BikePortland

Job: Assistant Shop Manager & Master Mechanic – bike works by p:ear

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Assistant Shop Manager & Master Mechanic

Company / Organization

bike works by p:ear

Job Description

POSITION DESCRIPTION
Position: Assistant Shop Manager & Master Mechanic
1 FTE: Tuesday-Saturday. Requires occasional evenings and Sundays
Reports To: p:ear Works Director
Compensation: $50,000 – Benefits include 4 weeks paid vacation, health, dental, 2% Simple IRA match, short-term disability, 8 paid sick days
Bike Mechanic Job Description
You are a dynamic individual and master bicycle mechanic, who will help support our social purpose enterprise community bike shop in East Portland. bike works supports Portland’s Eastside communities, providing low cost, low barrier access to bike education, repair and sales of refurbished bicycles and parts. This position will support the Shop Coordinator, assist with daily shop operations and help mentor p:ear youth bike mechanic interns at the shop.
Required Qualifications & Competencies
• Committed to personal growth with a high degree of humor + emotional intelligence
• Dedicated to ending youth homelessness
• Must be a positive and strong role model, have a collaborative, team-oriented
work style, and strong strategic and problem-solving skills
• Must be committed to non-violence, trauma informed care + compassionate
responses
• Must have awareness of one’s own identity, an understanding of differences, and
an excitement about building relationships cross-culturally
• Strong commitment to advancing equity and inclusion and creating and
maintaining a diverse environment
• Ability to learn & build on the varying cultural & community norms of p:ear youth
• Self-initiating, independent and highly motivated
• Strong leadership skills and capacity to work in a deadline-oriented, chaotic
environment
• Commitment to advancing equity and creating and maintaining an inclusive
environment that is welcoming for all
• Commitment to non-violence and compassionate responses
• Bike shop mechanic experience – minimum of 5 years in a professional setting
• Excellent customer service and communication skills
• Able to work independently, problem solve and complete tasks with minimal
oversight

• Bilingual a plus
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
• Proficiently execute assembly, repairs and maintenance for all types of bicycles, particularly used and older bicycles
• Assist in daily shop operations: ordering, inventory, forecasting, bike repair
• Exemplifies compassion and understanding around the barriers of homelessness
and underrepresented populations in the community – see above
• Maintain an organized and efficient work environment
• Represent bike works and p:ear and its mission to positively and professionally
identify barriers and recommend solutions to better serve the community
• Attend p:ear fundraisers & community building activities
Mechanics
o Properly assess and determine bike repairs and recommend customer options o Repair and refurbish bicycles to be sold in the shop, as well as to be donated o Track all parts and new & used for each repair or build
o Maintain a neat and organized workspace
o Maintain a high level of professionalism
o Perform quality control checks on bikes repaired and/or built
Shop Operations
o Assist Shop Coordinator with a variety of tasks, including maintaining an inventory of new and used parts, placing orders with distributors as needed, maintaining shop tools and restocking as necessary
o Assist customers in the shop with purchases and bicycle repairs during sales o Strong proficiency with bicycle tech
Community Programming Liaison
• Safety check all Everybody Bikes! complete bicycle prior to distribution
• Build and sustain relationships with the Rosewood Initiative community
• Represent p:ear and its mission positively and professionally
• Participate in Sunday Parkways, Free Bikes 4 Kids monthly wrenching, as well
as the occasional community bike/ride events
Physical Demands
• Able to sit or stand and walk throughout the scheduled work shift
• Ability to lift and/or move up to 75 lbs

bike works by p:ear
Bike Works by p:ear promotes the bicycle as a vehicle for social change to leverage possible opportunities for homeless youth and build resilient and diverse communities. p:ear’s social enterprise bike shop works to make bicycling accessible and affordable to Portland’s east side community. Our full service bike shop provides an array of services, from minor adjustments and tune-ups, to full bike overhauls.
p:ear’s Bike Mechanic School serves as a conduit from which our shop’s intern mechanics became educated and trained in the art of bike mechanics. Under your guidance p:ear youth interns will continue to build their mechanical hard skills as well as develop the soft skills of customer service, time management, problem solving and independence to name a few.
The Rosewood Initiative
The Rosewood Initiative connects and empowers Rosewood neighbors to build a safe, prosperous, vibrant and inclusive community. The Rosewood Community Center is a
p:ear Bike Works Agreements
Lastly, we expect the following agreements to be used with regard to every youth intern, customer and individual regardless of race, religion, color, creed, national origin, age, disabling condition, political affiliation or sexual orientation.
Agreements*
Agreements are more than a vehicle to keep conversations safe and focused. When used to their potential, agreements are an actual tool. Agreements are a tool that supports both individuals and organizations in understanding “how” to engage in productive efforts to advance equity and inclusion. We expect all employees, interns and volunteers to honor the following agreements:
 Stay Engaged  Speak Your Truth Responsibly Listen to Understand  Be Willing to Do Things Differently / Experience Discomfort
 Expect and Accept Non-Closure Confidentiality
*Adopted from the Center for Equity and Inclusion
hub where neighbors can help the community as they improve their own lives. Neighbors
come here to interact with one another, work on projects and feel safe. Rosewood builds
capacity in the neighborhood by helping people learn useful skills and by connecting
friends, partners and resources. The Bicycle Shop Manager position is a partnership
between p:ear and The Rosewood Initiative. This person will be expected to follow all
organizational policies and procedures of both organizations.

