(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Portland and justice and George Floyd
(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
ODOT structure blocks over half of I-5 bridge tunnel path
(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
The path that gets bicycle riders and walkers across the Columbia River adjacent to I-5 between Portland and Vancouver is notoriously terrible. Riders are routed onto dangerous crosswalks, sidewalks, and are forced to use “beg buttons” just to get onto the narrow path that goes across the river.
With my parents in town for a visit this week, I recently met them at their hotel on Hayden Island for a walk across the river to Vancouver (their new riverfront developments are wonderful!).
On our way back, as we walked down the path on the southbound side of the bridge, I was very surprised to see a huge obstruction in the middle of the tunnel that goes under the freeway.
This tunnel is not well-lit and is poorly maintained in general. It was never a favorite part of the crossing to me. Now there’s a huge steel cage structure that protrudes well over half the width of the path. I didn’t notice any temporary or permanent warning signage of any kind. The only safety measures that have been taken by ODOT thus far are two small white reflective strips placed about eye level on the structure itself.
I also don’t recall ever being notified by ODOT about this project and how it would impact path users.
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I asked ODOT Region 1 Public Information Officer Don Hamilton for more information.
He said ODOT had to install steel beams to support the tunnel structure so the agency would not be forced to place a weight restriction on trucks using I-5. “We placed the cage around them so the homeless community would not be able to access the area and cause a safety issue with the system.”
The beams and cage were installed sometime between December and April. Hamilton said they have no plans to remove it and it’s likely it will remain in place until a new bridge is constructed.
While my family and I were walking near the cage a few days ago, two bicycle riders rolled by and we had to step back against the railings to get out of their way.
If you ride this tunnel, please slow down and be aware of this obstruction — especially in the southbound direction as downhill speeds might make it harder to turn away from the steel bars at the last second.
One reader already told us they almost hit it. “I had a close call with it for the first time just this week. Let’s just say If you’re coming off the southbound ramp with some speed and there’s other people milling around and an on-coming rider it would come as a bit of a surprise.”
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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Job: Assembly/Production Assistant – TerraCycle, Inc.
Job Title
Assembly/Production Assistant
Company / Organization
TerraCycle, Inc.
Job Description
Like working with your hands? Like a workplace with an unending variety of things to do? You’ve come to the right place!
We’re a small company that manufactures our own parts and accessories in-house. Our library of products is pretty extensive, which means it takes a few sets of hands to make sure everything gets put together just right.
Assembly runs are usually smaller than 200 of any given part, which means the sub-assemblies range from 30min to 90min discrete tasks. While you won’t be stuck doing the same job for 8hrs straight, we do need someone who can learn and accurately repeat different setups throughout the day. Experience with hand tools is necessary, and you’ll get bonus points if you’re comfortable using a chop saw and a manual lathe.
We need someone who can do a fair amount of self-direction and can spot inaccuracies in their own work. We need someone who can chop aluminum bar stock within a few hundredths-of-an-inch of a given length, and who can be shown various tasks, like deburring the ends of tubing or laser marking a logo, and do them accurately and repeatedly. Eventually, we’ll train you up on higher level assemblies, and expanded responsibilities like materials ordering.
We work hard to meet the growing demands of our business, so it’s important to us that we maintain a positive, inclusive work environment that brings together a diversity of perspectives and cultures, and allows and encourages each of us to thrive.
Starting wage is $16-$18 depending on experience.
Benefits include Kaiser Health and Dental, and 401k after three months of employment.
How to Apply
Send an email along with your resume to info@t-cycle.com
Job: Machinist/Production Assistant – TerraCycle, Inc.
Job Title
Machinist/Production Assistant
Company / Organization
TerraCycle, Inc.
Job Description
Want to machine niche bike parts? We’ve got an opening for you!
We’re a small machine shop that designs, manufactures, and assembles parts for recumbent bikes and trikes. We run three CNC mills, a CNC lathe, a small laser marker, and a host of manual machines and tools.
We’re looking for someone who has experience in a shop environment, is skilled at using hand and power tools, and is excited to learn more. Experience in fabrication and machine tools is a plus.
Duties will include operating CNC and manual mills and lathes, using power and hand tools to fabricate and assemble parts, using measuring equipment to maintain accuracy and quality, as well as general shop maintenance.
