As you might have already heard, Portland Parks & Recreation is facing a budget gap of $6.3 million. To right the ship, the bureau has proposed eliminating over 50 full-time employees, reducing admin costs, closing community centers, and more.
One element of the Parks budget we’re watching closely is how operations and maintenance dollars will be allocated. Or whether they’ll be allocated at all.
10 years after it was last debated in the Oregon Legislature, a concept known as “Idaho Stop” has once again found its way into a bill. And it passed its first committee vote yesterday, just hours before a key legislative deadline.
Senate Bill 998 wasn’t on anyone’s radar before last week. Up until then it was just a vague placeholder bill without any detailed language and with no amendments. That changed when Senator Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene) drafted an amendment and brought it to the Senate Judiciary Committee during a public hearing for the bill on Monday.
The bill would allow a bicycle user to treat intersections with stop signs or red flashing signals as yields. In other words, as a bicycle user, you’d be able to roll through these intersections without stopping — but only when/if it was safe to do so.
Service Writer- Full Time
Western Bikeworks
JOB OVERVIEW: This position acts as a facilitator for the Western Bikeworks Retail Mission for all staff in the service department: “Empowering people to achieve their bike-related goals in whatever form they may take.” As a result, this role is responsible for taking on many of the day-to-day duties that allow other service staff to efficiently and effectively complete their duties. This position is also responsible for ensuring all staff understand and embody these principles when performing their job duties.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
● Assists Service Manager with day-to-day functions.
● Assists Service Staff with exceeding customer expectations.
● Manages daily workflow through the store’s service scheduling software.
● Places appropriate special orders and ensures that all policies are followed for ordering and receiving small parts.
● Helps process bike related warranties as needed.
● Requests appropriate product so that the store has repair parts necessary for fast service turn-around.
● Monitors daily service levels and ensures enough resources are available to complete scheduled services and that each specialty service is assigned to a mechanic capable of completing that service
● Works with Service Manager to handle all anomalies that arise from service operations.
● Is the face of the service department.
● Able to assess customer’s bikes for indicated problems and generate an accurate financial and time estimate for repairing the issue to the customer’s satisfaction
● Familiar with all aspects of bicycle technologies, including but not limited to
o Di2
o Campagnolo
o SRAM Red eTap
o Hydraulic Disk Brakes
o Front and rear suspension
● Able to troubleshoot appropriate solutions for systems that do not have readily available replacement parts
MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS:
● 3 years professional shop experience
● A bicycle background is a must
● Must be computer literate
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:
● Familiar with the repair and function of all commonly used drivetrain and suspension technologies.
● Aware of appropriate vendors for sourcing replacement parts and tools to ensure timely repair turn-around
● Excellent communication and organizational skills
● Solid knowledge of cycling products
● Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication
● Ability to be an advocate for cycling in the local community
● Ability to work independently or with others to manage multiple task with minimal supervision.
● Ability to spend time talking to people about bicycles.
Mechanic- Full Time
Western Bikeworks
Western Bikeworks is looking for a full-time mechanic. This position will include full benefits and PTO accrual.
JOB OVERVIEW: This role is literally the barrier for many of our customers in getting back on the road, and as such must be prepared to fully investigate the customer’s needs, find efficient solutions to their problems, and own the customer experience from the moment a repair is checked-in until the moment the customer is back on the road.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
• Provide higher than expected (by the customer) customer service including but not limited to assisting with removal of bicycles from their vehicle, searching all possible avenues for special order or out of stock product, expediting all service and transactions as much as possible, and able to refrain from offering an opinion on the quality of the customer’s bike
• Operate store Point of Sale equipment
• Assess customer’s bikes for indicated problems and generate an accurate financial and time estimate for repairing the issue to the customer’s satisfaction
• Familiar with all aspects of bicycle technologies, including but not limited to
• Di2
• Campagnolo
• SRAM Red eTap
• Hydraulic Disk Brakes
• Front and rear suspension
• Able to troubleshoot appropriate solutions for systems that do not have readily available replacement parts
• Willing to have service quality held to a checklist of required services for completion of a given type of service
• Prepare the service area for normal operations at opening time and handle End of Day procedures including cleaning up work station and ensuring all continuing work is communicated appropriately
• Answer incoming phone calls and respond to incoming customer email
ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES/DUTIES:
• Able to assist on the sales floor when required
• Comfortable transitioning a customer to other appropriate staff members when needed
• Interested in providing gratis repair or safety checks at community-support events
MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS:
• No specific formal education is required
• Two years of professional shop experience
• Must be computer literate
Please apply by clicking on company link below
Folks:
This is not in Portland, but in Bellingham, but I want to point out the good news for you is that in the fourteen years I was in Portland, I have not seen anything as bad as this one. The location is Meridian and I/5 for those of you familiar with Bellingham, Washington.
It’s time to think about plans for the weekend.
Hopefully you’re able to enjoy something bike-related. The flowering trees and warmth make pedaling around town a pure joy. If you need tips on things to do, we’ve got some recommendations below…
The latest installment of our Ask BikePortland column comes from a woman named Sabrina S. I’ve changed her name at her request.
Here’s what she asked via email earlier this week:
“Hi – I was hoping someone at BikePortland could give advice on getting help from the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) when confronted by dangerous drivers.
