Back in March, 33-year-old Oscar Burell posted dozens of videos he took while driving his large, lifted pick-up truck through the streets Portland.
These weren’t just ordinary videos of him driving; he would be sitting half-way out of the drivers’-side window while steering with his leg and singing, he’d go painfully long stretches without even looking at the road ahead, and in one video he filmed himself while speeding and doing donuts in the grass at a public park on a sunny day.
It’s hard to convey in words what his videos were like. They demonstrated a shocking level of recklessness and total disregard for others — all while operating a multi-ton steel vehicle on public streets.
This morning KATU reported that Burell got his day in court. Here’s the consequence handed out by the judge:
Oscar Burell Jr., 33, got a 90-day license suspension and 18 months of probation.
He’s also getting 80 hours of community service, which can be reduced if he makes a video telling people not to do what he did.
I was hesitant to post anything about this case because I haven’t read the court documents and/or any supporting evidence from the prosecution or Burell’s defense (he represented himself and pled not guilty to the charges). I wasn’t in the courtroom and I have not heard why the judge made this decision.
That being said, this feels like a completely inappropriate consequence for what this man did. I worry that, once again, our justice system is sending a message that crimes and violence committed while using a car are just not that big of a deal. This case seems like a good example of how our car-centric culture isn’t willing to levy significant consequences on drivers until someone is seriously injured or killed by their actions — and even then they’re often not brought to justice. I also wonder if Portland’s lack of good alternatives to driving figured into the judge’s thinking. The inconvenient truth is that having to live without a car in a transportation system where cars are the most viable mobility option for most people, leads to judges who are reluctant to take away that privilege. What that leads to however, is that we trade community safety for one individual’s mobility needs.
I can appreciate that Burell might have been going through a rough patch in life and that perhaps he’s a different person now after this experience. I also don’t think his life should be ruined because of something he did in the past and that he might fully regret and want to move on from. Everyone deserves a second chance.
But I can’t stop thinking about how light of a sentence this is and the message it sends to others.
I watched a lot of Burell’s videos (before his account was taken down) and I can say we are very, very lucky that he never hurt or killed anyone — especially after speeding through a public park! To think that he’ll be driving again in a few months — after doing all that stuff I saw in those videos — is wild to me.
I hope Burell will drive safely in the future. I also hope he takes up the offer to make a video telling folks why it’s important to drive with respect and care for others. We can use all the help we can get spreading that message.
Inside the Velotech HQ in northeast Portland in 2014. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Portland-based Velotech Inc. has been acquired by Backcountry. The sale was reported in Bicycle Retailer & Industry News Magazine (BRAIN) on Thursday. Backcountry is an industry pioneer that made their first sale on the Internet in 1996 and is largely credited with being the first online retailer of outdoor goods.
Velotech was founded in 2002 and is the parent company of e-commerce brands BikeTiresDirect, Western Bikeworks and TriSports. Here’s more from BRAIN:
“Velotech’s cycling-first DNA and operational excellence make them a highly strategic addition to Backcountry,” said Kevin Lenau, the interim CEO of Backcountry. “This partnership is rooted in brand independence and fueled by a shared ambition to better serve riders everywhere.”
Velotech will continue to operate its existing sites independently of Backcountry, according to the company. “Over time, Backcountry and Velotech will explore opportunities to collaborate on product assortment, rider education, content, and fulfillment to further enhance the customer experience,” the company said in a release.
“We’re excited to join the Backcountry family,” said Jay Torborg, CEO of VeloTech. “Backcountry’s scale and outdoor expertise will help us serve more riders than ever, while staying true to our roots.”
Reached via email, Torborg told BikePortland he’ll exit the company once the dust settles. “I am looking forward to retiring once I’ve helped to make sure the integration with Backcountry goes well,” Torborg wrote. “I think they will be a great partner.”
A PR rep for Backcountry confirmed that Velotech will maintain their existing warehouse and will-call showroom in Portland. “Velotech staff will continue to operate independently and customers can expect the same great price and same-day shipping,” I was told.
Velotech used to operate a retail store in the Pearl District under its Western Bikeworks banner, but closed that shop in 2020 and consolidated into their current warehouse and showroom in northeast Portland near NE 87th and Columbia Blvd.
Disclaimer: Velotech is a regular BikePortland advertiser, but that relationship did not influence this story.
Metro Councilor Juan Carlos González picked up trash along T-V Hwy Saturday morning. (Photos/video: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Metro Councilor Juan Carlos González could be the first elected official in our region to cut the ribbon on a major transportation project that will improve a bus line he rode on as a very small child. And if it all goes according to plan, he might even be Metro President when it happens.
González announced his campaign for president last week. On Saturday morning he was at a Home Depot parking lot in Hillsboro playing host to a crowd of several dozen people at an annual cleanup event he organizes. Wearing an orange safety vest and standing next to Hillsboro Mayor Beach Pace, González addressed the crowd above the whir of highway traffic to tell a story he’d never shared in public before. The story helped explain why the Tualatin Valley Highway transit project has become such a passion project for him since he became the first Mexican-American elected to Metro Council in 2018.
“I grew up on T-V Highway. I was born in Forest Grove,” he began. “When I was growing up, I remember one day — I was like, three or four years old — we went to a little toy store on the bus with my Aunt Tonya and I grabbed a little toy and I put it in my pocket. Then when we got home, and I was playing with it, my tia [aunt in Spanish], was like, ‘Where did you get it?’… She was like, ‘No sir!’ and she grabbed my hand. And I remember, like the shame of little kid, right? Getting on that bus again with my little toy and she made me go back into the store and be like, ‘I’m sorry I took this.’
That’s one of my first memories of being on a bus, and that was on line 57.”
González might get to repeat that story when the TV Highway transit project breaks ground. While that’s years away, he and a broad coalition of supporterx have already made solid progress. Five different jurisdictions — Metro, TriMet, Washington County, and the cities of Beaverton, Hillsboro, Cornelius, and Forest Grove — agreed on a locally preferred alternative (LPA) for the project back in May (a political “miracle,” according to González). That’s a key step that unlocks the potential of the big federal grants the estimated $300 million project might need. $30 million has been raised so far and the design process is moving forward.
The project will focus mostly on creating a bus rapid transit system on 17 miles of T-V Hwy (also known as State Highway 8) between Beaverton and Forest Grove. Despite the highway having a horrific record of traffic deaths and injuries, it still ranks as the fifth busiest bus route in the region. 45% of its riders are from Hillsboro, and that’s partly why Hillsboro Mayor Beach Pace spent part of her Saturday picking up trash.
Hillsboro Mayor Beach Pace
“We’re working to make the bus service better — with better stops and shelters and lighting and seating — to make it more easy to use,” Mayor Pace shared with my in a short interview. “And frankly,” she added, “with more dignity, so you’re not standing next to a pole in the rain.”
The service planned for Line 57 will be similar to TriMet’s FX service between downtown and Gresham along SE Division. 12 minute service intervals are in the plans, along with longer buses, and many road safety upgrades so that more people can safely hop on and off. The changes should make bus trips along the corridor 15-20% faster.
Mayor Pace sees better bus service as an anti-poverty tool. “Many Line 57 riders have lower incomes and they don’t have the option to drive,” she said. “This project will uplift the mobility of these riders, and it will provide a more dignified experience for all of them.”
Existing conditions on T-V Hwy.
Four intersections along the 17-mile project scope will be completely rebuilt as part of the project — including the one just yards from where volunteers gathered Saturday morning at the corner of TV Hwy and SE Minter Bridge Road. About 300 people get on an off at that stop every day, and when their feet hit the skinny chunk of concrete around the stop, they’re on an island surrounded by freight rail tracks and 11 lanes of fast-moving traffic
30% of T-V Hwy doesn’t have sidewalks, and half of the people who were killed while using it were within a few feet of a transit stop. Councilor González repeated those stats at every opportunity on Saturday. “There’s so much need, and it’s the backbone of my district,” he added. As volunteer crews fanned out along the highway, González worked among them, stabbing bits of trash with a picker and sticking them into a large plastic trash bag. “This corridor has lacked investment for a really long time,” he told me. “We need funding.”
Just last month, Gonzalez and the Metro Council agreed to allocate $28 million in bond funding in hopes of unlocking larger, federal transit grants. But with federal funding uncertain in the Trump era, more local sources are more important than ever. An early version of the statewide transportation package would have directed investment toward T-V Hwy, but that’s since been cut out of the highly compromised bill currently awaiting passage in the legislature.
González lamented that missed opportunity. “I’ve been talking with legislators about the leadership we need from the state and Salem. Frankly, we’re not where we need to be,” he said. “And the sad thing is that there are T-V highways everywhere in the region where people can’t walk, let alone bike safely. That’s a huge problem. That’s not the kind of region I think we should be.”
CORRECTION, 9/10 at 7:48 am: This story initially stated that “one in four” intersections would be rebuilt as part of the T-V Hwy transit project. That is incorrect. Four intersections (total) will be rebuilt. I regret the error and any confusion it caused.
Cycling in Portland is pretty great, actually: Lots of local advocates are sharing this story from a travel writer who says the secret weapon for the ultimate Portland vacation is a bike because it’s a wonderful way to experience our city. (Business Insider)
No bike lanes? No clothes! This is pretty good opening line: “As Houston peels away bike lanes, a group of cyclists plans to peel away its clothes and pedal through the city in protest.” (Houston Chronicle)
Transgender ban: Cycling’s governing body, USA Cycling, has taken a stronger stance against transgender women with a new policy that prohibits them from competition at all levels. Note this won’t apply to local races organized under the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association banner, because OBRA is an independent organization. (Cycling Weekly)
Protestors at the Vuelta: One of pro cycling’s highest profile events is reeling over disruptions from pro-Palestinian protestors, who are seeking awareness for the cause of human rights and do not appreciate a team funded by an Israel-based company, while organizers say the protests create major safety problems for riders. (Associated Press)
Keep your bike: A good lock is one of your best defenses against bike thieves, so check out this review of the best ones on the market before you buy your next one. (Guardian US)
It’s nobody else’s fault, so don’t do it: Please send this story to everyone you’ve ever known that has texted while driving. (How to Geek)
Meme come to life: Whoever gave e-car company Rivian a permit to shoot a commercial during an open streets event was either woefully ignorant or just woefully inconsiderate. Either way, I hope a serious inquiry comes out of this. (Seattle Bike Blog)
He made the switch: A Republican Oregon House member who represents the northern coast, and who I’ve singled out for his support of the transportation bill, was so disgusted by his party’s position on the legislation that he became a Democrat. (OPB)
Nic Cota helping folks get ready to roll out on the Beach Bike Train this morning. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
All over Portland this week, bike bus leaders showed up to help families and students get to school on two wheels. It’s a local revolution that has packed school bike racks, inspired thousands to hop on bicycles, influenced city politics, and shows no sign of slowing down. Behind all the excitement are volunteers who wake up early to meet families in the street and lead the weekly rides to school.
Overlook neighborhood resident Nic Cota doesn’t even have a child at Beach Elementary School (not yet at least, his son is one), but that hasn’t stopped him from leading the school’s “bike train” every Friday morning (this one’s called a bike train in keeping with its original name from when it first started in 2010). With the front box of his cargo bike full to the brim with swag (funded by a Metro grant), he rides to a meet-up spot at North Rosa Parks Way and Concord every Friday at 7:30 am.
“We all good with Daft Punk? That’s what the people voted for,” Nic calls out to the kids and parents who’ve shown up. I stuck a mic on Nic when I arrived and didn’t tell him to say anything. What I captured (listen in the video below) is mostly him offering words of encouragement, thanking people for showing up, and giving away free stuff. Ask any Safe Routes to School advocate and they’ll likely tell you the same thing: never underestimate the power of free goodies.
“Does anybody want a pennant? I still have plenty of spoke reflectors. Who needs a granola bar?! I’ve got spoke cards,” Nic calls out as folks gather around. “If you ever need a light, let me know.” As Nic rummaged through his bin, he pulled out an extra bike lock, bike maps, and other odds and ends. “It’s whatever I can do to motivate,” he said.
This is happening on street corners citywide as bike bus fever grips Portland.
Folks like Nic make it easier for people to give cycling to school a try. Between installing spoke reflectors and pennants on bikes, he made sure to meet new arrivals since making people feel welcome is key.
When it was time to roll, bells rang out and the size of the group swelled as families hopped on from side streets. N Concord is a neighborhood greenway, which means most drivers expect to see cyclists and these large morning groups have become so common they’ve been normalized and accepted by all but the meanest drivers. Following sharrows like breadcrumbs south on Concord, and benefitting from diverters and safer crossings that encourage car users to stop and yield at cross streets — the Beach Bike Train chugged its way to a large row of bike racks outside the school.
As parents fussed with locks and school supplies and kids dashed off to class (after grabbing one last free raspberry granola bar of course), Nic was peppered with greetings and questions. One mom approached and said she was new to biking. She asked Nic for bike shop recommendations.
“This is our first bike ride,” the woman said. “Thanks for coming,” Nic replied. “We do this every week.”
And just like that, another Portlander was welcomed into the cycling ranks.
— Tag along with Nic and the Beach Bike Train in the video below.
By Alyssa Koomas, MPH, a lifelong cyclist and parent of two young PPS students.
I help lead the bike bus for our neighborhood school and it is pure joy. It’s energizing to see kids on their bikes, empowered to take over the street, ringing their bells and bouncing to music as they roll into school. And yet it took me years to let my own kids ride independently, because what every parent fears happened to us.
Three years ago, our preschooler was run over by someone driving an SUV while biking with my husband on a neighborhood greenway. The driver tried to pass, my son wobbled, clipped the side of the car, and was pulled underneath before the vehicle could stop. He was rushed to the hospital where he stayed for five awful days. His pelvis and ankle were fractured, his legs badly scarred, but he survived and slowly healed. That felt like the greatest gift of our lives.
For a long time afterward I carried crushing guilt and fear. How could we have let this happen? Through my insurance representative I heard that the driver was “outraged” we let a child ride on the street. Part of me felt the same. Weren’t we supposed to protect him? We wanted our kids to learn to bike because we know it builds confidence and independence, but that day on the greenway had the exact opposite effect. Why did we think it was safe?
The truth came only after listening to other families who had lost children to traffic violence. The problem isn’t that we “allowed” our son to ride. The problem is that our streets are still designed with cars first and everyone else second. Walking or biking should not mean gambling with our lives. Children, walkers, and riders of every age deserve to take up space on our streets and to be protected while doing so.
Portland has the foundation for this. Our network of neighborhood greenways is supposed to give priority to people walking, biking, and rolling — often linking schools, libraries, and parks. On paper they sound perfect for families. In reality they feel like any other side street, filled with cut-through drivers using them to save a minute or two. The lack of stop signs even encourages drivers to choose them. My husband assumed a greenway would be safer for our kids. It wasn’t. I can’t really call what happened to my son an “accident,” because it’s actually just what you’d expect when you only have the perception of safety.
“When 50 kids ride together, families feel brave enough to join. Yet on the days without a bike bus those same families disappear, because greenways alone don’t feel safe enough.”
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Actual protection requires infrastructure that prevents cut-through driving altogether. Diverters and modal filters are cheap, proven tools that reduce traffic to only local residents. If neighborhood greenways are to live up to their promise, they must be places where fewer than 500 cars a day are allowed. These streets cannot be marketed as safe while they remain a convenient bypass for drivers. Bike buses show us the power of safety in numbers. When 50 kids ride together, families feel brave enough to join. Yet on the days without a bike bus those same families disappear, because greenways alone don’t feel safe enough.
Today, after years of effort, my son is a confident rider. But I still insist he stays to my right during the bike bus. I dream of the day when I no longer need to anxiously hover, because the greenways truly belong to those they are meant to serve. A day when he can ride off with the pack, joyful and carefree, the way every child deserves.
Memory of the Bike Summer Kickoff Ride on June 1, 2025. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Happy Friday everyone. Here are my picks for the best things to do for bike lovers this weekend…
Saturday, September 6th
Harvest Cyclocross Race/Het Meer – All day at Vancouver Lake (Vancouver, WA) It’s the big kickoff to the local cyclocross season! First in the Harvest series and a classic course with an epic beach run/ride that will give you lots to brag about to the uninitiated. More info here.
Tualatin Valley Highway Cleanup – 8:00 am at Home Depot in Hillsboro (West Side) Meet Metro Council President candidate Juan Carlos González for his annual cleanup of this community corridor we’re all trying to make safer and better for folks who don’t drive! More info here.
Homebrewers Ride – 3:00 pm at Woodstock Park (SE) A chance to connect with other brewers and beer lovers while sampling some excellent local brews and doing a 7-8 mile bike ride. More info here.
Art & Lit for Palestine – 4:00 pm at Laurelhurst Park (SE) Zines, flyers, stickers and other “lit” are an essential part of community-building and revolution-making. Join the Revolutionary Bicycle Club for a ride that will inspire your creativity and show you local resources on how to make your own propaganda. More info here.
Roseway Parkway Plaza Grand Opening Ride – Wilshire Park at 4:00 pm (NE) Join an experienced neighborhood greenway route leader for a ride to the massive new, painted parkeway in the Roseway neighborhood at NE 72nd and Mason. More info here.
Sunday, September 7th
Sunset/Moonrise Ride – 6:00 pm at Normandale Park (NE) Local artist, author and historian Shawn Granton of the Urban Adventure League leads one of his highly anticipated rides to a mystery location where you’ll ponder life with friends as you watch the sun go down and the full moon come up. Bring snacks! More info here.
Floregon – 6:00 pm at Florida Room (N) Florida transplants and lovers unite! This ride is, “a social ride celebrating Florida kids in Portland with endless summer vibes. A playful homage to dancers, culture… and, naturally, titties.” More info here.
— Did I miss your event? Please let me know by filling out our contact form, or just email me at maus.jonathan@gmail.com.
In a video that showed him riding MAX light rail and promised, “better transit that actually works for people” and “safe streets where everyone can get where they need to go,” Metro Councilor Juan Carlos González just announced his campaign for Metro President.
González, a first-generation American born in Forest Grove, has served on Portland’s regional elected government since 2018 and represents northern and western Washington County. He’s distinguished himself on council for his interest in transportation issues and currently presides as chair of Metro’s influential Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT). Prior to being one of seven Metro members, he was a director at Centro Cultural, a nonprofit that advocates for Latino families.
In 2021 I reported that González was the lone “no” vote on an amendment that would fund freeway expansion megaprojects. “To me these highway expansions represent an old way of doing business,” Gonzalez said at the meeting. “I question these projects, given the information that we have now regarding our need to act or climate future and prioritize communities that have been deprived of infrastructure investments.”
In 2022, González spoke about the importance of bus service on TriMet line 57, calling it the “backbone for tens of thousands of people who live alongside it,” on Tualatin Valley Highway. That highway is a major focus for González. He’s made its safety and transit issues a major part of his work. In fact, he hosts an annual clean-up along TV-Highway that happens this Saturday if you’d like to meet him.
This announcement by González has created a major buzz among the region’s transportation reform advocates, who see his ascension as a key piece to more progressive leadership on major issues like fighting freeway expansions and securing the financial support to build out the region’s bicycling, walking, and transit networks. González was around for Metro’s last major push for a transportation funding measure that failed in 2020 and sources say the pieces are coming together for another attempt.
In his campaign launch video (below), González shows several scenes of public transit and bicycle paths. At one point he stands in the middle of North Broadway outside Moda Center. Any elected official willing to sacrifice their body in that location is worth a look.
The election for Metro Council President is May 2026. No other candidates have announced a bid to run for the seat.
CORRECTION, 5:17 pm: An earlier version of this post mentioned current Metro President Lynn Peterson as a possible challenger; but Peterson will not run again. She has already endorsed González in the race.
Downtown Sunday Parkways in 2019. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
I’ve got a feeling this upcoming Sunday Parkways Downtown on September 14th is going to be a very cool moment in the history of cycling in Portland. We are already going through a renaissance of sorts in terms of getting our cycling groove back, and this event just seems perfectly timed to capture all the momentum.
To make it even better, the City of Portland is organizing seven bike bus rides from neighborhoods that will descend on the downtown route en masse. It’s a fantastic idea and shows how the Portland Bureau of Transportation has really been showing up for cycling lately. There’s just one thing: They need volunteers to lead these bike buses! If that might be you, keep reading…
PBOT just around an email saying they need more folks to sign up for bike buses, which will start at 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm that Sunday — and then back home again at 3:30 and 4:45 pm.
Here’s more from PBOT:
As a Bike Bus volunteer, you can take on one of three roles: leader, middle support, or caboose. You’ll help keep the group together, ensure everyone has a safe and fun ride, and make the journey part of the celebration. All ages are welcome to join, so your expertise will help make the ride smooth and enjoyable for everyone.
In this shot from our livestream video (watch it below), you can see Mayor Wilson and his staffer on the left and protestors to the right holding signs. More photos below.
Last night at Bike Happy Hour I expected to sit down in Rainbow Road Plaza and interview Mayor Keith Wilson. We did sit down, along with a huge crowd eager to hear an unfiltered, unedited conversation with their mayor; but the interview didn’t happen. Several local groups heard about the event and decided to use it as a platform to express their grievances with the mayor. They also didn’t think an event about cycling and transportation politics should happen while their issues are not being adequately addressed. When the situation got heated as folks waiting for the interview confronted protestors, Mayor Wilson decided to leave and we never got an opportunity to talk.
When I first saw “Free Palestine” groups show up with their table, signs and flags, I didn’t make much of it. I know several of the folks involved (they used to be active in cycling activism) and I respect them. I figured they were smart to get visibility for their issue with the mayor. A few of them placed Palestinian flags and a sign that read, “No Sister City with Genocide” (in reference to the City of Portland’s Sister City relationship with Ashkelon, Israel, a city just 12 miles north of Gaza) right behind the chairs where the mayor and I would sit for the interview. At this point, the mayor had not yet arrived.
Upon realizing the flags and sign would be in the livestream shot, Mayor Wilson’s Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Zajonc approached me to say he would call off the interview unless they were moved out of the video frame. Zajonc made it clear I would have to ask the protestors to move the flags. So I did. After a brief chat, they agreed to move the flags and sign off to the side.
Before Mayor Wilson arrived, I held an open mic as is tradition at Bike Happy Hour. All types of folks stood up to talk — including several of the protestors (see below). They used that opportunity to tell the crowd what they believe and why they were there.
Protestors spoke to the crowd during open mic. They would later shut down the interview. (Photos: Sarah Risser)
By the time Mayor Wilson sat down and we began the interview, a few other groups showed up. One of them is focused on protesting the ICE facility in South Waterfront, the location of nightly battles with federal agents. One of them had a megaphone and several others were yelling at the mayor. They said he hasn’t been responsive to their concerns and they wanted answers. Free Palestine protestors also began to yell at the mayor and the crowd. They shouted things like, “Bike lanes aren’t as important as genocide!” and they said anyone wanting to hear the interview and who didn’t do more to support their issues were white supremacists.
As the minutes wore on, several folks from the Bike Happy Hour crowd got up and confronted the protestors. I saw some shoving and heard glass breaking. One of the protestors contacted me after the event saying they were treated aggressively and that folks grabbed their signs and intentionally damaged their megaphone.
As all this happened, I acknowledged the protestors and gave them time to make their points and to be heard. At one point I tried to just start the interview over the yelling, but it was clear after a few seconds that wouldn’t work. Mayor Wilson was whispering to me that we could find another venue some other time. At one point he said he’d answer the protestors’ questions if they asked during the audience Q & A. That didn’t go over too well, because they wanted answers right then and there.
Ultimately, I think the mayor felt the situation would cool off quicker if he left, so he did.
That’s how I remember it happening. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
I was really disappointed. I’ve worked very hard for many years to get to a place where a mayor would grant me a live interview in a public street that was full of interested and engaged Portlanders. Mayor Wilson knew he’d face hard questions from me and from our audience, but he still showed up. I was eager to flesh out several issues with him in the agora. To have that moment taken away was a bummer. But as the night unfolded, I felt like what happened was just as valuable — if not more so — than a conversation with Mayor Wilson.
Having a conversation with of the protestors who shut down the interview and who I know previously from bike activism circles.
Like I said, I know at least one of the protestors well. He used to be a regular at Bike Happy Hour (we’d even hug sometimes when he arrived!) and was highly involved in bike activism. But as the war on Palestinians became a genocide, he has dedicated himself to fighting for their liberation and humanity. After things cooled off a bit, I spoke with him at length. He explained his frustrations with me and my choices (he thinks I should cover the Palestinian struggle more and use my platform to fight for justice for all people). We talked about how we might work together in the future and what it would look like for more cycling and transportation advocates to learn more about how to fight for human rights and justice for Palestinians — and how Palestinian activists might learn from cycling advocates. From my point of view, it was a mutually respectful and productive conversation.
And as I looked around, he and I weren’t the only ones talking. I saw several folks from the Bike Happy Hour crowd talking with protestors. Groups of people approached me to share their feelings about what happened, and we processed it all, together, in real time, face-to-face. Some of the Free Palestine folks stayed for well over an hour, just talking in the street.
Lots of good conversations happened after the mayor left.
This is what Bike Happy Hour was built for. This is what community is all about! True community-building is not about who you let participate, it’s how they feel when they show up. I don’t believe in picking and choosing who can be a part of our community based on whether or not I agree with them, or if I like spending time with them, or even if they just rub me the wrong way. I feel like if you show up and are open to it, you deserve respect. I have always kept my events and my platform open to as many folks as possible — whether I agree with them or not, and regardless of how they feel about me or BikePortland.
I believe in a big tent and have worked very hard to build one, because we will never have a successful revolution without a lot of people working together! People will make snide remarks about this event from all sides. But to me, this is an example of what makes Portland special. A public, carfree plaza where people with different views can meet and talk to each other, and expose themselves to different perspectives with an open mind and mutual respect.
All this being said, I hope we can find a way to address multiple issues at the same time while not minimizing or detracting from good work being done by others in our community. While these seemingly intractable crises loom (many of them with shared root causes), I believe it’s possible — and vital — for us to work together in a way that supports each other and that makes our entire community stronger. When that happens, imagine the progress we can make.
Thanks for showing up last night. See you next week.
UPDATE, 2:15 pm: Mayor Wilson’s office has shared this statement about his decision to leave:
Mayor Wilson had to leave last night’s Bike Happy Hour event before fully participating, due to protests that made it unproductive and unsafe to continue. We take safety seriously, and the decision was made out of an abundance of caution so the mayor’s presence did not escalate a tense situation.
Mayor Wilson is disappointed not to have shared the evening with community members who came to discuss cycling and street safety. The mayor supports the right to free speech and peaceful protest, and he also believes in the importance of respectful exchange. He had hoped to answer questions, listen, and speak candidly about Portland’s future.
Mayor Wilson remains committed to creating safer streets, expanding access to biking and walking, and engaging directly with Portlanders on issues that matter to them. He looks forward to future opportunities to do so.
The latest from Salem about the transportation funding bill is that there’s yet another delay. Tuesday afternoon reports confirmed that Democrats have opted to delay a vote in the Senate (initially scheduled for this morning) two weeks so one of their members can recover from a medical issue and cast their vote in the capital building.
The move is just the latest twist in a long road of surprises that have defined Democrats’ efforts to fund Oregon’s transportation system. It also underscores how Democrats need every single vote from their party in order to achieve the three-fifths majority required to pass a tax hike (and how Republicans are so determined to see them fail).
Right before this delay was confirmed in the media yesterday, I talked with an advocate who’s done with all the surprises. 1000 Friends of Oregon Transportation Policy Manager Cassie Wilson has worked for over a year as a leader with the Move Oregon Forward coalition in hopes of passing a transportation bill that goes beyond freeway expansion megaprojects and continues the march toward better transit, bicycling, and walking conditions statewide.
Cassie Wilson in August 2022. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Wilson is frustrated about how far the bill has been whittled down by Democrats — to the point where she and her fellow advocates can only show tepid support — while Republicans rejoice and use the bill to rile up their base right before the 2026 elections. “A lot of Democrats were put in a position to have to vote for a version of the bill that none of us wanted to see,” Wilson shared with me in an interview yesterday. And it’s one thing for the bill to be so compromised many members of the Move Oregon Coalition came out as neutral on it, but another thing for Democrats to not make much of a fuss about the last-second amendments that made the bill even weaker on things the coalition has prioritized since Day One.
“I was pretty disappointed watching the House floor yesterday to not see many legislators talk about the investments that are still needed, or even mentioning the transit funding sunset. This isn’t the answer, and it just it makes a bad situation feel worse, because it feels like they’re glossing over it,” Wilson shared.
“We have no guarantees that we’ll have a supermajority again, or a Democratic governor. There’s no guarantees of anything.”
– Cassie Wilson, 1000 Friends of Oregon
The transit funding sunset was the main bargaining chip Republicans used to give Democrats the quorum they needed to pass a bill during the special session that began on Friday. Instead of a doubling of the payroll tax (from 0.1% to 0.2%) to pay for transit into perpetuity, Democrats agreed to sunset the tax at the end of 2027. When transit faces another fiscal cliff at that time, Wilson worries Democrats might not have any power to preserve its funding.
“We have no guarantees that we’ll have a supermajority again, or a Democratic governor. There’s no guarantees of anything,” Wilson continued.
And now, with a highly compromised bill that’s essentially a stop-gap measure to keep ODOT and city and county road agencies afloat, Wilson worries that if it gets referred to voters, its supporters won’t exactly be eager to defend it. “You have to leave the bill intact enough with good stuff to give up a reason to defend it,” she explained.
