The City of Portland is putting final touches on a plan to build a new two-way protected bikeway on Northeast Skidmore from 33rd to 37th. This is the segment of Skidmore adjacent to Wilshire Park in the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood.
(Map: BikePortland)
The goal of the project is to slow down car users and provide a safer space for bicycle users and people walking near the park. This stretch of Skidmore, which is classified as a “major city bikeway” in Portland planning documents, currently gives drivers 40-feet of space to operate, far more than is necessary or safe. A Portland Bureau of Transportation analysis showed that most people drive 27-28 mph, well over a safe and considerate speed next to a park — not to mention that the posted speed limit is 20 mph.
The PBOT design proposal calls for 14-feet of (two-way) driving space and another 14 feet for two, seven-foot parking lanes. The remaining 12 feet will be used for a two-way protected bike lane (curbside to the park) that has two, five-foot lanes and a two-foot buffer zone from parked cars. PBOT believes the narrower operating space for drivers will encourage them to slow down. The new carfree space adjacent to the park will create a new safety buffer for bicycle riders and other users.
This crossing on NE 33rd will be constructed soon to connect to planned bikeway on Skidmore.(Source: PBOT)
PBOT considered a more typical shared-street, neighborhood greenway treatment for Skidmore but there are too many drivers going too fast to do that without installing diversion to limit traffic from NE 33rd (a major neighborhood collector). A PBOT traffic diversion analysis showed that banning eastbound movements onto Skidmore from 33rd would lead to too much out-of-direction car traffic on other residential streets.
Speaking of how this fits into the larger neighborhood greenway is the problem of how westbound bicycle riders on Skidmore will transition into the two-way bike lane on the south side of the street. If you’re riding westbound you’d be on the north side of the street, so you’d have to cross over oncoming traffic to get into the bike lane. This sets up a conversation about either an enhanced crossing treatment or some sort of median traffic diverter at NE 36th or 37th to remove that threat of oncoming traffic.
January 17th meeting of Joint Committee on Transportation. L to R: ODOT Urban Mobility Office Director Brendan Finn, Sen. Lew Frederick, Rep. Khanh Pham, Rep. Boshart-Davis, ODOT Director Kris Strickler.
“Why didn’t you look at public transit investments for congestion relief?”
– Khanh Pham, Oregon House
I used to think the I-5 freeway expansion projects at the Rose Quarter and the Interstate Bridge were the toughest things the Oregon Department of Transportation could ever try to pull off; but that was before I fully understood the massive headwinds they face on tolling. For ODOT, starting up a toll program will make trying to widen a freeway in Portland’s central city seem like a walk in the park.
Tolling is full of thorns matter how you try to hold it. Many people fear diverted traffic will exacerbate already dangerous and clogged surface streets, some are concerned a lack of options to driving will create captives to the fees, others don’t trust ODOT’s motives or their planned uses of the revenue, and some people simply just don’t like the idea of being charged more to drive. Behind each one of these serious detractions are upstart activist groups ready to pounce.
With the start of the 2023 legislative session last week, ODOT leaders now have another powerful slate of skeptics and scrutinizers: Oregon lawmakers. ODOT is facing hard questions and skepticism about tolls from both sides of the political aisle.
At the first two meetings of the Joint Committee on Transportation in the Oregon legislature last week we learned how key lawmakers feel and how high the stakes are for a program that hopes to begin charging tolls for driving trips for the first time ever by the end of next year.
At their first meeting of the session on Tuesday, January 17th, the committee heard a presentation on ODOT’s toll program. As ODOT Urban Mobility Office Director Brendan Finn went through his slides, State Rep Khanh Pham asked him to stop on the one labeled, “Congestion + Pollution.”
ODOT slide shown at the meeting.
“I assume the assumption behind this is that tolling will help fund the freeway expansions which will reduce the congestion,” Rep. Pham said. “I’m thinking about what we could do to get people out of their cars by investing in public transit along those corridors. And what a billion dollars could do for that. Why didn’t you look at public transit investments for congestion relief?”
Finn replied that in addition to freeway expansion funding, the legislature set aside money for transit in the landmark House Bill 2017 package passed in 2017. He didn’t mention any dollar amounts, but that funding is based on a state payroll tax that has generated about $60 million per year for transit improvements statewide — a drop in the bucket compared to what the state spends on highway projects.
Then Co-Chair Rep. Susan McClain, one of the main supporters of HB 2017, interjected to back up ODOT. She added that the bill was “multimodal” because it “did something” for transit, Safe Routes to School, and so on. She’s right. It did “something.” But this framing overlooks the huge imbalance of spending and belies the fact that it was a “highway bill” with its vast majority spent on freeway and highway projects.
“I’ll be very kind to you on this — ODOT has not necessarily got the greatest amount of trust.”
– Lew Frederick, Oregon Senate
Senator Lew Frederick, who represents north Portland neighborhoods bisected by I-5, said his chief worry is diversion of freeway traffic onto streets like Sandy, Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, and Broadway. “The concern is that the city is going to be asked to upgrade [those streets] without any additional resources… Where are you in terms of talking with folks about how that diversion strategy will be paid for?” he asked.
When Brendan Finn from the Urban Mobility Office said ODOT is working to model these impacts with the City of Portland and that the state will ultimately pay for those mitigation projects, Sen. Frederick replied, “I appreciate that. But I’ve got to tell you some of the people that I’ve heard concerned about it are the folks in those very cities and city governments who are saying, ‘We don’t know what’s going on with this exactly. We’ve been given vague assurances.'”
“And they,” Frederick continued. “And I’ll be very kind to you on this — ODOT has not necessarily got the greatest amount of trust and the idea that you’re going to do something about it, and that [cities] will be involved is not necessarily enough. I think you need to be much more direct and specific about how you’re handling this situation.”
(Later in the meeting Sen. Brian Boquist underscored in stark terms the public perception problem ODOT faces: “You’ve got a communications problem you’ve got to fix. It’s just that simple. You’ve got to fix it if you want to go forward.”)
