(Photo Cascadian Courier Collective)
Bike delivery pros prove their value and mettle during virus outbreak
(Photo Cascadian Courier Collective)
(Photo Cascadian Courier Collective)
Woman killed while walking on Barbur Boulevard was ‘brilliant’ PSU researcher
(Photo: Portland State University)
Iulia Hanczarek was coming into her prime as a chemist and researcher at Portland State University. She had dreams of a doctoral degree and missions to space. At just 39 years old, she had a lot of important discoveries ahead of her. Staff at the university describe her as “brilliant”.
But just after midnight on Tuesday her life was cut short when a man chose to drive his car while drunk and hit and killed her as she walked home in southwest Portland. According to police, Ivan Cam was driving approximately 50 miles per hour prior to hitting Hanczarek. Cam told crash investigators the window of his car “suddenly exploded” and he didn’t even know what he’d hit. He now faces charges of manslaughter, DUI, and reckless driving.
At night by bike, Portland’s streets are a surreal dream amid the nightmare
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)
ODOT releases roster of I-5 Rose Quarter project community advisory committee
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
Tonight was supposed to be the first meeting of the I-5 Rose Quarter Project Community Advisory Committee. Due to public health concerns, it has been postponed and will be rescheduled in an online-only format (public will be invited, see updated details below). This is the committee foisted upon the Oregon Department of Transportation by their bosses on the Oregon Transportation Commission to try and get a handle on the thorny public debates surrounding the controversial project.
Back in January we encouraged readers to apply and it appears that a least a few of you did. I noticed lots of familiar names among the 147 applicants. In the end, ODOT selected 24 people. Here are their names, with a selected blurb from their application (followed by several other important project updates):
5 questions for Metro Council candidate Mary Peveto
(Photo: Peveto for Metro)
It’s hard to know what the future holds, but we’re operating under the assumption that we’ll still have local elections on May 19th.
One of the hottest races in town is for a seat on Metro Council. District 5 is up for grabs because Councilor Sam Chase (who’s held the seat since 2013) is running for Portland City Council. In the past month or so we’ve shared posts from two other candidates in this race: Portland Planning Commissioner and transportation reform activist Chris Smith, and civic and nonprofit leader Cameron Whitten.
Today we’ll hear from Mary Peveto. She answered five of my questions.
First, some background. Peveto is known for her work in air quality activism. She founded and still leads Neighbors for Clean Air, a nonprofit that forced a big steel company in northwest Portland to install air cleaning equipment at their plant. Her group has also successfully lobbied the legislature to reduce diesel pollution. Peveto told me she has experience not only in going after big corporations, “But also ineffective and sometimes intransigent government agencies to hold them accountable for doing their jobs of protecting people.”
Ask BikePortland: Can we still ride in groups if we keep a distance?
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
As I monitor the news and the BikePortland social media feeds, it’s clear that there remains confusion about whether or not it’s safe to do group rides. While many folks have cancelled them, I still see people out there (online and in real life) riding close together.
I’m not an expert, but I want to offer some guidance on making the right decision about this.
Here’s a question I just saw posted from a friend who hosts a weekly group ride in Portland:
PBOT improves greenway connection across North Interstate Avenue
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)
Here’s the current status of over 50 Portland bike shops
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)
As the grip of coronavirus tightens around Portland, bike shop owners are caught in the middle. Stay open and risk the health of their workers and customers? Or close and give up much-needed sales revenue and leave people with diminished access to a vehicle that in many ways is needed now more than ever?
Small Oregon town hurt by cancellation will hold virtual bike race
(Photos: Facebook)
Keep these things in mind if you get on your bike during the outbreak
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
Becky Jo’s Carfree Life: Biking as a barrier-busting identity
(Photos by Becky Jo)
I imagine most of you bike because it’s just what you do and who you are. But what about folks who aren’t there yet?
Last week when we discussed freight intermodal transportation and compared it to multimodal human transportation, I left out some of my conversation with Clint Culpepper, the Transportation Options Manager at Portland State University. He left me with some choice phrases that brought up more questions for me.
Clint said PSU surveys show a decline in biking among students and staff. He suggested students are like an indicator species: When housing is less affordable and/or available around campus, fewer students bike to school. In Clint’s PSU transportation surveys, the bike-commute threshold was at about three miles, and as students are forced to live farther out, biking to school is less of an option for them.