“I’m angry because they are treating Adam like a roadkill.”
– Gina Wilson, Adam Joy’s sister-in-law
Robert Weeks, the driver of a truck involved in a collision that killed bicycle rider Adam Joy on June 10th, was found to have no criminal liability for his death.
Joy was riding behind his 15-year old son about 10 miles south of McMinnville when the collision occurred. They were training for the Seattle-to-Portland ride.
Joy’s family is outraged by the DA’s decision and is moving forward with their civil lawsuit against Weeks.
According to the Oregon State Police, the decision to not charge Weeks was made on August 22nd by Polk County District Attorney Aaron Felton. They say there was “insufficient evidence to support criminal prosecution.” While the DA and OSP felt the driver’s actions did not rise to the level needed for criminal penalties, they have issued Weeks two traffic citations: one for Careless Driving (ORS 811.135), and one for Unsafe Passing of a Person Operating a Bicycle (ORS 811.065).
A Ford F350 similar to the one driven by Robert Weeks.
Since Weeks’ careless driving led to the death of a “vulnerable roadway user,” (VRU) the citation triggers a stronger consequence. Bike advocates amended the careless driving law in 2007 for precisely this type of situation. Since the legal bar required for criminal penalties is so high, they sought to narrow the gap of consequences and bring more justice to families through the traffic citation. Violation of 811.135 with a VRU allows a court to require the driver to take a traffic safety course, perform up to 200 hours of community service, pay a fine of up to $12,500 and suspend their license for up to one year.
Even with those stronger penalties, Joy’s family is very disappointed with how the DA has handled this case.
As we reported, police initially stated that Joy “fell over” in front of Weeks’ large, Ford F350 truck just prior to being hit. They also said Weeks slowed as he passed. But a witness who was traveling on the same road at the time of the collision told BikePortland that they felt Joy was riding along normally and that Weeks was going very fast and appeared to never move over.
Joy’s family alleges that the DA handled the case in a way that protected Weeks.
“I’m angry because they are treating Adam like a roadkill, and the driver is getting away with just a couple of traffic tickets. How is a person only given fines for taking a human life?,” Joy’s sister-in-law Gina Wilson shared with BikePortland after learning about the DA’s decision. “How do I prove to my nephews that their father’s life mattered after the state is giving this man fines? Sure, one of them is large. But excessive speeding fines did not stop him before!” (a reference to Weeks’ prior citations for speeding).
I reached out to DA Felton multiple times in the past few months to find the status of this case. The most recent time was September 5th. On that date, DA Felton stated via email that, “We are still at the stage of an open, active investigation so I am not going to be making any comments.”
However, according to the OSP, the charging decisions in the case were made on August 22nd.
BikePortland filed a public records request to see a copy of the police report and investigation. Yesterday I received a response from an OSP legal specialist that the records are still part of an ongoing investigation and that they now consider my request for the police report closed. The next step will be to file an appeal.
It’s unclear why the Polk County DA has not been forthcoming with BikePortland about the details of this case.
Joy’s family still has an open civil lawsuit against Weeks, so perhaps we will learn more through that process. In the meantime, his family is still grieving and is left with no justice for his death.
“Monetary compensation will never be enough for Adam’s life,” Wilson shared with BikePortland. “The boys, these brilliant young men, they deserve more than this.”
The Portland Bureau of Transportation says pushback from local residents on their 70s Neighborhood Greenway plan have put a key element of the project on hold.
The five mile, $4.5 million project is fully funded and construction of some elements has already begun.
One piece of this project many bicycle riders are looking forward to is the conversion of a two-way road through Rose City Park Golf Course between NE Tillamook and NE Sacramento into a one-way only for car users. This would mean bicycle riders and pedestrians would have half the road width to roll freely and much more safely without being disturbed by drivers. The design was planned by PBOT as a way to improve safety on the neighborhood greenways. Greenways by definition are “family-friendly, low stress” streets where bicycle riders and walkers are prioritized.
Postcard sent to residents saying the new path was imminent.
Earlier this month however, we shared news that some Roseway Neighborhood residents are very opposed to the idea. They felt it was unfair to have to drive a longer distance. One person encouraged others to try and sabotage a PBOT traffic counter to make it seem like this stretch of 72nd had more car traffic than it actually does. Their thinking was that if PBOT saw a high car volume number, they’d scrap the plan.
The local media even picked up on the opposition. Local resident (and noted ant-bike advocate) Terry Parker told KATU News that, “People are going to have to go around the golf course, cut through more residential areas, or go down to 82nd, which is already somewhat congested, and they’ll be going into school zones.”
But despite this, we got word that PBOT pressed on and decided to enact their plan. After all, traffic counts and greenway policies are in their favor, as data collected in May shows that only 831 people per day drive cars northbound on 72nd — and 65% of the drivers were exceeding the speed limit.
So when I heard PBOT had already mailed postcards to residents around the golf course announcing the project was on its way, I put the story out of my mind. Then something changed. Now the project is on hold.
A reader who lives nearby asked PBOT for an update the project on Tuesday and was told by a project manager that,
“We are currently on hold to do that work… After hearing concerns from the neighboring community, the decision was made to pause this planned work until a more robust engagement process can occur as it relates to this portion of the project specifically. This is to ensure that we are getting direct feedback and exploring potential options with the neighboring community.”
