4/25: Hello readers and friends. I'm still recovering from a surgery I had on 4/11, so I'm unable to attend events and do typical coverage. See this post for the latest update. I'll work as I can and I'm improving every day! Thanks for all your support 🙏. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor
Congressman Earl BlumenauerRob Zako, Better Eugene-Springfield TransportationJack Blashchishen, Springfield School District Safe Routes to SchoolClaire Roth, Better Eugene-Springfield TransportationMary Lee Turner, Portland Pedestrian Advisory Committee(Photos: Taylor Griggs/BikePortland)
“Let’s end socialism for the car.”
– Earl Blumenauer, U.S. Congressman
The 2023 Oregon Active Transportation Summit, hosted by Portland transportation advocacy non-profit The Street Trust, is officially a go. People from all across Oregon’s transportation industry — from advocates to transit agency officials — have convened in the Lloyd Center for three days of panel discussions and networking events about all things related to getting around.
The event officially kicked off yesterday with a multimodal scavenger hunt and opening reception. This morning, the Summit got down to business with its first plenaries and panels. First, the Street Trust’s Executive Director Sarah Iannarone introduced the Summit’s theme — “Move Into Action” — and welcomed a surprise guest, U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer, to the stage.
Blumenauer said he’d prepared a written speech for the morning but decided to wing it instead and “speak from the heart.” He praised The Street Trust for hosting an event like this one and emphasized the importance of transportation reform in Oregon and across the country.
“You’re on a holy mission here. Really, you’re going to help our communities save us from ourselves,” Blumenauer said. “This is literally a matter of life and death.”
Blumenauer covered a range of topics in his introduction speech, from getting rid of minimum car parking mandates to making active transportation options more affordable for everyone. Though he said he is not in favor of “declaring war on the automobile,” he was very direct about the problems our society faces as a result of car-centric planning.
“We have to recognize that how the automobile is so intrinsic with how people think and how they live. And we have to find ways to unwind that in a thoughtful fashion,” Blumenauer said. “There’s a lot of talk these days about socialism. Let’s end socialism for the car.”
This morning’s panel discussions were focused on public transit. First, we heard from a panel of transit agency leaders from around the state: Sam Desue, Jr., who leads TriMet, Jameson T. Auten from the Lane Transit District in the Eugene-Springfield area and Andrea Breault from Cascades East Transit in central Oregon. Then, several advocates provided a “community response” to this conversation, offering different perspectives on the issues the transit agency leaders discussed. (Look out for a full recap of these panel discussions soon.)
In between these panel discussions, I talked to several attendees to find out what they were looking forward to in the days ahead.
Jack Blashchishen, the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) coordinator for the Springfield School District (and one-time BikePortland contributor!) said he was eager to meet statewide colleagues from the SRTS program. School transportation has become a key issue for many advocates recently, and there is quite a large SRTS showing here at the Summit.
“I’m just looking forward to seeing everyone who’s part of the statewide transportation community,” Blashchishen said.
Rob Zako and Claire Roth, both from southern Willamette Valley transportation advocacy group Better Eugene-Springfield Transportation (BEST), said they see the Summit as an opportunity to cultivate relationships with people from across the state so they can work together to influence transportation legislation in the future.
“My personal mission is to break down siloes as much as possible and encourage people talk to each other across disciplines,” Roth said. “The pandemic hit advocacy like a ton of bricks, and it took a toll on transportation. This is the spring of transportation, we’re blooming again.”
Mary Lee Turner, a disability and pedestrian advocate (and current member of the Portland Pedestrian Advisory Committee) told me she wants to make sure there’s a presence of people with disabilities who rely on walking to get around at events like these.
“People with disabilities are everywhere, and if we aren’t, that’s because we can’t get there,” Turner said.
Stay tuned for more BikePortland dispatches from the Summit in the days ahead.
Kids riding to school with the Abernethy Elementary School bike bus. (Photos: Taylor Griggs/BikePortland)
“There’s a lot of excitement and identity that’s forming around it, which is really fun to see…people just think it’s a highlight of the week because it’s a super fun way to get to school.”
– Aaron Stoertz, Abernethy bike bus
We all know about the world-famous bike bus at Alameda Elementary School by now: the massive and joyous troupe of kids led by P.E. teacher-turned-influencer Sam Balto who fill up the NE Klickitat Greenway every Wednesday morning. Well, the Alameda bike bus is still going strong — and we’re happy to report that it has had a ripple effect throughout the city.
There are bike bus or walking school bus programs at schools all over the Portland area. I recently joined a couple of them, and talked to the organizers of a couple more.
By my count, there are 10 bike bus or walking school bus programs across the Portland region: James John, Cesar Chavez and Sitton elementary schools on the north Portland peninsula. There are also programs at Rose City Park, Creston-Kenilworth, Maplewood and Metzger (Tigard) elementary schools Tigard as well. And I’m sure there are even more! (Let me know and I’ll add them to the list.)
Balto wasn’t the first person to start a bike bus in the Portland region — Kiel Johnson started BikeTrain PDX back in 2010 after interning with the City of Portland’s Safe Routes to School program, and Megan Ramey has been conducting the Hood River Bike Train since 2020 — but thanks to his knack for online content creation and his persistence and dedication for helping the bike bus movement grow, he has certainly led this wave of new programs across the city.