Work Environment
This job operates in an often chaotic, loud environment. This role routinely uses standard (kitchen and) office equipment such as stoves, commercial dishwashers, microwaves, refrigerators, freezers, computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms.
Travel
No travel expected for this position.
AAP/EEO Statement
It is the policy of p:ear to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, p:ear will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.
Other Duties
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

How to Apply

To apply: Please submit a resume along with answers to the following questions (in lieu of a cover letter). The below questions along with a resume can be emailed as PDFs to info@bikeworkspdx.org or mailed to contact information below. No phone calls. Successful applicants will be contacted for an initial screening. bike works is located at 14127 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97233
1. How will you utilize p:ear’s equity statement (see below) to inform your role as the bike works Assistant Shop Manager and Master Mechanic?
2. As the assistant shop manager and master mechanic, how will you share your love and knowledge of bikes to connect and build strong partnerships and relationships within a diverse community?
p:ear
Attn: Nathan Engkjer 338 NW 6th Ave. Portland, OR 97209
p:ear Equity Statement:
p:ear builds positive relationships with homeless and transitional youth through education, art and recreation to affirm personal worth and create more meaningful and healthier lives.
At p:ear, we respect and celebrate the diversity, creativity, and strength of our community. To foster individuality and truly give space to the value that each person brings — from the youth we serve daily to our staff, board, and volunteers — we must continuously work at creating an environment that is equitable and inclusive.
Our organization was built on a foundation of compassion and love, but we know we must confront the systems of oppression that are embedded throughout our community and ingrained in ourselves. This means seeing and understanding systems of oppression in our everyday lives.
Ongoing work toward building an equitable and inclusive organization is a priority at p:ear. We are committed to examining our weaknesses as well as our privileges, and to examining the institutional and individual behaviors and attitudes that may perpetuate the very inequities we wish to change.
We are committed to creating a culture of inclusion, self-reflection, and personal growth. We are committed to using our time and resources — including our social capital — to combat these systems of oppression and create more opportunity. This means applying an equity lens to our decision-making processes, using our Equity Plan as an ongoing organizational guide, and updating that plan as we continue to learn and grow. This work
will create more opportunities for individuals to thrive — from the youth we serve to our staff, board, and volunteers.
p:ear respects and celebrates the diversity, creativity and strength of the p:ear community. Equity and inclusion are a priority across all parts of our organization. We are committed to using our time and resources to help identify and eliminate disparities based on identity and to promote equitable access to our programs so we can all live in the world we want for our young people.

Traffic calming installed outside violence-plagued high school

N Commercial Ave outside Jefferson High School. More photos below. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

The City of Portland has installed a novel set of traffic calming tools on North Commercial Avenue outside of Jefferson High School. The move comes in response to a spate of violence on the street that involved students.

In October we reported on an alleged hit-and-run at Commercial and Killingsworth that left a student injured and in the hospital. Later that same week, on October 18th, two students were injured in a shooting on the same street right outside the school. Then on November 14th, another student was injured in a shooting. In all three of these cases, the aggressors were driving a car on Commercial Avenue.

In what appears to be an attempt to calm violence by drivers, the Portland Bureau of Transportation has installed five sets of plastic curbs and wands between North Killingsworth and Alberta streets. They are rectangular in shape and vary in size. In three locations on the south end of the block, they are installed on both sides of the streets and create such a narrow opening that drivers can pass in only one direction at a time. The idea is that the fear of hitting these flexible plastic posts and curbs will make it less likely that drivers will speed to and from the school’s main entrance.

Stepping back a bit, this is another example of Portland using street designs to tamp down vehicle-based violence. Last summer Mayor Ted Wheeler announced a Safer Summer PDX program that included $2.4 million for, “place-based investments… to address environmental factors conducive to gun violence.” Wheeler’s emergency declaration on gun violence stated, “We will be expanding place-based interventions in neighborhoods that are caught in the crossfire of gun violence… interventions could include increased lighting, traffic diversion…”

Wheeler’s embrace of traffic-related interventions was in many ways a validation of former Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty’s efforts to find alternatives to armed police officers. Back in September, Hardesty helped usher in this new era of enforcement with the opening of a large public plaza in the Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood that was built on a former slip lane that had a notorious history of vehicle-based violence.

In a statement shared Friday, January 6th PBOT said the request to do the project came from Portland Public Schools. “These street improvements are a step towards centering the safety of Jefferson students and community,” said PPS Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero. “I’m grateful that the Portland Bureau of Transportation listened to our students and worked with us to develop a solution that helps address a community need.” They also shared the graphic below:

A map that shows the locations of the newly installed reflective posts on North Commercial Avenue, adjacent to Jefferson High School, between North Killingsworth and Alberta streets. (Source: PBOT)

Briefly biking in London: a few thoughts and photos

Scenes from biking around London earlier today. (Photos: Taylor Griggs/BikePortland)

— This post is part of Taylor Griggs’ trip through Europe. See all stories here.

