestrian traffic.”

One BikePortland reader came across the “No Cycling Today” sign at the bottom gate just west of the Sellwood Bridge today.

If you’re wondering why I’m not sharing specific dates and times of the closures, it’s because River View says they can’t provide them. They’re working with an outside contractor, so they’re not always sure when the work will happen and therefore are unable to offer any prior warnings.

In a message posted to the Lewis & Clark Law School bike commuters email group, the school’s public relations director wrote: “Please remember that we are guests when we bike and walk through the Cemetery, and that both Cemetery staff and the teams that will come in to do this project are all trying to do their jobs. Smile! Wave! Be polite! Please do not do anything that puts your safety or their safety at risk. There is enough challenge in operating heavy machinery, and we do not need to add to it.”

River View Cemetery is private property and they permit the public to use their roads because it’s a much safer and more convenient option than Taylor’s Ferry Road or other routes. The relationship between the cemetery’s board, staff, and people who use the road, has been a tenuous one for many years. The threat of losing access to these roads is always present, and we need the City of Portland, the Oregon Department of Transportation, and other government agencies in the area to work together to build a safe route through this area that doesn’t rely on a nonprofit cemetery’s largesse.

So, what should you do if you see this sign? The only feasible alternates I’m aware of are to the north. Only the strong and fearless should even attempt Taylors Ferry (or is that even rideable? I’ve never tried it), so most folks will want to find a way onto S Corbett, Barbur Blvd (OR 99W) or Terwilliger Parkway.

If River View releases a schedule for the closures, I’ll post it here and/or on social media. Please let me know what you see out there so we can help each other stay informed.

A big, BikeCraft update: Full vendor list and other fun details

“Lady” Max / Flat Tire Creations

Nando Collazo / Chronic Carry

Misia Pitkin / Double Darn

Gigi Lascurettes / Gigi’s Handy Work / Helmuffs

Shawn Granton / Urban Adventure League

Richelle / UpTassels

Spencer Hawkes / Nomad Patches

Joe Perez / BikeLoud PDX

Andrew Shaw-Kitch / Bikes for Humanity PDX

Tamara Goldsmith, Lindsey Konopka, and Kathie Wise / Stained Glass Artists

Eric Ivy / Squid Prints

Mike Young / Black Stone Stitchworks

Iris / Reflective Society

Ryde Safe

Shift

PBOT Director traveled to Saudi Arabia for a conference

Albina Vision Trust rescues I-5 Rose Quarter project. Again.

Raymond Lee confirmed as Portland’s city administrator

The ultimate holiday lights bike ride is just south of Portland

A bit about Raymond Lee and the city he used to lead

Advocates spar ahead of pivotal Rose Quarter project vote

Video: Join me on the Cranksgiving Scavenger Hunt Ride

61 businesses sign onto letter opposing bus lanes on 82nd Avenue

Biketown and Oregon Safe Routes have opportunities for high schoolers

Monday Roundup: Seattle bike lane innovation, a Bullitt Landspeeder, fake parts, and more

Yes, River View Cemetery is closed to cycling. Here’s why

Latest Headlines

A big, BikeCraft update: Full vendor list and other fun details

PBOT Director traveled to Saudi Arabia for a conference

Albina Vision Trust rescues I-5 Rose Quarter project. Again.

Raymond Lee confirmed as Portland’s city administrator

From the Archives

Portland’s invisible machine: Behind the scenes at the World Naked Bike Ride