Southeast Portland (Sunnyside and Abernethy)
The Sunnyside bike bus. (Photo: School parent)
“I don’t care if this [cold, damp weather] is what it takes to have fun and ride my bike.”
– Sunnyside school bike bus rider
Aaron Stoertz is one of the parents who started the bike bus at Abernethy Elementary School. He said Balto provided crucial insight with his advice for getting it started, and after Stoertz visited the Alameda bike bus with his daughter, he felt confident about being able to replicate it a few miles away at Abernethy.
“[Going to the Alameda Bike Bus] helped so much. I got exactly how you need to cork the streets and how to stop and start the music and just all these little logistics things,” Stoertz told me. “It just gave me a lot of peace of mind to like see it all in action.”
The mom who started the bike bus at Sunnyside Environmental School, expressed a similar sentiment about seeing Balto’s content on the internet.
“All the tips for route planning and stuff were really helpful as we were kicking it off. And it was encouraging to realize that it wasn’t actually very hard to start,” she said. “We just had to pick a day and a meetup time and share it with people.”
I joined the Abernethy Bike Bus on Wednesday morning — which happened to be a particularly freezing and wet morning — and I was amazed by what I saw. The kids held their annual “Tour de Ladd” later that day, so more people were bringing their bikes to school than normal, and the group was huge: more than 100 kids had joined by the time we arrived at school.
We started the ride at Joe Bike on SE Cesar Chavez Blvd and Lincoln St and headed west on the Lincoln-Harrison Greenway for about 20 blocks, with more and more people adding to the group as we went. The kids were toughing out the cold weather very admirably — I overheard one boy say, “I don’t care if this is what it takes to have fun and ride my bike.”
Scenes from the Abernethy bike bus. (Photos: Taylor Griggs/BikePortland)
Stoertz told me that the bike bus has taken on celebrity status at Abernethy.
“There’s been a huge amount of excitement about it. I walk on campus now and people want to talk about it, to tell me they’re riding next week. There’s a lot of excitement and identity that’s forming around it, which is really fun to see,” he said. “And that’s all natural — I haven’t been passing out flyers or anything. People just think it’s a highlight of the week because it’s a super fun way to get to school.”
The mom said the Sunnyside bike bus brings her a lot of joy, too.
“That’s one of the main reasons I’m doing it — it’s just fun. It leaves me feeling good for the rest of my day,” she told me.
While it’s true that Alameda, Sunnyside and Abernethy are all located in wealthy, central Portland neighborhoods where the city has historically focused their bike infrastructure investments, the bike and walking school bus movement is now expanding out into farther reaches of the city (and even outside of Portland city limits). There could be more of these programs in different parts of the city if there was funding dedicated to it, as a current Oregon House Bill aims to do. The mom I spoke to for this story pointed out that parents at the schools in wealthier neighborhoods like Sunnyside are more likely to have flexible jobs that allow them to volunteer time out of their mornings to assist with the bike bus.
“For schools with like less resources or parents with less job flexibility, it would be really nice to get people paid [to lead bike buses],” she said.
North Portland (Sitton, Cesar Chavez, James John)
Peterson and another teacher headed to begin the Sitton walking school bus.Two Sitton students on their way to school.The Sitton walking school bus.(Photos: Taylor Griggs/BikePortland)
There are different reasons that schools choose to start bike and walking school bus programs, too. At schools with a wealthier demographic, a lot of the focus is on exercise and environmentalism. At other schools, like Sitton Elementary in north St. Johns, those things are important as well, but the bike or walking school bus programs are targeted at addressing chronic absenteeism and helping kids get to school on time.
This morning, I accompanied the Sitton walking school bus, which is in its second week. This program is led by teachers who come in before school every single day, going above-and-beyond their job description to help kids get to school. Sitton received a donation of two Rad Power electric bikes, and the teachers take them across Pier Park to an apartment complex where about a third of all the students live. After circling the sprawling apartment complex and looking for kiddos who might want to join the walk to school, the group heads back through the park.
Why opt for a walking school bus instead of a bike bus? Abby Peterson, Sitton’s School Climate Specialist and the walking school bus coordinator, said some kids have joined the group by bike occasionally, but a walking school bus makes more sense for Sitton because so many of the kids live so close. Plus, unlike at schools like Alameda and Abernethy, Sitton doesn’t have a secure place for kids to store their bikes during the day, and two kids had theirs stolen recently.
Peterson said sees a difference in how kids act throughout the day after they’ve walked to school. It’s a short walk, but the extra encouragement of going in a group helps to make the trip even easier.
“The mood of kids coming to school is more positive, it helps to build a community,” Peterson said. She told me she’d like to see parents getting paid to help lead the program so they can join the community as well.
“I like to smell the fresh air,” one Sitton third grader told me as we walked through the forested Pier Park.
It is a beautiful way to start a morning!
Tigard (Metzger)
A photo from Metzger’s Walk and Roll to School Day last fall. (Photo: Shawne Martinez)
These programs aren’t just relegated to the city limits, either. Last fall, parent and local bike advocate Shawne Martinez started a bike bus at Metzger Elementary School in Tigard, which he says has been a success so far.
“With some encouragement from both Balto and Ramey, I decided to set up an Instagram account for our bike bus and plan a route. I had some experience helping with the annual Walk and Roll to School Day at our school and decided to follow the same route starting from our local park,” Martinez wrote in an email to BikePortland. He said he handed out flyers to people in the neighborhood and shared information with families at the school pickup line, and the school staff helped promote the bike bus as well.