To be honest with you, I’ve never given a whole lot of thought to visiting London. I like coffee more than tea, I’ve never owned anything with Union Jack iconography and I am really not enticed by Royal weddings. But I added it to my European itinerary anyway, mainly because I found a cheap flight from Newark to Heathrow. And since I have long been intrigued by the idea of taking a high speed train under the English Channel from the United Kingdom to the European continent, it seemed like a quick layover in London would be a good chance to check that out.

As it turns out, I love London, and I wish I’d allotted for more than five hours to explore the city. I think my enthusiasm can be attributed in part to my low expectations, particularly regarding the city’s bike infrastructure: I went in knowing essentially nothing about London’s layout and whether or not it would be feasible for me to bike around at all during my brief visit.

In fact, I was blown away by the bike infrastructure in central London. I rented a Lime e-bike for a bit and was thrilled by the bikeways and all the people I saw riding bikes around the city. I found the design so easy and accommodating that I barely noticed the backwards traffic pattern (I still think it’s weird, though, and will be glad to return to the right side of the street).

Here are a few of the main things I noticed while biking around London:

Sophisticated wayfinding

London’s bike networks (called cycleways) are each numbered. Street signs show where the cycleways can take you, and painted signs on the bikeways make it easy to keep track of where you are. (These are a few ideas Portland bike advocates and wayfinding enthusiasts want to see on our own greenways!)

Lots of couriers

My observations about bike couriers and freight deserve their own post. But for now, just note that bike delivery is a thriving industry in London. And notably, the bike couriers seem to be treated with respect by the city’s designers, people riding regular bikes and even people driving cars/bigger freight vehicles. In New York, which was absolutely rich with bike and moped couriers, I noticed a lot more intermodal conflict.

Rental bikes galore

It’s clear that Lyft and Uber have taken over the e-bike rental market in cities around the world. However, London does things differently than what I’ve seen elsewhere (notably, Portland and New York). Even though Uber/Lime still operates a service in London, the city also appears to utilize a public bike share service as well, renting regular and electric bikes for more affordable prices than what the private companies charge. These bikes are part of London’s public transportation system and are marketed as such.

And as far as I could tell, the existence of this public service doesn’t mean the Lime bikes are left to rust. When I tried to rent an electric Citibike (operated by Lyft, same as Portland’s Biketown) in Brooklyn on Monday, so many of them were out of battery that I just gave up and rented a normal one. The Lime bike I rented in London was charged and worked on the first try. Plus, they have bigger baskets in the front and a place to hold your phone while you ride, which I am a huge fan of.

No unlicensed ice cream trading

’nuff said. (Just kidding. I have no idea what this means and I frankly don’t want to find out — some things should remain a mystery.)

Overall, I was highly impressed: I think London has some very special qualities that Portland would be wise to emulate in our planning. London hasn’t always been known as a cycling mecca in the past (and I’m sure there are areas outside of the central city that aren’t quite so easy to navigate), but I thought there were a lot of things to give them kudos for.

Portland’s bicycle and pedestrian advisory committees raise grave warnings about I-5 Rose Quarter project

Intersection of N Wheeler, Ramsay and Williams is a major sticking point.

Despite the City of Portland’s attempts to calm them down, the city’s bicycle and pedestrian advisory committees remain deeply concerned about the I-5 Rose Quarter Project.

The controversial, $1.4 billion Oregon Department of Transportation project that seeks to widen I-5 through Portland’s central city and build a large cover over freeway traffic in order to “reconnect” the Albina neighborhood that was devastated by its construction decades ago. ODOT opened a second public comment period in mid-November as part of their federally obligated environmental review process. Many local advocacy groups and committees have written letters outlining their feedback and concerns about the revised design proposal. What is clear — and what will become even more clear at a People’s Public Hearing being hosted by nonprofit No More Freeways in north Portland tonight — is that despite a compromise forged by Governor Tina Kotek and a recent return to the project by the Portland Bureau of Transportation, the project remains very unpopular with many Portlanders who care about the safety of people who walk and bike.

On December 27th, members of the PBOT Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) sent a letter to City Council members that will act as its official comment on the project. “We are deeply concerned that this project fails to meet a wide variety of city, county, regional, and statewide goals,” their letter states. “While the buildable highway cover is a laudable step toward restorative justice,” the letter continues, “the project would still add several lane miles of highway, compromise one of the most heavily used bikeways in the city, expand I-5’s footprint, and increase emissions including greenhouse gasses (GHG) in a marginalized community previously impacted by highway construction.”

(Source: ODOT, with additions from PBOT Bicycle Advisory Committee)

The BAC is especially worried about the proposed location of the I-5 southbound off-ramp that will dump thousands of drivers onto North Williams Avenue. They say that decision, which ODOT admits will increase stress for bicycle riders and walkers if built as proposed, “Presents significant safety issues for the most vulnerable roadway users and is inconsistent with the City’s design standards.” The also says they feel putting the Green Loop alignment on Broadway and Weidler is unacceptable and they want the project to add back the formerly proposed Clackamas Crossing Bridge(see above) that would have created a carfree crossing over I-5 south of Weidler between from the Lloyd to the Rose Quarter.