The first few months on the job will involve a fair amount of chop-sawing, deburring, and assembly, as you gain a better idea of our product lines. Because we’re such a small team, there’s room for growth in about every direction: conceiving, designing, developing, prototyping, testing, crafting, manufacturing, assembling, selling, and shipping parts, as well as optimizing the ways we handle each of those steps.
We work hard to meet the growing demands of our business, so it’s important to us that we maintain a positive, inclusive work environment that brings together a diversity of perspectives and cultures, and allows and encourages each of us to thrive.
Starting wage is $18-$20 depending on experience.
Benefits include Kaiser Health and Dental, and 401k after three months of employment.
How to Apply
Send an email along with your resume to info@t-cycle.com
PBOT: Eastbound driving ban could improve ‘complex’ NE Alameda/57th intersection
Job: DevOps + Sysadmin – Ride with GPS
Job Title
DevOps + Sysadmin
Company / Organization
Ride with GPS
Job Description
We are looking to bring on an experienced devops and/or systems administrator to help us run Ride with GPS. We run our service on 10 machines racked in Portland, while also using containers and other components of a modern infrastructure. The ideal candidate has deep Linux system administration experience, while also having strong skills to help us build out a proper container orchestration system. Further information about the position can be found here: https://ridewithgps.com/careers/devops_engineer
Remote work is OK, though we do have a (temporarily close) Portland office. We are looking forward to talking with you!
How to Apply
Read full job posting at https://ridewithgps.com/careers/devops_engineer then email careers@ridewithgps.com with your resume and a cover letter (cover letter via email is fine).
Book Review: Policing the Open Road
The idea that cars = freedom is a pervasive American myth. The truth is that the rise of the automobile — and rampant illegal behaviors that have always accompanied it — helped give rise to an armed street security force that too often acts as judge, jury, and executioner.
Sarah Seo’s book, Policing the Open Road (2019, Harvard University Press), is a cultural history of how we arrived at the system we have today, told through the lens of jurisprudence and law enforcement. It’s about how governments scrambled to regulate the automobile revolution, about the overwhelming volume of laws they created, the need to make them uniform, and how the process of creating the rules of the road, and enforcing them, transformed America’s concept of privacy and freedom.
Take, for example, driving on the right side of the road. After being ticketed by a state trooper for driving on the wrong side, a man hired a lawyer who argued that there was no “wrong” side, that the law merely stated that you had to pull to the right when you met an oncoming car. That man had his day in court and won. It seems that proto-advisory shoulders were the law of the land in early 20th-century Iowa.
Job: Sales & Installation Technician – Rack Attack
Job Title
Sales & Installation Technician
Company / Organization
Rack Attack
Job Description
Who We Are
Rack Attack is the premiere rack specialty retailer in North America. Our focus has always been a customer-first mentality, finding the best rack solution for your lifestyle. From our first store in 1996 to 20 locations and counting, we are passionate about what we do. It’s been 25 years and we’re still on top! We are consistently expanding our reach which provides ample opportunity to grow with us!
What You’ll do?
Provide outstanding service and expert guidance to customers about the product, ensuring they are paired with the best solution for their lifestyle
Complete customer sales cycle from start to finish ensuring top-tier Rack Attack experience.
Maintain store product displays and other merchandising activities
Take pride and ownership of the esthetic of the store, ensuring cleanliness and safety.
Assist with installations of products
Maintain accurate store records: invoices, sales receipts, purchase orders, receiving products into inventory, appointment bookings, special requests, hold tags, phone messages, inventory transfers and cash out, etc
Contribute to a positive and inclusive working environment by being a team player.
Skills, personality traits, and interests that will be an asset:
Who you are
Automotive experience, as well as familiarity with hand and power tools, is an asset.
Drivers license (ability to drive a manual transmission preferred, but not required)
Comfortable working with hand and power tools
Attention to detail
Safety-conscious
Retail or customer service experience
Ability to communicate professionally with customers and your team members
Ability to work well in a team and contribute to a respectful culture and working environment
Benefits
Competitive pay & commission
Extended Health Benefits
Opportunity for growth
Staff Discounts
Team events
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: $14.00 – $18.00per hour
How to Apply
Email your resume to careers@rackattack.com
Eugene’s new bike share operator partly funded by ODOT, and may be coming to a city near you
(Photo: City of Eugene)
Pedalpalooza is on! Organizers announce three-month festival to start in June
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)