A trail near Boiler Bay on the Oregon Coast. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
A law that was created to shield land managers and property owners from liability claims is under fire and public trail access — including bike trails — across Oregon could be in jeopardy. That’s the state-of-play due to a decision in July 2023 by the Oregon Court of Appeals in a case that hinged on the legal concept of, “recreational immunity.”
Oregon’s recreational immunity law (ORS 105.682) states, “an owner of land is not liable in contract or tort for any personal injury, death or property damage that arises out of the use of the land for recreational purposes.” The idea behind this law is to encourage landowners (government entities or private companies/individuals) to keep trails open to the public without fear of being sued if someone is hurt using them.
Challenges to this law have happened before, but one if its biggest tests yet began when a woman slipped on a trail and broke her leg while walking near Agate Beach on the Oregon Coast in 2019 and sued the City of Newport for damages, saying the law shouldn’t apply because she wasn’t recreating at the time of her fall. Nicole Fields claimed the city was negligent because they failed to maintain a footbridge on a trail that led to the beach. Her lawyers argued their client was using the trail as an access route to her recreation — and was not technically recreating — when she fell. A local judge didn’t accept that argument and ruled in favor of the City of Newport. But last summer, the decision was reversed by the Court of Appeals. When the Oregon Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal to the case in October, it raised questions about how to apply this important law.
Some cities and land managers are confused and worried that they will no longer be shielded from lawsuits if they keep trails open. According to the Salem Statesman Journal, several coastal cities have already closed trails and paused trail projects already. The Journal also reports that some legal experts feel closures are an overreaction, spurred by insurance industry scare tactics.
While the issue is debated and everyone waits for clarity from the Oregon Legislature, trail advocates are not sitting on their hands.
The Oregon Trails Coalition, a statewide nonprofit, sent an action alert to members last month that warned, “Oregon’s trails are under threat!” The organization’s top priority for the 2024 short session is to seek a legislative fix. “Oregon Trails Coalition is helping… to bring attention to the issue and encourage lawmakers to Protect Oregon Recreation by restoring recreational immunity in Oregon with new language that provides clear protections for land managers that open their lands to the public,” reads an OTC blog post published December 15th.
Observers say a fix to the law is imminent in the 2024 session that begins Monday, February 5th. If a bill is introduced, stay tuned for opportunities to testify. You can also make plans to join OTC and other advocates at their Trails Day at the Oregon Capitol event on February 12th.
After several days holed up at home and frozen, the thought of biking through the city with friends, gazing at creative light displays, and being entertained by people holding fire sounds mighty fine right about now.
If that sounds cool, you’ll be happy to know that the program for the annual Portland Winter Light Festival (PDXWLF) was announced today. What is PDXWLF? The nonprofit Willamette Light Brigade, the organization that hosts the event, puts it like this:
“PDXWLF brings art, technology, and inclusivity together, invigorating Portland in the winter. With free admission, the festival fosters community and showcases captivating light installations, projections, and interactive displays, creating an immersive experience for all attendees.”
The event is a collection of over 200 illuminated art displays throughout the city — and a bicycle is the best way to see them all! In fact, cycling is such a good match for this festival that organizers have released seven routes curated specifically for riders, put together by ride leader and BikePortland contributor Tom Howe.
The seven bike-friendly routes that take you to illuminated art installations. Get links to maps on RideWithGPS here.
And because many folks prefer to illuminate their bicycles as a way to connect with the event, there’s an event before the festival opens to help get you and your bike ready.
This year, the Light Your Bike event is one of several official pre-festival workshops. Show up to Lloyd Center on Saturday, January 27th, to sparkle-up your rig and get it tuned up to make sure you can enjoy as many installations as possible. Expert illuminologists will be on hand to help and a limited number of lights will be available on a pay-what-you-can basis. Learn more about the event on Facebook.
The fest begins February 2nd and runs through February 10th. Watch our Weekend Event Guide and social channels for upcoming ride details and check out PDXWLF.com to plan your attack.
Slide shown by PBOT right-of-way manager at City Council this morning.
“This will increase the walkability of the Central City Plan District and decrease the need for auto-oriented transportation.”
