6/20: Hello readers and friends. I am having my second (of two) total knee replacement surgeries today so I'll be out of commission for a bit while I recover. Please be patient while I get back to full health. I hope to be back to posting as soon as I can. I look forward to getting back out there. 🙏. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor
Drivers can no longer (legally) do what that Subaru is doing.
This week the City of Portland made a change to a complex, 5-way intersection by prohibiting drivers from going eastbound on NE Alameda at 56th.
As we reported in April 2021, the move comes as part of a larger effort to speed up bus service on TriMet lines 12 and 71. By removing the traffic signal phase from the Alameda leg of the intersection, the Portland Bureau of Transportation can now give more “green time” to NE Sandy and 57th.
“Right now 57th gets a [signal] phase, Sandy gets a phase, the west leg of Alameda gets a vehicle and bike phase, and the east leg of Alameda gets a bike-only phase. So that’s a lot of phases,” was how PBOT Planner Zef Wagner explained the change at a presentation to the Bicycle Advisory Committee last year.
The intersection has a lot of non-car traffic.View looking west toward NE Alameda. Bike riders won’t have to worry about that oncoming car any longer.(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
While this is being done under the umbrella of the Rose Lane Project as a way to improve bus service, the change also has an impact on bicycle traffic. NE Alameda is a popular greenway route and fewer cars at this intersection will make it less stressful. I use this route a lot and the signal phases never seem to accomodate me very well. Now that PBOT doesn’t need a signal phase for drivers on Alameda, they can program it exclusively for bike users, which should make things work better.
An added bonus is that the change will result in fewer drivers using Alameda as a cut-through route. PBOT noted in a statement Friday afternoon that the Alameda Neighborhood Greenway, “currently has too much cut-through traffic for a safe route to school.”
PBOT has used temporary materials on this project and they will study changes in traffic volume. In six months, they’ll analyze the data and consider other strategies to mitigate traffic issues if necessary. This is supposedly already on the ground. If you’ve experienced it already, let us know how it’s going.
An unprecedented level of opposition has formed against Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s nomination for a seat on the Oregon Transportation Commission.
The powerful, unelected, five-member body oversees the Oregon Department of Transportation and decides how to spend the state’s $5.1 billion transportation budget.
Brown nominated outgoing State Senator Lee Beyer to a four-year term that would start this coming January. The Senate Committee in charge of commission appointments meets tomorrow (Wednesday, 9/21) and advocates leading the charge against the nomination have kicked their effort up a notch.
A new statement and letter released today by The Street Trust includes a list of 31 organizations and over 175 individuals from across the state who’ve signed onto the opposition effort.
Here’s the list of organizations and their leaders:
1000 Friends of Oregon, Brett Morgan Better Eugene-Springfield Transportation (BEST), Rob Zako Climate Solutions, Vee Paykar Oregon Environmental Council, Sara Wright Oregon Just Transition Alliance, Joel Iboa Oregon Walks, Ashton Simpson Rogue Action Center, Dana Greenblatt The Street Trust and The Street Trust Action Fund, Sarah Iannarone Verde, Vivian Satterfield Coalition of Communities of Color, Taren Evans Getting There Together Coalition, Ariadna Falcon Gonzalez
Ardelis Inc., Brian Roddy Bend Bikes, LeeAnn O’Neill Bikabout, Megan Ramey Bike Loud PDX, Kiel Johnson Gorge Pedal, Armando Zelada Lithic Technology, Robert Galanakis Mt. Scott-Arleta Neighborhood Association, Matchu Williams Onward Oregon, Lenny Dee OPAL Environmental Justice, Lee Helfend Oregon and SW Washington Families for Safe Streets, Michelle DuBarry
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, David De La Torre Pedal Bike Tours, Todd Roll Plugstart, Thor Hinckley Portland: Neighbors Welcome, Aaron Brown Portland Youth Climate Strike, Adah Crandall Safe Routes to Schools, Valerie Rosenberg Sunrise Beaverton, Amy Johnson Sunrise PDX, Danny Cage Sunrise Rural Oregon, Cassie Wilson
Those who oppose the Governor’s nomination say she failed to solicit recommendation and did not consult with stakeholders statewide. “They are also concerned that it does not address climate change or maintain racial diversity on the influential OTC. They note that outgoing Commissioner Alando Simpson is a younger Black business owner from Portland (ODOT Region 1); Brown’s proposed replacement is a retiree from Springfield (ODOT Region 2),” the statement reads.