The city’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee PAC is so opposed to the project they want PBOT to withdraw their support completely. Their official letter hasn’t been finalized yet, but a draft version states,

“We call on PBOT to withdraw support of the Hybrid 3 concept, which would introduce a highway off-ramp into an area with heavy foot traffic, remove crosswalks, and generally worsen conditions for active modes. The current proposal goes in the wrong direction on climate, the wrong direction on safety, and the wrong direction on our modal goals, while providing little promise of accountability and follow-through for the few positive claims it can make.”

Their letter with that language was approved by the committee, but when it was submitted to PBOT, the city’s liaison to the project, Sharon Daleo, urged them to revise it. According to an email exchange with PAC members, Daleo said she hoped the PAC could change the wording of the letter so it was more supportive and “less inflammatory” of the project.

Daleo and PBOT are finding out how hard it is to walk the fine line between honoring their constituents concerns and serving their partners at ODOT. Former PBOT Commissioner Chloe Eudaly wasn’t willing to do that, so she walked away entirely from the project and made the unprecedented move of pulling all City of Portland staff off the project. Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty reversed that position and PBOT now finds themselves in this unenviable position.

For Pedestrian Advisory Committee members, the project isn’t worth the cost of PBOT staff time that they feel would be better spent elsewhere.

“These negative impacts to pedestrian safety and comfort are notable even before considering how much ODOT is leaning on the City of Portland to contribute staff time and funding toward surface street changes and other support when those resources are urgently needed to mitigate deadly conditions in hundreds of other locations citywide,” their letter states. “We urge PBOT to withdraw its support.”

So far, the PAC hasn’t re-submitted a revised letter. The public comment period ends tomorrow, January 4th.

— The People’s Public Hearing begins at 6:00 pm tonight (Tuesday, January 3rd) at Harriet Tubman Middle School. You can watch a livestream and/or a recap here.

Commissioner Mingus Mapps is now in charge of Portland transportation

This morning Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler made it official: Commissioner Mingus Mapps will take over control of the transportation bureau. Mapps inherits the duty from former Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty.

The move to put Mapps in charge of PBOT (which won’t come a big surprise to BikePortland readers since we predicted it back in November) could be another sign that bicycling is on its way back to the front-and-center of local politics — a position it hasn’t enjoyed since about 2014 when our bike-to-work rate peaked at 7.2%. Portland has not had a PBOT commissioner who’s been both a strong champion for cycling and a regular rider themselves since 2012.

Mapps’ predecessor Hardesty, who oversaw the bureau from 2020 to 2022, didn’t own a bicycle. Former Commissioner Chloe Eudaly (2018-2020), who preceded Hardesty, was a regular bike rider too, but focused her two years at the helm on bus priority lanes instead of cycling. Before Eudaly there was Dan Saltzman (2017) and Steve Novick (2013-2016) — neither of whom ever rode bikes in the city. Former Mayor Sam Adams, who was in charge of PBOT from 2005 to 2012, was the last City Hall denizen who made cycling a focus of both his political and personal life.

In interviews with BikePortland, Mapps has said he’s a reluctant car driver who prefers to bike and take the bus. He also regularly rides around his southeast Portland neighborhood with his two young sons.

During his campaign in May 2020 Mapps told BikePortland he’s been a daily bike commuter since the 1980s. In that same interview he said he wanted to, “Help solve the paradox of declining bike commuting in Portland,” by implementing the city’s Bike Plan for 2030 and by working harder to, “Renew Portland’s cycling culture, with an emphasis on inclusion, equity, public health, public education, and fun.” And in an interview following his victory over Chloe Eudaly in November 2012, Mapps said he planned to ride his bike to City Hall everyday once it reopened post-Covid. “I’m an advocate for the bike community that’s for sure,” he said. “I think you have a healthier, happier city when you have more people cycling… The question is, how long do we take to get from here to there?”

A major issue looming over cycling for many Portlanders is the scofflaw, reckless behavior of many drivers and the dangers it poses to us all. A major difference between Mapps and Hardesty that could impact how people drive is their different approach to police reform and their role in enforcing traffic laws. Hardesty was the Portland Police Bureau’s strongest critic on City Council and famously attempted to reduce $18 million from their budget. That and other positions and statements about police, coupled with PBOT leadership that also distanced itself from the PPB, created a situation where the bureau in charge of the streets had an almost nonexist and arguably dysfunctional relationship with the bureau in charge of enforcing laws on them. This has led to a sense of lawlessness on our roads and a culture at the City of Portland where officials say they care about traffic safety, but the statistics say otherwise.

With Mapps at the helm — and with nearly three years since racial justice and police brutality protests upended Portland politics — that relationship between PBOT and the PPB is likely to thaw.

