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

A man died last week while cycling alone on a mountain road in West Linn

David Schermer remembered on Lawyer Ride Facebook page.

Cycling was a huge part of 69-year old David Schermer’s life. All the way up until the end.

Schermer died while riding his Giant TCR road bike down Pete’s Mountain Road in West Linn last Friday. According to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office there was no other vehicle or person involved in the crash. Evidence suggests Schermer lost control on the steep downhill portion of the road where it ends at the junction of SW Riverwood Drive and SW Hoffman Road (see photos below). The turn to Hoffman is nearly a right-angle and the turn to Riverwood is quite sharp as well. The last section of Pete’s Mountain Road drops over 100 feet at an average grade of about 7% in just three-tenths of a mile.

Sergeant Dan Krause from the Sheriff’s Office told me yesterday that a crash reconstruction and forensics team responded to the scene last Friday around 1:30 pm. Sgt. Krause said they found no skid marks and no other physical evidence of another bicycle or automobile. “It appeared to be an unfortunate incident,” he said. “We found nothing at the scene that would have caused this crash.” Schermer was found in a ditch about 20-30 feet from the intersection. He died on the scene from head and neck-related injuries.

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New piece of 40-Mile Loop path is paved and protected on NE Marine Drive

Sure beats a gravel-strewn bike lane next to fast big-rigs!
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Multnomah County and Metro recently worked together to construct a nice new piece of the 40-Mile Loop on NE Marine Drive in Troutdale. And it’s not the only sign of progress for riding in this area — which happens to be a popular gateway to the Historic Columbia River Highway.

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Job: Go By Bike Manager & Advocate – Go By Bike

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Go By Bike Manager & Advocate

Company / Organization

Go By Bike

Job Description

Go By Bike’s mission is to create the best start and finish to people’s bike trip. We are looking for a bike valet manager who can also help us improve the parts in between. The manager will be responsible for ensuring the valet is running smoothly and managing and supporting valet staff. They will also be charged working to build coalitions around new active transportation projects in Portland.

This is a year-round permanent position for which we are seeking a long-term commitment. We are looking for someone who is committed to making Portland a place where riding a bike is available to everyone. The position is for someone who is self motivated, dependable, and has a flexible schedule.

Go By Bike Responsibilities:

-Each week visit the valet at least two times in the morning and two times in the afternoon
-Cover for staff when they are sick or on vacation
-Manage staff scheduling for the bike valet, hire and train new staff, and do staff check in’s. Cover shifts until all shifts are filled.
-Run payroll every other week
-Purchase shop supplies and keep shop clean and organized
-Perform monthly deep cleans
-Ensure bike share bikes are being checked monthly and system is working properly
-Attend monthly OHSU transportation meetings to update OHSU on valet activities
-Ensure we are fulfilling OHSU contract requirements
-Assist customers in after hour bike retrieval
-Work to increase shop repairs and sales
-Contact new potential bike valet locations
-Expected to work 30 hours a week

Bike Advocate Responsibilities:

-Coordinate with PBOT staff on upcoming projects and make list of projects where support is needed
-Knock on doors and talk to residents and businesses along route and build coalition of support for projects
-Lead and promote weekly slow roll ride on Green Loop
-Attend project open houses and invite coalition to attend
-Design and hand out window and yard signs of support for project
-Coordinate with PBOT staff and other advocacy organizations on how to improve advocacy

Compensation: $25,000/year salaried.
Two weeks off in summer and one week off in winter plus holidays.

How to Apply

Please write a cover letter explaining why you would like the position and what you would hope to achieve with it. Please describe how you would handle the unpredicatbility of covering shifts during our hours of 6am to 8pm mon-fri and how this fits in with your 2-5 year goals.

Send a resume and cover letter to gobybikeshop@gmail.com

Job: Bike Mechanic wanted – Bike Gallery

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Bike Mechanic wanted

Company / Organization

Bike Gallery

Job Description

The Bike Gallery is now hiring for an experienced bike mechanic. We have both FT & PT positions available.

Service technicians must be highly skilled in the maintenance and repair of a wide variety of bicycle makes, models, and component parts. It is also an expectation that service technicians will keep current with new technology and changes in equipment design. Prefer 2 years experience & UBI certification. A positive attitude and willingness to work hard are also important qualifications.

Other Qualifications:
– strong customer service skills
– ability to work as a part of a team

Both permanent and seasonal positions are available. Permanent full-time employees are offered a full benefit package that includes medical/dental/vision insurance & 401(k) with a match as well as Aflac and Flex spending accounts.

How to Apply

Send resume to BGresumes@bikegallery.com

On SW Corridor light rail line, $100 million could go to garages – or to better options

Huge park-and-rides, like this one at the end of the Orange Line south of Milwaukie, convince a few hundred cars to pull off the freeway sooner. But homes and bikeways near rail would make car ownership optional. (Photo: TriMet)

Editor’s note: This piece by former BikePortland news editor Michael Andersen is cross-posted from Sightline Institute. If you’d like to get involved in shifting tens of millions of dollars from parking garages to other ideas like protected bike lanes, affordable housing or bus improvements, there’s an important 15-minute public comment period coming up Monday, 9:10 a.m. at Tigard City Hall.

The people planning the Portland area’s next light-rail line seem to be steering away from a scenario where taxpayers pour $100 million of precious public-transit funding into a series of giant parking garages.

But unless the public speaks up in the next month, it’s possible that a handful of elected officials will push to build the garages along the “Southwest Corridor” through Southwest Portland, Tigard and Tualatin anyway—despite a mountain of evidence that spending the money on bus service, infrastructure for walking and biking, and transit-oriented affordable housing would do far more to improve mobility, reduce auto dependence and cut pollution.

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Traffic Division officers star in new PPB ‘Talking Beat’ podcast

Traffic Division Sgt. Ty Engstrom is featured in the new podcast.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Everyone’s podcasting these days… including your local police officers.

The Portland Police Bureau launched a new podcast today. The ‘Talking Beat’ aims to provide, “Thoughtful conversations that… will inform and provide you with a small glimpse of the work performed by Portland police officers as well as issues affecting public safety in our city.” Among the first three episodes unveiled today included a discussion about transportation issues.

Traffic Division Sgt. Ty Engstrom and Ofc. Chris Johnson joined the host for a wide-ranging chat that included topics like distracted driving, visibility of walkers (or lack thereof), why people are allowed to speed without being cited, and more. (You might recall that Sgt. Engstrom was recently featured in our story about stop sign enforcement at Ladd Circle.)

Below are a few salient excerpts:

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