The Street Trust Executive Director Sarah Iannarone is spearheading the campaign against Beyer’s appointment. “In addition to implementing congestion pricing and tolling, the OTC will be overseeing billions of dollars of investment here in the coming decade,” she said in today’s statement. “To see these major projects implemented effectively and equitably, we need leaders who are connected to our region and representative of its increasing diversity.”
They’re asking for a pause on the process so the next administration can make this important appointment.
From a BikePortland Get Together event in April 2011 – when we used to hear your comments in person! (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
The BikePortland comment section is a core strength of this site. Commenters flesh out stories, provide examples, share expertise and historical knowledge, and add heft to our reporting. So thank you for your contributions! We couldn’t do our work as well without you.
Providing a safe platform for discussion and the exchange of differing opinions is also central to BikePortland’s purpose. In early 2021, we responded to community criticism and tightened our approach to moderation. Since then, all comments have been read and approved by either Jonathan or myself (I usually take over on weekends to give him a break), and we feel like it has helped improve the quality of dialogue.
After nearly a year and a half of this new moderation strategy — and 513,362 total comments approved — now might be a good time to talk about how we do it.
What happens to your comments
Here are a few of things you might want to know about what happens to your comment after you click “post”:
Your comment appears to us in a back-end comment queue. We have a short list of things we can do with it. We can either approve it, edit it, send it to the trash or toss it into the spam bucket. Jonathan most often approves comments straight off the queue, and I often look at the thread for context if I need to. We often take context (of the thread, the news cycle, the topic, the subject of the article, and so on) into account when deciding whether or not to approve a comment.
WordPress has its own comment filter that automatically deletes comments according to its spam rules. These are based on an algorithm we don’t always understand. It might reject a comment because of a single word, overall length, use of many links, and other things. The spam filter sometimes makes mistakes, so if you don’t see your comment appear, let us know and we can “un-spam” it. If we haven’t approved your unobjectionable comment within a couple of hours (it might take a little longer nights and weekends) let us know, by either saying something directly in the comment section or contact us. We’ll make it right.
We also maintain a blocklist (also known as a “blacklist” but we don’t like the black/white terminology) of terms and usernames. This list is long and has been added to since 2005. It’s where the really bad actors have been placed and it includes very objectionable terms. If someone repeatedly leaves inappropriate comments and doesn’t heed our advice on how to make them better, they get put on the blocklist and we never have to worry about them again.
Divisive times ahead
Two months out from an election and I’m expecting the volume of comments to skyrocket. Two things happen when we get inundated; comments get approved that maybe shouldn’t be, and we delete more comments than usual. That might seem contradictory, but this happens because we don’t have capacity to keep up and take time required to consider each comment.
You can help us, and reduce the risk of your comment ending up in the trash, by not hugging that fuzzy line between approval and rejection. Take the time to collect your thoughts and write a comment worthy of them, don’t rely on name-calling or insulting other people to make your points.
Judgment calls
This is where we want to make our reasoning more clear. The internet is a harsher, more dangerous place for some groups of people than for others. Women, ethnic, racial and sexual minorities, and other vulnerable people more easily become targets of internet-fueled aggression and bullying than, say, straight white men.
It’s not that those groups can’t handle it, or that they need to get a thicker skin, it’s that they are treated worse.
It is important that BikePortland not only avoid fueling disrespect or mob behavior, we want to avoid the appearance of fueling it, including vigilantism. This means that we are particularly sensitive to name-calling and insults directed at vulnerable people.
We try to balance this sensitivity with our desire to provide a forum for lively discussion and to pierce the bubbles people comfortably select for themselves. You can help by debating constructively, and avoiding name-calling or personalizing arguments.