Mingus Mapps, PBOT commissioner
Portland City Council voted unanimously at their meeting this morning to green light a new pilot program that will bring more mobile food trucks to the the central city. The program is expected to help revitalize downtown, the Lloyd, and the Central Eastside, by allowing food truck operators to park adjacent to sidewalks and do business in the public right-of-way — a practice current city code prohibits.
The program will be operated by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) as an expansion of their Healthy Business permit program that was launched during the pandemic as a way to help businesses expand operations into the street. That program also began as a pilot and was recently made permanent.
The ordinance means PBOT receives a nearly two-year waiver from having to comply with existing city code 14A.50.040 which states, “It shall be unlawful for any person to sell or attempt to sell any merchandise or services in or upon any sidewalk, street, alley, lane, public right of way, or under any bridgeway or viaduct within the Central City Plan District.”
Hopefully, flexibility in vending rules on transportation right-of-way will lead to a similar shift in Parks-owned properties like Waterfront Park which is currently a dead zone just waiting for food and drink vendors. (Left photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
At council today, PBOT Commissioner Mingus Mapps said the pilot program will, “Increase the walkability of the Central City Plan District and decrease the need for auto-oriented transportation.” Mapps lined up supportive testimony from leaders in the local food cart and mobile food scene, as well as a representative of a major downtown property owner who has used food trucks to lure workers back to offices.
I was very happy when Commissioner Rene Gonzalez asked a question about how this program might influence Portland Parks & Recreation to allow carts on their properties. The lack of vendors in Portland’s parks has long been a thorn in the side of urbanists and anyone who understands how to create dynamic public spaces. PBOT right-of-way specialist David McEldowney told Gonzalez he’s already spoken to a high-level Parks staffer about it: “The vibe I got from him was that Parks staff really don’t want the food trucks in the park. So if they could come next to the park and vend in there, that was much more exciting for them… So, we’re looking forward to having a great relationship with Parks on this.”
And Mapps Policy Advisor Jackson Pahl added, “If Parks does want to come forward and partner with PBOT on activating streets along their parks, we are ready, willing, able and very, very excited to activate both public and private property.”
A stronger partnership between PBOT and Parks on activating public spaces (or on anything for that matter!) would reap huge benefits for our city, so this back-and-forth was great to hear.
The only concern fielded during discussion of this agenda item at the council meeting came from Commissioner Dan Ryan. Calling it a “good problem” to have, he said when downtown is busy again and there’s a lot of foot traffic and demand, some business owners might not like the idea of losing parking spaces. “Imagine the day when there is a lot of traffic… and the food truck is taking up a couple parking spaces and… you hear from small brick-and-mortar tenants downtown they want to have readily available parking… how we will be flexible when we want to do all we can for our small businesses?”
PBOT’s McEldowney responded by pointing out that the current pilot program will only allow one food truck per activation. “So that’s only two parking spaces off any one blockface within several blocks of each other. So as far as taking up existing parking this won’t have a big impact there.”
In comments before voting, Parks Commissioner (and mayoral candidate) Carmen Rubio didn’t say anything about vendors in Parks; but with the pilot ending after Rubio, Ryan, and the rest of current Council are no longer in their positions, there will be an excellent opportunity to expand the program in 2026 if it’s successful.
In comments before sharing his “yes” vote, Mayor Wheeler rattled off a list of positive trends he sees in downtown’s resurgence, then added. “I saw a great quote the other day in The Atlantic from a city designer in San Francisco who said, ‘If people don’t have to be in the Central City, what you need to do is make them want to be in the central city’.”
The code waiver goes into effect immediately and PBOT has until end of calendar year 2025 to run the program. Read the ordinance here.
Jason’s bike in a photo taken on the Smith and Bybee path, April 2023. (Right) Jason and his dog, Eddie Spaghetti. (Photos via Jason’s Facebook page)
Four months after 43-year-old Rose City Park neighborhood resident Jason Ruhmshottel was killed in a traffic collision, his family is still searching for closure and answers.
According to his sister, Christina Cuanalo, Jason spent his free time playing video games, collecting Funko Pops, and reading. He loved 80’s horror villains such as Freddy Kruger and his favorite author was Stephen King. He ate healthy, but had a weakness for See’s Candy and ice cream. He loved coffee and would rave about a new ground he tried.