At that point Director Strickler jumped in. Strickler has already begun to manage expectations and set his own narrative about diversion and who will be responsible for it. “It’s important that we identify what the true impact of the toll is,” he said at one point in the meeting. “As opposed to just kind of a desired wish list associated with all the other things that we have to do in an area.” He told Sen. Frederick that we have diversion from traffic on the freeway now and it’s difficult to understand what exactly causes it. Regardless of its source, Strickler assured the senator that the NEPA process for the toll program will force ODOT to pay for any negative impacts tolling is expected to have on surrounding streets.
“As we go through that process, I am asking for a little bit of a trust.”
– Kris Strickler, ODOT
Strickler also said that ODOT doesn’t know what the diversion impacts might be because they haven’t completed an analysis of it yet. “I’ll be honest with you, we don’t have firm answers to say, ‘These 12 intersections will be mitigated,’ because we’re still trying to evaluate the impacts of each of those. But as we go through that process, I am asking for a little bit of a trust.”
Sen. Frederick still seemed unsatisfied. “Here’s the issue,” he said, sharply. “You don’t let people know soon enough. You don’t let people know often enough… in order to try to at least begin to break through that trust issue because people make up their own myths if they if they’re not given enough information.”
House Rep Khanh Pham added to Frederick’s points by asking ODOT for a specific estimate of total revenues each city will receive to mitigate toll program impacts to low-income households, public transit providers, and local governments to pay for street upgrades.
ODOT Director Strickler told Rep. Pham, “That’s actually not the way that the process is working… We don’t have those numbers yet.” Strickler said the FHWA (via the NEPA process) will tell ODOT what (if any) the negative impacts are and then they will be directed to fund mitigation of those impacts. But he also warned that all tolling revenue will be part of the State Highway Fund so it will come with strings attached (as in, it cannot be used to fund transit or other “non-highway” projects as per Oregon’s constitution).
“You’re also saying there’s restrictions to what you can do, so some of [those mitigations] would be unfunded…”
Unfortunately this exchange between Director Strickler and Rep. Pham was cut short because Rep. McLain interjected for a second time. “Okay, so this is a really important area. And it again, is is not done, the conversation is continuing on,” she said.
After getting grilled from Democrats Frederick and Pham, next up was Republic Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis. She thinks tolls are social engineering. “I hear a lot about changing behavior and getting people out of cars. You say we’re giving people options, I hear we’re taking away choices,” she said. “I think that is cause for concern. I think that that needs to be recognized that we’re making choices for other people… my constituents hate it when the state tells them what to do,” Boshart-Davis continued, perhaps not realizing that the current system that allows driving to remain so cheap and convenient also takes away choices of many people.
Keep in mind, all of this happened at just the first Joint Transportation Committee meeting of the session! And just two days later, ODOT was grilled again about their toll plans and how they will impact low-income Oregonians.
It’s going to be a very bumpy ride for ODOT. Wait until you learn how leveraged they are because of project cost increases and their desperate need for funding several freeway megaprojects they are determined to get done no matter the cost. Stay tuned!
Somewhere in east Portland. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
A Portlander has taken his love of riding on unpaved roads to a new level with the creation of a website called Gravelland. It’s the latest in our city’s long-running love affair with taking road bikes off-road.
Andrew Osborn is the man behind GravellandPDX.com, a site profiled by VeloNews last week that’s devoted to mapping every section of rideable gravel in the Portland area. It’s an excellent resource for anyone who wants to spice up their next ride. Osborn is running the site as a nonprofit that’s, “working to improve knowledge of riding opportunities in our city, help more people learn about the fun of riding gravel, and network the gravel-riding community.”
So far he’s mapped 391 sections of unpaved roads and trails. The site also has 12 curated routes to help you get started. Osborn’s work builds off local interest in gravel and adventure riding that’s been building for well over a decade now — from the legend of Otto Miller Road and the “Bullshit 100” ride, to VeloDirt and Our Mother the Mountain.
Route thumbnails.Blue are sections of gravel roads/trails.Screenshots from GravellandPDX.com
What sets Gravelland apart is how easy it makes urban explorations, and how it encourages you to think differently when you plot out your next ride. Too many people tend to ride past our big urban parks, rather than ride through them. And if you haven’t explored the dirt treats along the Willamette Bluff or the East Buttes, now you have one less excuse. Just grab one of the routes or pick an unpaved section, plug it into your GPS unit or phone, and set off.
The routes are mostly paved with sections of gravel and dirt here and there. Most of them can be ridden on standard road bikes (if you’re careful to not flat).
Osborn told VeloNews a big reason for this project is to get more beginners into mixed terrain riding and to make gravel more accessible to more people even if they don’t have a lot of time or a ton of high-end gear.
Before I share our news roundup, I want to thank all of our subscribers, advertisers, and supporters. BikePortland exists because businesses buy advertising and our readers step up with financial contributions and monthly subscription payments. If you are a regular reader — or if you understand the vital role community journalism plays in a healthy society — please join the effort to keep this trusted local news source alive. Become a supporter today!