“We have some amazing families that join us quite often and are a tremendous help. Having to cross the ODOT facility that is SW Hall Blvd has it’s challenges but with safety in numbers and taking the lane where there is no walk/roll infrastructure we have made it work!” Martinez wrote. “I expect participation to increase as the weather warms up and can’t wait to see a hundred (two hundred?!) happy kids riding to school!”
So, what does Balto have to say about the rise of the bike bus? He deferred to a quote from President Barack Obama: “It’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.”
“We are living this quote right now in Portland and around the world with the bike bus movement,” Balto said.
Welcome to the Comment of the Week, where we highlight good comments in order to inspire more of them. You can help us choose our next one by replying with “comment of the week” to any comment you think deserves recognition.Please note: These selections are not endorsements.
Last week’s article about a witness who was nearly hit by an alleged car thief who drove recklessly on the Springwater Corridor path engendered a lively discussion in the comments section. Several commenters wanted to know how someone with such a long rap sheet could be caught yet again, only to be released while awaiting trial. Isn’t someone with this history of run-ins with the law considered dangerous? One reader decided to try to get to the bottom of it, and he did the unthinkable.
Joseph E. jumped out of the bowl!
He sent an email to the DA’s office “expressing my concern about the release of the suspect too soon,” and he got a response.
But Joseph E. didn’t stop after receiving a response, no, he sent followup questions — and the DA’s office responded to them too! The DA’s office answers (which came from former executive director of The Street Trust, Jillian Detweiler who now works for DA Mike Schmidt) are informative, and serve to move the conversation forward, but they are not the final word on this complicated issue. If you are interested in delving further, two topical BikePortland interviews from a couple of years ago can be found at the in the related posts section at the bottom of this article.
Here is the exchange between Joseph E. and the DA’s office:
I wrote the District Attorney an email expressing my concern about the release of the suspect to soon and they responded:
Thank you for your email. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office share your concern for the very dangerous behavior Lucas Lujan is alleged to have committed.
Pretrial detention is determined by the courts, not the district attorney. I am attaching the Presiding Judge Order that governs pretrial release in Multnomah County. It’s a complex matrix and I share it to demonstrate the complexity. Our records indicate Lujan is not being held in jail, but he is being supervised rather than released on his own recognizance.
MCDA will do what it can to bring this case to a speedy resolution. However, the defendant will be represented and the defense may not view a speedy resolution as being in the defendant’s best interest. That, along with a case backlog, can drag out the process.
Again, thanks for your email and concern for preserving the safety of folks using the Springwater Corridor.
Regards,
Jillian Detweiler (she/her)
Executive Assistant to Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt
1) What does it mean in this case that “he is being supervised rather than released on his own recognizance.” Does Mr L. have a known address? Were his prior attempts to evade officers not considered by the DA and Judge?
2) Did the DA write anything in opposition to the Judge’s order, or was your office in agreement with the guidelines?
3) The current standards do not appear to be working to prevent repeat vehicle thefts. Can the policy be changed by the judge or the DA, or is a change in the law required?
The DA office response:
1) Pretrial supervision is provided by: https://www.multco.us/dcj-adult/specialized-programs/pretrial-services-program-psp2) The Presiding Judge has the authority to determine pretrial detention standards. It was not a negotiation with the DA.
3) There is likely some room for the Presiding Judge to modify the order but significant change probably would require a change in laws and the state and U.S. constitution.
Jillian Detweiler
Thank you for taking it to the real world, Joseph E. You can find Joseph E.’s comment and the rest of the discussion under the original post.
Welcome to the week. Here are the most notable stories our writers and readers have come across in the past seven days…
**This week’s roundup is sponsored by The eBike Store, Portland’s original all-electric bike shop and the place for all things e-bike with brands like Tern, Specialized, Gazelle, and more..**
Expensive: Expect the freeway expansion industrial complex to tout the news that highway construction costs have ballooned 50% since December 2020 as yet another reason projects must be built ASAP. (Eno Center for Transportation)
Megacars: President Biden is bumbling his transportation and livability policies by paying Americans to buy heavy, dangerous, expensive “megacars” that will anchor us to terrible road safety and climate outcomes. (Streetsblog USA)
Central city diversion: City officials in Amsterdam understand that even a few cars in the central city muck things up so they are plotting to prohibit driving on some key through-routes. (Bloomberg)
Co-opting “complete streets”: Beware the DOT tactic of abusing terms to greenwash their projects. If cars dominate a street project, the project is incomplete because it effectively prohibits non-driving uses. (Smart Growth America)
Better buses, better cities: I can definitely relate to bus advocates who feel like their mode of transportation is too often overlooked as a powerful weapon in the fight against climate change. (Scientific American)
Blank check for freeway expansions: Economist and ODOT critic Joe Cortright has offered his breakdown of HB 2098 and he warns that it is full of vague terms that could saddle Oregon with debt for decades just to expand freeways. (City Observatory)
Figure this out: The square-wheeled bike is something you definitely have to see to believe. (Gizmodo)
Make plans now: I had no idea National Parks officials allowed bicycle riders to use many miles of roads in Yellowstone in a carfree environment before they are opened to the driving public. (Idaho Sun)
Biketown and bike counts: Don’t miss the OPB story on the Biketown expansion and the bike decline that featured little ol’ me being interviewed by local bike funnist (and new Weekend Edition host!) Lily Karabaic. (OPB)
Video of the Week: Was nice to see Portland Timbers put a star player on a bike for a promo, but it’s too bad it was just a promotional gimmick. (Would much rather see a Timber player rolling to a match on their own two wheels a la Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson.)