The Portland Police Association (the union that represents officers) endorsed Mapps and donated $15,000 to his election campaign. With Mapps, we have someone who is aware of the pitfalls of policing, but who is more than willing to work with them. As a Black man, Mapps told me in a past interview that he avoids driving because, “When I get behind the wheel of a car, I have fewer civil rights than everyone else.” Mapps agreed that the PPB needs real reform and he even went so far as to say if the conduct of some officers is, “a product of systemic racism, we need to fix it.” He would have voted against Hardesty’s police budget cut, but sees a future where PPB is smaller and much of low-level traffic enforcement is out of their hands.

In addition to managing transportation and being the de facto boss of PBOT Director Chris Warner (who’s now on his third commissioner), Mapps will also become the city’s representative on key regional and project-specific advisory bodies like Metro’s Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation and the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program. He’s likely going to continue Hardesty’s efforts to strengthen the City of Portland’s support of State of Oregon’s controversial attempt to widen I-5 through the Rose Quarter.

Overall, Mapps being in charge of PBOT should help put transportation front and center at City Hall in a way we haven’t seen for many years. And Mapps won’t be alone: Former PBOT Director Tom Miller is working for new Commissioner Rene Gonzalez and former PBOT Commissioner Sam Adams in a top staffer in the Mayor’s office. If these three wanted to hatch a major transportation reform, they already have all the votes they’d need.

During my interview with Mapps in November 2020 I asked him about cycling’s decline in Portland. “[Former Portland Mayor] Sam [Adams] and I talked several times and he’s really proud of his bike legacy, which has kind of fallen off the map,” Mapps said. “So he’s been kind of poking and prodding me on that.”

Those pokes and prods might feel a bit different now the Mapps can actually do something about it.

— See the full list of bureau assignments here.

Dispatch: The unique utility and daunting challenges of biking in New York City

New infrastructure in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighborhood is some of the best in the city. (Photos: Taylor Griggs/BikePortland)

I have spent the last few days in New York City before I take off on my trip to Europe this evening. I’ve spent a decent amount of time here in the past, and have always used the subway to get around (as well as a lot of walking). On previous visits — before I was as inclined to notice bikes and active transportation infrastructure everywhere — I didn’t realize how important bikes were to the transportation system here. I mean, who needs a bike when you have the subway?

But I’ve realized I was mistaken. In many ways, New York’s dense and well-used public transportation system makes the unique benefits of bikes even more obvious.

I was intrigued last year when new NYC Mayor Eric Adams detailed a plan to expand the city’s bike infrastructure network after he started his term last year — even pledging to become the “bike mayor”. But local journalists and transportation advocates have noted that this hasn’t gone quite as planned. Less than half of the miles of protected bike lanes Adams said would be constructed in 2022 actually came to fruition. As I biked around Brooklyn and lower Manhattan, this was evident.

A street in Brooklyn that Google Maps recommends as a bike route. No bike lane in sight, but at least the parked cars get buffered protection!

This isn’t to say New York’s transportation department is a standout for falling short on active transportation promises. After all, advocates from BikeLoud are suing the Portland Bureau of Transportation for exactly that in our city. But I think the culture around biking in New York makes these failures all the more apparent.

Personally, I was surprised by the complete disrespect I saw drivers demonstrate for people using the existing bike lanes. I don’t think I was able to use a non-physically protected lane for an entire block without having to move out onto the street or sidewalk because of bike lane blockages. Public school buses and delivery trucks use the bike lanes as loading zones and other drivers just seem to use them as extra on-street parking space.

A few examples of cars parked in Brooklyn’s buffered bike lanes.

As far as I noticed, many people driving cars do not feel it’s their responsibility to pay attention for other road users. Again, this isn’t specific to this city, but because the streets are so narrow and crowded here and the pace of life so hurried, people biking really need to advocate for themselves in a way I am not used to.

Most New Yorkers don’t own cars, which is a good thing. But 8.5 million people live in this city, so there are still a lot of personal vehicles on the street. And even if an inadequate bike network isn’t forcing people into cars quite to the extent it might in other cities with less robust public transit, it still demonstrates a disregard for the many, many people who use active transportation to get around here. And I’m sure there are quite a few people who live here who would get rid of their cars if they felt comfortable biking around the city! At least they might be less inclined to defer to a cab or Lyft for going out on a crisp evening.

A nice (if rather narrow) separated bike lane in Brooklyn.

Plus, there are problems with the subway and bus systems that would make biking a really great option for more people to use if it was safe to do so. During the pandemic, many people in NYC (and other places) took up biking for leisure and as a way to travel while maintaining social distancing. But public transit in New York City wasn’t perfect even before the pandemic. Especially outside hyper-dense Manhattan, there are lots of gaps in the network that make going by subway inefficient.

My friend who lives in Brooklyn told me he bikes to work in a different part of the borough because of how expedient it makes his commute. If he were to take the subway or bus, it would take about half an hour longer than it does to zip through the streets by bike. He also said he feels relatively safe biking around the city because car traffic is usually so congested and slow during commuter hours. For this Portlander, though, it was daunting.

Still, I had an invigorating time biking around New York — I could look around at all there is to see here while still going fast enough to get places at a reasonable speed. And I know my perspective is limited since I stuck to a relatively small area of the city — I wish I had been able to spend more time biking and seeing more of the sights. I hope to explore more during my next visit, and I hope to see more of Adams’ promised protected bike lanes.