The reader who shared that email with me said he’s very disappointed by the news. “This section [of the project] would have been superbly transformative infrastructure and was arguably the most thrilling concept in the entire greenway,” he wrote.
PBOT says all other work on the 70s greenway will continue as planned.
“Coming on the heels of the threat to Broadway’s protected bike infrastructure,” our reader who lives nearby laments, “this development raises serious concerns about PBOT’s support of sensible and secure bike (and pedestrian) projects.”
UPDATE, 9/22: PBOT Director Williams has decided that the project will move forward without a pause. Read more here.
PBOT Director Millicent Williams and Commissioner Mingus Mapps at Sunday Parkways on September 10th. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Statements made yesterday by the Portland Bureau of Transportation and its current leader, City Commissioner Mingus Mapps, are at odds with an internal staff email written by PBOT Director Millicent Williams last week.
PBOT and Commissioner Mapps issued statements yesterday after facing pressure from the public that came in response to a BikePortland story Monday where I reported that Director Williams emailed PBOT staff on Thursday, September 14th and instructed them to revert the protected bike lane on a 0.7 mile segment of Northwest and Southwest Broadway to a previous design that is less safe. They gave no clear justification for the move and rank-and-file PBOT staff were shocked at the news.
As numerous Portlanders flooded PBOT and Mapps’ office with emails and phone calls to express concerns, they responded in a way that doesn’t match that email from Williams and appears to intentionally mislead the public and the local media. Both offices said no decision about Broadway has been made and that public outreach will happen before they move forward with any changes.
And Mapps’ office in particular, says they have not been briefed on the issue at all.
“It is important to note that there are no imminent changes planned for SW Broadway,” wrote Mapps Policy Assistant Jackson Pahl in an email to a concerned Portlander Tuesday evening. “At present, we have not been briefed on any plans that include changing the design of the bike lanes on SW Broadway.”
When asked by BikePortland why he wanted to change the Broadway bike lane design, Mapps emailed, “I have asked PBOT to come back with a list of recommendations, and we look forward to being briefed on them,” and that, “change is not imminent.” Mapps also wrote in an email to BikePortland that, “We plan to have an open and robust engagement process before any decisions are finalized.”
Unfortunately, those statements from Mapps and his office are not true. Mapps had been briefed on this issue and had already signed-off on the plan — that was prepared by Williams — to revert the bike lane to its previous configuration.
And yesterday, PBOT Public Information Officer Dylan Rivera issued a statement to the media that said agency staff were asked by Director Williams (at the behest of Mapps) to evaluate options for possible changes to Broadway and that, “PBOT staff will be preparing these options, offering additional insights and engaging in public outreach in the coming months.”
But I can now confirm that a full evaluation of the options had already taken place and Williams made a clear choice to revert Broadway back to its previous configuration.
My initial story Monday was written without full knowledge of that internal email from Williams to PBOT staff. I was aware of the email and confident about its general contents, but I had not seen the full text. Now that I’ve seen that email, the picture about what happened is more clear.
Below is the full text of the September 14th email from PBOT Director Williams to PBOT staff (bolded and bracketed comments are mine):
Good Morning Gabe [Gabe Graff is Central City in Motion (CCIM) project manager] and Team,
Thanks for your continued attention to this issue and for offering alternatives for consideration. After reviewing all of the information and consulting with the Commissioner, I would like to ask the team to do the following:
Move forward with installation of parking pads in front of the Heathman and Vance Hotels (unless you recommend something to the contrary. Just trying to make sure that there is consistency where the platform already exists and I would rather not have us take out the one that has already been established). [“Parking pads are the concrete loading platforms similar to the one PBOT has already installed in front of the Arlene Schnitzer Concern Hall.]
Maintain parking protected bike lanes from SW Salmon to Clay (and beyond to accommodate PSU area cyclists)
Return curb-tight parking to Broadway from Burnside to SW Salmon
Maintain parking ‘as-is’ on the left side of the street.
Figure out the best way to transition from unprotected to parking protected bike lane at the intersection of SW Broadway and SW Salmon. My guess is some kind of distinct striping. Please provide a recommendation
Leave contra-flow bikelane on Broadway (on east side) from Harvey Milk to Burnside (Question: Is there currently still parking there? If so, please ‘clear the corner.’)
Return bikelane to 2018 configuration (to the left of the parking lane)
IF POSSIBLE paint bike lane green and put the cyclist icon in the lane
IF POSSIBLE place some kind of low barrier on the outside of the bike lane so that motorists will be able to detect if they are swerving into the lane. Not too big. I recognize that we might not have this in the inventory. If we don’t please let me know what is possible (even if there isn’t a real option) [This makes it clear Williams and Mapps supported making the bike lane less safe and unprotected.]
Even though we are restoring parking, let’s move forward with clearing the corners throughout the corridor. Please do so with both signage and yellow tape on the curb.
Identify and clearly mark the following zones: Passenger Loading Valet (If it’s 60 feet per hotel, so be it. Let’s just make sure that whatever we do is consistent as Gabe has advised); Drop-off zones (at the Schnitzer, Heathman and Vance)…we have A LOT of signs at those locations.