Map from North Burgard Road Bridge Bridge Replacement Feasibility Study (PBOT, 2020)
The Burgard Bridge on Portland’s northern peninsula will be replaced thanks to a federal grant. And the project will come with a major upgrade for bicycle riders headed toward Kelley Point Park, Smith & Bybee Lakes, and other destinations on the 40-Mile Loop.
Last week the Biden Administration announced that the City of Portland won a $13.9 million grant that will pay for the project. The funds were part of a $300 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law via the Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Investment Program. PBOT’s Fixing Our Streets program (local gas tax) will add $3.8 million in matching funds.
The current Burgard Bridge is on North Lombard just northwest of Pier Park. The 92-year-old viaduct goes over a Union Pacific Railroad line and is considered vulnerable to an earthquake. It’s also a key connection for major freight haulers as the bridge is just a stones-throw from major container shipping companies and many heavy industrial businesses along the Willamette River.
Cross-section as shown in the 2020 Feasibility Report.
The planned cross-section for the new bridge includes a two-way protected bike lane at sidewalk level on the east side and 8-foot sidewalks on both sides.
“This project will not only help to connect businesses and travelers, but will also help encourage alternative, low-carbon forms of transportation by adding bike lanes and sidewalks to the bridge,” said Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley in a statement last week.
“This investment will provide access for freight to some crucial industrial areas, and provide a safer route for biking and walking on a major corridor in the St. Johns neighborhood. With a seismic upgrade, this bridge will benefit Portlanders and our entire region for generations to come,” added Interim PBOT Director Tara Wasiak.
Stay tuned for opportunities to weigh in on the design, a more detailed timeline, and possible detour notices as construction begins.
Commissioner Mingus Mapps rode bike share from City Hall to the announcement this morning. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
The City of Portland’s transportation bureau has been successful with their bike share system by just about every metric except one: The system has been starved for bikes.
As PBOT expanded the service area to cover 41 square miles of the city and boosted access to the bikes to a wider variety of users throughvariousprograms, the one thing we (and many other observers) have grumbled about for a long time is the simple lack of bikes. (Well, that and the price, but that’s a whole other story.)
This morning, PBOT Commissioner Mingus Mapps responded with an announcement that the system will expand by 500 bikes.
“Portland needs more bikes!” Mapps exclaimed at a press conference in front of a row of Biketown bikes and a crowd of media assembled at PSU’s Urban Plaza. “These machines that you see right in front of us are really miracles of technology. They are beautiful.”
In the right hands, bicycles can be powerful political tools — especially in a city desperate for good news. Mapps has yet to full embrace cycling in a very public way. But today, that started to change. Wearing a Biketown t-shirt and a wide grin as he pedaled a bike up SW 5th Avenue from City Hall, he seemed as energized and excited as I’d ever seen him.
“If you’ve never been on an electric assist bike before. The first time you get on one will be like the first time you figured out how to ride a bike. You will rediscover the joy of riding,” Mapps said in his remarks. “And Biketown is for the youth,” he continued. “I’ll tell you, I’m the parents of two young kids. One of the fun funnest activities we’ve had in recent weeks was I gathered the kids and we hopped on a couple of e-bikes, and we went for a ride and it was an amazing experience. They love these things.”
Below audio from Mapps prepared remarks (edited for clarity and brevity):
In an interview with Mapps after the announcement, he said the inspiration for today’s announcement came from a BikePortland post (maybe it was this one about our one big wish from Cycling Santa?). “Frankly, this is a lesson that I think I learned from you,” he said. “I remember seeing a piece that you wrote, which suggested, you know, maybe we can increase bike ridership if we got more Biketown bikes out there. So we’re giving it a shot.”
Asked how/if more Biketown bikes is part of his response to the decline in cycling in Portland, Mapps said:
“We have a set of hypotheses on the table in terms of why bike ridership is down. We’re continuing to find innovative ways to get people back on bikes. Biketown is part of this. Building more bike infrastructure is part of it too. Public education, going out and modeling the kind of behavior that we hope Portlanders will embrace is an important part of it. And listening to the bike community and listening to Portlanders, who tell us where some of the friction is that they face in terms of getting on the bike and using that as their primary transportation tool as opposed to a gas-powered vehicle.”
I then shared with Mapps my opinion that no matter how many bikes we get on the road, if people don’t feel safe, they won’t ride. I told him how many of us are scared when we hear stories like the one about the guy who drove a stolen car 50 mph on the Springwater Corridor path. I asked if he was doing anything to reduce these types of dangerous behaviors and to restore public safety in Portland. He touted a partnership he’s working on with the Portland Police Bureau to recover stolen cars that he says has been “incredibly effective.” Here’s more from his answer:
“I think at this point the strategies we’re using right now, both avoid racial profiling and are 30 times more efficient than what we were doing back in 2018 or whatnot. So I think we finally have a model and plan for getting back on top of this stolen car problem.”