Jason lived in Portland his entire life. He attended Jefferson High School and moved to an apartment near NE 53rd and I-84 in 2016. With a degree in Criminal Justice from Portland Community College, Ruhmshottel worked for the Transportation Security Administration at the Portland Airport before switching jobs in to work as a security officer at the Columbia Sportswear warehouse off of North Marine Drive.
Estimated view of driver on N Portland Rd. Jason was coming from the right.Looking northwest at the collision point with bike path on the left.
Jason worked the graveyard shift at the warehouse, which is located adjacent to the Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area. When he began that job, he commuted via TriMet bus and walking — a journey Google Maps says takes one hour and 37 minutes. But four years ago, a close family friend gave Jason a bicycle and he began to ride it every day.
Jason could get to work by bike about 30 minutes quicker than taking the bus on a route familiar to many BikePortland readers: the Columbia Slough path between North Vancouver Avenue and Portland Road, then the final two miles along the path that skirts the northern edge of Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area.
“Jason found he enjoyed biking a lot,” Cuanalo shared in an email to BikePortland. “He loved the Smith Bybee trail and often took pics and shared dog treats to passing dogs on the trail.“
Like many of us, Jason’s bike soon became more than just a tool to get to work. “He began adding lighting and features to it, and he bought a manual and did all his repairs himself,” Cuanalo recalled. “He was proud of his bike and told family and many coworkers how much he enjoyed biking.”
Photos on Jason’s Facebook page feature his bike (beaming with lights laced into his spokes) parked on the trail and his main header photo is a view of the wetlands. I could pinpoint the location instantly since I’ve spent many days staring into the trees at the exact same spot.
I also know the the intersection where Jason was hit; but probably not as well as he did. He would have crossed it twice a day to get to work and back.
On that fateful Thursday morning of September 19th, Jason was biking home after a long graveyard shift. It was about one hour before sunrise when, according to an investigation by the Portland Police Bureau, Jason rolled out from the carfree path onto North Portland Road, just as a driver was heading southbound at around 45 mph.
Jason came in contact with the passenger side of the driver’s car (a 2012 Mazda CX7 small SUV) and likely died instantly. A Portland Police officer who responded to the scene, noted in the police report that he saw a, “small, crescent-shaped tire mark that, based on my training and experience, had been deposited by the front tire of Ruhmshottel’s bicycle.”
Jason’s bike was found 85 feet away. The front wheel and forks were completely sheared off.
It’s the conclusion of the PPB crash reconstruction experts that the Mazda driver could not have done anything to avoid hitting Jason. They based that on testimony from the driver and another witness who was driving a car directly behind the Mazda. They say the driver wasn’t impaired or distracted, and that he was driving around 45-50 mph (posted speed limit is 45).
The driver told PPB officers that Jason emerged from the bike path, “Out of nowhere and without warning.” The police report notes that, “The multi-use path has streetlights but they are not functioning. This makes it very difficult to see pedestrians and cyclists as they approach the roadway from the northwest.” The report also notes that, “The cyclist was dressed in mostly black clothing, accessories, and riding a mostly black bike.”
Below is an excerpt from the conclusion of the police investigation:
… Ruhmshottel entered the roadway in front of him there was not enough time and distance for [the driver] to avoid a collision.
According to the Oregon Bicycling Manual, when riding on paths, you should “slow down and be sure drivers see you” when crossing a driveway or street. If Ruhmshottel had adhered to these state recommended guidelines and adhered to ORS I believe this crash could have been avoided.
I find the primary causation of this crash is Ruhmshottel failing to yield to vehicular traffic on N Portland Rd and riding out into traffic. I find a secondary causation to this crash is visibility issues related to lightning and Ruhmshottel’s clothing not contrasting with the background.
That version of events doesn’t seem plausible to Jason’s sister.
“I do not believe my brother would run out in front of traffic,” Cuanalo shared. “This is not who he was.” She said Jason’s co-workers have told her he would always talk about how fast people drove on streets in the area and that he was aware of the risks of riding at night. Now she’s seeking legal advice and is working with BikeLoud PDX to erect a ghost bike to add to the framed picture and flowers she’s maintained at the site since her brother’s death.
Jason is survived by his beloved dog, “Eddie Spaghetti,” as well as his mom Jill Ruhmshottel, nephew Jordan, nieces Michelle, Melissa and Mindy, and his best friend Richard Bigelow (among other distant relatives).See more photos and remembrances at his memorial page.