Since we will be dropping from three travel lanes to two at SW Salmon, we will want to make sure that we provide some advisory signage. I know that you already know that but I’m just running through my list.
From NW Hoyt to Burnside, please restore curb-tight parking and external bike lane
Please remove wands, wand bases, and turn-controlling tough-curb. Given the shifts, all of those items will be misplaced
To the extent possible, please remove phantom striping
Anything else that we should be doing that I don’t know or haven’t thought about.
Questions:
I recognize that there is a ZICLA platform [“ZICLA platform” is a brand name of the modular bus loading island currently in place in front of Central City Concern and several other locations around the city] in front of that establishment on the corner of NW Broadway and Burnside. Please let me know what we will do with it. Should it stay? Will leaving it be confusing? Is it a choke point? I think so. Please advise.
Who will put in the work orders? [“Work orders” are what PBOT gives the Maintenance and Operations group to start a project. It can be done without a long bidding process and can start almost immediately upon the orders being issued.]
How long will it take for us to do the work?
When can we start?
How will we publicize/communicate about what we are doing?
Is night work an option?
Finally, I recognize that this might be a fairly bitter pill to swallow and that there might be some politically charged discussions and advocate engagement. Please allow the Commissioner and I to handle those conversations.
Thanks for everyone’s consideration and cooperation. Looking forward to a favorable outcome.
Regards,
Millicent
Millicent Williams (she/her) Director
Based on that email, we know that Williams consulted with Commissioner Mapps earlier than September 14th, despite him saying otherwise. (I gave Mapps’ office a chance to explain this, but have not yet heard back.) We also know that before our story came out Monday, there was a clear plan to move forward with what PBOT now refers to as option 3 — reverting the existing parking-protected bike lane to the old door-zone bike lane with car parking at the curb that existed previously. PBOT staff say that design is less safe and the numerous crashes and complaints over decades are what spurred them to get rid of it in the first place.
The statements issued yesterday by PBOT (under leadership of Director Williams) and Commissioner Mapps leave out the important fact that they planned to move forward with this major change to the Broadway bike lane without sufficient public notice and without any clear rationale for doing so. (I’m working on a separate story about their justification for the changes.)
It’s only after the public became aware of this plan that PBOT, Mapps, and Director Williams changed their tune
On Monday night, after a full day of significant blowback from the public, Williams emailed PBOT staff again with a new plan:
“While I would still like for the team to devise a strategy to address the recommendations that I asked for, please make plans to perform the evaluation that you and the team have recommended [note that PBOT staff recommended an evaluation of options in their briefing packet to Williams but she initially opted against it] … I would also like for you to plan to perform a limited time community engagement period. I recognize that a great deal of engagement has been done – through CCIM and other complimentary efforts – but I ask that you spend more time on it.”
Williams also asked to see a sketch of a much better Broadway bike lane design. “One absent oddly-placed wands. One that functions smoothly – like I envision that 4th Avenue will,” she wrote. Her reference to 4th Avenue is the $17 million project PBOT plans to start early next year and that is considered a protected bike lane couplet to Broadway.
So who knows, maybe in the end we’ll get a plan for a major upgrade on Broadway — instead of the shocking downgrade they initially planned. Stay tuned.
— PBOT updated the Broadway bike lane project website last night. It says, “PBOT staff will be… offering additional insights and engaging in public outreach in the coming months.”
The Broadway bike lane. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
24 hours after we shared the story that changes to the protected bike lane on NW/SW Broadway were imminent, the Portland Bureau of Transportation and their Commissioner Mingus Mapps have issued statements.
After hearing from several reliable sources close to PBOT that a plan had been hatched by Commissioner Mapps and PBOT Director Millicent Williams to revert the Broadway bikeway back to its 2018 configuration between NW Hoyt and SW Salmon, BikePortland immediately filed a public records request. I have also sent Mapps’ office six questions to learn more about his rationale for making these changes. I have yet to get a response to either of those inquiries.
However, since other media outlets asked PBOT for information about Broadway, Mapps policy advisory Adam Lyons sent us this general statement earlier today (while they work on replies to my questions):
“Commissioner Mapps is committed to traffic safety, especially concerning pedestrians and bicyclists. It is important to acknowledge that we had our first bicycle fatality of the year this morning in North Portland. My thoughts go out to the family and friends of the cyclist. Since being assigned PBOT in January of this year, Commissioner Mapps has been discussing proposals for improving transportation infrastructure with Director Williams, including critical corridors. These have been very preliminary, and we will continue to dialogue with PBOT and the community moving forward.”
And just a few minutes ago, PBOT issued a statement of their own:
Since installing an update to the bike lane on NW and SW Broadway last year, PBOT has heard mixed feedback from people biking and people who work, visit, and own properties along the downtown Broadway corridor. Recognizing the dissatisfaction among people who use the street on a daily basis, Director Williams asked PBOT staff to review and evaluate a series of potential changes to the bike lane on SW/NW Broadway between NW Hoyt and SW Clay streets. After receiving additional feedback from PBOT staff, Director Williams asked staff to prepare 1) a full project evaluation that considers all users, 2) proposals for upgrading or “hardening” portions of the existing bike lane in its current configuration and in a potential future state (similar to the proposed bike lane for the forthcoming SW Fourth Avenue project) and 3) a proposal for a modified bike lane that clears parking corners along the corridor and increases signage and paint, while also returning the bike lane to its 2018 configuration between NW Hoyt and SW Salmon streets. PBOT staff will be preparing these options, offering additional insights and engaging in public outreach in the coming months. Additional information will be available on the SW Broadway Bike Improvements Project website in the coming weeks.