As Wilson endures what feels like a never-ending legislative session, she’s clinging to one major positive that has come from all of this. The last year or so of organizing has helped Wilson and the Move Oregon Forward coalition, “Built a cohort of legislators who really care about and understand this issue,” she said. It’s a coalition she’s eager to put to work in future legislative sessions. “This is the biggest movement of people advocating around transportation in a very long time, or maybe ever, in terms of statewide organized efforts. We have over 50 organizations in the coalition with statewide representation and that’s not going away. We have a lot to build on.”
— You can listen and watch our full conversation in the players above, on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Diverters on NE Everett at 20th. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Advocates with local nonprofit BikeLoud PDX say city traffic engineers repeatedly shared concerns about removing traffic diverters in northwest Portland with other city officials, but a decision to remove them still moved forward.
The organization released documents today received through a public records (see below) request that show exchanges between transportation bureau staff and Public Environment Management Office (PEMO) staff. “These communications show the hidden process city leaders used to try to remove these diverters against the guidance of PBOT’s lead traffic engineer,” BikeLoud asserts. Below is more from a statement about the records just released by BikeLoud:
“A series of internal memos from the city traffic engineering and operations teams put it plainly.
Jan. 13: “We cannot remove these planters — they are addressing bike crashes that were occurring at this location.”
Jan. 29: “I have revisited this location with the Traffic Engineer and this diverter cannot be removed for safety reason.”
June 18: “The diverters are in place for good reason.”
These messages complicate the claims in City Manager Michael Jordan’s Aug. 11th letter on the subject. His letter said that PBOT “ultimately recommended” removing the diverters. But the only public record of this decision is from June 25th, which says, “It has been determined that the diverters will be removed. ETA TBD.” Decided by who? And how did they come to that conclusion?”
In a statement about these revelations, BikeLoud Chair Eva Frazier and Vice-Chair Kiel Johnson said,
“We understand the rationale of PEMO [Public Environment Management Office, the city office that spearheaded the removal plans] to work quickly to take care of community concerns and allow small adjustments to happen. But as people who rely on a safe bicycle network, it is frustrating to feel once again let down by our city’s leadership… After reviewing the City’s communications, we are concerned about our current leadership’s ability to execute council-approved policy with transparency and integrity.”
This new information from BikeLoud is important because PEMO made it seem like PBOT was supportive of the diverter removal plan.
It’s been nearly three weeks since Mayor Keith Wilson announced a pause in the City Administrator’s plan to remove two sets of diverters in Northwest Portland that create one-way traffic for drivers. When the plan was first exposed on August 1st, the community quickly rallied in support of the traffic calming devices due to their importance in creating safer neighborhood greenways and the fact that they were both installed as recommendations of a multi-year planning process.
The Portland Police Bureau and City Administrator’s office say NW 20th (at Everett) and NW Johnson (at 15th) must be returned to two-way auto traffic so that police officers can more effectively fight crime. But despite Central Precinct Commander Brian Hughes and City Administrator Mike Jordan issuingmemos to lay out their arguments, Mayor Wilson has apparently stopped them from moving forward with the plans.
The City of Portland’s bicycle and pedestrian advisory committees have both issued statements opposing the diverter removal plan. The Pedestrian Advisory Committee letter stated, “We are troubled by the lack of transparency and engagement apparent in the process to arrive at a proposal removing this infrastructure,” and requested any movement of diverters be brought to their committee beforehand. And the Bicycle Advisory Committee penned a city council resolution stating their opposition to removing the diverters and said any plan to do so must go through a transparent, data-driven process.
At an August 20th meeting of the PEMO “Problem Solvers” network, PEMO Director Anne Hill attempted to dismiss concerns about the diverters. When several concerned Portlanders showed up to talk about the issue, she said the meeting was not the correct venue to discuss it. “If folks want to have a big discussion about bikes and how we patrol… You can have that meeting. That’s not what this meeting is.”
Hill went on to say, “I understand there’s a lot of misinformation. I understand that diverters became the name of what that was… it wasn’t diverters.”
I asked Director Hill via chat in that meeting to clarify why she didn’t think the meeting was the correct venue to express concerns about the diverters (since those meetings are where the diverters were initially discussed) and if she could expand on the “misinformation” allegation; but neither she nor anyone on her staff have bothered to reply.
