Portland wants Biketown to have e-bikes, starting next year

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Willamette Week’s Rachel Monahan seems to have broken some news in the 25th paragraph of her story today about how scooters could fit into Portland’s multimodal future:

“The city plans to introduce e-bikes as part of the next bike share contract in August 2019.”

During last winter’s snow, when I was combining MAX and Biketown for my own commute to the Central Eastside, I ran into a couple who seemed to be shoestring-budget tourists at the Rose Quarter Biketown station. They were extremely excited about the bikes.

“You can just rent them and get around the city?” the guy asked me. “How do they get charged?”

My face probably fell a little bit when I realized that he assumed, probably because they’re big and weird-looking, that they must be e-bikes. When I told him they weren’t, the couple lost interest.

I recently rode a shared e-bike up a hill in Seattle. It was freaking fabulous. A few other cities, including Copenhagen, Providence and Birmingham, have introduced e-bikes to their municipal bike share fleets.

E-bikes would be a big improvement for Biketown, and also a substantial investment in both capital and operations. It’s not clear from Willamette Week’s reporting whether the city has funding lined up yet.

(Thanks to Monahan for highlighting this scoop on Twitter.)

Bringing the ‘Bike Lane Uprising’ to Portland

What was the outcome of this? How often does it happen? I have no idea.

Catie Gould and Emily Guise are co-editors of our Adventures in Activism column.

It’s a scenario familiar to anyone biking in a city: you’re riding down the bike lane, when suddenly you’re forced to brake and swerve around an unforeseen obstacle blocking your way. At best, this is annoying; at worst, it is deadly.

Reporting these issues can be extremely frustrating. In Portland, there is no way to send a photo to the Parking Enforcement number, and callers rarely know if a ticket was ever issued. Reports to the 823-SAFE hotline can take months to be reviewed and disappear into a database that is not publicly accessible. This leads people to resort to social media, which raises only temporary awareness.

A new website aims to fill the gap. Since Bike Lane Uprising launched in September 2017, it has received over 2200 bike lane obstructions reports. Christina Whitehouse, an industrial designer in Chicago, has been surprised by how quickly it has taken off. The site allows people to submit incidents of bike lane infractions which are posted online and entered into a database and mapped. As more people contribute, Whitehouse can create heatmaps to identify conflict zones, trends, and notify businesses that are repeat offenders.

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Family Biking: Get ready to bike to school

Many Portland schools have great bike racks.
(Photos: Madi Carlson)

We love biking to school.

Our Family Biking column is sponsored by Clever Cycles.

➤ Read past entries here.

With Portland Public Schools starting in less than a week (!), this week I’ll share a bit about my family’s commute and then get into biking to school more broadly.

My two kids attended the same elementary school last year, a tad less than a mile from our house. It was a perfectly flat ride, but with two busy crossings that meant I always accompanied the kids, though they sometimes zoomed ahead of me once we got to the quiet part.

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Guest post: Does Portland need a ‘Bicycle Mayor’?

Bicycle mayors Katelijne Boerma (left), Lotta Crok (middle) and Areli Carreón.
(Photo: Adam Stones/BYCS)

I’m Robin Scholetzky, an urban planner and southeast Portland resident. This past June I participated in a graduate-level course at the University of Amsterdam on bicycling and urban design called Planning the Cycling City.

One of the organizations I learned about through the course was BYCS. BYCS is an international advocacy organization with a mission to increase the number of trips by bicycle to 50 percent by 2030 worldwide (50by30). This is an ambitious goal and one of the ways they are seeking to gain traction is the development of the international Bicycle Mayors Program.

The Mayor program is designed to provide a platform and resources for individuals to become change agents in major cities across the world. There is one bicycle mayor in the United States in Keene, New Hampshire. Others in North America include Areli Carreón in Mexico City.

Areli was a colleague of mine in the Planning the Cycling City program and when we talked about this program, she explained that “Changing a city is a long-term process that needs team work. The Bike Mayor position helps to build that team spirit and a sense of direction and energy to push and pull for urban changes.” For Areli, the Bicycle Mayor program has, “Been a chance to speak up on behalf of my community so that politicians never forget to design and build the city for us, the people.”

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Job: Director of Equity, Engagement and People – Community Cycling Center (FILLED)

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Director of Equity, Engagement and People

Company / Organization

Community Cycling Center

Job Description

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
We love Portland and bikes. So we put our two loves together over 20 years ago, creating a nonprofit organization on a mission to broaden access to bicycling and its benefits. The Community Cycling Center now has a budget just under $2,000,000 and a staff of 30.