A bike bus crosses Calle Cesar Chavez in Portland. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
A university based in Barcelona, Spain has released the first-ever report on bike bus efforts around the globe.
The report, from the City Lab Barcelona research group at Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), summarizes key findings from interviews with 22 bike bus leaders in eight countries.
Bike buses took off in 2021 when a Barcelona effort went viral online. But, according to this new report, the organized bike bus took place in Brecht, Belgium in 1998. “Today, Bike Bus has evolved from a set of isolated initiatives into a global movement that aspires to influence city policy and participate in the global conversation about building child-friendly cities.”
Timeline graphic from the report.
The takeaway I found most notable is that for most bike bus leaders, riding bikes to school together is just the vehicle that allows them to push for larger, more systemic changes to the transportation and road safety system. 94% of the 145 survey respondents said the bike bus is a form of activism. This tracks with sentiments we often hear from new parents, who become radicalized around bike activism after riding on streets with their kids and experiencing first-hand how stressful it can be.
The survey also found that without riding together as a group, just 10% of survey respondents said they’d feel safe biking to school because of inadequate infrastructure. That figure might also explain why 37% of bike bus participants are parents who ride with their kids.
On a related note, the survey found that the average age of bike bus riders is 8 years old, that the average size is 17 (10 children, seven adults), and the typical route is less than two miles.
While researchers counted over 470 bike buses worldwide that transport approximately 32,000 children to school per week (numbers that are likely even higher), they also noted red flags in the long-term viability of the movement. Currently the efforts are organized and funded by individual leaders (like parents and teachers). That’s enough to start and build a bike bus, but if they are to become institutionalized parts of school transportation, they must find more stable funding and organizational capacity.
That last finding validates the successful passage of statewide legislation in Oregon last year that will help enshrine government support. On the flip side, more government support — and the political strings attached to it — might reduce advocacy potential. One way to balance things out, researchers found, is to make sure parents and cycling activist groups stay involved.
Readers Emily (left) Bradley (center) and Josh are making the most of the snow.
How are you doing with this wild weather?
What started as a dusting of snow, high winds, and record-setting cold temps Saturday has turned into a major weather event in Portland. There have been several deaths, lots of damaged property, school and business closures, and thousands are still without power. Folks who rely on TriMet have had a rough go as closures of the light rail system have wreaked havoc on some commutes.
As I type this Tuesday morning a possible ice storm is due to bear down on our city before the day is done.
I’ve seen many posts of people bicycling and most roads are relatively rideable; but I haven’t been out much since Sunday morning. The photos I’ve seen of Mt. Tabor are heartbreaking! So many beautiful trees are gone, but even worse is the destruction of the big, covered picnic area near the start/finish of the Mt. Tabor series races.
If the rain and ice comes today, I’d strongly advise against riding anywhere until things warm up Wednesday morning. Right now, protected bike lanes are almost impassable unless you have a fat bike or some other snow-specific rig. On major streets, only the lanes shared with car drivers are safe, so take caution if you use them.
I’m not sure if we’ll have Bike Happy Hour Wednesday (1/17), but I’ll let you know via @BikePortland on Instagram and on X tomorrow morning.
I hope everyone is staying safe and warm.
What are conditions like where you are? Have you ridden much? If so, what was your experience?
Nothing stings like satire. Writing in response to our StreetsPDX and southest Portland’s sidewalk problem post, “Young SW Advocate-in-Training” brought some comic relief, and maybe even thrust a dagger or two into the heart of some zombie tropes about southwest that just won’t die. In training as an advocate? I’d say sitting on the knee of Jonathan Swift.
Here’s what Young SW Advocate-in-Training had to say:
As a parent and a resident of SW Portland, I was heartened to read about PBOT’s new Safer In Cars Initiative. Formerly the Safe Streets Initiative, this new direction will be better aligned with our existing infrastructure, our current transportation investments, and our society’s values.