Watch out for “welfare queen in a Cadillac” type images. These include tropes like “rich boomers from the west hills who drive Subarus to Neil Diamond concerts.”
When I go in to edit out insults and cliches in an attempt to “save” the substance of a comment, I sometimes find that there is nothing to save, the whole comment disappears. Self-regulate. Is what you are wanting to say so important that thousands of other people should turn their attention to it?
BikePortland is a business, we work hard to provide information daily to readers, most of whom never comment. The comments at the bottom of our posts are an important part of our content, by moderating them we try to guard against the descent into ugliness that has wiped out the comments sections of other news outlets.
BikePortland is biased
Yes it is. But I’m not Jonathan’s mini-me. We vote for different candidates, we have different sensitivities, and we sometimes do not agree about whether something is objectionable in a comment. Our frequent discussions (many of them about whether to accept or reject one of your comments) are a good model for the BikePortland comments section as a whole — animated, productive and respectful.
You can join in too. If you don’t like the way something is moderated, keep letting us know. Our moderation evolves, just like your comments do.
Christine Drazan (Photo: Christine Drazan campaign) Betsy Johnson (Photo: Betsy Johnson campaign)Tina Kotek (Photo: Tina Koten campaign)
We have several elections here in Oregon that are being closely-watched across the country, but none more so than the race for governor, in which unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson and Republican candidate Christine Drazan both stand a chance at beating Democrat Tina Kotek and ending Oregon’s decades-long streak of blue leadership.
Although Oregon’s biggest environmental pressure point has historically been the timber industry, the climate impacts of our transportation system have more recently come into the spotlight as a top issue for Oregon voters. (After all, the transportation sector is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon.)
Here’s how each candidate responded when asked, “Do you support widening highways as a strategy to ease congestion? What specific steps will you take as governor to decrease greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles?”
Christine Drazan:
With respect to transportation, consumers should have the option to purchase an electric vehicle, it shouldn’t be a requirement and our current energy grid cannot support a prohibition on gas or diesel-powered vehicles. I support widening our highways, by building more lanes. I believe we can both reduce traffic times and reduce emissions from idling engines. But this is an incomplete solution unless we address jobs. We need to ensure that people can access work within a reasonable distance from the home that they can afford. As long as we place housing and jobs at opposite ends of the metro area, we will face congestion challenges, we must take a more holistic approach and provide economic opportunity to all communities.
Betsy Johnson:
Of course I would increase highway capacity when necessary to more efficiently move vehicles through our highways. The more we maintain efficient flow, the less emissions will be released. I believe vehicle emission standards must be addressed federally to keep Oregon businesses competing on a level playing field.
Tina Kotek:
When investing in transportation infrastructure, we should be ensuring our roads and bridges are safe. We should also be adding transit options and improving bike and pedestrian access. I don’t think this is an “either/or” conversation. I believe we can have safe roads that aren’t clogged with traffic all day long and smart strategies to reduce pollution from cars and trucks.
You can find out more about the three candidates’ climate policies in the full OPB interview. And thanks for asking this question Dirk!
As expected (and as requested by some neighbors) the Portland Bureau of Transportation followed up quickly with a new proposal that offers more traffic calming features. PBOT says that if the 60 or so people in the ad hoc neighborhood group let their crews begin construction on a project to remove the existing traffic circle and restripe the intersection with bike lanes, they’ll add two new speed bumps and a concrete planter to help slow drivers down.
As of Monday morning, it appears many neighbors and safe streets advocates aren’t satisfied. So far, three letters have been fired off to PBOT and City Hall offices. They’ve come from the Eliot Neighborhood Association, the nascent “Safe on 7th” group, and nonprofit advocacy group Bike Loud PDX.
The three letters have two big things in common: They want more dialogue with PBOT before changes are made and they want the City to implement a project that will move us more quickly to adopted goals of less driving and more biking.