I was riding on Southeast Division Street with a friend. We were looking for a restaurant (which we couldn’t find) before heading over to the Clinton greenway. As we were on Division, a car came up behind us then went around us (plenty of room, not a problem). But then the driver started screamed profanities at us to get off the road. We continued on (legally riding on the street, well to the side) when the driver stopped, screamed, “You wanna fight, punk?” and then more profanities as we ignored him to continue on to our destination.
2019 is going to be a big year for gravel. And it starts in The Dalles this weekend.
Jillian Detweiler is the executive director of The Street Trust.
“The successful candidate should value all modes of transportation.”
So reads the disappointing job description for the next leader of the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
The Street Trust hoped the recruitment would elevate the exciting and pressing challenge that awaits the new PBOT Director: leading and accelerating significant improvements in alternatives to driving alone. That certainly was the consensus of transportation activists invited to meet with a City Human Resources representative who gathered stakeholder input prior to producing the job description.
Keyholder/Sales and Installation Associate
Rack Attack Portland
This job contributes to the success of Rack Attack by ensuring that company policies
and procedures are being followed and Rack Attack customer service standards are
met. You will be responsible for the following duties:
Main Duties
Ability to open/close/cashout location.
Items receipts for all brands and hitches except Thule/Yakima.
Hitch ordering
Workshop supplies ordering and inventory, drill bits, plusnuts, silicone and
consumables.
Shopatron bidding
Check throughout the day that all store emails, issues and mailorder
customers are being helped in a timely manner.
Post craigslist adverts for all open box, MOR and not sold 365 products.
Maintain and renew adverts regularly.
Expectations of a Keyholder
You set an example for the other staff in your work ethic, habits, and
appearance;
Staff morale is strong and positive, with a focus on team-work;
You will excel from an administrative standpoint, and make daily use of an
electronic task list;
You will respond to requests from Head Office the same day, and complete all
assigned tasks or projects on-time
All staff are clearly viewed by customers as the most knowledgeable and
trustworthy in the market;
Customer service will be such that Rack Attack is clearly recognized by
consumers in the market as ‘the best’;
Provide complete customer service, putting customer needs ahead of your
own;
Sales and installation of the products and services we sell;
Set a good example for other staff in manner, dress, work ethic and
professionalism;
Assist in the training of new staff (if requested);
Maintain store product displays and other merchandising activities;
Maintain store cleanliness;
Read “To do” lists daily and complete any tasks assigned to you in a prompt
and effective manner;
Keep appropriately busy at all times;
Maintain accurate store records: invoices, sales receipts, purchase orders,
receiving products into inventory, appointment bookings, special requests,
hold tags, phone messages, inventory transfers and cash out etc;
Be professional on the phone with customers, vendors and other staff
members.
Hours of Work
Our stores are open seven days per week, and you may be scheduled to work any
day of the week, including weekends, we understand you must alternate these
weekends to allow for family commitments. Store hours of operation vary, but the
normal hours are from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM. During the summer months and
December you are expected to arrive, and be ready for work at least 15 minutes
prior to your store opening. You should expect to work 40 – 55 hours per week,
depending on the season.
Travel Requirements
As part of this position you may be required to travel to other Rack Attack
stores (we have three locations in Portland), trade shows, training sessions, and be away from home.
Email Resume and Cover Letter to:
bhalay@rackattack.com
tsmith@rackattack.com
mbrinkmeier@rackattack.com
brafalski@rackattack.com
The Portland Bureau of Transportation wants to make intersections safer by slowing down drivers making left turns. To accomplish this, PBOT is testing the use of modular speed bumps. The bumps act as curbs that encourage people to take more angular turns instead of cutting them at high speeds.
The bumps are made out of a composite material and are screwed into the pavement. Yesterday PBOT staff installed two different version of them in the Albina Yard maintenance facility and rode over them with a bicycle, a truck, and a motorcycle. They also sprayed them down with water to see if they got slippery.
According to posts on social media, PBOT says they, “Wanted to see what these bumps felt like for bike riders of both variety, particularly if the had enough traction when hit at an angle, when wet.”
Advertisement
New York City already uses them extensively as a method of “left turn calming”.
And as you can see in the example above from New York City (which PBOT linked to), the bumps could be placed directly in the path of a bicycle rider. In a post yesterday, PBOT wrote, “These bumps are placed so bikes won’t have to ride over them much, but we know there may be times a cyclist has to go over one, so we want to make sure the design we choose is safe.”
These speed bumps appeal to PBOT not only as a speed and dangerous turn deterrent, but because they could be installed relatively quickly.
Of the two designs under consideration; one is wider with more aggressive treads, and the other is narrower with fewer tread lines. Once a style is chosen, they plan to use them at high crash intersections with a history of collisions involving bicycle riders and walkers.
Stay tuned for more on these if PBOT hosts a test that’s open to the public. Once they are in the wild we’ll give them a closer look.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
Never miss a story. Sign-up for the daily BP Headlines email.
BikePortland needs your support.
Portland State University will create a carfree plaza on the block of Southwest Montgomery Street between Broadway and 6th avenues. The plaza will be installed for the month of May and if all goes well, school officials hope it becomes permanent.