Let’s face it, in SW Portland, it’s not safe to have your children walk or bike anywhere. Our kids belong in the back seat of our car. The benefits are immense. First, driving in a car is a much healthier option than walking or biking once you consider SW Portland’s lack of sidewalks and the inertial difference between a four-year old and an Amazon delivery truck. Second, sidewalk infill projects that encourage active transportation are not good for the environment due to the negative impacts of increased storm water. Third, the future is digital, getting kids outside could mean an awkward face to face social interaction. This only slows their progress in developing digital relationships from the safety of their own homes (or back seats of our cars!). And finally, reducing or altogether eliminating sidewalk infill projects can help bridge the $500M funding gap for critical and more beneficial projects like the I-5 Rose Quarter project so we can get people back to their Southwest Washington tax havens 5 minutes quicker.
Our children are our future. Let’s invest in them. We don’t even have to teach them. They learn directly from us through the examples that we set. We can do this! /s
Thank you Young Advocate, and also you deep divers in the rest of the thread. Where else on internet can you have a relatively civil discussion about land use and transportation?
Here are the most notable stories our community came across in the past seven days…
This week’s must-read: Just about everything you need to know about the current state of dysfunction in America’s traffic culture is included in this stellar article. Now, if only everyone who read it would change their behavior and/or tell others they should — we might actually make the situation a bit better! (NY Times)
MLK’s transportation dream: “His advocacy extended to various forms of transportation from buses to trains and his speeches and interviews helped to raise awareness of how transportation equity was a substantial part of the civil rights movement.” (Forbes)
Safety crumbs: In a bid to prevent doorings, automaker Ford is set to release a feature on its Mustangs that will warn drivers via audio and visual cues when someone is approaching from behind. (Momentum)
SF’s bike lane battle: I feel for San Francisco’s bike advocates, who’ve been forced to be both defenders and detractors of an innovative bike lane design on a very high-profile street. (SF Chronicle)
Tolling costs: The latest blow to ODOT’s efforts to start a tolling program to pay for expensive freeway expansion megaprojects is that the administrative cost to implement them is much higher than some expected. (Clark County Today)
Banning cars FTW: In Paris, more and more people are discovering that, “Getting people out of their cars and traveling by foot or bicycle has drastically changed daily life for the better.” (The Cooldown)
Promise of AI: It’s only a matter of time before cities begin to integrate AI-powered tools into transportation planning and engineering and California looks like they’re ready to lead the charge. (CBS News)
Affordable living: How is it that Vienna, the world’s “most livable city”, has so many truly affordable housing units smack-dab in its urban core? Because the city owns the buildings and the land. (The Guardian)
Eva Frazier and I are back with another episode of “In The Shed.” This episode was recorded earlier today in the BikePortland Shed, as snowflakes fell from the sky a few blocks from Peninsula Park in north Portland.
As per usual, Eva and I had a fun chat about a wide range of stuff:
How to say my last name (Maus, like paws but with an “m”)
Thanks to Brock Dittus of Sprocket Podcast fame for our fantastic theme music. Listen in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening!
Man walks dog on an unimproved shoulder of SW Sunset Blvd (Photo: Lisa Caballero/BikePortland)
In Wednesday’s StreetsPDX post, I covered the features of its new website, its flow, tools, and the information about city code and policies it brings together in one location. StreetsPDX project manager Mathew Berkow presented the project last month to the transportation committee of southwest Portland’s soon-to-be-defunct coalition of neighborhood associations, SWNI (Southwest Neighborhoods Inc).
Today, I want to follow up on that post and share a bit of the conversation that happened after Berkow’s presentation, between Kurt Kruger, Portland’s new public works permitting czar, and a few experienced transportation advocates. Kruger’s group decides what public works, like sidewalks or bike lanes, the city will require a new development to build in the right-of-way.
Why is this exchange important? Because it got to the heart of what I’m hearing from every transportation advocate in the region, including most BikePortland commenters. Folks do not want same ol’ same ol’. The status quo is not acceptable. And the SWNI committee was no different, it seemed like they were expecting something more or different from StreetsPDX.
Source: PBOT 12/18/2023 presentation to SWNI transportation committee.Source: PBOT 12/18/2023 presentation to SWNI transportation committee.
One participant asked, “I know that your goal is to create this comprehensive thing that makes decision-making clear and transparent for people. But, what’s the larger goal, is the larger goal to make the city better? Is there not a larger goal?”
Another participant, Don Baack, began with colorful language, mentioned “punching the card,” and ended with, “it is totally disgusting that we can’t figure out reasonable ways to solve problems that are very clear to most people on the ground.”
