Nearly 60 Hawthorne Blvd businesses support protected bike lane
Scofflaw car drivers are keeping police very busy
(Photo: YouTube)
Whether it’s the Coronavirus Effect, a general sense of lawlessness, lack of concern about consequences, or all of the above — the Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division has been very busy with dangerous drivers recently.
You’ve likely seen the headlines about a spike in speeding. This is happening for the aforementioned reasons and because the pandemic has opened up more space on the roads. Any armchair traffic engineer will tell you that when people have more space to operate a vehicle they will use it to go faster (like 107 mph in a 45 mph zone) and take more chances.
Now we have hard data from the PPB about how this phenomenon is playing out locally.
Nonprofit leaders say Portland streets aren’t ‘open’ for all
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
While some Portlanders ride bikes and walk around their neighborhoods with relative ease, that ostensibly simple act isn’t so easy for many others. Local nonprofit leaders who work with immigrants, people of color, and families that rely on social services, paint a much different picture of neighborhood mobility.
In the case of Oregon Walks, Executive Director Jess Thompson said in a recent member newsletter that many people they serve, “Are not feeling safe leaving home during the pandemic.” “Too many folks do not have enough (or any) access to face coverings or reliable information about how to walk ‘Covid-aware’ and more safely when they walk out the door.”
Business owners can now apply for temporary pick-up/drop-off spaces
Portland Bureau of Transportation Commissioner Chloe Eudaly has announced another element of the Slow Streets Safe Streets initiative.
Business owners can now fill out a short online application to request that space on their block be repurposed from parking to a “temporary 5-minute pickup/drop-off parking space.”
This part of the program was hinted at when it was launched on April 28th. It’s part of a three-pronged approach that aims to change how we use neighborhood greenways, busy streets, and main streets in an era of increased social distancing.
With 100 members, the BikePortland Forums are off and running
We’ve got forums!
I’ve been holding back on this announcement because I didn’t want to waste your time if they didn’t pan out. But after launching quietly at the end of March, today we’ve passed the 100-user mark on the new BikePortland Forums and that gives me the confidence to officially announce them here on the Front Page.
BikePortland has always been about fostering good conversations, sharing information, and inspiring people to go out and use it. It’s why we invest so much in our comment section and maintain daily discussions here on the blog as well as on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (not to mention old-fashioned emails and all those private messages).
So why add forums into that mix? Let me count the ways…
Metro acquisition could close Cazadero Trail gap at Deep Creek
Comment of the Week: Moderate position needed on safe cycling and homelessness issue
“If we want Portland to be taken seriously as a pedestrian and bike-friendly city, we need people to feel safe walking and biking, wherever they may be.”
Jobs of the Week: Fat Tire Farm, eBike Store, Sellwood Cycle Repair, Jimmy John’s, Velotech
The bad news is many Portlanders have lost their jobs in the past month. The good news is we’ve got a few leads for you.
If you’re looking for a new gig, check the links below…
– Mtn Bike Sales Specialist – The eBike Store
– Mechanic – Sellwood Cycle Repair
– Bike Delivery Rider – Jimmy John’s #1410
– Customer Experience Specialist – Velotech, Inc.
PPB Bike Theft Task Force recover 15 bikes, make two arrests in chop shop bust
Portland geologist Lalo Guerrero shares the dirt on local trails
(Photos: Lalo Guerrero/Trailside Geology)