And with that, here are the most notable stories our writers and readers have come across in the past seven days…
A.k.a. “car brain”: Authors of a new paper that looks into the psychology of car drivers have coined the term “motonormativity” to explain how social norms and unconscious bias make too many people unable/unwilling to address road deaths and crashes. (The Guardian)
Nail in sharrow’s coffin?: A veteran bike advocate admits that pushing sharrows back in the 1990s was a very bad idea because they don’t work (except for wayfinding like Portland uses them for) and they give empty credit to policymakers who install them. (People For Bikes)
Diversion works: A new study from London shows that neighborhood streets with diverters reduce car traffic but do not lead to a commensurate increase in nearby larger arterial roads. (Forbes)
From Stumptown to Gravelland: A Portlander has created a website full of routes that let you ride to popular local destinations “the gravel way.” (VeloNews)
Radical vs practical: A major debate of our time is how fast we should expect society to change in response to major crises like climate change. In transportation, that debate often plays out how one sees the role of EV-cars as a solution. (Boston Globe)
E-bike subsidy: Nashville, TN is the latest city to consider a cash-back program for people who buy e-bikes. Using federal COVID relief dollars, the program would offer rebates ranging from $300 to $1,400. (WPLN)
Amsterdam’s latest: One of the world’s cycling epicenters is just messing with us by building a bike parking station with 7,000 stalls that will be completely underwater. (Road.cc)
The engineering problem: Turns out one of the big problems in fixing America’s roads lies in the fact that most transportation engineers are ill-equipped for the job. (Next City)
Avoid these five states: Statistics reveal that the states of Texas, California, Florida, Georgia and North Caroline accounted for nearly 40% of fatal traffic crashes nationwide in 2022. (Yahoo)
Back in June I received an email from a reader named Craig Doerty. He needed help with a problem. A big problem: Car drivers routinely fail to negotiate the s-curve intersection in front of his house and he lives in fear that they’ll slam into him and/or his home.
His concerns are very reasonable because it has already happened.
Late on a Saturday might in October 2021, the driver of a small hatchback lost control in the turn and managed to run right up into his front yard and struck his house. “My house just shook like a bomb had gone off,” he shared with me on Thursday. The driver took chunks off Craig’s garage and destroyed he and his neighbor’s fence before it came to rest nearly in the yard next door. And that was just one of several incidents where a driver slammed into a house in this neighborhood.
(Crash aftermath photos courtesy Craig Doerty)
Craig said he’s witnessed about a dozen collisions. Houses on each corner have been struck. The fence and wall of one house, which was heavily damaged and draped with a tarp when I was out there from a crash just a few weeks ago, has been hit at least five times in recent memory. Parked cars have been totaled. Traffic poles and trees have been uprooted.
Craig’s neighbor, Brendan Bishop, has also been rattled by the omnipresent threat of the street.
“It’s kind of like developing PTSD a little bit… It’s like you hear you hear a noise and you almost always think it’s an accident or crash,” Brendan shared. After his house was hit in 2021, he filed a report with the City of Portland’s 823-SAFE Traffic Safety & Neighborhood Livability Hotline. He warned about speeding drivers, curbs that aren’t ADA-compliant, a spate of crashes, people doing donuts on the wide expanses of pavement left over from the break in the street grid. PBOT responded a few weeks later. They would put the request for an engineering investigation in the queue and could expect to hear something in three months. Brendan was relieved.
Seven months later he hadn’t heard back, so he emailed PBOT’s 823-SAFE staff person again.
Craig DoertyThat fence gets hit often.Wide expanse of pavement encourages dangerous driving.Brendan Bishop
“Since the time I first called, another accident occurred early this morning, a car going west bound, hit a telephone pole, arrow sign and stop sign and slammed into a home. I know these things take time, but I highly recommend sending someone to the corner sooner than later… It’s extremely scary… Something has to be done soon or another accident will occur.”
The PBOT staffer said an engineering analysis had been completed and the agency was will to update some curve advisory signs and add a painted bike lane in one direction. But that was it. Brendan and Craig want to see something much more substantial, like a concrete median island and/or some sort of traffic control and calming device.
Neither of these folks are well-versed in transportation advocacy. They just want to stop being scared.
(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
“I want to say I feel let down by the city but I don’t think that’s the case,” Craig shared. “I just think we haven’t been loud enough about it yet.”
I encouraged them to get involved with their neighborhood association, to plug into PBOT’s Lower SE Rising Area Plan project, email their elected representatives, and do whatever they can to keep their concerns in the news.
There are a lot of dangerous intersections in Portland that need urgent changes. This one seems especially egregious. For eastbound traffic, there are no stop signs or signals on Woodstock for about one mile between 52nd and 69th. That means drivers have a perfect straightaway to gather speed with very little warning that a sharp corner is coming up. Craig and Brendan said drivers love to “drift” around the corners for fun.
We’ve covered several recent projects where PBOT has used a combination of painted pavement and plastic wands and curbs to narrow intersections. It feels like that would be a minimum here.
What do you think? Do you ride or drive or walk in this area? What is your experience with this s-curve or similarly designed intersections?
BikePortland has received biographies of the 13 Portlanders, and their substitutes, who have been selected by council offices to sit on the Independent District Commission. As we reported earlier this week, the responsibility of the commission is to prepare and adopt a boundary plan for the four city council districts as stipulated by the city charter reform approved by voters last November.
The city received 279 applications which were scored on four criteria:
Skills and knowledge to help commission work
Commitment to advancing equity
Ability to support community engagement efforts
Connection to a variety of Portland’s communities
The city council will formalize the appointments on January 25th. Here are the nominees:
Amanda Manjarrez
“I think it’s critical that we create districts that honor the unique experiences and identities across our diverse communities. My sincere hope is that folks see themselves represented and feel a sense of belonging, possibility, and excitement about getting more involved as potential leaders and as voters in their new districts.”
Amanda brings creative leadership and a deep commitment to social justice to her work as Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs at Foundations for A Better Oregon. A longtime advocate for racial equity and good governance, she collaborates with Oregonians around the state to co-design, test and champion system change strategies that deliver lasting impact for children and families. Previously, Amanda served as the first Director of Advocacy for the Coalition of Communities of Color and Latino Network, where she supported the organization in establishing an Advocacy Department. She also served as Chief Strategist at the Center for Civic Policy in Albuquerque, NM where she engaged in redistricting efforts in 2010. A 2016 graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School, she is currently a member of the New Mexico State Bar with a practice focused on Election law and nonprofit advocacy.
Arlene Kimura
Hopefully, this will show the community members of East Portland that the City is really interested in hearing their voice and take heed on their concerns and bring some positive developments.”
