BikePortland

Route Advisory: Three month closure of N Vancouver Ave starts Monday

Starting Monday, February 25th, the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services will close North Vancouver Avenue from Russell to Hancock.

The closure is part of the Eliot Sewer and Stormwater Project that’s giving a much-needed upgrade to about 10,000 feet of century-old sewer pipes in the southern section of the Boise-Eliot neighborhood.

Unfortunately their work will close the second busiest cycling route in the entire city: North Vancouver at Russell. According to Bureau of Transportation counts, 4,705 people pass by this intersection every day (second only to the N Interstate/Lloyd/Oregon (Peace Park) intersection which has 4,890).

While the majority of people riding southbound on Vancouver (it’s one-way) are headed westbound to the Broadway Bridge, BES will set up a detour that leads riders east two blocks to the neighborhood greenway on NE Rodney Avenue (car and truck drivers will use MLK Jr. Blvd). See the map at right for details.

If you were bummed that NW Newberry Road is closed for repairs until April, you won’t be happy about the news I’m about to share.

A major reason Multnomah County needs to fix the landslide that’s made Newberry carfree since January 2017 is because they need to use it as the primary detour for a separate project on nearby Cornelius Pass Road. Starting July 8th, a major project on Cornelius Pass will require it to be closed for thirteen weeks between Highway 30 and Germantown Road.

The recommended detour for the estimated 10,000 daily car and truck drivers will be Newberry to Skyline to Old Cornelius Pass Road — all three of which are very popular cycling routes because of how quiet and low-stress they are.

The impact of all these additional drivers will be very significant. (Keep in mind that large big-rig trucks will be detoured to highways.) And keep in mind that not everyone will opt for Newberry. There’s very likely to be much more traffic on other popular cycling routes like NW McNamee, Logie Trail, and Rocky Point Road as well. Suffice it to say there’s already serious concerns from bike riders and drivers about the impact of this closure.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Kerr Bikes Employees

Company / Organization

Kerr Bikes (Albertina Kerr)

Job Description

Love your job, make a difference.

For over 111 years Albertina Kerr has successfully enriched lives of individuals experiencing mental health challenges and developmental disabilities by empowering people to lead self-determined lives and reach their full potential.

We’re seeking Kerr Bikes Workers, Lead Workers and Mechanics for our seasonal Kerr Bikes rental locations. Kerr Bikes provides the public with seasonal bike rental services and Adaptive Biketown which provides the public with subsidized adaptive bike rentals.

As a Kerr Bikes employee, you will work with other Kerr Bikes staff, volunteers and participants in services we provide to supply our customers with a quality customer service experience. You’ll provide seasonal bicycle rentals to the public utilizing excellent customer service. Our Kerr Bikes Mechanic opportunity will also perform maintenance for Kerr Bikes and bicycle repair practices while representing Albertina Kerr and Kerr Bikes.

Qualifications:
– Excellent customer service skills
– Mechanical aptitude and knowledge of bicycle maintenance
– Ability to work with little supervision
– Ability to lift 75 pounds, continuously squatting, bending and twisting
– Retail cash handling experience is strongly preferred

Apply online at www.AlbertinaKerr.org/Employment.

The nature of the services we provide prevents us from allowing in-person applications or inquiries. Albertina Kerr Centers is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to status as a protected veteran or a qualified individual with a disability, or other protected status, such as race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, age, or other factors protected by law. Individuals with disabilities can request accommodation in the application and employment process by contacting 503-262-0145.

How to Apply

Kerr Bikes Worker, Kerr Bikes Lead Worker and Kerr Bike Mechanic opportunities are available. Visit www.AlbertinaKerr.org/Employment to apply online!

Here are the bills we’re tracking this legislative session

(NOTE: We are updating this list throughout the session. Please refresh to see latest version.)

We’re about one month into Oregon’s 80th legislative session. And while no blockbuster bike-related bills have emerged yet, there are still a number of things we’re keeping our eyes on.

Here’s our list and a few notes about all the bills we’re tracking this session…

Senate Bills

SB 7 – Lower BAC Level – Overview
Senate President Peter Courtney wants to lower the legal level of alcohol a person can have in their blood while operating a vehicle. Currently at .08 percent, this bill would make it .05 percent. I interviewed Senator Courtney about this bill back in December. Status: Referred to Judiciary Committee.

This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by Ride Like A Girl, now offering a special “Ready to Ride” coaching program to help you get ready for your big spring/summer rides!

Yes I know it’s Tuesday. But yesterday was a holiday, remember?!

Here are the most noteworthy things we came across in the past seven days…

Ride as an act of resistance: An immigrant from Africa shares how cycling has provided solace from the culture shock of living in 80-percent white Denver and an America as divided and vitriolic toward outsiders as its ever been.

Trump’s accidental parking tax: Portland’s very own Michael Andersen got a whopper of a scoop when he uncovered a piece of the new tax code that might (inadvertently?) punish corporations that subsidize auto parking as a commute benefit.

Stronger aluminum bikes? A new aluminum welding process is on its way to bike frames and the result could lead to very light, strong, and affordable bikes.

madi-intersection-green — Separated bike lanes, curb bulbs, so much green paint!
(Photos: Madi Carlson)

— Madi Carlson is our Family Biking columnist.

It’s been three years since I visited Vancouver, Canada (with my cargo bike via BoltBus) and while I was very impressed with the bike infrastructure back then — it’s even better now. The most notable new thing was a protected intersection.

— Written by Shawn Fleek (OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon), Mary Peveto (Neighbors for Clean Air), and Anaïs Tuepker (350PDX).

In 2017, the nascent No More Freeways coalition published an editorial in The Oregonian asking elected officials for an honest reassessment of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT)’s plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to expand the Rose Quarter Freeway in North Portland.

Since then, headlines over the last eighteen months have only confirmed that this is a gravely misguided project.