I’m still very interested to learn more about what motivated the need to change the design on Broadway. I tend to hear a lot of feedback from bike riders, and I’ve never heard much about it. As for “mixed feedback,” and “dissatisfaction”? Well, every bikeway in Portland gets that! Bike riders regularly disagree about facility design.
It’s also nice to hear PBOT will do public outreach on this. Hopefully if/when any changes happen, they will result in a bike lane that works better everyone!
In other PBOT news, Deputy Director Tara Wasiak has announced her resignation. Her last day will be next Friday, September 29th. In an email on Monday, she said she wants to pursue other interests.
Center medians on Southeast Division under construction in February 2022. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
With a protest against the center medians on Southeast Division planned for this Thursday, you might be curious what Portland Bureau of Transportation and Commissioner Mingus Mapps think about them. Fortunately, we don’t have to wonder, because just last month the agency was at City Council to make the case for adding even more center medians to this major east Portland arterial.
Most of the center medians on Division were completed one year ago as part of PBOT’s $11 million Outer Division Safety Project. That project (which was related but separate from TriMet’s $175 million Division Transit project) looked to tame auto traffic and reduce fatal and serious injury crashes for all road users. One of its key components was an almost continuous, center-running median between 80th and 148th avenues. PBOT calls this “access management” because the medians manage where drivers can access various destinations.
But to some folks, the medians are confusing and inconvenient and an illustration of everything that’s wrong with Portland government. They’ve spent months complaining about the medians, speaking to the media and voicing objections in City Council testimony. The protest on Thursday will be the climax of an impressive campaign that has included door-hangers, yard signs, signs on business windows up and down the corridor, and so on.
So when PBOT returned to council last month to accept a $2.4 million state grant to install the final two segments of the medians, it was an opportunity for Commissioner Mapps, PBOT staff, and other council members to let us know where they stand on what Mapps referred to as “some controversy.”
Let’s take each of the opposition’s main concerns — driver safety/inconvenience, loss of business, first responder access — and see where PBOT stands on it.
Commissioner Mapps introduced the ordinance by making the case for safety. “Here’s why this ordinance is important,” he started out. “In the last 12 years there have been eight traffic fatalities on Division in this project area, and in the last 12 years, these blocks have seen about 17 traffic crashes which have resulted in injuries.”
To underscore the urgent safety problems on Division, PBOT enlisted its chief traffic engineer, Wendy Cawley, to testify. She wasn’t messing around. It sounded to me like she spoke with force because she felt like she had to defend the project.
“When we applied for this grant, we looked at five years of crash data,” Cawley shared with Mapps, Mayor Wheeler, and the rest of council. “And what we saw on on this particular section of Division was that there were 16 fatal and serious injury crashes, 109 moderate and minor injury crashes, and 60 property damage crashes.”
“In 2016 alone,” Cawley continued, “five people died in traffic crashes on outer Division. With the installation of a raised concrete median we expect to reduce all crash types by 47%. Which means that we could expect a reduction or 91 fewer crashes and seven fewer fatal and serious injury crashes.”
(Video of driver crashing on bike lane curb shared at Portland City Council by Fatima Magomadova, January 11, 2023.)
By contrast, the people opposing the medians on Division have shared videos of a few drivers who’ve crashed on the bike lane curbs because they didn’t see them and/or were going to fast to avoid them (video above). They’ve also complained about how hard it is to make u-turns.
On September 2nd, someone posted to the Division Street Activists Facebook group asking members to share any fatalities or crashes on Division since the medians went in (there’s also a photo on that page of a man holding a sign that reads, “PBOT U Turns Kills”). So far, no has responded with evidence of either. As far as I can tell, there’ve been no fatal or serious injury crashes caused by the medians.
Some of the folks who oppose the medians claim businesses have lost customers. That could be true. Some people might get frustrated by having to drive several extra blocks and just give up on reaching their destination.
On the flip side however, PBOT’s Cawley says, given their data and research, they expect the reduction in crashes, deaths and injuries due to the medians (and other safety components of the project, which included a bus lane, a protected bike lane, and a lower speed limit) will save the community an estimated $25 million in economic impacts (based on the FHWA’s estimate that puts the cost of a lost life at $5-6 million).
“So not only will this project save lives and heartache for many families impacted by traffic violence on Division, it’ll reduce economic impacts from traffic crashes in east Portland,” Cawley said at the end of her testimony.
Based on what I heard at council last month, it appears PBOT is unwavering in their support of medians because they wholeheartedly believe the treatment will reduce crashes and save lives.
Another point of contention from folks who don’t like the medians is that they feel PBOT didn’t listen to their feedback. They might have a point. PBOT staff defended their robust public outreach process during the initial go-round of changes on Division. But at council last month, they acknowledged they could have done better, and have committed to doing things differently this time.