Arlene Kimura was born and raised in Hawaii and lived Europe and San Francisco before making Portland her home in 1978. She is a long-time advocate for East Portland community members. Arlene has been involved with many City of Portland processes, including the East Portland Action Plan and on the budget advisory committees for City of Portland’s Office of Civic Life, Parks and Recreation, Bureau of Transportation, and Prosper Portland. She is currently the board president of the Hazelwood Neighborhood Association, the treasurer of the East Portland Neighbors, and a member on the Multnomah County Midland/Gregory Height Libraries remodel task force as well as Tri-Met’s Hazelwood Public Safety Project. In her free time, Arlene enjoys exploring different textile expressions, cuisines, gardening, natural areas, music, reading and traveling.
David Michael Siegel
“I hope to help accomplish what the city has been discussing for over three decades – how to more effectively and inclusively represent the diverse citizenry of Portland, and how to more efficiently manage the organizational infrastructure required to run and serve a city of Portland’s size.”
David Siegel, FAICP, retired after 42-years as a planner for a broad array of cities, counties and consulting firms, serving many years as a professional planner and manager for cities with city managers and ward-based city councils. He worked for Portland’s Office of Transportation under Earl Blumenauer, and as a project consultant to the City. David was a municipal planning commissioner and served as both President and Board member for the American Planning Association (the country’s professional organization for city planning professionals) and for Green Empowerment, a Portland- based international environmental nonprofit organization. He is committed to making Portland “the city that works” … only better. David and his wife raise and train puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind, and he is a singer and guitarist for the local blues band, Big Plans.
DaWayne Judd
“I’m excited by the opportunity to create equity and representation to the diverse communities of Portland.”
DaWayne Judd was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, and received a BA in Sociology and Economics from Haverford College and an MBA in Business from University of Michigan before moving to Portland in 2015. He is a small business owner of B-More Management, LLC and has worked for Fortune 500 companies such as Columbia Sportswear, and Coldwater Creek. DaWayne serves as a board member for Black Executive Forum, Partners in Diversity, Alia Innovations and Family Service, and the Oregon Northwest Regional Education Service District. In his spare time, DaWayne enjoys dining on Ethiopian food at Enat’s, cognacs at Olive or Twist, catching up on community news at Champion’s Barber and visiting Broughton Beach with his Cane Corso named Zora Neale Hurston.”
Edie Van Ness
“I am so excited to see this new Portland and want to play a part in its success. If not me, then who? I do not deserve the right to question or challenge policies if I myself am unwilling to get involved and serve.”
Edie Van Nes is a third-generation Portlander and longtime criminal defense attorney, primarily representing court-appointed clients who overwhelmingly grew up in underserved communities. Since returning to Portland post-law school, she has been involved with many women’s causes, including founding the first and only multi-industry women’s business directory, Edie’s List (edieslist.com). Edie has been recognized by both the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Oregon Criminal Defense Attorneys Association for her work. She welcomes different perspectives and enjoys working in a collaborative setting. Edie’s proudest title is wife and mother. Between June and September, you’re most likely to find Edie doing her most favorite activity, boating on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.
Joshua Laurente
“This endeavor will only be successful if we are committed to engaging with Portlanders where they are, being in community with them, and lifting up their voices as we draw the political boundaries that will unite our city. If appointed, I believe we can execute a community-oriented and equity-focused blueprint for innovating democracy that other cities can look to as a successful model of transformative democratic change.”
Joshua Laurente is a Pacific Islander raised and rooted in the indigenous CHamoru islands of Guam and the Marianas, who are still resisting colonization by the United States. Josh has a master’s degree in policy advocacy and political development from Portland State University. He has spent the last year providing direct support and outreach with houseless Portlanders as a Rider Ambassador, a Portland Streetcar pilot program seeking to be a non-security alternative to supporting public safety on transit. Prior to that he was a state team member with US Senator Jeff Merkley, as well as an assistant supporting engagement at equity-focused firm Espousal Strategies. In his own time, Josh keeps a membership at the Circuit gym, volunteers with the Sunnyside Shower Project, and serves on the board of directors at Next Up, while also staying engaged in Guam’s youth-led decolonization movement.
Kari Chisholm
“I am enthusiastic about the historic opportunity to hear from Portland residents about how they want to represented on City Council, and to draw maps that maximize political competition and representation of our unique and diverse neighborhoods and communities.”
Kari Chisholm has lived in the city of Portland since 1997. Kari is the founder and president of Mandate Media, a Portland-based digital strategy and political consulting firm. Since 2001, Kari has advised over 300 candidates and elected officials in 32 states. He and his wife also own Cellar 503, an Oregon wine club and small business in Portland. In 2021 and 2022, Kari taught Digital Media Policy and Politics at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy where he also serves on the bipartisan political digital working group that has proposed regulatory reforms in digital campaign practices. In 2001, Kari served on the citizens’ commission that advised the Metro Council on its post-Census 2000 redistricting effort.
Lamar Wise
“I’m excited to create an inclusive process and to engage community-based organizations.”
Lamar Wise began his life of advocacy working for the Oregon Student Association as their Legislative Director in 2015 and eventually become the Executive Director in 2017. During his time at OSA he focused fighting back tuition increases, increasing mental health services on campuses and empowering students to be involved in the electoral process. Lamar then transitioned to working for Oregon AFSCME as a Political Coordinator in 2019 where he has focused on fighting for economic justice to all working families. Since then, Lamar has been appointed to various boards including ACLU of Oregon, Community alliance of tenants action Fund, Our Oregon, Safety and Justice PAC board, and The Governor’s Racial Council. Through Lamar’s community involvement, he has fought for opportunities for Portlanders and Oregonians to have a voice in government decisions that will affect them.
Melody Valdini
“My goals would be to share my knowledge of how other cities and countries have drawn similar districts and to create the most fair and equitable districts for Portland.”