Keep in mind that the goal of StreetsPDX is to make a decision framework for how to allocate space in the right-of-way. And that’s good, it’s needed. But basically, it’s a guide to the inside of the box — way-finding for today’s status quo. Southwest’s problem is that it always ends up on the “How to deviate from standard improvements” pathway, which inevitably leads to shoulder widening, and pedestrians walking in the street protected by a stripe of white paint (see photos above and below). And also with the most incomplete bike network in the city.
Several minutes into the tense discussion between the transportation committee and Kruger, Marianne Fitzgerald asked a question which pivoted the conversation, and I heard something new from Kurt Kruger, for me at least. A glimmer of a suggestion of a way forward, at least in southwest Portland, and maybe in some other locations too. Here’s the exchange:
Woman walks a dog on the recently paved shoulder on SW Gibbs Street (Photos: Lisa Caballero/BikePortland)
Fitzgerald, neighborhood advocate:
How can we help you work together to try to dream about how to get there, do as much as we can to hold developers accountable for the infill … How can we work together for the designs, the dream, and then push for funding to get the network built?
Kruger, City of Portland:
I appreciate that Marianne, I’ll say that I probably got uninvited to town center [West Portland Town Center] meetings because I kept saying, ‘Please don’t give us the same lack of tools that go with the up-zoning of the town center.’ Because I don’t want to be having this conversation with Marianne, or Marianne’s kids, or grandkids — however long I keep working here — because the tools are not effective, they are not delivering solutions. And it’s a tough nut to crack.
So I’m going to suggest: please keep advocating. If the advocation is, ‘prioritize the top five streets in SWNI’s umbrella’ — [then] really we need street plans, we need to land where those improvements should be, what they should look like. And it has to be sort of granular, it needs to recognize certain pieces.
Multnomah Blvd, for example, is going through Multnomah Village. That’s a different construct than it is near the post office. And so a street plan would take in all those different pieces as a roadway travels through different topographies and watersheds.
And so, having a contextual street design gives us that tool that we can point to with a developer. And why do I say keep advocating? Because every advocate out there, you’ve got an equally, if not louder, voice than a developer in city council’s ear advocating for their piece. And they are not mutually aligned. I’ll just say it that way.
That was the first time I heard Kruger mention corridor-length plans. Mind you, they would just be required frontage improvements for future development, and thus decades away from delivering a complete pedestrian or bike network, if ever. But still, it was a faint light at the end of the tunnel, and the only time I have heard any city official acknowledge that there is a growing problem in the southwest that is going completely unaddressed.
Let me parse Kruger’s comment a little: Currently, development review looks at required frontage improvements in a piecemeal way, one development at a time. This is a lousy way to get a sidewalk or bike network built.
Much of the planned West Portland Town Center (WPTC) area, like the rest of southwest Portland, doesn’t have formal stormwater facilities so runoff water drains to streams. Because the city has no money to build stormwater facilities, and they don’t feel they can legally make developers build the stormwater system that runoff from a sidewalk requires, the city planned for a two-phased development of the Town Center. The first phase up-zones properties that already have adequate stormwater infrastructure in anticipation of a second phase, in which there is somehow capital to build stormwater facilities for the remaining properties.
This is the same build-and-hope approach that has landed southwest Portland the infamous distinction of having the worst sidewalk coverage in the city.
When Kruger says that “contextual street design” gives him a tool “with a developer,” he is referring to the legal requirement that a city proportionately, appropriately and consistently apply its frontage requirements. (Known as Nollan/Dolan jurisprudence, the U.S. Supreme Court imposed limits on how and how much a government could exact from a developer for public works.) A pre-existing corridor-length plan allows the city to justify a frontage exaction as being consistently required of all developments, thus shielding it from developer claims of unfairness and consequent lawsuits.
And that’s a peek at the insider baseball of land use and transportation. Kruger’s answer wasn’t a home run, but it seemed like a step in the right direction. And it is a good idea to periodically touch base with what Kruger is thinking.
Brentwood-Darlington resident Meesa Long lobbied for this project at Metro in 2016. (Photo: Metro)
Maria Schur loves the Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood just fine the way it is; but even she was excited last week when the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) announced they’d finally break ground on a project that’s been eight years in the making.