PBOT Division Project Manager Elizabeth Tillstrom was asked about community feedback concerns by Commissioner Rene Gonzalez. After explaining their public process, she said, “But we didn’t always hear back from from folks that were ultimately being impacted. And so I think this time around, we’re going to be especially sensitive, and make sure that we’re having those conversations with businesses and property owners… So not taking a lack of response from businesses as being supportive of the design.”
Tillstrom also said that they made adjustments to the median design at the very last minute (during construction) when they realized some businesses had freight needs PBOT didn’t account for.
It was clear that Commissioner Mapps is aware of the concerns about the median. He made a point to jump into the conversation to allay concerns about the lack of communication between PBOT and some business owners and residents. He called on everyone to do better.
“I do believe that if we work together, listen to each other, increase the trust that’s at the table — which frankly I think is some of the work that we need to do here — we can bring this project to fruition, which will dramatically reduce deaths on one of our busiest streets in the city,” Mapps said.
Then Commissioner Gonzalez, who’s in charge of the Portland Fire Bureau, peppered the PBOT project manager with questions about emergency response times. Tillstrom was ready.
“We engaged extensively with police and fire during the design,” she reassured Gonzalez. “So the final design is we have constructed mountable medians for emergency response.” Tillstrom said PBOT staff went so far as to ride in a fire truck to test out the configuration and make sure it worked.
After hammering out all those issues, Commissioner Mapps shared one final comment before council voted in support of the ordinance. “I have gone out to this neighborhood and met with folks who are affected both by previous safety improvements and who are potentially impacted by future safety improvements that we want to fund with this ordinance before us today,” he said.
Then Mapps mentioned the Roman Russian Market specifically. That’s the business owned by one of the most active critics of the median, Fatima Magomadova (who I quoted at length in my story earlier this month). “We are in dialogue with folks, especially at the Russian market,” Mapps said. “Trading ideas back-and-forth about how we can introduce some modifications in this space that makes sense for everybody while also supporting safety. These conversations are really are challenging, but we are in dialogue and we’re looking for solutions and will continue to approach this project and this work in that spirit.”
There’s a lot riding on this for Mapps, who hopes to Portland’s next mayor. He’s toeing the line between respecting the strong criticisms aimed at his bureau, while also defending his bureau’s values, principles and work product.
Looking north on N Portland Road. This is the crossing between the two paths. Smith & Bybee Wetlands are on the left.
Just in from the Portland Police Bureau:
Jason Ruhmshottel
A cyclist has been hit and killed on North Portland Road.
On Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at approximately 5:57 a.m., officers responded to reports of a crash on North Portland Road involving a cyclist and vehicle. When officers arrived, they found the cyclist and determined the individual was deceased. The cyclist appeared to be an adult male.
The driver of the involved vehicle, also an adult male, remained at the scene and is cooperating with investigators.
The Portland Police Bureau’s Major Crash Team responded to investigate the crash. North Portland Road is closed between North Marine Drive and North Columbia Boulevard.
This is the first fatal bicycle crash in Portland so far this year. More updates below…
Jason loved his dogs. (Images shared by the Ruhmshottel family)
The victim’s name is Jason Ruhmshottel, a 43-year-old man who was born and raised in Portland. According to one of his family members who has knowledge of the case, Ruhmshottel was struck while riding in the crosswalk that connects two paved trails about a half-mile south of N Suttle Road. Police say the driver was operating a Mazda CX-7 and so far, no arrests have been made and no citations have been issues (as is usual when a crash is still under investigation).
According to someone who knew Jason, he loved his family and his dog Eddie. He also loved coffee, camping, cycling and spending time outdoors. I’m told he leaves behind many nieces and nephews, who were a huge part of his life.
This crosswalk is well-known to many Portland bike riders. It connects a northern extension of the Columbia Slough/Peninsula Crossing trails with the paved path that heads east-west to Smith & Bybee Wetlands and Kelley Point Park. It’s a popular section of the 40-Mile Loop network.
If anyone has information about this crash, and has not already spoken to police, please e-mail crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov with subject line “TIU (for Traffic Investigations Unit) case number 23-246591”.
Previous design of SW Broadway bike lane.Current design of SW Broadway Bike Lane.(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
(Map graphic: BikePortland)
(*Important update to the story posted 9/20. Read it here.)
Last Thursday, Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Millicent Williams emailed a select group of PBOT staff with instructions to remove the parking-protected bike lane on a 16-block stretch of Broadway downtown between NW Hoyt and SW Salmon and replace it with a previous configuration that some insiders think would be less safe.
According to sources we’ve spoken with, Williams’ email was met with shock and disbelief.
Over the last 14 years, PBOT has built a parking-protected bike lane (where car parking spaces are moved away from the curb to make room for a wider bike lane) between the Broadway Bridge and I-405. The first segment, between SW Clay and I-405 adjacent to Portland State University, was completed in 2009. The next segment, between Hoyt and SW Harvey Milk, was completed in 2020. And the middle segment, from Harvey Milk south to Clay, was finished just last year.