Mapps was clear to say PBOT’s police partnership (thus far) revolves specifically around stolen car missions; but when it comes to making Portland safer in general, he said re-activating public streets is a key part of what he thinks it will take to make that happen:
“Part of the way you make Portland safer is get people back into the community. Eyes -on-the-streets is one of the things that keeps people safe. I think during the pandemic we saw as people retreated, away from their offices and away from restaurants or whatnot that empty space created opportunities for vandalism and other bad behavior to proliferate. I think one of the things that you see even right now in this sort of vibrant streetscape we’re that we’re in right now in Portland State, as we have people around looking out for each other patronizing local businesses: it feels safe, it feels fun. And if we can keep this momentum going, I think Portland is going to continue to be safer.
We need to activate our neighborhoods, downtown, everywhere from downtown to east Portland. What really keeps people safe is a sense of community. So as we get people walking in their neighborhoods, biking their neighborhoods, you know, going down to your local coffee shop, maybe even going into the office sometimes — all of that is going to be incredibly powerful in terms of bringing a sense of normalcy and safety to Portland.”
Using transportation policies, programs and projects to activate people space and renew Portland’s civic pride is another thing Mapps and I agree on.
Hopefully these new bikes will entice even more people out of their homes and into the streets.
Biketown currently has about 1,500 bikes in their fleet. PBOT launched these new e-bikes in 2020 with just 500 of them and a total fleet size of 1,000 bikes. So we’ve doubled the size of the fleet in less than three years. That might seem like a lot, but the system needs a lot more than 2,000 bikes to reach its full potential. PBOT has promised to have 3,000 to 4,000 bikes in the system by 2024. If past performance is a measure of future results, we won’t reach that goal.
Hopefully Mapps remains a strong supporter of “more bikes!” and we get more announcements like this one soon.
The new bikes will be injected into the system in the coming days and through this summer. To further entice riders, all rides will be free (up to 60 mins) this Saturday to coincide with Earth Day.
Electric cargo trikes outside the Portland Building. (Photo: City of Portland)
The Portland Bureau of Transportation has won a $2 million federal grant to pilot a “zero emission delivery zone.”
The funding comes from the US Department of Transportation’s Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grants program. On a newly published webpage about the program, PBOT says the demonstration project will start this summer. “This funding will allow PBOT to change some truck loading zones into ‘zero-emission vehicles only’ loading zones within a proposed project zone that spans 25 acres of downtown Portland. This area is anchored by public institutions, including city, county, and federal offices—all of which have strong commitments to taking climate action.”
Photo from a similar pilot in Santa Monica, California late last year. (Photo courtesy PBOT)
In addition to these special loading zones, PBOT says they are working to “incentivize the movement of ‘clean goods’ through using an existing hub where big delivery trucks can transfer goods to smaller zero-emission vehicles – such as local fleets of electric-assist cargo trikes or electric vehicles— for deliveries into the pilot zone.”
Another key element of the project will be the use of cameras and sensor technology to regulate and monitor the new loading zones. “This includes data from logistics companies, sensors, and third-party analytics companies,” PBOT says.
This program will also dovetail nicely with the City of Portland’s other initiatives to reduce emissions of last-mile deliveries. In 2021 we reported on the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability’s effort to establish “cargo delivery hubs.” And just last month we shared how PBOT’s 2040 Freight Master Plan calls for a pilot program that would boost the use of cargo bikes for urban freight delivery.
There will be a launch announcement on Wednesday, April 26th outside the Portland Building on SW 4th Avenue. USDOT officials will be on hand with PBOT staff and PBOT Commissioner Mingus Mapps.
The project is set to launch this summer and will run for 18 months. If it goes well, PBOT will apply for another SMART grant to continue and expand the program to other parts of the city.
Friends of Frog Ferry President Susan Bladholm (blue jacket) and invited guests on the Willamette River Thursday morning. (Photos: Taylor Griggs/BikePortland)
I’ve used all kinds of modes of transportation to get around Portland: bus, MAX, streetcar, car, bike, scooter, aerial tram, my own two feet. And now I can add boat to that list.
On Thursday morning, I accompanied Friends of Frog Ferry (FOFF) for their River Run event, which was intended to give attendees the experience of being aboard a Portland ferry en route between St. Johns and the South Waterfront. While the vessels we rode were small pilot boats that aren’t necessarily representative of what the ferries would look like, the experience provided a good sense of what it’s like to use the Willamette River as a transportation route, which is what the Frog Ferry advocates want Portlanders to embrace.
The event began with a press conference at RiverPlace Marina, where FOFF president and founder Susan Bladholm and board member Nina Byrd spoke about why Portland needs a ferry service. Due to the different (potentially more pro-ferry) mood in City Hall, the tone at this press conference was less politically charged than the one Bladholm held last April. The message, however, remains the same: FOFF needs the city’s support so they can access federal grants for ferry services.
Susan Bladholm.Tying down our bikes.Bladholm and BikeLoud PDX Chair Kiel Johnson.Green Loop advocate Keith Jones.Not quite the real thing, but close enough.Friends of Frog Ferry President Susan Bladholm (blue jacket).(Photos: Taylor Griggs/BikePortland)
During the press conference, Bladholm and Byrd discussed how a ferry service would be able to revitalize downtown Portland. They also discussed its potential to add to Portland’s multimodal transportation network, specifically pointing out that the ferries would have room for bikes on board.
To underscore this point, Bladholm encouraged me to bring my bike onboard the vessel today. I wasn’t the only one: BikeLoud PDX Chair Kiel Johnson and Friends of the Green Loop Executive Director Keith Jones joined the boat trip, and they carried their bikes along as well. Once we were aboard, one of the captains helped us tie our bikes to the rails of the boat. They were secured snugly, but I imagine there would be a way to secure bikes on the real Frog Ferries that doesn’t require riders to be experts in maritime knot tying.