The Eliot NA and Safe on 7th both make it crystal clear that they want PBOT to install traffic diverters that drastically reduce the number of cars on the street (there’s even a petition to gather more support). Despite seeing around 4,000 to 6,000 cars per day, Tillamook is designated as a local street and city bikeway in PBOT’s Transportation System Plan. PBOT has said that ideally, 7th Ave would have just 1,000 car trips per day, but so far they haven’t been willing to do what it would take to achieve that goal.
Now they (once again) have strong support from some neighborhood groups to do that.
“The City is proposing a design that will work with the existing traffic volumes instead of trying to change the traffic volumes to meet the City’s published policy goals,” The Eliot NA letter states. “Our request is that PBOT only reopen NE 7th Avenue to vehicle traffic after traffic diverters blocking North-South through traffic are on the ground.”
“After just one week of closure…The environment has already shifted and our neighborhood actually feels like a neighborhood.”
– Safe on 7th
And the letter from Safe on 7th says, “The traffic island has been the finger in the hole of the dam. Removing it exposes the underlying design flaws on Lower 7th Avenue. This inevitably will result in a flood of high speed traffic through our neighborhood… the concern of this neighborhood is to reduce the speed and volume of cars at the intersection.”
Both the Eliot NA and the Safe on 7th group also urge the City to maintain the calm that their construction project closures have created. “The construction fencing has brought NE 7th much closer to meeting the City’s goals for the street and we would like to make sure we do not revert to the old condition,” says the Eliot NA letter. “After just one week of closure… very few cars are trying to use our neighborhood as an alternative throughway to MLK. Our community members and school children and passing cyclists are safer, and something special is happening – long-time neighbors are congregating on the street in the evenings and making connections we’ve never made before. The environment has already shifted and our neighborhood actually feels like a neighborhood,” says Safe on 7th group.
Bike Loud says they want PBOT to launch a Northeast In Motion planning process, which would, “Have the resources to begin with a robust community engagement process that brings in many diverse interests from the start and can better acknowledge the damaging history of past racist policies.”
Meanwhile, PBOT crews were at the intersection this morning doing initial surveys and inspections, but a project manager said they haven’t broken ground yet.
UPDATE: 6:45 pm: PBOT has just released a statement saying construction will begin this week. They’re calling it “Phase 1” and will include removal of the traffic circle and the addition of the speed bumps and concrete planter outlined in their revised plan in light of recent resident concerns. PBOT’s statement also says they’ll monitor traffic volumes and speeds and “may include follow-up mitigation if necessary” and that if any future changes are made on NE 7th PBOT would be required to “re-engage the broader community to ensure that such an outcome would work for users along the entire corridor and reflect the priorities of historically disadvantaged communities.”
Transit lovers were excited to ride the new buses. (Photos: Taylor Griggs/BikePortland – Full gallery below)
TriMet’s long-awaited Frequent Express (FX) line on SE Division Street is finally here. On Saturday, the transit agency celebrated the occasion with multiple events along the bus line, and eager transit lovers showed up in droves to ride the new “bendy buses” and mark the historic opening.
You’ll notice the first one right away: the buses just look really cool. They’re 60-feet long and articulated (or “bendy”), with an accordion extender in the middle so they can fit more passengers. Articulated buses aren’t new by any means – they were included in TriMet’s fleet in the ’90s – but the Division FX buses’ bright green color gives them a modern, sleek look. The other cool thing about the bus design is that each bus has three sets of doors, which TriMet hopes will reduce delays at the bus stops because people will be able to get in and out quicker.
At least one bus was blocked by a freight train on Saturday, which really dampens the whole “express” idea of the bus service.
At the celebration on Saturday, people with bikes were very eager to test out the FX line’s internal bike racks, which replace the front racks that you’ll see on other TriMet buses. There are two racks on the ground of each bus for people to store their bikes, and there’s no major lifting required to get them into place. Though I think the bus drivers may be a little stricter in the future, operators let us take more than two bikes on the bus on Saturday (it was a special occasion!), which was a good way to test out how crowded these vehicles can get. The verdict? Even with three or four bikes, there was plenty of room to get around. (Check out our how-to guide for some tips for bringing your bike on the new Division buses.)