Broadway is on PBOT’s High Crash Network, a list of streets with above average serious injury and fatal crashes. Its current bike lane design addresses a significant crash history and changing it could raise liability concerns if the new design is less safe. The Broadway bike lanes are part of a plan for a network of protected bike lanes downtown that was passed unanimously by City Council as part of the Central City in Motion Plan in 2018. This parking-protected design is the most popular bike lane design PBOT deploys and it’s currently in use all over the city because it provides ample separation from drivers and lowers stress for bike riders, while being relatively affordable compared to other designs.
Now, PBOT Commissioner Mingus Mapps and his hand-picked PBOT Director Williams want to revert all but the southern section back to the way it used to be —with cars parked next to the curb and bike riders pedaling in a lane with car doors on one side and car drivers on the other.
PBOT Commissioner Mingus Mapps (left) and PBOT Director Millicent Williams at Sunday Parkways, September 10th. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
We learned about these plans last Thursday, when Director Williams first emailed staff that she had reached a decision about changing the design. According to sources who’ve asked to remain anonymous due to concerns of retaliation for speaking directly to the media, Williams asked for a briefing document several weeks ago. After reviewing a list of design alternatives prepared by PBOT staff, she and Commissioner Mapps chose the option staff didn’t recommend because they felt it would be less safe and would not align with Portland adopted goals and plans.
PBOT Communications Director Hannah Schafer confirmed the plans in an email to BikePortland Friday. “Yes, we are making modifications to the Broadway bike lane. We are working on a revised plan and will be able to share more in the coming weeks,” Schafer said. Asked for more information, Schafer added, “I don’t have any other details at this time.”
So far it’s unclear why Director Williams and Commissioner Mapps want to make these changes. (A call into Mapps’ office has not yet been returned.) The bike lane seems to be working fine from a bike riders’ perspective. I’ve heard no serious complaints that would warrant a major redesign. And given that PBOT analyzes traffic data from projects like this, if there were problems, they would proactively tweak the design to address them.
Businesses along Broadway, however, have a history of unhappiness when it comes to bike lanes. When the final segment of it opened last winter, management of the Heathman Hotel (on corner of Broadway and Salmon) complained to the media. The resulting story on KGW was lopsided and did nothing more than platform their grievances.
The other major hotel on Broadway with a well-known history of skepticism around bike lanes is the Historic Benson Hotel. Reached for comment via phone this morning, Benson Hotel General Manager George Schweitzer confirmed that he’s not a fan of the new design. “Those things have been crazy since they went in,” he said, referring to alleged conflicts between bike riders and his customers, who load and unload across the bike lane. “So, [the bike lanes] are problematic from my viewpoint.” Schweitzer also said he’s supportive of reverting them back to the old design.
Schweitzer also told me he has contacted City Hall with his concerns about the Broadway bike lane.
The other business interest that has City Hall’s ear is the Portland Metro Chamber (formerly Portland Business Alliance). Prior to council’s adoption of the Central City in Motion Plan in 2018, the Chamber opposed a protected bike lane on Broadway, saying the project, “Would have significant, unnecessary economic impacts on our downtown retail core,” and would “severely limit the capacity of our few remaining arterial routes through the city.” Portland Metro Chamber endorsed Commissioner Mapps and donated to his 2020 city council campaign.
Another important bit of context to this story is how downtown Portland — especially its hotel business — remains “in crisis” according to the city’s tourism bureau. A story in The Oregonian this morning says that downtown hotels are struggling to rebound and points to “street conditions” along with public drug use and crime as culprits.
“It is extremely disappointing both for Broadway and the potential chilling effect for future projects.”
– PBOT staffer
Is Commissioner Mapps responding to business owners who look out their windows and see the bike lane as a convenient scapegoat for other, much more complicated, problems? Or does he and Director Williams have other justifications for making such an unexpected change to a key downtown bikeway?
Whatever reason(s) they have for making this move, it’s an odd time to do it given PBOT’s severe budget shortfall. It would cost the bureau tens of thousands of dollars to make the changes.
Hopefully, if Mapps and Williams do intend to oversee a major redesign of the bike lanes on Broadway, they will do it in a way that addresses concerns and improves the cycling experience. Unfortunately, from the rumors swirling around PBOT right now, that is not the expected outcome. And the ramifications of this decision are likely to ripple well beyond this one location.
“It is extremely disappointing both for Broadway and the potential chilling effect for future projects,” shared one anonymous source who works at PBOT and has knowledge of the plans. “Not to mention the precedent set by allowing a few property/business owners to back channel and circumvent the extensive public involvement process that happened to develop the project in the first place.”
Stay tuned.
UPDATE, 9/19 at 1:55 pm: We have a records request pending and a separate set of questions for Commissioner Mapps office. While they work on all that, his office just sent this statement (that they’ve also sent to other outlets who are asking about it):
“Commissioner Mapps is committed to traffic safety, especially concerning pedestrians and bicyclists. It is important to acknowledge that we had our first bicycle fatality of the year this morning in North Portland. My thoughts go out to the family and friends of the cyclist. Since being assigned PBOT in January of this year, Commissioner Mapps has been discussing proposals for improving transportation infrastructure with Director Williams, including critical corridors. These have been very preliminary, and we will continue to dialogue with PBOT and the community moving forward.”