The boat trip itself was invigorating — more invigorating than you’d probably prefer for a daily commute, but passengers wouldn’t be out on the bow to face the elements on the real Frog Ferries if they’re built. We didn’t go all the way up to Cathedral Park (the boat turned around just short of Swan Island), but I was surprised how quickly we got there. The Frog Ferry plan calls for 25 minute trips between St. Johns and the South Waterfront going 24 knots (about 25 miles per hour). In a larger vessel, this speed would probably feel less thrilling, but on the small pilot boat, it felt like we were going a lot faster.
“The ferry docks have the potential to become real biking hubs.”
– Kiel Johnson, BikeLoud PDX
While this experience was an effective tactic from FOFF to convince people that traveling by water might not be a completely ridiculous idea, many Portlanders still scoff the idea of floating transit.
So, what’s stopping folks from embracing the idea? Johnson and Jones both stand out amongst their peers in Portland’s current transportation advocacy circles because of their support for the project. While others have criticized the idea as too flashy and unrealistic — No More Freeways co-founder and transportation data cruncher Joe Cortright called the proposal a “slow boat to nowhere” — Johnson and Jones think the city should give it a shot.
“I’m supportive of any active transportation project,” Jones told me, adding that he and Bladholm have spoken about how to connect the ferry service to the Green Loop plan that Jones is a primary booster for.
Johnson said that people were also skeptical of other big transportation projects, like the streetcar and aerial tram at Oregon Health and Sciences University, before they came to fruition. Johnson founded the bike valet at the base of the aerial tram and built it into North America’s largest, so he knows a thing or two about turning big ideas into big successes.
“The ferry docks have the potential to become real biking hubs,” Johnson said.
Bladholm said the money used to get the ferry off the ground wouldn’t take away from other active transportation projects. The federal grants FOFF would apply for are reserved specifically for ferry service, so she said we might as well use it for Portland.
“We just have to get people out of cars, however we do it,” she added.
Even if the relationship between ferry proponents and Portland officials is friendlier now, that doesn’t mean the city has the money to spare for an initial investment in the project. Shannon Carney, PBOT Commissioner Mingus Mapps’ transportation liaison, took a ride on the river later in the morning. She told me even though Mapps is a fan of the ferry, he would not be asking City Council to carve out money for the ferry in the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 budget. Instead, they’re going to take a different approach to funding.
“Commissioner Mapps is a Frog Ferry champion and supporter of the project, but it’s a challenging budget year for the city and for PBOT,” Carney said. “He’s working through the process of ensuring that Frog Ferry can be part of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), which is critical to receiving federal funding for it.”
As PBOT Commissioner, Mapps has a seat on the Metro Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT), the body that helps craft the RTP project list. A draft version of that list shared at their meeting Thursday morning (below) includes a $12 million line-item for a “passenger ferry pilot” that would be built with support from the Federal Transit Administration’s Passenger Ferry Grant Program.
Regardless of your position on this project, there’s something very alluring about being on the water. It’s a whole different world out there. It’s hard to tell from the shore, but there’s a lot of action taking place on the Willamette, and it was cool to feel like a part of that community, even if just for a bit. Even though I see the river almost every day, I’ve never really thought about being out on it like this.
Others felt similarly.
“One of the things I love about biking is the different perspective it provides. This will provide a new perspective of the city,” Johnson said.
It’s very possible that my positive experience on the boat this morning doesn’t mean Portland needs a ferry service, just that I should learn how to sail. Ultimately, it will be up to Portland City Council to make that decision. And with Mapps solidly behind it, that might happen sooner than we think.
If Frog Ferry receives a federal grant, Bladholm says the first one could be on the water as early 2025.
House Rep. Khanh Pham.Interstate Bridge Replacement Program Administrator Greg Johnson and ODOT Director Kris Strickler at the 4/13 Joint Committee on Transportation meeting. Members of the Joint Committee on Transportation.IBR Administrator Greg Johnson.(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
A group of five lawmakers who sit on the Joint Committee on Transportation (JCT) dropped a bombshell of a bill last week that seeks to come up with Oregon’s share of funding for the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program. That project (estimated to cost between $6 and $7.5 billion would replace the I-5 bridge between Portland and Vancouver, and build seven new interchanges with auxiliary lanes between them for a five-mile stretch of the freeway.
Everyone knew the debate over how to pay this $1 billion expense was coming since we got a preview at the end of March. But the actual bill wasn’t released until April 12th, and it just happened to get its first public airing the following day — at the tail end of a lobby day organized by the Just Crossing Alliance, a coalition of nonprofits that wants to “right-size” the project. I was at the State Capitol for that event and was able to attend the JCT’s informational session. While there wasn’t a robust debate because no public testimony was taken and JCT members only invited highly supportive panelists, we still heard the outlines of the debate to come.
Before I share a few of the meeting’s exchanges, let’s take a closer look at what’s in the bill.
The bill
HB 2098 -2 (PDF) is a classic “gut and stuff” which means it was filed months ago with a summary that said it would deal with speed bump heights and markings. That’s all been deleted and the “dash 2” amendments are what folks are talking about now.