Monday Roundup: cycling’s alcohol problem, bike bus book, a crystal ball, and more

Welcome to the week. And welcome to the new year!

Here are the most notable stories our writers and readers came across in the past week or so…

Cycling’s drinking problem: The prevalence of beer and alcohol in the cycling world is unhealthy and unnecessary says this excellent piece from America’s largest cycling publication. (Bicycling)

Transportation crystal ball: If you’re a big picture person who’s curious what a diverse range of experts thinks about where mobility trends are headed in 2023, you’ll appreciate this story. (The Verge)

Read it to the kids: Now there’s a children’s book to go along with the bike bus movement. (Manchester Ink Link)

The snowball’s chance: Essential reading on the Interstate Bridge Replacement project that makes it clear the project has a worrying amount of both momentum and uncertainty. (The Urbanist)

It’s the infrastructure, stupid!: Denver has stoked its rise of e-bike users so well that it’s now faced with the (welcome) challenge of making sure road designs keep them safe. (Electrek)

Good summar-e: This long-form piece touches on many aspects of the e-bike world from a New York City point of view. (New Yorker)

Portland influence: Yes we’ve lost a lot of our mojo in the past decade, but it speaks to the magic of Portland that this roundup of America’s top citizen activists is dominated by locals. (Streetsblog USA)

Like we’ve been saying: It’s wonderful to see a national media outlet come to the conclusion we’ve been trumpeting on here for many years now: That we’d be better off as a country if we focused more on EV-bikes instead of EV-cars. (NPR)

About those batteries: An electric battery from a Rad Power Bike that was plugged into a wall outlet blew up in Eugene. (KEZI)

“Pedal faster”: The editorial board of one of the nation’s most influential media companies has come to the conclusion that Washington D.C.’s transportation leaders need to build more and talk less when it comes to the implementation of quality bike infrastructure. (Washington Post)

Thanks to everyone who shared links this week.

Taking stock of BikePortland

BikePortland Crew clockwise from the top: My cat Tito, Co-owner Mike Perham, Reporter Taylor Griggs, me, Family Biking Columnist Shannon Johnson, Asst Editor Lisa Caballero.

In this last week of 2022, I’m taking time to reflect and figure out where things stand with BikePortland (and to finally clear my inbox, so if you get a months-old message from me, that’s why). I’ll start with reflections and an update on the business, and then share a more newsy, year-in-review-type post separately.

Here goes…

It’s hard for me to comprehend that we are about to embark on our 18th year in business. I was 30 years old when I started doing this work and now I’m close to 50. My oldest daughter was just two when BikePortland launched, and now she’s in her second year of college! I think about these timeframes a lot. They fill me with ambivalence and a sense of urgency.

Like every year, 2022 was a roller coaster as we pedaled the ups-and-downs that come with running a local news business that’s closely hitched to the community it covers. Taylor Griggs, Lisa Caballero, and I learned invaluable lessons about how best to host a productive daily conversation among friends and strangers in an ideologically divided community while covering sensitive topics. It takes a tremendous amount of care to balance our roles as objective reporters, community moderators, passionate activists, and personal acquaintances/friends to many of the sources we regularly call on — and that work seems to get more fraught with each passing year.

Personally, I feel like I’ve slowed down in some areas, and sped up in others. After a chronic knee issue flared up just over two years ago, I’ve all but abandoned the extremely time-consuming riding and racing habit I had for many years. That tectonic lifestyle shift gave me more time to focus on other things (it’s freeing to not care about being in top shape and riding every day). And while I don’t cover the community with the same amount of energy I had in our first decade, I bring a different type of energy to the job these days. When it comes to creating stories and content, I feel like I’m using a scalpel now, instead of a machete — if that makes any sense. My bullshit filter is finely honed and my hunches and nose for news have more years of experience behind them. While that gives me confidence, my challenge is to stay creative, keep a fresh perspective, and stay connected to our evolving and always-younger community so BikePortland can produce information people want and need.

While I like to say, “We focus on what’s vital, not viral,” we also can’t be boring or no one will pay attention.

Speaking of paying attention, BikePortland is as strong as ever reach and impact-wise. We had roughly 1.7 million visitors to our site in the past year and we reached an estimated 14.4 million on social media. We currently have around 60,000 followers across five social media platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Not bad for a little “bike blog” (laughing emoji).

Here’s how our production ended up (keep in mind I’m a firm believer in quality over quantity — especially when it comes to content):

937 Front Page posts
30,500 site comments (estimated, doesn’t include social media comments)
15 podcast episodes
83 social media videos
47 YouTube videos

I’m still in the process of testing out different platforms and types of content and I suspect that will continue into the coming year. While I believe we must meet people where they are, we have a limited capacity to create content that meets my expectations, so we might pull back from some platforms and invest more in others. (I’m also increasingly wary of supporting platforms run by governments or people who don’t share basic democratic values.)

And as our recent server attack illustrated, we are still working to update our backend code and processes to handle this beastly site. WordPress-powered sites are known to be hogs on server resources, and one with 26,000 posts and 520,000 comments even more so. In 2023 you’ll see more big changes to our home page design, but the changes you won’t see (like database and server upgrades) will likely make the largest impact to your reading.