UPDATE, 9/19 at 3:15 pm: PBOT has just released this statement:
Since installing an update to the bike lane on NW and SW Broadway last year, PBOT has heard mixed feedback from people biking and people who work, visit, and own properties along the downtown Broadway corridor. Recognizing the dissatisfaction among people who use the street on a daily basis, Director Williams asked PBOT staff to review and evaluate a series of potential changes to the bike lane on SW/NW Broadway between NW Hoyt and SW Clay streets. After receiving additional feedback from PBOT staff, Director Williams asked staff to prepare 1) a full project evaluation that considers all users, 2) proposals for upgrading or “hardening” portions of the existing bike lane in its current configuration and in a potential future state (similar to the proposed bike lane for the forthcoming SW Fourth Avenue project) and 3) a proposal for a modified bike lane that clears parking corners along the corridor and increases signage and paint, while also returning the bike lane to its 2018 configuration between NW Hoyt and SW Salmon streets. PBOT staff will be preparing these options, offering additional insights and engaging in public outreach in the coming months. Additional information will be available on the SW Broadway Bike Improvements Project website in the coming weeks.
Welcome to the week. It’s going to get busy and interesting this week. Before the silliness starts, below are all the stories you need (from sources you can trust) to get up to speed.
What that cop said: Heinous remarks from a police officer about running over and killing a bicycle rider were actually just sarcasm and there was no harm intended, says the officer in response to outrage over the viral video. (NBC)
Better communications: The Portland Police Bureau has hired a non-sworn, ex-journalist as their public information officer. This should reduce turnover and lead to more thoughtful and professional communications from our police agency. (PPB)
Controversial take on carlessness: Three urban planners share the inconvenient truth that low-income people should receive more subsidies to help them get cars, because their economic mobility depends on it. (Transfers Magazine)
Ban right turns on red: Safety advocates in Denver are hoping the mayor takes their advice and bans right turns on red by drivers citywide. “Banning turns on red was something that the committee identified as something that is very quick and low-cost that the mayor could do immediately to make our streets safer for everybody,” said a local nonprofit leader. (Denver 7)
E-bike rebates work: New research from UC Davis finds that people who took advantage of e-bike rebates use their bikes more and a majority of them said they now replace 1-3 car trips per week with their bike. (National Center for Sustainable Transportation)
ODOT losing freeway fight: ODOT staff told the Oregon Transportation Commission last week that they will scrap plans to add a third lane on I-205 because it’s just not worth the price. (Oregonian)
Honda’s Moto Compacto: This is the type of vehicle we need to see more of from automakers! A tiny, sit-down, two-wheeler that can go 15 mph. (Honda)
Cameras in carland: America’s most car-centric state has passed a bill that would allow use of speed cameras, now all California Governor Gavin Newsom has to do is sign it into law. (Streetsblog CA)
EVs and oil: “E-bikes are displacing twice as much oil as all the world’s electric cars, buses, vans, and trucks combined.” (Anthropocene Magazine)
Seattle’s Davey Oil: Oil was inspired by Portland’s Splendid Cycles and has now built something very special of his own with G & O Family Cyclery. He has also proved that success can come to shops that treat employees like professionals, are inclusive, and stock only utility-minded brands. (Bicycle Retailer)
An American in Spain: Colorado’s Sepp Kuss won the Vuelta and becomes the first American to win a grand tour in 10 years and just the fourth in the history of the sport. (Velo)
ENVECieloMootsAll three bikes were stolen this month.
Around 4:00 am this morning two people broke into the warehouse and offices of Chris King Precision Components in the northwest industrial area and made off with a custom ENVE road bike. It took them only a few minutes to come and go —as if they knew exactly what they wanted and where to find it.
According to Chris King Marketing Manager Jay Sycip, it appears to have been a repeat job by the same individuals who broke in and stole two other valuable show bikes two weeks ago.
Chris King is a highly respected company in the bicycle business that started making durable, after-market headsets in 1976. The company’s founder and namesake, Chris King, is in the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.
All three bikes are still missing. They are one-of-a-kind and outfitted with prototype parts.
Below are the details on all three bikes, including serial numbers and a few close-up photos:
Moots Vamoots Ti CRD prototype with serial number #T4864, AeroSet headset, and Chris King ARD44 carbon wheelset.
Cielo (one off) gravel/drop bar MTB built for 2017 Salt Lake City North American Handmade Bicycle Show. Color is Matte Poppy / Bourbon. Size large. Serial #1601944.
ENVE custom carbon T2 aero all-road bike (one off) serial number unknown for now. Built for Chris King to celebrate the co-development of the new AeroSet headset. We are working with ENVE for more info.
Please keep your eyes peeled and call the Police non-emergency line 503-823-3333 and/or contact Chris King at info@chrisking.com or 503-972-4050 if you have any information.
All these trees are now gone. Scroll down for before/after images.
X marks spots trees that have been cut down. Note the adjacent construction project.
A row of large street trees on Northeast Lombard have been cut down, robbing the street of an important source of shade, traffic calming and myriad other benefits.
A reader tipped off BikePortland to the removal and shared a photo that shows around eight mature trees are now gone. The trees were planted in pairs across a 420-foot expanse adjacent to a sidewalk on the north side of Lombard west of 82nd Avenue (map) and they were adjacent to an industrial property (8121 NE Lombard) that is currently being redeveloped.