The other big selling point of the FX bus system is its speed and frequency. The new bus stops along the line were built to speed up passenger loading times, and the buses are set to run every 12 minutes as opposed to the 15 minute headways on other popular TriMet routes. On Saturday, however, it seemed like they were figuring some kinks out. The buses took a bit longer than 12 minutes to show up, and there were delays at the stops. An operator on the bus line I was on acknowledged the problems, saying “we’ll get better the more we do it!” which garnered a round of applause from passengers, most of whom were in no hurry and just came to enjoy the event.
One problem that might be out of TriMet control: the rail crossings in inner southeast that intersect with the new bus line. At least one bus was blocked by a freight train on Saturday, which really dampens the whole “express” idea of the bus service. The city is making some moves to try to fix this problem, but it seems like it will present some unfortunate impediments for the foreseeable future.
Beyond getting to check out the new infrastructure, my main takeaway from Saturday’s event was how cool it is that so many people are willing to come out to celebrate a new bus line. And with all the stops TriMet pulled out, it’s clear they’re aware they have some transportation nerds in their audience. (Those who were willing to travel to Gresham had the chance to get a Division FX bus LEGO set – need I say more?)
The gathering at Division and 82nd Ave featured an Asian food market and a traditional Japanese drumming show from Portland Taiko, a Portland Chinese Women’s Group fashion show and a performance from Mexican youth dance group Ballet Paplotl, among other acts intended to showcase east Portland’s cultural diversity. I think this was a perfect encapsulation of how good public transit can bring communities together and truly connect people from all over the city.
It will be interesting to see how people respond to the new FX service. Overall TriMet ridership is just starting to recover from the big dip seen during the pandemic, but the agency has fallen on more hard times with its operator shortage. With luck (and hard work on TriMet’s part), this new line can herald a public transit renaissance in Portland.
Cathy Tuttle was one of the first people to anoint the FX bus by bringing her bike on board.People waiting for the bus at 82nd and Division.Lots of bright green representation at Saturday’s event!Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty was at the gathering at 82nd and DivisionPortland Taiko performance Performers from Ballet Paplotl prepare to go on stage.
NE 7th looking south from Tillamook. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
This guest opinion is by Paxton Rothwell.
“NE 7th fails to be either a vehicle through route or a bike-friendly neighborhood street. And yet it remains popular as both.”
Traffic issues on NE 7th Avenue are once again in the spotlight. As BikePortland reported, the neighborhood meeting held September 14th did more to ignite additional concerns about the safety of the street than it quelled. PBOT has suggested new traffic calming measures in the vicinity of NE 7th and Tillamook to try and make peace with this coalition of neighbors. From the looks of it though, the larger conversation about the safety of NE 7th is back on the table.
I have lived in the King neighborhood for almost four years. During that time, I have become intimately familiar with NE 7th Ave. But, like some of the concerned neighbors I met at the meeting with PBOT this week, I did not live in this area of the city when discussions about the Lloyd to Woodlawn greenway were being held back in 2018.
The political temperature of Portland has changed a lot in the last four years. Those opposing the changes proposed to 7th back in 2018 may have had a change of heart. The only way to know is if PBOT continues the larger conversation about 7th.
In anticipation of that conversation, I want to present 7th Ave as it is today and some design options that would make it a safer street for cycling, walking, and driving.
Current Conditions
NE 7th looking north at Shaver St. NE 7th looking south at Monroe St.NE 7th looking north at Sacramento St.(Photos: Paxton Rothwell/Bike Portland)
I frequently use 7th as a biking route, walking route, and even as a driving route. As a cyclist I often fear the uphill (northbound) ride, especially at night, because of poor lighting, many potholes, and close passes from drivers. As a driver on 7th, I feel out of place. The street has the feel of a neighborhood street that I should not be on for too long. But it also has traffic signals at major intersections and a defined center line. The design of NE 7th fails to be either a vehicle through route or a bike-friendly neighborhood street. And yet it remains popular as both.
NE 7th parallels MLK Jr. Blvd (a state highway) for its entire length. Since it is only 400 feet away, MLK ought to be the sole through route for drivers. But the current design of 7th welcomes drivers and offers an alternative to congestion on MLK. Keeping this vehicular redundancy flies in the face of the City’s own goals of reducing vehicle trips and increasing cycling trips by 2030.