Melody E. Valdini is a professor in the political science department at Portland State University as well as the co-editor of the Journal of Women, Politics & Policy. Her research focuses on the consequences of institutional design, with a particular focus on electoral systems, political parties, and representation. She has published in the American Journal of Political Science, Political Research Quarterly, Electoral Studies, and Politics & Gender, and is the author of two books: The Character of Democracy: How Institutions Shape Politics (with Richard Clucas) and The Inclusion Calculation: Why Men Appropriate Women’s Representation (both published by Oxford University Press). In 2020, her most recent book, The Inclusion Calculation, was selected as the winner of the Victoria Schuck Award by the American Political Science Association, which recognizes the best book published on women and politics in the previous year. She has lived in Portland for sixteen years and spends her free time watching elections around the world, riding bikes with her husband and two daughters, and catering to two demanding cats.
Neisha Saxena
“The work of implementing the recommendations of the City of Portland Charter Commission is a critical opportunity to redesign City government toward achieving the goal of a multiracial democracy.”
Neisha Saxena (She/Her) serves as the Deputy Director and Civil Rights Administrator for the Multnomah Office of Diversity and Equity. Prior to this role, she worked in the Department of County Human Services where she managed the Anti-Poverty Initiatives Team dedicated to innovative approaches to dismantling the root causes of poverty and systemic racism. Prior to working at Multnomah County, Neisha lead a team at Home Forward and was a civil rights lawyer for 15 years, at Disability Rights Oregon and Legal Aid Services of Oregon, focusing on housing, employment, and public benefits law. She was a founding member of the Portland Fair Housing Advocacy Committee, the Portland Commission on Disabilities, and has served in leadership roles on the Oregon State Bar Affirmative Action Committee and Disability Law Section, the Home Forward 504 Board, the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities, the PPS Superintendent’s Advisory Committee on Enrollment and Transfer and Districtwide Boundary Advisory Committee, among many other boards and commissions. Neisha is a native of Chicago, raised in a South Asian immigrant family. She has a JD from Georgetown University Law Center and a BA, magna cum laude, from Wellesley College.
Paul Lumley
“I am excited about ensuring a fair process is implemented to create the 4 new districts, as well as ensuring a transparent and inclusive process.”
Paul Lumley has resided in Portland for 30 years and is the Chief Executive Officer for the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) and a citizen of the Yakama Nation. He came to NAYA in 2016 after being the Executive Director of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) since 2009. Mr. Lumley served as Executive Director of the National American Indian Housing Council in Washington DC from 2007 to 2009. While also in DC, Paul served as the Senior Tribal Liaison for the U.S. Department of Defense from 2004-2007. Paul has served as the Chair of the Coalition of Communities of Color and continues to collaborate with community-based organizations. Paul has a wide-ranging background on issues that directly impact American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. He has worked directly with tribal governments, tribal consortia, virtually all federal agencies impacting Indian country, and Native American national and regional organizations throughout his professional career. Experience areas include education, housing, social services, tribal treaty rights, and environmental protection and restoration. In his spare time, Paul loves to hike and make pies.
Sharon VanSickle-Robbins
“As a native Portlander who loves this City, I believe the work of this advisory body to address longstanding challenges with our model of government and to provide equitable representation across the entire community is long overdue. I believe this work will be transformative.”
Sharon VanSickle-Robbins is a lifelong Portlander and is passionate about ensuring that the diversity of our community is reflected in the leadership of the organizations she works with and that their missions are inclusive. Sharon earned a B.A. in marketing and journalism from the University of Portland. She began her career working at Willamette Week, and then in public relations for Tektronix. In 1983, she cofounded KVO Advertising and Public Relations and helped lead the firm for 20 years. In 2000, they sold KVO to Fleishman-Hillard International Communications (FH), one of the world’s largest public relations agencies. Sharon led the FH offices in Portland and Seattle. She now devotes her energy and experience to supporting a range of community organizations including, the International Women’s Forum/Oregon, City Club of Portland, Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, Self Enhancement, Inc., Thomas Edison High School, the Scappoose School District, Sauvie Island School, Portland metropolitan area’s Regional Arts & Culture Council, and the Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum.
Steve Fleischman
“We live in a time where so many forces political, technological, economic, and cultural tear us apart and encourage us to be self-interested. The new form of government we have chosen in this part election offers an opportunity to build anew on a vision of democracy that values and includes all. I’d like to play a small part in implementing that vision well.”
Steve Fleishman has been an owner/operator of several businesses, including his current consulting practice at Change Dynamics, LLC, a middle and high school social studies teacher, director of an international civic education project that worked in more than two-dozen countries in Africa, Asia, Central America, and Eastern Europe, and an executive in three education nonprofits–including as CEO of Portland-based Education Northwest. Steve serves on the boards of the City Club of Portland and NWEA. As a child of immigrant parents to the U.S. and Latin America, whose first language is Spanish, and who moved to this country in the fourth grade, Steve has personal insight into the challenges faced by individuals who are not members of a dominant group or culture, and who seek to be affirmed by and included in democratic processes. Coming from a different society, he learned about American society and culture as an outsider and has developed a deep attachment to democracy and social justice. Steve believes that the new Portland form of government is a unique and exciting experiment to help perfect local democracy by being more inclusive and more representative of the views and aspirations of all of our citizens.
Alternates member nominees are: Marta Hanson, Ransom Green III, and Sohrab Vossoughi. The reserve alternate member nominees are Brian Wilson, Sarah Thompson, and Weston Koyama.
Trail plan for Burlington Creek. Note location is just south of Hwy 30 and Cornelius Pass Rd intersecdtion. (Source: Metro)
We finally have news to report on Metro’s plan to build new off-road singletrack cycling trails on land just beyond Portland’s northwest border: Multnomah County has set a date for a public hearing on the trail proposal at its planning commission.
The North Tualatin Mountain trails would be located about 14 miles north of Waterfront Park and downtown Portland, and would be accessible via Highway 30 and NW McNamee Road. If you’ve ever taken a bike or a car to Sauvie Island, you’d just stay on the highway for another three miles to reach the new trailhead.
Metro Council adopted the North Tualatin Mountains Master Plan in 2016. That plan included a proposal for a mix of natural area conservation and trails on four separate sites just north of Forest Park totaling 1,300 acres of land. Two of those parcels were deemed fit for off-road cycling trails. The 339-acre Burlington Creek Forest parcel will be the first one to be developed.
