Hales picks interim PBOT director: “Street maintenance is his first priority”

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
Gravel, leaves in bike lane-4

Speaking of maintenance.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Mayor Charlie Hales has picked Toby Widmer to be his interim director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT). Hales asked current PBOT Director Tom Miller to resign his position effective February 4th. In a statement today, Hales said Widmer will serve in the position for six months while a national search for a new director is completed.

Widmer, 61, is a former City staffer. He served as director of the Bureau of Maintenance (which is what PBOT used to be called) prior to retiring from service in 2002. Hales is touting the pick as another sign that he’s making street maintenance his main focus. Here’s more from Hales’ official statement:

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black cannondale

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Brand: cannondale
Color:black
Size:58 or 60 cm
Photo: http://i.imgur.com/x5LUH.jpg
Stolen in Nopo, OR
Stolen:2013-01-16
Stolen From: goodwill on lombard
Neighborhood: nopo/st johns
Owner: nick K
OwnerEmail: projectrathouse( atsign )hotmail.com
Reward: sure
Description: black cannondale aluminum frame with stickers, one say “dont do it” another say “defector”. purple aluminum fork. flipped and chopped handlebars with lime green tape. mismatched pedals and crankarms. shimano brakes and deraileur. it has 2 front cogs but no front deraileur. looks slightly different from picture
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

PBOT’s effort to cut budget could hit street lights, streetcar

Outgoing PBOT Director Tom Miller led a meeting
of his budget advisory committee on Tuesday.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

When members of the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Budget Advisory Committee settled into their fourth and final meeting on Tuesday, they got some grim news. On top of the $4.5 million in ongoing cuts the bureau was initially told they needed to make, PBOT Director Tom Miller announced they needed to identify an another 10% — or $784,000 — in cuts. The way I understand it, Mayor Charlie Hales has asked for each bureau to come up with this 10% cut so that he can ultimately decide what stays and what goes.

The tricky thing for PBOT is that after years budget shrinkage, they have very little fat left to cut. Committee member and east Portland advocate Dave Hampsten put it this way: “We’ve gotten to the point where every cut is a core function.”

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black cannondale

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Brand: cannondale
Color:black
Size:54
Stolen in 97211, OR
Stolen:2013-01-17
Stolen From: goodwill on lombard
Neighborhood: north portland
Owner: nick k
OwnerEmail: projectrathouse(A T)hotmail.com
Reward: sure
Description: black connondale oversized aluminum frame, purple aluminum fork, mismatched pedals and crank arms, has 2 fromt cogs but no deraileur, shimano breaks
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Sam Adams as leader of City Club: Good news for bicycling?

Adams sticking around policy debates.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Former mayor Sam Adams hasn’t taken much of a vacation after his four tumultuous years leading the city. Today the City Club of Portland named Adams their new executive director. He starts next week.

If you feel (as I do) that Sam Adams understands (and cares about) the issue of transportation — and specifically the role bicycles should play in a healthy transportation network — than this should be seen as good news.

City Club of Portland is a non-profit, member-supported organization that works to promote civic literacy (their motto is, “Good citizens are the riches of the city”). Governors and members of Congress speak at their “Friday Forums” luncheons, which are held in a large ballroom of a stuffy downtown hotel. By way of their history and membership base, City Club has significant political heft and respect among electeds and policymakers. They use that respect to elevate and take positions on important issues through the publication of policy and research papers.

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‘Bike-friendly’ is main selling point at Milano apartments

Milano apartments grand opening-6

Architect Murray Jenkins (L), Metro Councilor
Carlotta Collette, and real estate developers Phil
Morford and Konstantin Klebleev cut the ribbon
on the new Milano apartments today.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The ribbon was cut at the new Milano apartments in the Lloyd Center this morning. As people streamed by the newly painted bike lanes on NE Multnomah Street behind them, Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette stood behind a shiny new city bike with the building’s architect Murray Jenkins and developers Phil Morford and Konstantin Klebleev.

On a table in the lobby a brochure enticed would-be buyers to, “Live in Portland’s first thoroughly bike friendly community… Not only is the Milano located with immediate access to public transportation — including the MAX line, Portland streetcar, and TriMet — it’s also at the hub of the city’s cycling lanes.”

According to developer Phil Morford, the entire Milano project was conceived with a focus on being oriented toward the low-car and carfree lifestyle. “When we began to design this project,” Morford said at the grand opening event today, “Our first discussion was with Metro.” As the quintessential “transit-oriented development,” the development of the Milano was aided by a $300,000 Metro grant which leveraged over $13 million in private investment.

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Green Trek ? ?

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: ?
Brand: Trek
Model: ?
Color:Green
Photo: http://imgur.com/Xo9bC
Stolen in Portland, OR 97227
Stolen:2013-01-16
Stolen From: The Albert Apartments
3600 N Williams Ave
Neighborhood: Boise/Eliot
Owner: Adam Lawler
OwnerEmail: adamlawlerdesign(replace with at sign)gmail.com
Description: Bright green “spider-web” paint. Hard to miss. Rack on the back with two bungee cords at the time it was stolen. Black handlebar wrap. Silver water bottle holder. U-lock clip. 360.508.1001
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

Yellow/white All-City Macho-man 2013

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2013
Brand: All-City
Model: Macho-man
Color:Yellow/white
Size:52cm
Serial: 13103
Stolen in Portland, OR 97213
Stolen:2013-01-15
Stolen From: 24hr fitness at halsey and 42nd
Neighborhood: NE
Owner: Erika Hanson
OwnerEmail: erika.b.hanson(replace with at sign)gmail.com
Description: Front flat rack, front red tire(rear tire is black), fenders, Commuter set up.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: T13000535
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

black specalized evo expert 2011

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2011
Brand: specalized
Model: evo expert
Color:black
Size:m
Stolen in 97201, OR 97201
Stolen:2013-02-16
Stolen From: originally 6th and madison. then seen up at lombard and rosa parks
Neighborhood: ne lombard
Owner: nick fitzgerald
OwnerEmail: nbf@pdx.edu
Reward: most definitely, fat
Description: all black, yellow bands on the rims
Police record with: pdx
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Black Trek Alpha 1.1 2011

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2011
Brand: Trek
Model: Alpha 1.1
Color:Black
Size:White/Red
Photo: https://picasaweb.google.com/100268972627136401588/Bike_pdx
Stolen in Portland, OR 97217
Stolen:2013-01-14
Stolen From: Fred Meyer on N Interstate and Lombard.
Neighborhood: Kenton
Owner: John Thanuparambil
OwnerEmail: nidhyalways(AT)gmail.com
Reward: $50
Description: The frame has a few brewery stickers on it at the top of the down tube.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: T13000481
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

gold trek fx womens series design 2009

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2009
Brand: trek
Model: fx womens series design
Color:gold
Serial: wtu222c2279d
Photo: http://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002176201133&refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fn%2F&src=email_notif#!/photo.php?fbid=629879469528&id=19715116&set=a.629879464538.2219708.19715116&__user=0
Stolen in Portland, OR 97216
Stolen:2013-01-14
Stolen From: Our new house on se 89th and hawthorne. Located under a Radon in the backyard.
Neighborhood: montavilla
Owner: chelsea ingle
OwnerEmail: chelsea_ingle(A T)hotmail.com
Reward: sure
Description: Kickstand and black metal mesh rear basket that has a push button lock in device. One of the pedals has a cracked reflector. Dual black fenders with reflective tape.
Police record with: portland pd
Police reference#: conf#t13000505
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Editorial: Portland’s golden opportunity to invest in downtown bike access

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
Ride-along SW Broadway-9-6

This is what bicycling is like
in much of downtown Portland.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is prepping a $10.2 million list of active transportation projects they hope to get funded through a federal grant. According to sources at PBOT, conversations have already begun to focus all that money on a package of projects that would focus specifically on downtown bike access in the form of protected bike lanes and cycle tracks.

This is a golden opportunity we should not pass up.

The money is available through a pot of federal money doled out by Metro Council known as regional flexible funds. The amount of funding that will come to the City of Portland (for the 2016-18 cycle) is $14 million. As per a resolution passed by the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation in 2010, $10.2 million (or 75%) of that total must be spent on active transportation projects (the remaining $3.7 million will go to freight projects).

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