All this is to say that 2023 will be the most important year in BikePortland’s history. We will need to adapt and change more than ever before in order to meet our revenue and creative goals. It won’t be easy and we will need your financial support to do it. But it will be so worth it! With your help, we’ve created something very special: Our very own bike-centric news source that often gets the same respect as other, larger and less niche-oriented, local news outlets.

BikePortland is of, by, and for the community. It’s “citizen journalism” in its purest form. We are accountable only to you, we are here to amplify your voices, and you are the ones who can decide what our future holds.

Thanks to every one of our 417 paid subscribers, our dedicated advertisers, and generous financial supporters for another year. We can’t wait to get started on the next one.

How cycling changed my life in 2022

Taking photos at this year’s Pedalpalooza kickoff ride.

Like many others, I enjoy using the arbitrary date of January 1 as an excuse to look at what I’ve done and set some new goals. But I find that reading other people’s year-in-reviews can be a little like hearing them talk about their lengthy dreams. Still, when I look back at what’s changed in my life since last January, I can recognize how much I’ve grown as a result of biking.

In addition to everything I’ve learned from talking to people for BikePortland stories, I learned a lot from my personal experiences going carfree and using a bike as my primary mode of transportation. I’d stopped using my car regularly months before, but at the beginning of last year I finally decided to ditch the vehicle that was gathering dust (and taking up on-street parking space). After I sold it, I was forced to bike if I had somewhere to go, even if I didn’t really feel like doing it.

I ended up riding around 2,500 miles this year (I know that will be a paltry number to many BikePortland readers, but it’s far more than I’ve ever done before!). The effect all this biking had on my mental health and my quality of life in general can’t be overstated.

At the Alice Awards with PBOT Director Chris Warner and new friends Jenna Phillips and Nic Cota.

If I may get personal for a minute: I’ve dealt with anxiety and depression for my whole life, and until this year, I hadn’t really figured out a healthy outlet for dealing with it. I’ve been especially prone to bouts of climate despair over the last several years — feelings that are difficult to treat, because in many ways, they’re a completely reasonable response to the madness happening around us. But it wasn’t reasonable for me to lie awake all night feeling sick with sadness that paralyzed me from being able to participate in climate action or meet people who were doing all they could to make a difference.

I’ve dealt with anxiety and depression for my whole life, and until this year, I hadn’t really figured out a healthy outlet for dealing with it.

Every time I drove my car, I couldn’t shake the cognitive dissonance. I understand that individual actions are not enough on their own, but for me, I immediately felt a new sense of purpose once I started living more in line with my ideals. And all the endorphins I got from biking didn’t hurt, either.

Going on a bike ride will not solve all of the world’s problems, but I’ve found that it’s a pretty fail proof and sustainable way for me to feel better. I’ve found a wonderful sense of kinship within Portland’s bike community, and am always motivated by my love for this city that I’ve gotten to know so well by bike.

I especially cherish the memories of Pedalpalooza this summer: I think my heart grew about 10 sizes every time I heard someone say “thank you, corker!” It was wonderful to see so many people out on the streets having a great time and looking out for each other, and I eagerly anticipate the next Bike Summer.

It’s hard to recognize growth while it’s actively happening, but looking at myself from this vantage point, I can see how I’ve evolved since last year. At the end of 2021, I was neurotic and unsure and hadn’t figured out a way to deal with it. In no way am I fully “cured” now, but I feel like I have control over my life in a way I didn’t before. Some of this can simply be attributed to getting older, but I’d like to give a good deal of credit to my bicycle.

As I look forward to 2023, I’m not going to set a resolution to bike any specific number of miles or exercise for a certain amount of time every day. I don’t want to set a competition with myself — I just want to do as much as I can to keep embracing what’s so beautiful about Portland and all the benefits biking can provide for people and communities at large. I’m beginning 2023 with a big adventure to Europe that I hope will set the stage for an exciting year with even more growth.

Happy New Year everyone, thanks for reading my work and for all your support this year. I look forward to continuing in 2023!

Job: Andando En Bicicletas Y Caminando (ABC) Coordinator – Community Cycling Center

Job Title

Andando En Biciletas Y Caminando (ABC) Coordinator

Company / Organization

Community Cycling Center

Job Description

ABOUT ANDANDO EN BICICLETAS Y CAMINANDO
Andando en Bicicletas Y Caminando (ABC) is a Spanish speaking active transportation advocacy group in the Cully neighborhood. The group has closely collaborated with community partners such as Hacienda, Verde, and Living Cully in their past work. Most members of the group have participated in Lideres Verdes, a year-long leadership development program facilitated by Verde. ABC members practice and further develop leadership skills through planning and implementation of community projects, events, and advocacy.

ABC is primarily made up of Latiné parents living in the Cully neighborhood of Portland. The group advocates for improved bike storage in the neighborhood, safe routes to their neighborhood schools and affordable access to bicycles and bicycle repair. ABC members receive a monthly stipend for their participation. Cultural humility and understanding of how current political events affect the wellbeing of historically underserved communities in Portland and the Latiné community in particular are essential traits to this position. The Community Cycling Center has supported ABC since 2012, facilitating the empowerment of these impactful community leaders.