Metro concept drawing of the parking lot in 2015.
The plan calls for 5.6 miles of bicycle trails that would be shared with hikers. The trails would range in width from 24 to 48-inches wide. The Burlington Creek Forest project will also include a restroom, picnic table, informational kiosk, and a trailhead with a parking lot that will fit 25 cars.
Since the project requires several land use permits and would require a change to Multnomah County’s Comprehensive Plan, the planning commission must sign off on the proposal before construction can start. The commission hearing is set for February 6th at 6:30 pm and public testimony is encouraged. Metro submitted the land use and permit applications to the county in fall 2017.
The plans for Burlington have changed slightly since we shared our first look at them in 2015. The parking lot has grown by 10 spaces and the trail descriptions have changed a bit. In 2015 we reported a total of 6.15 miles of trails and gravel roads — including 2.25 miles of what Metro coined “off-road cycling optimized” trails. The new description of trails posted in the public hearing notice describe 5.6 miles of “shared hiking and off-road cycling trails.”
The final design of the trail network at Burlington Creek is yet to come. Once Metro has permits in hand, they’ll finalize the plans and construction will finally start. During the previous public outreach, Metro promised that the bike trails would “meander up and down steep forest topography” and would be “designed to provide a variety of challenge levels and opportunities to create loops.”
Metro graphic from 2015 open house.
When this trail plan came to Metro, there was organized opposition from people who live in the nearby mountains. They held signs against the “Adventure Park Trail Plan” and protested outside a meeting at Metro headquarters on Southeast Grand Avenue. But Metro Council saw past the anti-bike sentiment, realized it was based on protecting private property and not the public good, and voted unanimously to support the trails. Their decision was an exciting step forward for off-road cycling and came in contrast to years of bureaucratic foot-dragging at the City of Portland where leaders have acknowledged the need for more singletrack in places like Forest Park and River View; but have been unable and/or unwilling to make it happen.
There is vast unmet demand for more places to ride within a short distance of Portland. For evidence of this we need only look at the success of Gateway Green and Rocky Point. If they are constructed, the trails at Burlington Creek would be more expansive and interesting than what’s available at Gateway Green and would be much closer than Rocky Point.
Portland-based nonprofit NW Trail Alliance have been instrumental stewards at both those sites. NWTA Board Member Juntu Oberg called the hearing announcement an “important next step.” “We appreciate the amount of work Metro has done to preserve and protect this natural area so close to the City of Portland,” Oberg shared in an email to us this morning. “We look forward to participating in this public process to ensure off-road cycling access on this property.”
Better late than never!
When they filed their applications with Multnomah County in 2017, Metro expected to hold this hearing in early 2020 and the new park was supposed to open in 2022. At an open house event in 2015, they said we’d have a grand opening in 2017. Either way, we are too many years behind schedule! Hopefully the hearing goes well and we can make this happen sooner rather than later.
UPDATE, 1/25: From a process standpoint, here’s what we can expect. The following comes from Metro Parks and Nature dept:
Land use hearings with the Multnomah County Planning Commission are expected to take 2 – 3 months. After they make a recommendation, we will need to go before the full County Board of Commissioners for approval. This is likely another 3 – 4 month process.
If the Board approves our applications, a community member or group has an opportunity to appeal to the State Land Use Board of Appeals and then the Oregon Courts of Appeal, if they choose to do so. Appeals could add a year or two to our process before we could potentially proceed.
At that point, funding will need to be identified to complete design engineering as well as construction.
A dreamy high-speed IC Javelin train at the London St. Pancras station. (Photos: Taylor Griggs/BikePortland)
— This post is part of BikePortland Staff Writer Taylor Griggs’ trip through Europe. See previous dispatches here.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been very impressed with the bike infrastructure in the European cities I’ve visited so far. But throughout my travels over the last couple of weeks, I’ve realized that separated bike lanes and carfree streets — while lovely and quite enviable — aren’t actually the element of European transportation that could convince me to try to permanently emigrate abroad. The rail system, on the other hand? That’s a different story.
I’ve expressed my enthusiasm for Amtrak on BikePortland before, and I’ll do it again: I’m charmed by American rail travel. I like its quirks and the sense of community it fosters, and I’ve seen some of the most memorable, awe-inspiring natural scenery of my life from the Amtrak observation car. But after seeing what dignified train travel looks like, I have to say that some of that affection has diminished…or at least evolved a bit.
Plus, look at the nice bike racks and lovely dining facilities! You don’t have to sacrifice quality.
It’s not entirely fair to compare intercity train travel in Europe and the United States because the European countries have a clear geographical advantage: their cities are actually close together. The entire continent of Europe, including western Russia, is just slightly bigger than the lower 48 states in the U.S., and many of the major capitals — London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Vienna — are located fairly close together, at least by American standards.
Quick calculation from kilometers to miles — this is almost 200 mph.
But it’s not just about city proximity. Even if we can’t pick up and move the major American cities closer together, there’s still a lot we can do. In Europe, trains actually come on time, are scheduled multiple times a day and are fast. Many European countries have invested in high-speed rail. The trains stop in small towns, not just big cities, making it possible for people living in the countryside to travel without a car. Taking the train is the fastest and most efficient option for getting from one city to another a lot of the time, and countries like France are making it mandatory to go by rail instead of flying in an effort to combat carbon emissions.
Earlier this week, I traveled from Copenhagen to Paris, which took about 13 hours on the train altogether (I made a stop in Hamburg to split up the trip). These cities are about the same distance apart as Portland and San Francisco, but a nonstop Amtrak trip to the Bay Area from Portland takes about 19 hours — much longer than it would take to drive.
And then there are the delays. U.S. passenger rail is dictated by the freight industry (which has a surprisingly large grip on the entire American transportation sector, including locally). Amtrak and Union Pacific — the rail company that hauls freight all over the American west — have to share the rails, which means that they’re constantly battling for access to the tracks.