According to our tipster, the trees were ground down to stumps earlier this month.
The City of Portland Urban Forestry Office, says that since Lombard is part of Highway 30 and is managed and owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation, the construction permit is exempt from the chapter in Portland’s tree code that would have allowed the city to review the plans and possibly spare the trees
Before and after view. (Bottom photo sent in by a BikePortland reader)
Chapter 11.05.040 (C) of Portland’s Tree Code states:
State or Federal jurisdiction. Trees within public rights-of-way that are managed by the State of Oregon are exempt from the regulations of this Title… However, these trees may be subject to other City regulations or Intergovernmental Agreements. Furthermore, the City retains summary abatement authority for nuisances posing an immediate threat to public safety.
When our tipster shared the news with the staffer at Urban Forestry, they said, “I am sorry to hear of this removal and understand how frustrating tree loss is for the community.”
Reached for comment, a spokesperson from the Oregon Department of Transportation told BikePortland the trees were a City of Portland matter.
This is just the latest bad news for street trees in Portland. A story in the Portland Mercury in August shared how City of Portland bureaucracy and “inter-bureau power struggles” have coupled with a warmer climate to “make it more difficult for Portland’s tree canopy to thrive as it used to.”
Street trees are also an equity issue because of how the benefits of a strong tree canopy are not evenly spread citywide. The location of this latest removal on Lombard is in a census tract that scores in the highest level on PBOT’s Equity Matrix. PBOT’s plans for nearby 82nd Avenue
I’ve asked PBOT for comment and will update this post if/when I hear back.
A first-generation Lime scooter being ridden on NE Weidler in 2019. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
When it comes to shared electric scooters in Portland, Lime’s where it’s at. The company announced this week that they just had their best summer ever and have surpassed 3 million trips since they launched in Portland in 2017.
According to the company, Lime riders have taken 570,504 trips so far this year, a 35% increase from the same time period in 2022.
The trend from Lime illustrates how e-scooter ridership continues to show steady gains in Portland. It’s also why the Portland Bureau of Transportation has committed to making the shared e-scooter program permanent. As we shared in April, PBOT has announced changes to how it wants companies to operate scooters in Portland and the agency plans to winnow down the number of operators to make rentals easier for the public.
Currently three companies operate scooters in Portland: Lime, Spin and Bird.
Lime credits some of their success to investments making their scooter easier and safer to ride.
Lime dominates the field and accounts for nearly 7 out of every 10 scooter rides in Portland. And while we tend to focus more on Biketown around here, when it comes to shared micromobility overall, between January and June of this year, PBOT’s data dashboard says e-scooters made 65% of all micromobility trips.
Lime says since 2017 their riders have kept an estimated 722,000 car trips off the road, saving an estimated 367 metric tons of carbon emissions and 41,500 gallons of gas. The company’s “Lime Access” affordability program has also shown serious growth with its members taking 164% more rides in 2023 than in 2022.
In a press release, Lime credited their success to investments in their scooters. The new Gen 4 models used in Portland have beefed up tires, better suspension, stronger parts, an integrated light, and swappable batteries (which makes balancing and recharging much more efficient). The company also said they’ve done well in Portland because of upgrades PBOT has made in transportation infrastructure, “like bike lanes and bike parking, which are always the best thing a city can do to encourage residents and visitors to travel on two wheels.”
Portland’s e-scooter program boasts about 1,600 scooters and serves a 145 square-mile area. Learn more on the PBOT website.
Lower income residents of Tigard will soon have access to free e-bikes thanks to a new program that comes online later this month.
Back in February we shared that the City of Tigard won a $105,000 grant from Portland General Electric to launch an e-bike lending library. Now the project has been fleshed out and officials will host a ribbon cutting ceremony next week.
The new program will be run by Westside Transportation Alliance (a private nonprofit transportation management association funded in part by Metro) is called Power to the Pedal and it will be available at two multi-family affordable housing locations in Tigard — the Red Rock Creek Commons and Greenburg Oaks Apartments.
Once they sign up, residents will get free access to the e-bikes via a smartphone app. Similar to how Portland’s Biketown system works, anyone who wants a bike will visit the e-bike “library” and check out a bike. The city plans to use data and the lessons gleaned from the program during a one-year pilot in hopes of expanding it citywide in the future.
“The City of Tigard’s vision is to be an equitable community that is walkable, healthy, and accessible for everyone and this program supports that vision by increasing access to shared electric micro-mobility options in underserved communities,” reads a statement on the city’s website.
Access to reliable transportation is vital to lower income earners and transit service is rarely good enough to depend on. Annual passes and other fares can also be an impediment to riding the bus or light rail. Cars are also expensive and cost-prohibitive to many people. E-bikes can whisk people around the city at 20 mph with little effort and give them the independence to go wherever they want without the need to find parking or wait in traffic. While Oregonians wait for e-bike rebates and other purchase incentives, creating free access to these vehicles removes a huge barrier to entry.
A Power to the Pedal launch event is set for September 20th. Stay tuned for more coverage once the program is up and running. Learn more at the program website.