Our vision is to help build a vibrant community where people of all backgrounds use bicycles to stay healthy and connected. We believe that all Portlanders—regardless of income or background—should have the opportunity to experience the joy, freedom and health benefits of bicycling. Our focus is on working with populations that are marginalized by racism, sexism, and other forms oppression.

In addition to delivering dynamic programs that benefit underserved communities, we operate a full-service bike shop in NE Portland that is staffed by highly experienced mechanics from diverse cycling backgrounds. Our programs and shop services combined help riders build their skills and confidence; empower young people to ride to school and adults to ride to work; offer educational opportunities for teens to earn school credit; and support everyone in riding for health and recreation. We also collaborate with numerous community partners to generate pathways to employment and engagement within the growing bicycle movement by training new educators, leaders, advocates and mechanics.

Our goal is to help create a healthy, sustainable Portland for all community members.

The Community Cycling Center is an equal opportunity employer and strongly values diversity, equity and inclusion. Individuals with diverse backgrounds, abilities and experiences are encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit www.communitycyclingcenter.org.

POSITION
Reporting to the Executive Director (ED), the Director of Equity, Engagement & People will lead our efforts to recruit, hire, and support an excellent, diverse team, and will keep our Human Resources systems running smoothly and efficiently. This is a new position.

This position requires a hands-on approach to getting things done together with the ability to work well independently and collaborate with other members of the Cycling Center’s management team. The Director of Equity, Engagement & People is one of four “Director-Level” employees and part of the leadership team. We seek candidates with a high level of demonstrated expertise advancing diversity and equity, as well as strong skills in Human Resources management.

The hours for this job will be spread over four or five days per week, which can be all weekdays or can include one weekend day. The worksite will be split between our office (1805 NE 2nd Ave) and our bike shop (1700 NE Alberta), in order to have consistent contact with the teams in both locations.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:
Equity, Culture & Advancement (50%)
• Coordinate the recruitment, hiring & promotions process for all employees.
• Oversee the organization’s staff evaluation systems: Ensure that systems are useful, equitable, and followed/ tracked consistently through the organization.
• Work with others to implement training to enhance the skills of supervisors with regard to Community Cycling Center policies, procedures, programs, budgets, ethics, and cultivating an inclusive and welcoming work environment.
• Serve as a member of the staff Diversity, Equity & Inclusion team, and provide support to that team.
• Provide and utilize equity lens in policy and procedure development.
• Meet bi-weekly with other staff-level Directors.

Human Resources Management (40%)
• Coordinate the collection, processing, and tracking/filing of all employment-related paperwork.
• Ensure compliance with workers’ compensation, occupational safety and health, Bureau of Labor and Industries, Affordable Care Act, Portland Protected Sick-time Ordinance, Title VI of the Civil Rights Acts, Title I and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other rules protecting employees, volunteers and the general public.
• Serve as primary point of contact for employees regarding human resources concerns, payroll, benefits and leave policies.
• Administer new employee orientation and ongoing training on human resources policies and procedures as needed.
• Ensure that the personnel policies are thorough, up-to-date, shared with every employee, and observed.
• Work with managers to follow appropriate procedures in the event of disciplinary action or termination of any employees.

Misc. Administration & Collaboration (10%)
• Coordinate/facilitate monthly “interdepartmental meetings.”
• Collect bi-monthly reports from departmental leaders for board dashboard.
• Manage the organization’s office management, and systems maintenance (security, cleaning, supplies, etc.), with assistance from administrative staff.
• Cross-organizational support as needed

QUALIFICATIONS & CHARACTERISTICS
Required
• A deep appreciation for the mission and values of the Community Cycling Center, as well as an understanding of the unique and complex community development and social justice issues facing Portland residents.
• At least five years of progressively responsible professional experience, including human resources management.
• Excellent people skills, including experience collaborating in a diverse and dynamic team.
• Ability to multi-task while also being willing to “roll up the sleeves” and get tasks done.
• Strong references.
• A demonstrated personal and professional commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Preferred
• Management experience in for-profit & nonprofit sectors with social venture businesses
• Fluency in English and one (or more) additional language(s) spoken in Portland’s marginalized communities, e.g. Spanish, Somali, Vietnamese.
• Lived experience as a member of a marginalized community and/or with mixed income housing, Title 1 schools, immigration, and/or communities of color.
• Formal training and credentials in human resources management.