The second the Blumenauer Bridge opened 7th Avenue became a de facto north-south bike route from Alberta to Division. There are city projects in the works to improve the 7th greenway from Sandy to the Bridge. There is also a Metro funding decision (pdf) in progress to see if 7th through the Central Eastside will be rebuilt into a complete street. To make this street a true biking thoroughfare, PBOT must discourage drivers from using 7th between Alberta and Broadway.
Here are some ways to do that.
1) One Way Vehicles, Two Way Cycle Track
Similar to Better Naito, this design would provide a continuous two way cycletrack from Broadway to Alberta. Vehicle traffic would be one way but could alternate in direction to discourage through travel. Some on street parking would be lost. A section of 7th near Irving Park would remain two way for vehicles due to the break in the street grid caused by the park. This design could face pushback because of its boldness, but would do the most to make 7th a world class bike boulevard. Below are cross sections of 7th for the configuration north of Fremont St.
2) Two Way Vehicles with Advisory Bike Lanes and Diverters
Advisory bike lane on NE 53rd. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Similar to recent installations in northeast Portland, this design would remove the center line of NE 7th, narrow the driving lanes, and place an advisory bike lane on both sides of the street. Minimal on street parking would be lost. This design would also add diverters at key intersections to keep traffic volumes low. This design would provide a reasonable compromise between local drivers interested in keeping driving possible on 7th and non-vehicle users who want a safer street.
3) Two Way Vehicles, Sharrows, and Diverters
(Source: PBOT initial plan for NE 7th from 2018)
Similar to the Clinton Street greenway, this design would remove the center line of NE 7th, add sharrows to the roadway, and place frequent diverters to direct vehicle traffic off of the street. Minimal on street parking would be lost. This design would be the most similar to how NE 7th is today and would provide little dedicated cycling space. But with frequent diversion, the hope would be to discourage drivers from using 7th. When the Lloyd to Woodlawn greenway routing was still in talks in 2018, PBOT released diversion concepts for a few intersections (see below).
Continuing the conversation about 7th Ave seems likely. Let us hope that PBOT boldly engages the community this time around.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) plans to install a traffic diverter at NW 9th Ave and NW Overton Street as part of the NW Pettygrove Neighborhood Greenway project on Saturday, September 17. This traffic pattern change will prevent westbound vehicle turns onto NW Overton St from NW 9th Ave. Bike sharrows and an eastbound bike lane will also be installed on NW Overton between NW 9th Ave and NW 10th Ave.
No on-street parking will be allowed on NW Overton between NW 9th Ave and NW 10th Ave when installation is taking place. Business deliveries and the Encore parking lot will remain open during installation. Please follow on-street signage and flaggers.
Work hours are 5am to 3pm. Construction noise should be minimal. PBOT’s Maintenance Operations crews are performing the work of NW Pettygrove Neighborhood Greenway Project. All work is weather and resource dependent and the schedule may change.
What’s next
The diverter is being installed using low-cost, temporary materials that can be easily moved or modified. PBOT will collect area data including vehicle speeds, vehicle volumes, and area on-street parking utilization in spring 2023 (approximately six months after installation). We will monitor the benefits and impacts of the diverter and share the results of the monitoring, community feedback, and any resulting changes that need to be made.
Additional speed bumps, sharrows, and neighborhood greenway signage will be installed on NW Pettygrove in the fall or winter as weather allows. At the conclusion of the project sharrows and neighborhood greenway signage will be removed from NW Overton St west of NW 14th Ave.
About the NW Pettygrove Neighborhood Greenway Project
The traffic pattern change at NW 9th and Overton is a part of the new low-stress walking and biking route along NW Pettygrove St, connecting Chapman Elementary School, the growing Slabtown area, the North Pearl District, and Fields Park. The route briefly transitions to NW Overton and NW 9th Ave to connect to protected bike lanes on NW Naito Pkwy. This neighborhood greenway will replace the one currently on NW Overton Street in the Northwest District.
PBOT will build new speed bumps, change traffic patterns to limit cut-through traffic, and make pedestrian crossings safer. These improvements will make these streets safer for pedestrians and people biking while preserving the ability of people driving to access area homes and businesses.
The project was identified by the Northwest in Motion Plan, which represents over two years of analysis, community outreach, and problem-solving to improve walking, biking, and public transit in the Northwest District and surrounding area.
View the project map with illustrations of the planned enhancements and other information about the project on the project web page.
Here are the most notable stories our writers and readers came across in the past seven days…
Ian’s amazing ride: Former bike rider Ian Mackay broke the Guinness World Record for most miles in a motorized wheelchair on Sauvie Island this past summer and this article captures all of its beauty. (Sports Illustrated)
People love carfree streets: The mayor of São Paulo, Brazil faced opposition from business groups for banning cars on a major street every Sunday; but now it’s overwhelmingly popular and people want even more. (Next City)
Better Google Maps: Google has the data and the programmers needed to make much safer and lower-stress biking directions. (Protocol)
We’re the worst!: Check this data visualization that illustrates how the mighty and rich US of A has become one of the most dangerous places to drive, bike or walk in the world. (League of American Bicyclists)
Not everyone can (or wants to!) drive: Anna Zivarts lays out the case for why “nondrivers are the future” and says the fact that 1/3 of Americans don’t have a driver’s license should increase urgency for low-car policies and projects. (The Stranger)
Portland cargo bike PR: The Disaster Relief Trials event has received some well-deserved attention via a profile feature in a national magazine complete with a professional photo layout. (Wired)
Unequal pay: There’s a massive pay gap in professional women’s cycling and nearly a quarter of WorldTour riders don’t get paid to race at all. (Cycling Weekly)
Boondoggles: Keep up-to-date with America’s wasteful spending on highway expansion projects with this seventh annual report. (US PIRG)
RIP bike share: Bike share in Salem has died because it was starved for funding and its operators (a nonprofit) couldn’t keep up with maintenance. (OPB)
Power of walking: We can never have too many inspirational essays about the remarkable power of simply going for a walk. (NY Times Opinion)
Find your ride:This cool new website can help you discover which vehicle is right for you — as long as it’s not a car.
Will you take the no-driving challenge? (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
In a society where driving everywhere is the norm, people who don’t drive very often – or at all – are seen as strange or radical. But what’s truly radical is not even trying to do something else.
“Going a week without driving is great way to understand how we can improve our current transportation system to better meet the needs of Washingtonians and improve and enhance transportation options such as transit, light rail, biking, and walking pathways as key strategies in our decarbonization efforts,” Inslee’s proclamation states.
It’s notable that a disability rights organization is leading this charge for carfree mobility in Washington. Disability advocates have been at the front of many transportation reform efforts, but it’s still a common misconception that encouraging noncar transportation options is ableist or that getting around without a car is exclusive to able-bodied people. This narrative neglects to consider the many disabled people who can’t drive and rely on alternative transportation to get around.
Noncar transportation can be accessible to all people if we make that a priority, and hopefully DRW’s carfree challenge will encourage people to apply that lens to their thinking about our transportation system.
I know from experience that challenging yourself to temporarily shake up your traveling habits can result in a permanent paradigm shift. Even a single day without driving could trigger the realization that it might actually be manageable to go a lot of places without ever stepping foot in a car – and it’s amazing to avoid sitting in traffic for hours or coughing up a small fortune on a regular basis to pay for gas.
The Street Trust is promoting a carfree challenge next week.
Many people who now happily lead carfree lives (myself included) were once unthinking participants in car culture. While it would now take a concerted effort for me to have a day with driving, it wasn’t always this way! I could go on forever about how being carfree has substantially improved my life, but I’ll just urge you to try it out for yourselves, even if it’s only for a day.
It would be nice if our political leadership in Oregon would follow Washington’s lead and rally around a carfree challenge, too. But just because it’s not an official statewide event doesn’t mean Oregonians can’t participate in a no-driving challenge. Portland transportation advocacy non-profit The Street Trust is promoting International Car Free Day on September 22, inviting people to try a new form of transportation for a day, so if you want to align with a local group, you can take their pledge here.
I would love it if “carfree day” didn’t have to be commemorated at all because it was just the way most people lived their lives. But maybe challenges like this will be the first step in getting there.
Hope to see you out on your bike (or scooter, or the bus) next week!
The bike lane on Northeast 33rd in April 2021. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
“Each impacted camper who was present was offered shelter.”
– Hannah Schafer, PBOT
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is part of a massive effort to clear campers from the shoulders of Northeast 33rd Avenue between Columbia Blvd and Marine Drive. This is a very popular route for bicycling and there are bike lanes on both sides of the road.
We’ve fielded concerns from many people recently about how dozens of cars, trucks, RVs, and campsites have spilled over into the bike lanes. This is a relatively large street with high driving speeds, and people have to leave the bike lane to get around various hazards and obstructions.
According to spokesperson Hannah Schafer, PBOT parking enforcement began towing RVs and other vehicles from the shoulders of NE 33rd Thursday morning. The impetus is two-fold: The location falls under Mayor Ted Wheeler’s emergency declaration that bans homeless people from living alongside major roads and highways; and an edict from the Port of Portland to clear the area.
(Map: BikePortland)
The land adjacent to this section of 33rd is owned and managed by the Port and is part of the Portland Airport flight path. Schafer said the Port asked PBOT to clear the campers to avoid violation of Federal Aviation Administration regulations.
Safety concerns are another reason PBOT is towing vehicles. With all the people living out there, a lot of folks are crossing the road in areas where there are no crosswalks and car drivers don’t expect humans to be present. In July 2021 a man who is believed to have lived in the area was hit and killed while walking across 33rd.
Schafer also said that one week before they began towing vehicles, PBOT crews canvassed the area to talk with people and warn them about the towing operation. “Each impacted camper who was present was offered shelter,” Schafer shared with BikePortland.
Asked if a bike lane restriping project had anything to do with the clearing effort, Schafer said no.
This isn’t the first time the City of Portland has done a focused camp clearing at this location. In 2020 it was on a prioritized list of sites that crews addressed.
Take to the streets. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Who’s ready for the weekend? Here’s our hand-picked selection of the best rides and events coming your way. For more suggestions, see the BikePortland Calendar.
Friday, September 16th
Parking Day – All day at assorted locations Parking Day is a national celebration of using parking spaces for things other than cars. PBOT issued special permits for folks to set up various installations in spots all over town. More info here.
Saturday, September 17th
FX2 / DTP Grand Opening Celebration – Noon to 5:00 pm at OMSI and Division Corridor The Big Day is finally here: The Division Transit Project will open Saturday with free rides and a fun fest hosted by TriMet and their partners. Grab free swag and take part in this historic day for transportation lovers. More info here.
Climate Justice Gathering with Rep Pham – 3:00 to 5:00 pm at Mt. Tabor Park (SE) Spend part of your Saturday with one of Oregon’s most effective politicians who understands that climate change is the central issue of our time. Expect some policy talk, a preview of 2023 legislation, networking, and more. More info here.
Sunday, September 18th
Springwater Loop – 9:30 am at Sellwood Park (SE) Portland Bicycle Club leads this mostly flat ride that’ll do a loop from Sellwood to Powell Butte and back through Southeast. A perfect introduction to a classic route! More info here.
Beaverton-Hillsboro Trail Tour & Picnic – 11:00 am at Merlo/185th MAX Station (West Side) Meet Beaverton City Council member-elect Kevin Teater and other fine folks on this meet-up and ride that will explore the Waterhouse Trail and other sites along natural areas managed by Tualatin Hills Parks and Rec District. Picnic at the end! More info here.
PDX Unity Ride – 3:00 pm at Colonel Summers Park (SE) Meet new people and hang out with friends on this ride centering trans, non-binary, women, gender curious, and gender expansive individuals. More info here.
Promoting an event? Know about something we should amplify? Please let us know and we’ll get it on the calendar.