There are several key things this bill wants to do. First, it would set a hard cap on the total price of the project at $6.3 billion. This is likely a gesture from lawmakers who want to be seen as holding ODOT accountable. When I asked a source (and ODOT critic) about why this was in the bill, they grinned and said, “What happens if they go over it? There’s no way to enforce it.”
The main meat of the bill is in Section 3 (page four, line nine) where it says the legislature will, “support the Interstate 5 bridge replacement project through an investment of $1 billion, financed through the issuance of general obligation bonds over the next four biennia and repaid with General Fund obligations.” It’s notable that when JCT members revealed their $1 billion plan at the end of March they asked to use only $300 million from GO bonds.
And then the bill starts to creep…
On page seven, line 16 there’s a section that would force the legislature to “fully fund” the I-5 Rose Quarter project in the next two sessions. The section also seeks to give I-5 Rose Quarter project a pat on the head by re-stating that it, “remains a priority project of statewide significance.” It’s unclear why JCT members threw this in, but the controversy and deep skepticism surrounding that project and the increasing desperation from ODOT to fund it (and several other freeway expansions in the region) likely has something to do with it.
Tolls will be a part of this project. In a section on cost analysis, the bill requires the legislature to “evaluate the amount that users of each class of vehicle actually paid for the cost of maintenance, operation and improvement of highways, roads and streets in the state; and whether the amount paid was a proportionate share of those costs.” This passage has some concerned that lawmakers want to be able to consider the possibility of tolling bike riders, electric car drivers, and so on.
Relatedly, also in the bill is new reporting that would be required as part of a “Highway Cost Allocation Study.” This study would seek to determine, “The proportionate share that the users of each class of vehicle should pay for the costs of maintenance, operation and improvement of the highways, roads and streets in the state; and whether the users of each class are paying that share.”
This morning at a Metro advisory committee meeting, the director of ODOT’s Urban Mobility Office, Brendan Finn, pointed out that the bicycle and pedestrian components of the IBR project cost about $100 million. If you pass a bill that defines a bicycle path as a “tollway” and then you have a study that says bicycle users are not paying their share of that $100 million, who knows what kind of policy conclusions lawmakers might come to.
Remember, several leaders of the JCT were the folks at the table when Oregon passed the $15 excise tax on the purchase of new bicycles.
The politics
Less than 24 hours after its first meeting at the JCT, Governor Tina Kotek threw cold water on the entire bill. According to the Capitol Chronicle, “She balked at the proposed source of those funds.”
It’s totally reasonable that the idea of using General Fund monies to pay for transportation projects gives Kotek some heartburn. According to economist and staunch ODOT critic Joe Cortright, HB 2098 is the first time in Oregon state history that would ever been done (I told you they are desperate). The state typically uses only the State Highway Fund to pay for road projects. “This would be a massive break from that philosophy,” Cortright wrote Tuesday. “It’s really hard to understand why Oregon taxpayers should take money that could be used to educate children, care for the sick, or address homelessness, and use it to subsidize commuters (and shoppers) from another state.”
At the JCT meeting last Thursday, House Representative Khanh Pham (D-Portland) expressed strong concerns about how the bill goes beyond just funding the IBR project. “I don’t quite understand why we’re bundling language about studies on tolling, funding the Rose Quarter — there’s even language about potentially tolling bicycle paths and singling out electric vehicles for special fees statewide…. I’m concerned,” she said.
Senator Lynn Findley, a Republic who represents eastern Oregon, reminded IBR Administrator Greg Johnson that he’s not comfortable with the fact that the legislature hasn’t voted to support funding this project. “We have to be very careful how we say [we got unanimous support from local officials for the project], none of this panel has voted for this bridge. There’s a difference between a local elected official saying ‘Yeah we love the bridge and this is the option we want,’ and not writing a check. And then the state people saying, ‘Yeah, we like the bridge and we’re going to write you a check.'”
Rep Pham also pressed Johnson for details about how wide the bridge would be and she questioned ODOT’s track record of using only 30% unionized labor on their construction projects.
The JCT is set to continue their debate on this bill at their meeting today. And this time they’ve invited a more diverse panel of voices that aren’t as likely to sing the project’s praises. Stay tuned for more coverage.
In related news, Senator Lew Frederick (D-Portland) has been named as a Joint Committee on Transportation co-chair. Sen. Frederick is taking the place of Sen. Chris Gorsek (D-Troutdale) who is away from the legislature due to a medical issue. I-5 runs through Sen. Frederick’s north Portland district.
UPDATE, 4/21: A public hearing for this bill has been set. It will be 4/27 at the JCT. Details here.
Just a quick note to make sure you carve out a few minutes of your day to watch the latest Streetfilms put together by the one and only Clarence Eckerson. Clarence was in town last week and caught up with Alameda Bike Bus leader Sam “Coach” Balto.
As many of you recall, Balto is a physical education teacher at Alameda Elementary and created his bike bus as a way to get students more movement and fun time with friends before class. He launched it one year ago. It caught on like wildfire, not only in Portland where it doubled in size in just four months, but it helped spark a movement that has sprouted bike buses all over the country.
Here in Portland we have nine bike buses now in operation. While BP Reporter Taylor Griggs works on a roundup of them, sit back and watch this excellent film about the bike bus — and the leaders and volunteers — who helped start it all.
Bike riders on Sauvie Island. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Welcome to the weekend! We hope the rain ceases a bit so we can get a taste of spring. But regardless, there will be people out on their bikes, so here’s our selection of some of the best bike events happening this weekend.