How to Apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume by email with “Director of Equity, Engagement & People” as the subject line to jobs@communitycyclingcenter.org.

As part of your cover letter, please answer this question: What strategies have you used to counteract the dominant culture to create workplaces that are genuinely diverse and welcoming?

This announcement was originally posted on August 20th. The position will remain open until filled. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, beginning September 17th.

Questions about the position may be directed to kasandra@communitycyclingcenter.org.

NOTE: This position does not include health coverage.

The Monday Roundup: War on Cars podcast, biking to birth, Portland history, and more

Welcome to Monday.

I’m out of town at the moment on vacation with my family (typing this after everyone has gone to bed), so I’m even more grateful than usual for everyone who has flagged great stories for us this week. I’ll be back at 100% bike blogging power one week from today (8/27). Please hold down the fort while I’m gone.

Before we share the best stories from the past seven days, let’s give a shout-out to this week’s sponsor: Mark your calendar for September 2nd because Portland’s fun and fully-supported, multi-pub ride — the Tour de Lab — is coming!

And here are your stories of the week…

Portland’s future?: This article from Grist about e-bike share in Seattle is full of interesting nuggets and it’s framed through the lens of one of Lime’s 50 rebalancers.

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Portland’s most prolific bike thief steals again, gets 25 months in prison

Bikes found at Parsons’ camp in inner northeast Portland late last month.
(Photos: Multnomah County DA/PPB)

“I think it’s a big win for the community.”
— Officer Dave Sanders, PPB Bike Theft Task Force

A man who has been booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center 80 times over a 20-year career and is considered the kingpin of bike theft in Portland is behind bars.

Again.

Leroy Parsons, who once boasted about his bike theft skills in a local television interview, has been given a 25-month prison sentence for violating the terms of his probation.

“I think it’s a big win for the community,” said Portland Police Bureau Bike Theft Task Force Officer Dave Sanders, in a statement published by the District Attorney’s Office today. “For the last 10 years, he’s been one of the pillars in downtown who networks stolen bikes.”

Read more

2018 BikeCraft dates set, vendor sign-ups open

Treasures await at BikeCraft.
(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

So much has changed in our community in the past 13 years that I now cherish long-standing traditions even more. One of those is BikeCraft — Portland’s homegrown, bike-centric holiday marketplace that showcases locally made, cycling-inspired arts, crafts, components, and accessories.

BikeCraft 2018 will take place December 15-16th at a new location (Tabor Space at 5441 SE Belmont) and organizers are gearing up to make it better than ever. We’re grateful to our friends at Microcosm Publishing (famous for their great books and stickers like, “Put the fun between your legs”) for taking the reins of the event. Their commitment means BikeCraft will endure into the future!

We’ll share more coverage of this event when the time is right. What you need to know today is that the deadline for vendor space is September 1st.

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Opinion: Scootering is very popular and hasn’t destroyed Portland

I, for one, welcome our new scooter overlords.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus)

Sorry to break the news to all the local journalists and civic pundits who are desperate for juicy scooter headlines; but so far the predicted scooterpocalypse has not materialized.

We’re almost three weeks into the City of Portland’s electric scooter pilot program and things seems to be going very smoothly. The injuries and deaths many predicted would befall reckless scooter operators haven’t happened. And the sidewalk obstructions and right-of-way issues appear to be no worse than before the scooters got here. Yes, there have been some immature people who’ve destroyed a few of them and we hear there are people downtown stripping them for parts, but those are expected outliers and not a really big deal.

On the flip side, the scooters have given thousands of people a new mobility option — a way to get around that is a million times better for our city than using a car or truck.

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Family Biking: Sidewalk cycling can be a savior

Riding on the sidewalk on the “wrong” side of the street to get to the MAX station.
(Photos: Madi Carlson)

When I lived in Seattle I often said the best pieces of bicycle infrastructure were sidewalks.

Our Family Biking column is sponsored by Clever Cycles.

➤ Read past entries here.

I stuck to streets for the most part, but there were several places we regularly biked that required covering a couple blocks where I didn’t feel safe in the street, and in those instances, thank goodness for sidewalks! These were fast, four-lane streets with no bike markings whatsoever. No bike lanes. No sharrows (not that sharrows on arterials are great, don’t get me started).

As I’ve written previously, my routes differ whether I’ve got the kids with me or if they’re riding solo or attached via a trail-a-bike or cargo bike. This also affects the amount, if any, of sidewalk riding I do.

Here are more of my thoughts and experiences on sidewalk cycling…

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