Even though passenger rail is supposed to have preferential right-of-way over freight, Amtrak trains are constantly held up by Union Pacific, sometimes for hours on end. (A passenger train was just stuck in rural South Carolina with limited food supplies for more than 20 hours last week.) After seeing how people in Europe react when their train is a few minutes late (which has really not been common — usually they are exactly on time), it’s seems all the more ridiculous to me that we put up with this kind of thing in the U.S.
Of course, this past holiday season’s airline meltdown showed that all modes of transportation are subject to failure at times. But the federal government has never paid as much attention to passenger rail as they have to subsiding airlines, and it’s extremely obvious.
I love traveling, but I also feel it’s my responsibility to limit my personal carbon emissions as much as possible. Our planet cannot sustain the amount of air travel Americans are doing, but with the system that we have it’s also unrealistic to expect much else.
I will keep riding Amtrak for the views, the charming experience and to avoid flying. But based on past experiences, like one egregious situation in which I was stuck on a train in the desert for 15+ hours, missed my connecting train and had to shell out $200 for a last-minute one-way flight, I know I can’t do it if I have anywhere I need to be in a timely manner. So I will continue to be one of a few Americans who takes the train. And although I’m fine going it alone from time to time, I’d really prefer others were able to join me on this one.
Most of the news coverage from local television sources is from a car drivers point-of-view because news executives assume that’s who’s watching their shows. And they’re right! That’s why so much of what we see on local news stations is biased toward driving cars and tends to marginalize or patronize road users on foot or on bikes. I’ve leveled major criticism at local news coverage many times over the years.
So when KGW’s “Driving Me Crazy” series (see how the name itself centers drivers?) took on the topic of drivers having a hard time seeing people at night, I was ready to get mad. But it turns out that it wasn’t really that bad. Here’s my critique…
Screenshots from the TV segment.
The segment opened with the typical pablum of people in cars who just cannot fathom why other road users do what they do. “Why do grown adults think it’s a good idea to run down the middle of the street in the dark wearing black from head to toe?” was the viewer question that inspire the segment. It opened with interviews of people in their cars who said, “People in Portland just literally walk whatever they want. It’s terrifying,” “I don’t want to get like go to jail for killing somebody,” and “I almost hit one of my neighbors who was wearing all black during a rainstorm who was walking their dog.”
This was not a great start, and my blood pressure began to spike. Then our friend Dylan Rivera, a public information officer from PBOT, swooped in to save the day! His official comment to KGW was that their entire premise sounded like victim blaming. I was really glad KGW Host Chris McGinness included Rivera’s take right at the outset.
McGinness also did the right thing when he included a comment from The Street Trust Executive Director Sarah Iannarone who said we need to look out for each other. McGinness even said “streets are shared spaces” and referenced the Oregon law that requires drivers to stop for pedestrians trying to cross the street.
McGinness then talked to someone who works as a sales rep for a local running store. The rep organizes weekly group runs that start in the Pearl District and he’s taken it upon himself to make sure folks wear light-up vests and other reflective gear. That’s great. It’s good for vulnerable road users to acknowledge the inherent dangers of running on streets at night and do something to make it safer.
While I think there is a lot more to say about the topic of night driving and safety of people on the roads, I like how McGinness didn’t really take a side (other than the general framing choices of course) and he let folks say their piece. This is really important! It’s one thing if people say things on TV that I disagree with or that I think put people in danger — but it’s another thing when the host validates those voices. McGinness didn’t do that.
He ended with this: “No driver wants to hit someone. No runner or walker wants to be hit. We can all do our part — drivers paying attention and runners and walkers doing their best — to help drivers see them.” Not bad. Yes it sort of both-sides an issue where one party should hold a lot more responsibility given their ability to do harm; but given that this is a major network TV news show, this is about as good as we can expect.
Four-district map I created using the Districtr tool from MGGG.
Today the city released the names of thirteen Portlanders who will be considered for appointment to the Independent District Commission (IDC), a body tasked with establishing the geographic boundaries for future City Council districts.
The IDC was part of the city charter reform overwhelmingly approved by voters last November. As stipulated by the reform, the candidates have been selected by the Mayor and will be formally appointed by the City Council on January 25th. Here’s the list:
Amanda Manjarrez
Arlene Kimura
David Michael Siegel
DaWayne Judd
Edie Van Ness
Joshua Laurente
Kari Chisholm
Lamar Wise
Melody Valdini
Neisha Saxena
Paul Lumley
Sharon VanSickle-Robbins
Steve Fleischman
Of the nearly 300 applications for the positions, Mayor Wheeler stated that, “We received phenomenal applications from so many wanting to engage fellow Portlanders and create districts in which all residents feel represented in their city government. We see and are counting on the continued momentum to change our City’s future.”
The IDC faces a September 1, 2023 deadline for adoption of a districting plan.
The charter reform has strong guard rails to protect the IDC from the temptation to gerrymander:
The Independent Districting Commission would ensure that each district, as nearly as practicable, would be contiguous (one connected piece), utilize existing geographic or political boundaries, not divide communities of common interest, be connected by transportation links, and be of equal population.
The equal population requirement presents an obvious challenge because of the Willamette River— a geographic barrier which throws a curve at contiguity. The problem is that less than a quarter of the city’s population lives west of the river. This means that a small portion of the east side must be included in a majority west side district to arrive at the required “equal population” of 25%.
This is not a surprise, and possible boundaries accommodating this were floated last year. They all involve taking a neighborhood along the east side of the river and connecting it to the western district.
Portland precincts seen as base layer on the Districtr tool.
If you think you can do better, consider playing along with the Districtr tool, from the Metric Geometry and Gerrymandering Group (MGGG). It lets you compose districts by selecting Portland neighborhoods from a map and helpfully keeps a running tally of the population count so you don’t go overboard.
As we move closer to implementing a four-district city council, I’m expecting to see more maps like the one Roger Geller presented to the Bicycle Advisory Committee, thePercentage of Planned Bikeways Built. City councilors will want to know what assets are coming to the district they have been elected to represent. That means more data presented geographically, by district.
