PBOT says major updates to deadly Division Street will be done by next summer
Opposition to South Park Blocks Plan, Green Loop, dominates council hearing
DeFazio, Buttigieg tout electric cars, bikes, and warn of ‘existential threat’ of climate change at Eugene event
These are wild times for climate change in America. We have floods and droughts and fires and heat waves — scary, deadly, catastrophic events — unfolding in front of our eyes as policymakers scramble to satisfy an anxious public and activists increase the volume of their pleas.
Yesterday in Eugene, the Biden Administration’s top transportation leader, US Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appeared at a press conference with U.S. Congressmen and Chair of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Peter DeFazio. They and other officials spent the day viewing safety challenges on Highway 99 in Corvallis and driving an all-electric bus. The high-profile visit was part of a tour to tout Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework.
As the climate issue heats up, so too are calls to use transportation policy as a way to address it.
A Unity Ride recap and thoughts on respecting bodies in public spaces
(Photos: Maritza Arango/@arango_mari)
Publisher’s Note: Maritza Arango is BikePortland’s new events editor! This is her first (non Weekend Event Guide) post. Maritza moved to Portland from Bogotá, Colombia in January 2021. Stay tuned for a proper intro and more of her perspectives on Portland’s bike scene. – Jonathan
How hard is it for humans to understand that differences should be acknowledged and respected? It is not just a matter of thinking that we are all the same, because we are not. With that on my mind, I attended my first bike ride in Portland earlier this month. It was the Unity Ride; a ride only for women, trans and non-binary people.
“I want to get to know the community through the eyes of those who, like myself, believe their bodies are not welcome, appreciated, suitable, or even allowed on a bike.”
For centuries, the patriarchy has drawn a line between “them” – as the bodies that matter, the bodies that “can and should” occupy public space like it belonged to them – and “the others.” They feel entitled to comment, to look, to touch, to harass. It is unnecessary for me to explain (and honestly I don’t want to because it is exhausting) which bodies belong to that historical patriarchal status-quo and which don’t.
Now, you should be asking yourself: What does all this have to do with biking? Why should I make the decision to start writing about biking in Portland on such an uncomfortable topic? Well, I want to get to know the community through the eyes of those who, like myself, believe their bodies are not welcome, appreciated, suitable, or even allowed on a bike. This is how I want to introduce myself.
Some may think that bikes are just for sports, for fun, or for daily transportation. I was drawn to the Unity Ride for several reasons, in part because I think that bikes are so much more than that. I think riding a bike can be a political expression of individuals and communities.
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So let’s get to the ride recap!
Before I continue, I want to mention that I invited two friends to join me. Not only because I wanted to spend time with them, but also because I believed that I was not going to fit in. Why? Because I am a woman, I am overweight, I am Latina, and I have a disability and a service dog. Sounds like a perfect recipe for an entertaining conversation for a group of proud and drunk boys, right?
Here’s how it happened: First, I reached out to Sofie, one of the organizers, to let them know I wanted to join the ride and get to know them so I could write this report.
I arrived at Colonel Summers park, Friday July 3rd, at 7:00 pm. Around 15 people had already gathered, and were talking and waiting for something or someone. Everyone seemed to know each other except me. As I was waiting for Sofie, I felt like I was in an awkward blind date where I was waiting and looking for someone that should arrive “on a red bike.” My bike needed some adjustment so I decided to approach the group. People reached out to help and I even got a tool kit offered (thank you, PCC Active Transportation!). Everything seemed to have started from a good place. More people were showing up, and we quickly became a group of 20 or 30 bikers with so many different bodies and gender expressions.
Someone started talking to the group: “No homophobia allowed, no fatphobia allowed, no transphobia allowed, no misogynistic behavior allowed, no harassment allowed…” I can’t remember the exact words but I can summarize those with: No discrimination allowed. Turns out that person was Sofie. And that’s how I met her.
Some safety instructions were given to the group and we were ready to go. The ride was smooth, sunny, and beautiful. People were happy and it felt like a place where I could show any weakness with no judgment. During the ride some people approached me to check in, some to have a short talk and some were just sharing music and chillness – I know, it sounds too much like a unicorn safety fairytale, but it was real.
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We arrived at Sellwood park for a swim and a picnic after a 10-mile ride across a couple of bridges. (I wouldn’t recommend the ride to beginners that are just learning how to ride; I’d say it required a minimum set of skills.)
At the picnic I talked to some of the organizers of the ride; here is a little bit of what they shared with me:
“The ride has been going on for about a year now. It started biweekly but now is weekly. We have two rides: One that goes at a pace that’s inclusive to all riders, and one that’s faster for more experienced riders. We strive to include women, transgender and non-binary people that have felt excluded or intimidated to forming community around bikes. We want the community to be as involved in the ride as they want to be! We aim to create an inclusive environment where no one person is the sole leader. We prioritize safety and inclusion while having fun!”
What is my conclusion after riding and talking with them? Everyone is invited except the ones that have a privilege that allows them to be respected, accepted and safe in any or every other ride. Why? Because women and other bodies that are non-dominant need spaces to feel safe and to…. just be. Don’t take my word as the Unity Ride’s word, this is just me asking the world to give women and others more spaces where we can take care of each other, be vulnerable, learn and especially, not be harassed!
I promise that you’ll read from me a lot more reasons why women belong on bikes and why public space is in debt to us, “the others.” Thank you for reading!
— Maritza Arango, @arango_mari on Instagram and Twitter.
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Job: Growth Development Manager – Ride Report
Job Title
Growth Development Manager
Company / Organization
Ride Report
Job Description
Based in Portland, Ride Report is a small software company accelerating the transition to a sustainable and efficient transportation system.
Over 50 cities around the world are using Ride Report to help manage the emergence of new and innovative forms of transportation – particularly shared micromobility, such as electric scooters and bikes. We’ve shown that with the right tools, cities can harness the power of micromobility to rapidly transform their transportation systems for the better.
Learn more about our mission and values in our open source handbook. If anything about our company resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you!
As a Growth Development Manager, you will be responsible for:
— Cultivating new leads
— Working closely with Marketing to discover and develop new leads
— Executing trial agreements with new customers
— Working closely with sales to follow up on promising leads with larger cities
— Owning deals with smaller cities end-to-end
Within one month, you will:
— Understand Ride Report, what we do and how we do it differently
— Begin tracking your tasks and activity in Hubspot
— Working with your manager, create your first sales lead
— Participate in your first sales call
Within 3 months, you will:
— Nurture SQLs and move them through the sales pipeline
— Master our pipeline process on Hubspot
— Create your 50th sales lead
— Lead your first sales call and driven a product demo
Within 6 months, you will:
— Own our outreach efforts to new cities
— Lead all initial sales calls and demoes with smaller cities
— Become an expert on demoing our tools and talking about our company
— Working with marketing, identify and execute on new opportunities to improve our lead generation strategy
— Identify and execute on ways to make our early sales process more efficient
Required Skills and Experience:
— 1-2 years prior experience in a sales role
— Impeccable writing skills
— Attention to detail and consistent follow-through
— Skilled at active listening
— Not afraid to receive a “no”
— Can independently research and build an understanding of a lead
— Brings persistence and creativity to outreach efforts
— Capable of methodically reaching out to every lead
— Enjoys forging and maintaining new relationships
— Seeks to constantly learn and improve
— Experience using .ppt and google suite
— A passion for making cities better and greener
Nice-to-have:
— Prior B2G selling experience
— Prior SaaS selling experience
— Prior transit experience
Compensation & Benefits
— The on target earnings for this role will be $120,000. Ride Report uses market data to transparently set the salary of every employee in a fair and standardized way. Learn why we don’t negotiate our salaries and publish them instead. More experienced candidates may be considered for a senior position with a higher salary.
— Generous equity incentives. We also offer new candidates the option to trade some salary for additional equity.
— Unlimited vacation and sick leave
— Competitive health insurance plans via Regence (Blue Cross Blue Shield)
— A 401k program that matches 50% of employee contributions up to the 10% of their salary
— Vision and dental plans (Employee-funded)
— Flexible Spending Accounts for both health care and dependent care (Employee-funded)
— Yearly professional development stipend
— An eBike Enablement Benefit
We will begin reviewing applications for this posting the week of June 14th.
If you’re not sure if this position is right for you, but you’re interested, please apply! We do review every application, and are interested in building relationships with people who have a strong sense that Ride Report is a place where they feel like they could thrive.
We believe the best teams are diverse and inclusive. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. We welcome applications from women, people of color, and other groups that are underrepresented in tech and transportation.
In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis; Ride Report will not sponsor applicants for work visas. As part of our security protocols, offers are contingent on completion of a background check. You can read more about how and why we use background checks in our Open Source Employee Guide.
How to Apply
Apply here: https://jobs.lever.co/ridereport/49ffbf27-ebba-4e05-9d96-6bf8f674fa9c
Portland’s bike advisory committee will apologize to Commissioner Hardesty for conduct ‘endemic of systemic racism’
“We want to apologize for our conduct at that meeting. It was unprofessional, endemic of systemic racism, and unacceptable. We will be holding ourselves accountable.”
— PBOT Bicycle Advisory Committee letter
Two months after a heated meeting with Bureau of Transportation Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, members of the Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee have penned an apology letter.
The meeting on May 11th was Hardesty’s first visit to the BAC since she was named PBOT Commissioner in December 2020. During a Q & A session following remarks to the committee, Hardesty, the first Black woman on Portland City Council, made some statements that left many veteran bike advocates shocked and frustrated. One BAC member, Clint Culpepper, become animated in his pushback against some of Hardesty’s comments — especially when she appeared to dismiss bike advocates’ demands because she doesn’t feel “the bike community” is an effective lobby group.
Starting July 20th, bicycle riders will be required to have tickets to visit Multnomah Falls (UPDATED)
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)