JOB SUMMARY
The ABC Coordinator acts as a liaison between group members, the Community Cycling Center and ABC partners. The Coordinator’s role is to facilitate conversations and help organize activities toward the goals ABC has set for the year. Engagement with ABC members is almost exclusively done in Spanish. We work with our partners to develop roles for each member that matches their skillset and development goals. We then collaboratively support members in reaching these goals and fulfilling their roles.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Please note that the percentage indicators below represent an estimate of how much time each week will be spent fulfilling these functions. In terms of importance, all areas are valued equally. A certain portion of the ABC coordinator’s hours may be spent supporting other projects in the CCC Programs
Department.

Facilitation and Planning (30%)
● Collaborate with ABC members to create an annual work plan centered on members’ self-identified goals. This plan involves working closely with our established Cully community-based partners (i.e. Verde/Living Cully and Hacienda).
● Facilitate meetings in Spanish with the full ABC group (currently 10 members), ABC partners, and guests once per month.
● Create and facilitate working groups for specific projects.
● Develop and write agendas in Spanish for monthly meetings.
● Provide occasional, informal English-Spanish translation. English-speaking only partners are expected to provide their own translation services as needed.
● Ensure that outside groups asking for ABC member input and/or support are providing value to the Cully community. Advocate for ABC members being financially compensated for their
contributions.

Organizing and communication (30%)
● Help the group identify priorities for their community.
● Collaborate with ABC and partners to design and schedule community campaigns, events, or activities that address identified priorities.
● Provide regular reminders and contact in Spanish via phone and text to members (email is generally not a good option for group members).

Trainings, Activities, Actions, and Events (20% or more) (Increases during high season; May-Sept)
● The ABC Coordinator will collaborate alongside ABC members on a variety of trainings, activities, and events throughout the year. Includes working occasional weekend and evening hours to accommodate ABC members’ schedules.
● Please refer to the ABC webpage on our site, https://communitycyclingcenter.org/community/partner-programs/ for some examples of the work ABC has done in the past.

Administration and other (20%)
*Training and ongoing technical support provided by Programs team leadership as needed.
● Coordinate and track monthly stipend deliveries to ABC members for their participation.
● Support grant reporting by sharing ABC stories and accomplishments.
● Assist program leadership staff in creating an annual budget for the program.
● Collaborate with development staff to pursue funding for the program.
● Provide opportunities and support for ABC members to participate in other Community Cycling Center programs and activities.
● Support other programs outside of ABC as necessary with an emphasis on community development and education.

QUALIFICATIONS & CHARACTERISTICS
Required
● Bilingual in Spanish/English
● Experience leading community organizing efforts with low-income communities of color; may include paid or volunteer work, and/or lived experience.
● Ability to energize ABC group members to make meaningful and lasting contributions to the group’s mission.
● Self-motivated, self-starter who can develop their own vision around how to best support the ABC group and their mission.
● Very strong organizational skills, with an attention to small details.
● Exceptional communications skills, including ability to write in Spanish and
English
● Ability to work both independently and with a team.
● A demonstrated commitment to equity and social justice.
● Ability to occasionally ride a bicycle up to 10 miles in a day, and the ability to lift up to 25 pounds (Reasonable accommodation will be made for staff with a disability).

Preferred
● Written and verbal translation skills (Spanish-English).
● Lived experience as an immigrant.
● Passion for cycling and other forms of active transportation.
● Familiarity with Mayan cultures.
● Driver’s license

How to Apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume by email with “ABC Coordinator Application” as the subject line to jobs@communitycyclingcenter.org. Applications may be submitted in Spanish or English. The position will be open to applicants through Monday, January 16th. We will begin selecting applicants for interviews that same week.

Weekend Event Guide: Three rides to ring in the New Year

Welcome to the weekend — and the end of 2022! If you want to celebrate and ring in 2023 with a bike ride, you have a few options to choose from. Here’s our guide to three New Year’s-themed rides:

Saturday, December 31st

The End is NYE (New Year’s Eve ride) – 8:00 pm at Irving Park

Spend the rest of the year doing your favorite thing (riding bikes) at the New Year’s Eve ride (21+)! According to the ride organizer, you’ll make so many new friends on the ride that “by the end of the night, you’ll feel like you’ve known them for years!” More info here.

Sunday, January 1st

President’s New Year Ride – 11 am at Stringfield Family Park (Milwaukie)
Start 2023 off with riding with the Portland Bicycling Club on a 29-mile New Year’s Day ride from Milwaukie into Portland and then to get coffee in Oregon City. More info here.

New Year’s Day Ride and Cookie Swap – 12 – 2 pm at SE Park Ave MAX Station (SE)

It’s time for The Street Trust’s annual New Year’s Day ride. This time they’ll lead a ride to Milwaukie to check out some onew infrastructure. But wait, there’s more! It’s also a cookie exchange, so bring a tupperware full of yummies to share and trade. More info here.

See all upcoming events here. Promoting an event? Know about something we should boost? Please let us know and we’ll get it on the calendar.