BikePortland

Metro terminates ‘smart city’ data project meant to help count bikes

Screen Shot 2021-02-25 at 11.55.06 AM — Sample of Replica analysis.

A data project billed as the “next generation urban planning tool” that involved over two years of negotiations between Metro, TriMet, the City of Portland, and Google-owner Alphabet has crashed-and-burned.

On Saturday, Red Tail Media reported that a contract between Metro and Sidewalk Labs to develop the Replica tool for regional use been officially terminated. “A city tech project in Portland with the Sidewalk Labs spin-off leads to accusations, data disputes and ‘damaged trust'” reads the headline, which was then picked up by the BBC on Tuesday.

Hi everyone.

As we near our 17th spring together, I cannot think of a better time to learn more about who follows our work and how we can do it better.

If you’re looking for a great way to get more involved in advocacy on a statewide level, this could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.

The Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (“ahb-pack”) has started recruitment for two openings to their 8-member group.

The OBPAC was created in 1973 after the passage of the “Bike Bill” to create more public oversight of the Oregon Department of Transportation. Originally known as the “Oregon Bicycle Committee,” the group expanded to recognize walkers in 1995. Since then it has played an important role in keeping ODOT accountable for their active transportation investments.

Here’s the recruitment blurb currently swirling around:

There was a notable debate at the Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission meeting Tuesday night on a topic near and dear to our hearts: the Portland transportation bureau’s recent decision to re-stripe Hawthorne Boulevard without bike lanes.

Screen Shot 2021-02-24 at 8.28.15 AM — I-5 from the N Vancouver Avenue bridge.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

It’s one thing for critiques of a project to swirl around transportation and advocacy circles; it’s another thing when a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter hops onto the story.

That’s what happened today with the Willamette Week’s publication of an article titled Questions About the Footprint of the I-5 Rose Quarter Project Intensify. The news that ODOT is being intentionally dishonest about the true width of their I-5 expansion plans through the central city is not new. What’s important about Willamette Week reporter Nigel Jaquiss doing a story on it is that it gets the idea more firmly on the radar of influential local electeds and makes them comment about it on the record.

And Jaquiss has also furthered the story in a significant way: By highlighting new documents from the nonprofit No More Freeways that show the potential width of the freeway is even wider than anyone previously expected. Here’s an excerpt from his piece (emphasis mine):

This story is by northeast Portland resident Mateen Richey, a new contributor who you might recall from our profile of him back in January.

The beloved racing event site at Alpenrose Dairy is now permanently closed.

Portland resident Jason P. says he was cut off by a TriMet bus operator on Friday morning and he’s got the video to back up his story (watch it below the jump).

According to a complaint filed with TriMet Sunday, Jason was riding southbound on North Vancouver Avenue between Morris and Stanton streets (adjacent to Dawson Park, just before Legacy Emanuel Hospital) when the operator of a Line 44 bus crossed over the bike lane he was riding in without using his signal.

Here’s more from the complaint:

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Sorry, this job has been filled. Browse more great jobs here.

Let’s talk about the BikePortland comment section

On Saturday, Tony Jordan, a parking reform advocate I’ve known and respected for years and who’s written stories for BikePortland, posted something on Twitter about a BikePortland comment. The conversations and concerns triggered by his Tweet (which I’m still responding to, three days later) have made me think deeply about our comment section.

Here’s Tony’s tweet:

The president of the labor union that represents most of the Portland Police Bureau’s rank-and-file officers made a statement earlier this month warning people that a recent personnel shift by Police Chief Chuck Lovell would lead to dangerous conditions on our streets. I just realized today that that person – PPA President Brian Hunzeker — used an opinion piece he read on BikePortland to support his case.

Metro terminates ‘smart city’ data project meant to help count bikes

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Alpenrose Velodrome and event site is permanently closed

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Let’s talk about the BikePortland comment section

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