🚨 Please note that BikePortland slows down during this time of year as I have family in town and just need a break! Please don't expect typical volume of news stories and content. I'll be back in regular form after the new year. Thanks. - Jonathan 🙏

Former Portlander and bike fun creator, Zed Bailey, has died

Zed Bailey at Velo Cult in 2013.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Zed Bailey beamed into Portland in 2012 and wanted to take our already legendary bike fun scene to the next level. They were bursting with creativity and volunteered to lead rides and help galvanize the spirit of other bike-loving Portlanders.

Sonder, who was also known as Cory or Zed Bailey, died last month in Hilo, Hawaii at the age of 41. According to sources who confirmed the details with family and the Hilo Police Department, Zed died by suicide.

Zed moved to Portland from Salt Lake City Utah where they lived for eight years. While in Utah, Zed created the “SaltCycle” blog and built a community around cycling. The blog is now defunct but the SaltCycle Facebook Group is still active and has over 2,600 members.

While in Portland, Zed was a regular attendee of Zoobomb and in 2013 took a leading volunteer role with Shift, a local nonprofit that promotes free bike fun and hosts events like Breakfast on the Bridges, Midnight Mystery Rides, and Pedalpalooza.

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County project will mean more traffic on Newberry, Skyline (again) this summer

(Graphic: Multnomah County)

Remember last summer when Multnomah County closed NW Cornelius Pass Road for a major project and the detour sent thousands of drivers onto popular and usually quiet roads like Newberry?

Unfortunately they weren’t able to finish the project as planned and it’s about to start up again for round two. Fortunately, the County says things might not be as bad this time around.

From July 19th through the end of September, the County plans to close Cornelius Pass Road between Highway 30 and Skyline in order to complete a road safety project. No one rides Cornelius Pass Road because it’s such a busy highway and there are much better options nearby. Unfortunately, all the car and truck drivers need to find options too — which means rural roads in the general area are likely to see extra motorized traffic the closure. (Last year the detoured traffic on Newberry was especially hard to swallow because it came right after it was carfree for many months due to a landslide repair.)

The good news is this project shouldn’t create as many hazards and headaches for bicycle riders as last year.

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Blumenauer’s bike-related bills move forward in $1.5 trillion House transportation bill

The bill would change U.S. law so that transit agencies can more easily fund bikeshare systems.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

When we interviewed U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election he said, “If four years from now the places that can make the most advantage of transportation investments don’t get that help, that’s going to be not just a missed opportunity in terms of safety and economic benefits of transportation — it’s going to be a lost political opportunity as well.”

Yesterday, just four months before that four-year deadline, Rep. Blumenauer and his colleagues in the House of Representatives (led by fellow Oregon congressman Peter DeFazio) seized that political opportunity and successfully passed H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act.

The bill invests $1.5 trillion in infrastructure projects and programs including $500 billion for transportation-related needs. The League of American Bicyclists has heaped praise on the legislation, saying, “This bill is transformative – it’s the first bill to approach real reform in almost 30 years… and will move the country forward in building a safer, cleaner, more equitable transportation system that better meets the needs of everyone.”

Among the highlights are several of Blumenauer’s top priorities that he’s been pushing for years including a stronger tax benefit for people who ride a bicycle to work, a policy tweak that would allow transit agencies to invest in bikeshare systems, and funding for Vision Zero plans. Blumenauer introduced a total of nine bills that were included in the Moving Forward Act and five of them are related to transportation:

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Jobs of the Week: Velotech, Vancouver Cyclery, West End Bikes, The eBike Store

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

In case you haven’t heard there’s a bike boom going on around here. Lots of bike buyers and bike riders and the same amount of bike shops means places are slammed with business and need help.

If you want a new job in the bike biz, now is a good time to start poking around. Check out our most recent listings below.

– Accounts Payable Specialist – Velotech, Inc.

– Bike Mechanic – Vancouver Cyclery

– Sales Associate – West End Bikes

– Full Time Mechanic – The eBike Store, Inc

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Job: Full Time Mechanic – The eBike Store, Inc

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Full Time Mechanic

Company / Organization

The eBike Store, Inc

Job Description

The eBike Store has an immediate opening for an experienced mechanic. If you are looking for work and have great troubleshooting ability and like to work efficiently, we would love to talk to you.