As you’ve probably already heard, last Friday evening U.S. Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-1st District) was struck by a car driver as she and her husband walked across a street in northwest Portland. According to a statement from her staff, the couple were walking across NW Everett and 19th in the crosswalk prior to being hit.
A Portland Police spokesperson told The Oregonian that it happened around 8:44 pm “when a woman turned at low speed and knocked them down.” Rep. Bonamici and her husband were leaving an event at Congregation Beth Israel, which is on NW Flanders near 20th. The exact details of what happened prior to the collision haven’t been released yet. Police say the driver was not arrested or cited.
Rep. Bonamici suffered a concussion and lacerations to her head. Her husband had only minor injuries. Both of them are healing up and are expected to make a full recovery.
Northwest corner of 19th and Everett.Looking eastbound on NW EVerett at 19th.
(Graphic: BikePortland)
NW Everett and 19th is a relatively calm, signal-controlled intersection. The City of Portland’s Vision Zero Crash Map shows two injuries crashes at the intersection — with one victim a pedestrian and the other a cyclist — since 2011. Everett is a one-way eastbound and 19th is a one-way southbound at this location. Everett has one general travel lane, a bike lane, and two parking lanes on that block and 19th has two general travel lanes and two parking lanes. Since reports say they were hit by a turning driver, that means they were likely using the crosswalk on the southern or eastern side of the intersection*. There are no glaring safety issues I can think of at this intersection — other than perhaps general visibility. It could have been dark depending on the street light situation and/or visibility could have been constrained by the presence of parked cars all the way up to the corner.
(*UPDATE, 2:55 pm: We have confirmed with PPB that Rep Bonamici and her husband were walking southbound in the eastern crosswalk of the intersection. The driver was going south on 19th and hit them while turning left to go east on Everett.)
This type of collision is far too common in Portland. And given the extent of the injuries and other factors, this one only made the news because the person who was hit happened to be an important elected official. It also comes as Portland continues to lose its fight with traffic deaths and injuries and headlines of our record-breaking pedestrian death toll in 2022 have barely receded from view.
“We have been sounding the alarm on the epidemic of traffic violence in our community all year,” wrote The Street Trust Executive Director Sarah Iannarone in a statement released Saturday. “If a congressperson and federal judge aren’t safe in a crosswalk in one of our most affluent, pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods, what Oregonian can cross the street with confidence?”
I’ve asked PBOT and the PPB for more details about the crash. I’m curious where exactly it happened and it would be nice to have more details on how it happened. There’s also the issue of the driver not being cited. While it’s common for PPB to not cite anyone at the scene of a crash until an investigation has determined fault, if this is as clear-cut as we’ve been led to believe thus far, it’s possible the driver could still be issued a traffic citation. We’ll update this post if we hear any significant updates.
Screenshot from 2014 video profile on Dr. Nik from Observer Media Group / YouTube
“It wasn’t my purpose to create anger… I never anticipated negativity from this until now.”
– Dr. Nik
The reaction in the community to a dozen or so white bikes that have been installed around northeast Portland has been strong and swift. Ever since our first story about them, people have reached out to share how the bikes trigger sadness because they look like ghost bikes. The bikes evoke even stronger emotions because they are small bikes and many people assume a child was hit and killed in a traffic collision whenever they see one.
Since our story yesterday that uncovered the mystery of who’s behind the bikes — an artist who goes by Dr. Nik (that’s his stage name, his real name is William Pearson) who just moved to Portland in September — we’ve been deluged with hundreds of comments both on here and on Instagram. The vast majority of the responses to Dr. Nik’s peace project have been negative. Many people expressed anger that he knows what ghost bikes are, yet still decided to continue with his project. Others accuse him of appropriating a piece of bike culture for his own pet project. Some people have threatened to remove the bikes altogether.
Here’s a sampling of the comments:
Dear new Portlander, please respect symbols we find sacred, cease immediately and take down the ones you’ve put up
Don’t occupy bike parking indefinitely, mimic ghost bikes, then call it art. If peace is your goal, read the room and try a different approach.
I sincerely thought a child cyclist died near moda center, this is so disrespectful to the real ghost bikes honoring folx whose lives have been lost while biking. I hope these are removed.
First time I saw one was in front of Boise elementary and I found it incredibly alarming. I thought I’d somehow missed a child being killed on a bike in my own neighborhood. Pretty quickly figured out it wasn’t the case and was relieved.
“I’m an artist. Don’t tell me how to paint my pictures.” Plenty of artists steer away from plenty of mediums out of respect, it doesn’t make sense to knowingly abuse the concept of ghost bikes like this
Yeah, this isn’t love. This is ignorance. Ignorance to trauma, pain, and the overwhelming amount of death vulnerable roadway users face.
I spoke to Dr. Nik again today to make sure he was aware of the strong reactions to our story (he wasn’t, he hadn’t been online at all yesterday). When I explained how his work and his comments were being received by many people in our community, he became concerned.
“Would you consider changing the color?” I asked. “Yes, I will consider it,” he replied.
“The last thing I want is somebody to get angry. I don’t want that. It wasn’t my purpose to create anger… I never anticipated negativity from this until now. And I definitely don’t want that,” he continued.
Dr. Nik said he’d welcome anyone who wants to repaint the existing bikes. He plans to continue his project and install many more bikes around town in the coming weeks and months; but from now on he’ll decorate them similar to how he did them in his former hometown of Sarasota, Florida. When I came across his bikes in that city they were painted bright colors like neon green and pink.
He said the next bike he paints will be polka dot.
I believe Dr. Nik means well, but perhaps didn’t fully appreciate the cultural and cycling dynamics that exist in Portland. He’s new to town and seems to really loves bikes and creative activism just like many of us do. Hopefully folks are willing to give him another chance! Learn more about Dr. Nik in this September 2022 news profile from a Sarasota TV station (where he says, “Portland doesn’t know what they’re in for”), on his personal website, or in the video below:
