Taking greenway activism door-to-door in northeast Portland

My door-knocking partner, Kate Johnson.
(Photo: Kiel Johnson)

This post is written by Kiel Johnson, a local business owner, transportation activist, and northeast Portland resident.

Over the next few weeks, in their downtown offices, city staff will determine the route for the Lloyd to Woodlawn Neighborhood Greenway using a combination of personal egos, local political winds, community feedback, and hopefully, reason. Whenever the city wants to make it a little harder to drive a car somewhere they are always faced with passionate opposition. Trying to do it in inner northeast Portland, an area that has undergone rapid gentrification and change, is even more difficult.

I recently moved to NE 7th so this process has gotten a lot closer to home. Over the next weeks I am going to share my attempt to navigate this complexity and advocate for the route greenway route to be on NE 7th. Our society has wronged a lot of groups and as a white male I have benefited from a lot of those policies. Is it possible to address this privilege while also advocating for something that will be a big change for a lot of people? My approach is to include as many people and viewpoints as possible and make sure everyone is heard, even if I disagree with them.

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PBOT delays protected lane in Kenton, citing neighborhood concerns

Today on N Denver Avenue, bicycle riders use a standard-width, door-zone bike lane.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

A protected lane on the Kenton neighborhood’s main street was supposed to be built by now.

As of last March, with funds from the Fixing our Streets program, the Bureau of Transportation was set to (once again) leverage a scheduled repaving project to reconfigure lanes on N Denver Avenue. The plans called for switching the existing, door-zone bike lane to the curb and adding a buffer on Denver between North Lombard and Watts that would protect vulnerable road users from other traffic. Auto parking would be provided in the street, creating the same type of “parking-protected bike lane” that PBOT has recently installed on nearby Rosa Parks Way.

But PBOT now says the project has been delayed a year until summer 2019. Here’s more from an email they just sent:

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Weekend Event Guide: ‘Cross trio, swifts viewing, police open house, and more

Even the kids are excited that ‘cross season is here.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
The Weekend Event Guide is sponsored by Abus Bike Locks. Thanks Abus!

Welcome to the weekend.

Hope you’re good at managing your time because Saturday is jam-packed with cool things to do. If you are into ‘cross, this is the first double-header weekend of the season with races in Vancouver and Sandy. But wait, there’s more! Do not miss the screening of Drew Coleman’s “State of Cyclocross” film Saturday night, which he shot in one day using the old-school super-8 format.

If you like local culture and lore, ride to see the swifts on Friday, then check get a rare peek inside the PPB’s Traffic Division HQ in St. Johns on Saturday. Or if you love hanging out and supporting local businesses, the Golden Pliers Bike Shop Grand Opening Extravaganza is on Saturday.

So much to love! Have fun out there!

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It’s crunch time for PBOT’s ambitious Central City in Motion project

The PBOT Bicycle Advisory Committee weighed in on the latest projects at their monthly meeting last month.
(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

“There are some projects where we looked at the right-of-way and thought, ‘What is the highest and best use?’ And in some cases that’s mobility. Moving people and not storing parked cars.”
— Gabe Graff, PBOT project manager

With over 6,000 public comments and nearly six years of planning, the end is finally in sight for the Central City in Motion project. This ambitious undertaking aims to transform dozens of Portland streets from driving-centric thoroughfares into more humane and efficient corridors that move fewer vehicles and far more people through our existing right-of-way.

Since we checked in on this project two months ago, the Portland Bureau of Transportation has: come up with cost estimates for 18 project “bundles”; announced the final public outreach events before they hunker down and develop a final ordinance to be debated by City Council on October 25th (tentative date); created detailed conceptual drawings for each project; analyzed impacts on auto parking and driving access; and published what they call a, “people moving capacity increase” for each project.

This morning, PBOT released a new phase of their online open house that allows the public to prioritize the projects based on a limited budget. PBOT’s new estimates put the total cost of the 18 projects at $72.3 million. They have $9 million in-hand and an “optimistic budget forecast” of about $30 million.

Here’s the list of projects (not prioritized):

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PBOT announces early end to Better Naito

The protected route has become a lifeline for many Portlanders.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

The Portland Bureau of Transportation announced today that Better Naito will come to an early close this year. The city will take down the plastic wands and signs and remove the pavement markings on the weekend of September 22-23rd — one week before it was scheduled to end.

Here’s more from PBOT:

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Amid echoes of Williams project, city expands outreach plan for Lloyd-to-Woodlawn greenway

Due to concerns about impacts to local streets — and some residents who say they their voices haven’t been heard — the Portland Bureau of Transportation has extended the comment period for the Lloyd to Woodlawn Neighborhood Greenway project.

A call for public feedback was suppose to close August 31st, but late last week PBOT announced they’d extend the online open house comment deadline until September 14th. It’s the second time they’ve pushed out the date. PBOT also says they’re planning an additional phase of outreach.

“We are planning another phase of public involvement to include more voices, especially the black community members who have been saying they only recently heard about the project,” PBOT spokesman Dylan Rivera said in an interview last week.

Rivera was referring to an August 23rd article in The Skanner newspaper that reported, “While PBOT has held meetings and forums since February, the word on the proposed project has been slow to reach households of color. Local boosters hope more families will participate before it’s too late.”

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Family Biking: A bike light primer for the approaching season

My boys riding home from a Portland Pickles baseball game in Lents Park after dark.
(Photos: Madi Carlson)

Kid bedtimes are getting easier now that the blazing orb of discomfort is leaving the sky well before 10 p.m.; but with that comes the need for little manufactured orbs of light. As much as it pains me to say it, the days are getting shorter and now’s the time to prepare for darker mornings and evenings.

Our Family Biking column is sponsored by Clever Cycles.

➤ Read past entries here.

I can tell from our packed school bike racks that there are a lot of new bike riders this year and I hope they’ll keep it up as the temperature drops and daylight hours lessen. I also bet a lot of them don’t have lights yet. If you need some help seeing the light (hardy-har), this week’s post should help you out…

➤ Legal lighting requirements
Legally, you only need a front light and a rear reflector when it’s dark out. Per ORS 815.280, “during limited visibility conditions” one must display a white light visible to the front (on your helmet is OK — it doesn’t have to be attached to your bike) from at least 500 feet away and a red reflector visible from the rear at least 600 feet when lit by car headlights.

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Wonk alert: Check out Transportation Trivia tomorrow night

Transportation Trivia is here!
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Think you know a lot about local transportation issues?

If so, don’t miss out on the seventh annual Transportation Trivia event co-hosted by the Community Cycling Center and Oregon Walks.

Here’s the lowdown, straight from CCC staffer Yashar Vasef:

Transportation Trivia is back! This Wednesday evening (September 5th), the Community Cycling Center and Oregon Walks are teaming up for the seventh annual benefit trivia event. Hosted at the Lagunitas brewing event space at Broadway and NE 3rd, your $20 admission covers dinner catered by Hale Pele, beer or wine, and three rounds of fun, competitive trivia covering an array of transportation topics. Proceeds benefit the Community Cycling Center and Oregon Walks!

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With six kids and no car, this mom does it all by bike