Since 2009, our focus has been helping people achieve their goal of getting out of their car and we have focused exclusively on selling, repairing and renting electric bikes
 
Environment and Compensation

EBS is about creating a cycling environment that is welcoming to all customers and applicants and in addition to your bike skills we are looking for an interest in and respect for people.

We regard our staff as highly skilled and bike career-minded therefore we aspire to compensate our staff above industry standard rates as well as offer health care and other benefits. Pay starts at $18.50 an hour and goes up from there DOE.
 
We are seeking a talented, easy to work with, experienced bike mechanic with the
following:
● Desire and keen interest to learn about ebikes
● Able to lift 50 lbs
● Strong communication skills bringing positive, enthusiastic, and solid energy to all
interactions with team members and customers
● Computer skills
● Able to work weekends and some holidays
● Most of all, have a passion for bikes and helping people live better lives

Daily responsibilities:
● Work with our mechanics to maintain our high standard of excellence
● Perform service and upgrades on electric and non-electric bikes
● Build e-bikes, perform adjustments and install all bike components and accessories
● Diagnose and repair e-bike system issues, often using diagnostic software
● Use Point of Sale software (Lightspeed) for work orders, sales, and customer support
● Communicate with staff and educate customers in maintenance and repairs
● Assist in service department operations and store operations as needed
● Complete sales transactions as needed
● Set bikes up for rental customers, provide instruction, perform safety checks and
schedule service as needed to keep rental bikes in top operating condition

EBS strives to be a fun and safe place to work for all people. If you’re curious about our diverse workplace, love bikes, love to learn, and love to work hard we would love to meet you!

 

How to Apply

Please include your resume and let us know your experience as a bike mechanic and why you want to join The eBike Store to info@ebikestore.com

Homeowners along Sandy River defend ODOT’s bike-unfriendly guardrails

Former biking space on Historic Highway.
(Photo: Forum user amadeusb4)

We’re still trying to learn more about why the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) installed three sections of guardrails in the paved shoulder of the Historic Columbia River Highway south of Interstate 84 last week. These guardrails narrow valuable space used by many bicycle riders and their dangerous placement increases odds of stressful passes and collisions.

The fact that ODOT did this without any public notice and on one of the most important and valuable cycling routes in the state is unconscionable and just the latest example of the agency’s negligent stewardship of our transportation system. We’ve reached out to ODOT leadership for further comment and clarification but haven’t heard back.

Since our story posted on Monday, we’ve read dozens of comments expressing grave concerns and outrage. Now homeowners who live along the road where the guardrails were installed are defending the project, saying the guardrails are necessary to thwart illegal campers and to make the road safer for drivers.

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Local riders create ‘Bike Corking for Social Justice’ how-to guide

For the past month bike riders have put themselves between protestors and road users. Now there’s a guide to do it right.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/bikePortland)

For over a month now, Portlanders have been taking to the streets every night to protest the killing of Black people and the racist policies and police brutality that contribute to it.

At almost every march there’s been a cadre of two-wheeled escorts patrolling intersections, directing traffic, and doing whatever is necessary to keep protestors safe. “Corking,” the act of placing your bicycle and body in an intersection in front of crossing road users so that a large group of people can go through without stopping at signals and stop signs, has been a part of protests many years.

But not everyone knows the drills. And when tensions mount in the street, it’s good to know some basic ground rules — especially if you’re white.

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PBOT’s street dining permit program is a test of antiracist pledge

Article published yesterday by Street Roots.

The current number one priority at Portland’s transportation bureau is a permit program that aims to help restaurants spread into the street so they can serve more people safely. The Healthy Business program is part of a larger Safe Streets Initiative that’s altering public right-of-way to improve safety and create more space for physically-distanced commerce.

By some accounts the program is working well. Since it was launched at the end of May, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) says they’ve issued well over 200 permits so far and rave reviews are coming in for the street dining plazas.

But is the program working for everyone? Are Black-owned businesses getting a fair shot? And is PBOT’s execution of the program living up to their pledge to be antiracist?

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Latest Headlines

Five rides to roll in the new year

Video: Good bike infrastructure vs bad drivers

Merry Christmas! Portland’s upgraded automated speed cameras are ticketing drivers once again

Monday Roundup: Golden gravel route, too bad for Rad, Uber is sad, and more

From the Archives

Portland’s invisible machine: Behind the scenes at the World Naked Bike Ride