4/25: Hello readers and friends. I'm still recovering from a surgery I had on 4/11, so I'm unable to attend events and do typical coverage. See this post for the latest update. I'll work as I can and I'm improving every day! Thanks for all your support 🙏. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor

Former Mayor, now council candidate Sam Adams thinks time is now to create more safe street space

(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

As the debate rages about whether or not Portland should add space and safety to streets for vulnerable people, a former mayor thinks it’s time to move forward.

Sam Adams was on Portland City Council from 2005 to 2012 — first as a commissioner, then as mayor. Throughout his tenure he was in charge of the Portland Bureau of Transportation and the agency was one of this top priorities. Adams now finds himself on the outside looking in as he eyes the council seat occupied by the current PBOT Commissioner Chloe Eudaly.

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Job: Mtn Bike Sales Specialist – The eBike Store

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Mtn Bike Sales Specialist

Company / Organization

The eBike Store

Job Description

The eBike Store is seeking a bike-savvy team member for the 2020 summer season and likely beyond. We focus exclusively on electric bikes, and this team member will play an integral part in our customers’ experience on a day-to-day basis, especially, but not exclusively working with customers who are looking for eMTBs.

Opening our doors in 2009, we are Portland first all-electric bicycle shop. We own our building and have built our business on earning customer trust one conversation at a time. During the summer season, there is never a dull moment!

Our Team is fun-loving, hard working and passionate about e-bikes. Prior experience with e-bikes is a bonus, but not a must. Prior bike mechanic experience is strongly preferred. We like to pay living wages and seek a long term employee.

With Covid and all, we have reduced hours and are by appointment only. Please be flexible with us during this time. We value your safety and would rather close than put you (or anyone else) in an unsafe working environment. Mask use inside the building is mandatory (masks provided) and sanitization is part of the position and expected of you as well.

How to Apply

send resume to info@ebikestore.com

Forums Friday: Please cover your faces. Please

A bit of fog on my lenses during a ride in Forest Park early this morning.

Welcome to the first edition of Forums Friday, a new thing we’re doing to highlight notable posts from the BikePortland Forums (you should grab a log-in and join us!).

We know. It’s a bummer. Wearing a mask while riding a bike isn’t great — especially when it’s above 50-degrees. They cause glasses to fog up, they make you breathe your own warm breathe, they fill with sweat and snot, they make it impossible to eat and drink on-the-fly.

But they also might save your life or the life another person. And you should be wearing one.

As we adjust to this new normal, I felt the post from Forum member “amandaSEPDX” deserved more attention. Here’s (a slightly edited version of) what she posted:

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“We cannot afford to go back to the way things were”: An open letter to PBOT Commissioner Chloe Eudaly

“Portland’s transportation advocacy ecosystem has never been stronger. What we’re missing is leadership from city hall.”

Publisher’s note: While we’ve made a lot of noise in the past month about the need for immediate street changes to reflect new behaviors, another big part of this conversation is how best to transition our streets when quarantine is lifted. Kiel Johnson, a BikePortland contributor and owner of Go By Bike Shop & Valet under the Aerial Tram, reflects on that issue in his letter below.

Dear Commissioner Eudaly,

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Springwater Corridor closed between Portland and Sellwood – UPDATED

Closures just erected. Photos by @ClareB_PDX and @antoniatamer via Twitter.

A popular, three-mile section of the Springwater Corridor path is closed this morning. It’s unclear which agency is responsible or how long the closure will last.

Photos tweeted by BikePortland readers this morning show a Portland Parks truck and what looks to be a park ranger along with “STREET CLOSED” signage at the main entrances on SE 4th and Ivon Street and at SE Spokane Street in Sellwood (at Sellwood Bridge).

This section of the path is a crucial link in our transportation network. Other options for bicycle users like SE Milwaukie and SE 17th avenues are much more dangerous and out-of-direction. With more people biking and walking during the coronavirus quarantine, the Springwater has become very crowded despite it not being wide enough for safe social distancing.

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The outdated and dangerous 85th percentile rule is dead in Oregon

On May 1st, traffic engineers in the state of Oregon will no longer rely on an outdated and dangerous method for setting speed limits. Thanks to new rules adopted by the Oregon Transportation Commission last month, the process for for designating speeds has changed dramatically and now goes way beyond the traditional 85 percentile method.

The 85th percentile rule has dominated U.S. traffic engineering since it was championed in the 1960s. It says limits should set at the speed which 85% of drivers are currently driving at or under. What could possibly go wrong? Since it’s a universal phenomenon that people drive faster than what’s safe, this methodology is very biased toward higher speeds and it’s a big factor in America’s rising traffic death toll.

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Coronavirus updates: North St. Bags making PPE, OBRA benefit jersey, Sarah’s latest plan

North St. Bags owner Curtis Williams models his latest creations.
(Photo: North St. Bags)

As Portland settles into life during a public health crisis, local businesses, organizations, and community leaders continue to step up and adapt.

Here’s a roundup of local coronavirus-related news…

North St. Bags Makes the Switch

Portland-based bag maker North St. Bags has joined the list of local companies making personal protective equipment. The company has suspended production of its popular backpacks and panniers to help protect frontline medical workers.

North St. owner Curtis Williams said, “We wanted to be able to put our expertise to use and help the situation, and we think this is the best way to do that.”

Face shields and surgical masks are already shipping out to hospitals and government agencies. Most are being sold, but North St. also has a donation program where people can “buy” a mask via their online store to help cover their production costs and allow the company to donate some items.

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Latest Headlines

‘OCVA’ film is about more than an epic bike ride

Citybikes sale listing marks end of era and messy legal battle

E-bike rebate bill could pass as part of larger package, chief sponsor says

Street plaza on SE Division removed as fate of other carfree blocks remains uncertain

From the Archives

More biking = better driving. So why isn’t this said more often?