Saturday, April 22nd
Sauvie Island Century – 8:00 am at Northwest Sauvie Island Bridge (Sauvie Island) Up for a challenge? Join the Portland Bicycling Club on their Sauvie Island Century: a mostly flat route which makes for a great introduction for people new to century rides. The ride will go around beautiful Sauvie Island, heading to St. Johns for a coffee break before grabbing lunch in St Helens and riding back to the start location, which all adds up to a 106 mile ride. More info here.
Cycle Cats Vancouver Loop – 9:00 am at the Vera Katz statue on the Eastbank Esplanade (SE) Join the Cycle Cats for an adventurous 47 mile loop around Vancouver and back. This is a no drop ride, but they go pretty fast, so be prepared to sweat a bit. More info here.
PSU Farmers Market Ride – 10:00 am at various locations (SE) Despite what the weather says, it’s spring, so get on your bike and meet up with friends to see what’s for sale at the PSU Farmers Market. This weekly ride is led by Hami Ramani and is always a great way to meet new people or catch up with folks you haven’t seen in a while — with the opportunity for some shopping. More info here.
Sunday, April 23rd
Ride Westside First Ride of the Season – 11:00 am at Beaverton City Park (Beaverton) The Ride Westside group leads rides all around the Portland metro area’s west side, and they’re kicking off their 2023 season with an easy-paced, mostly flat ride through Beaverton and Washington County that will end at the BG Food Cartel for refreshments. More info here.
Move for Mother Earth – A Multimodal Scavenger Hunt – 1:00-4:00 pm at the Lloyd Center Marshall’s (NE) The Street Trust is kicking off Oregon Active Transportation Summit week with a scavenger hunt to encourage people to explore Portland by biking, walking or taking transit. Participants older than 16 will get a code to rent a Biketown bike for free. There are prizes to be won and entry to the event is free. More info here.
SE Community Garden Ride – 1:00 pm at Colonel Summers Park (SE) Check out some of Southeast Portland’s wonderful community gardens by bike! The ride will visit several gardens and end with doing some gardening work at Brooklyn Community Garden, where pizza and lemonade will be served. More info here.
BikeLoud West Monthly Ride – 2:30 pm at The Fields Park Join the BikeLoud West chapter for a casual ride around Portland’s westside checking out new routes and building community with advocates. The ride will end near some food and drink options so you can keep the advocacy momentum going. More info here.
Note: Our event calendar is on hiatus as we rebuild it into something better. If you are promoting a ride, please get in touch with our Sales Manager Jonathan Maus to find out if a promotional campaign is right for you. If not, we will do what we can to spread the word!
ODOT’s plan for seven miles of I-205 in Clackamas County. (Source: ODOT)
Portland-based advocacy group No More Freeways has become a household name among transportation reformers region-wide for their work in opposing the State of Oregon’s I-5 Rose Quarter project. Now the group has turned to another front in their freeway fight: An expansion of I-205 in Clackamas County.
ODOT’s plan for Phase Two of the “I-205 Improvements” project (Phase One is to build a new, wider Abernethy Bridge over the Willamette River) is to add one additional freeway lane for a seven-mile stretch between Highway 42 and Stafford Road.
NMF has launched a campaign urging supporters to comment on the project, which they say will add between 79 and 109 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) a year — that’s about 1.2 million metric tons of carbon by their estimate. “This is directly in conflict with Oregon’s aggressive targets for reducing carbon emissions, prioritizing investments in safer streets, or ensuring ODOT has the resources to invest in basic seismic retrofits for the 700 bridges across the state that need repair,” writes NMF on their website.
“The addition of new lanes to I-205 will have no tangible impact on congestion… either on the freeway itself or on nearby local roads.”
– USPIRG
ODOT is already overextended trying to pay for a slew of freeway expansions across the state. In 2021 they had to go back to the legislature to pass House Bill 3055. That bill, which passed over staunch opposition from NMF and other groups, increased ODOT’s short-term borrowing (bonding) authority from $100 million to $600 million. The bill also earmarked $30 million of those funds to this phase of the I-205 project specifically. ODOT is also working feverishly on a tolling plan that is expected to help pay for this project.
According to ODOT, the project is needed because it’s the last remaining segment of I-205 in Oregon that isn’t already three lanes in both directions. They want to widen it to address “multiple lengthy bottlenecks” that if left unchecked could, “significantly impact state and regional economic activity.” They also cite safety benefits with the new lanes due to fewer weaving movements that will, “allow traffic to flow more freely and reduce the number of crashes.”
The U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) a coalition of nonprofits that advocate around consumer protection, public health and transportation issues, has called this project a “boondoggle.” “The addition of new lanes to I-205 will have no tangible impact on congestion… either on the freeway itself or on nearby local roads,” they wrote late last year.
ODOT is currently conducting an environmental assessment as part of the federally obligated analysis that must be completed prior to receiving tolling authority.
In addition to concerns about VMT, emissions, and a lack of fiscal responsibility, NMF feels ODOT should conduct a more thorough environmental impact study before moving forward with any plans. They also believe if ODOT were to toll first, they might find that the additional lane isn’t necessary.
“The legal somersaults and fingers-on-the-scale to justify patently absurd numbers about cost benefit analysis and traffic projections would be laughable if the consequences we’re so dire,” NMF writes on their action alert.