“I’m biased. I think it’s a very special neighborhood. That’s maybe because I’ve lived here for 20 years,” Schur shared in a phone call Thursday. “But yes, I’m thrilled.”
Schur said walking to the store on SE Flavel and having to choose between mud and overgrown blackberries, or the street, makes the area feel like “The wild west… err, the wild south!”
The Brentwood-Darlington Multimodal Improvements project will spend $7.8 million ($4.6 from a federal grant awarded by Metro in 2017 and $3.2 from local Transportation System Development Charge funds) to fill gaps in sidewalks on both sides of SE Duke and SE Flavel streets between 52nd and 82nd avenues. The project will also build a new neighborhood greenway on SE Knapp and SE Ogden between 52nd and 87th, including a new signalized crossing of SE 82nd Avenue at SE Knapp and an enhanced crossing of 72nd Avenue at SE Ogden. According to a PBOT map of improvements coming to this neighborhood on Portland’s southern border that’s cradled by the Springwater Corridor path, a total of nine new crosswalks will complement the new greenway and sidewalks.
Lesley McKinley, Chelsea Powers, and Meesa Long receiving a Weston Award from Oregon Walks in 2017. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
The $7 million map.
When a group of women — led by Lesley McKinley, Chelsea Powers, and Meesa Long (above) — stood up in 2016 to demand their neighborhood get the investment it deserves, I recall being shocked at the map they circulated. The map listed all sidewalks with red lines in a section of Portland’s southeast quadrant, and there was one striking, red-free rectangle. “That rectangle is Brentwood-Darlington, we are lacking in infrastructure,” Long said during a 2016 public hearing at Metro.
For the city’s part, the neighborhood wasn’t annexed into Portland until 1986, so several of the streets remain unpaved and the sidewalk network is a “complete hodge-podge” (to use Schur’s term). Because PBOT relies on developers to build new sidewalks with new houses; one house will have one, but the house next door will not (see photo below).
But for folks who live in the area, thirty years was long enough to wait for basic infrastructure. And when Long and her fellow activists came along, their persuasive testimonies earned the neighborhood a multi-million dollar federal grant, and was recognized with an advocacy award from Oregon Walks in 2017.
SE Flavel and 60th, where there’s no sidewalk right next to a neighborhood market.No sidewalk right outside Whitman Elementary School on SE Flavel near 72nd.New house, new sidewalk. Old house, no sidewalk.PBOT mapNew crossing here will be a game-changer!
It has taken seven years to break ground in part because the City of Portland had to acquire property rights to build some of the sidewalks. Now they’re ready to get started.
For Schur, who leads “Hill Killer” rides in the neighborhood and is planning an alley-cat race this summer to share its charms, one of the most exciting parts of the project is the planned crossing of SE 82nd between Knapp and Ogden. It’s an offset intersection that requires bike riders to cross five lanes of high-speed traffic on an state-managed orphan highway.
“The scary part of that you have to play Frogger [to get across 82nd], which is nowhere near as fun as the video game version,” says Schur. “It’s just it’s too many lanes of traffic, and you end up waiting for a long time.”
At least we don’t have to wait longer for changes to finally arrive. PBOT says work is expected to start in the next month or two, and will continue through 2024.
Intercity Transit’s Walk N Roll education program improves transportation access, increases independence, and inspires a healthy lifestyle through activities that encourage Thurston County residents to walk, bike, roll and ride public transit for transportation. We are currently recruiting a Bicycle Mechanic Educator to serve as a Walk N Roll Program Representative. They will oversee the operations of the Walk N Roll educational bike shop, provide bike mechanic education and oversee the repair and maintenance of bicycles that support Walk N Roll’s bike education programs.
If you have:
• Ability to lead and educate others.
• Ability to create a welcoming community space for people of all races, ages, genders, abilities, and backgrounds.
• Basic skills in bicycle mechanics.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities effectively and work independently.
• High level of personal accountability for the quality, safety, and impact of your work.
• Proven ability to work in a collaborative environment and complete projects within a team.
Then this position is for you!
Intercity Transit is looking for a Walk N Roll Program Representative to oversee all operations related to the Walk N Roll educational bike shop. They will be responsible for implementing bicycle mechanics education, programs, classes, and activities. We are looking for someone to expand our bike shop education programs while creating an inclusive community space. The Walk N Roll Program Representative will also serve as Intercity Transit’s Employee Transportation Coordinator overseeing the agencies Commute Trip Reduction program.
It’s an exciting time to join IT!
Build a career you enjoy, in an agency that is a nationally recognized urban transit system with diverse services and strong community support. Intercity Transit provides fixed route transit, ADA paratransit and vanpool services in Washington state’s capitol city of Olympia in addition to the neighboring communities of Lacey, Tumwater, and Yelm. This is an exciting time with great opportunities, and we invite you to join us in our mission to provide and promote transportation choices that support an accessible, sustainable, livable, healthy and prosperous community.
As a Walk N Roll Program Representative, you will:
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the Walk N Roll educational bike shop. Responsible for creating and maintaining a safe, organized, and inclusive educational space. Monitor inventory and order bicycle parts and tools.
• Implement and maintain systems for the retrieval, storage, and repair of donated and fleet bikes. Ensure program bikes are properly repaired and in safe riding condition.
• Coordinate, promote and implement bike shop educational activities, events, and classes. Including the development of curriculum and bike mechanic and maintenance instruction and training to youth and adults.
• Handle the waste stream for unsalvageable bikes and bike parts. Including bike part salvaging, recycling and disposal.
• Oversee bike shop volunteer program including the recruitment, training, and tracking of bike shop volunteers. Provide technical oversight for bicycle repair during volunteer events.
• Coordinate, promote and implement the community bike shop program. Provide technical oversight for bicycle repair during community bike shop events.
• Support other Walk N Roll bike, pedestrian, and transit education, activities, outreach, events, and classes.
• Collaborate with other Walk N Roll staff and volunteers, Bicycle Community Challenge Representative, and marketing staff.
• Serve as Intercity Transit’s Employee Transportation Coordinator overseeing the Commute Trip Reduction Program (CTR). Facilitate committee meetings; prepare agendas, minutes, and supporting documents. Track data, create reports, attend networking sessions, and send communications to Intercity Transit employees about the CTR program.
• Support other marketing and communication activities. Provides administrative support to the WNR program.
• Performs other duties of a similar nature or level.
Are you the one we are looking for?
• Associates degree or a specialized certificate training in education, bicycle mechanics, bicycle riding safety, or other related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job.
• Experience with leading adult and/or youth education.
• Experience with bicycle repair is desired (will provide professional and on the job training)
• Experience leading volunteer recruitment and coordination is desired.
• Ability to get a Washington State driver’s license by the date of hire and be willing to submit to a criminal background investigation, the results of which must meet the agency’s hiring criteria.
• Safe, legal, and competent bicycling skills.
• Ability to work with people of all ages, races, genders, abilities, and backgrounds.
• Willing to learn how to safely operate program van and trailer.
• Computers, basic desktop publishing, database and/or spreadsheet design; modern office procedures, methods, and equipment.
• Ability to work Tuesday-Saturday schedule with consistent evening hours.
What’s in it for you?
• Receive a competitive salary of $30.47 – $41.17 an hour in addition to annual general wage/cost of living adjustments typically received in January and step increases in July (if not at top of salary range).
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and eligible dependents.
• PERS Retirement Plans (through Washington State Public Employee’s Retirement System) along with voluntary deferred compensation plans (401k and 457) with employer match up to 6.2%.
• 12 to 25 vacation days per year depending upon date of eligibility and length of service.
• 12 days of sick leave per year depending upon date of eligibility.
• Up to 48 hours of floating holiday time.
How to Apply
Ready to jump on board?
We would love for you to apply! Please submit a complete electronic application online at www.intercitytransit.com/employment. Your application package must include a letter of interest and resume that clearly explains how you meet the qualifications of the position. Be advised, we will not consider incomplete applications. Intercity Transit’s preferred method of communication is via email, so an accurate and active email address is essential.
Completed applications must be received by 5:00pm on Monday, February 5, 2024.
Intercity Transit is an equal employment opportunity employer and strives to provide a culturally diverse workforce. We also take pride in being a drug free workplace. Note that Intercity Transit is subject to requirements of the Federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and CFR Part 40 & Part 655, which prohibit the use of marijuana at any time while employed by Intercity Transit.
