Welcome to the week. Our sponsor today is NW Connector, an alliance of bike-friendly transit agencies that make getting to the coast a breeze.
Here are the most important stories we came across in the past week…
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Central City in Motion update: Dispatch from a ‘Sounding Board’ meeting
With $30 million to spend and high expectations to deliver a functional and protected network for bicycling, the Portland Bureau of Transportation has identified the top-tier projects for its Central City in Motion project. At a meeting of their Sounding Board yesterday, the project team unveiled a list of 16 “super project bundles.” As a September City Council date approaches PBOT wants to winnow down the project list and make sure the ones at the top have the best chance of success from a funding, political, public relations, and implementation perspective.
The Tram is closed! How do I go by bike? (Day 3)
Day 6 of the tram closure, and my third day of commuting to the hill without riding the tram. It’s a cool, overcast 60 degrees — perfect for a walk up the hill! OHSU and Go By Tram have provided walking maps for folks wanting to get up and down the hill by foot.
My first decision point (well, after deciding to walk up)! Do I take the stairs or the elevator?
The stairs. There are 132 steps to the Gibbs Street Pedestrian Overpass. This overpass connects South Waterfront to the Lair Hill Neighborhood, crossing over I-5.
There are plenty of wayfinding markings on the ground. Some look official, but others look more like more instruction was needed.
Walking through the Lair Hill neighborhood is wonderful! It would be even better if auto traffic wasn’t pushed through. There is lot of interesting artworks on display at the homes there, and wonderful gardens and plants. It’s interesting to see the view of the neighborhood on ground level rather than from above.
A tunnel!
More stairs.
Stairs.
Crossing Barbur Blvd. I wish this crossing had a call signal and flashing lights.
Once past Barbur I was on the last leg. This path goes through the houses at the base of(and on) Marquam Hill.
I’m glad it was a cool overcast morning, because that was a workout! Way more effort than riding the ebike yesterday! But other than crossing Barbur it was a peaceful and enjoyable walk. I actually have been using this route leaving the hill each day. It’s a good way to wind down, do a brain clear and prepare for the ride home.
So that’s it for this series. There are other ways (bus, shuttle, riding my own bike) to get up to work during the tram shutdown but I don’t feel the need to document them all. I hope you enjoyed reading about my commute. Please let me know if you have any questions and say hi if you see me riding (or walking) around!
Right-hook risk drops at Broadway and Hoyt thanks to change at US Postal Service
(Photo: Jonathan Maus)
We’re happy to report that the right-hook risk at NW Broadway and Hoyt has significantly decreased.
“Truck traffic has been significantly reduced.”
— Shawn Uhlman, Prosper Portland
As we’ve shared on several occasions since 2013, the northwest corner of the intersection was dangerous due to two main factors: It’s at the bottom of a downhill so bicycling speeds are high and it has a high volume of right-turning trucks who use Hoyt to access the adjacent U.S. Postal Service retail store, processing and distribution site.
Weekend Event Guide: COBRA photos, Show & Tell, Pedalpalooza, Mt. Hood, e-bikes, and more
(Photo: Jonathan Maus)
With all the depressing absurdity in the news, you could probably use a good bike ride right about now.
Good thing the weekend is right around the corner. And even though we’re coming to the end of Pedalpalooza there’s no shortage of fun to be had.
The aforementioned month-long festival of free bike fun ends with a bang with rides that will illuminate your brain and the night. And who’s ready for a challenge? There’s racing on Mt. Hood and a big adventurous option just on the other side of the Columbia River. And remember this is only a selection of all the great events. Check the calendar for full listings.
Escape from Portland with this easy loop on quiet forest roads above Trout Lake
(Photos: Jonathan Maus)
If you’re looking for a fun new place for a weekend riding getaway, consider checking out Trout Lake, Washington. I went there last weekend with my family and my 7-year-old and I brought our bikes. We enjoyed a great ride up to Goose Lake that has piqued my interest in doing more ambitious explorations and overnighters in the area.
Protected corners and new bike lanes coming to West Burnside this fall
(Drawing by PBOT)
It’s not exactly a full “protected intersection” as first envisioned by a Portland planner over four years ago; but the Bureau of Transportation is set to add concrete buffers between the bike lane and other vehicle lanes at several corners to a notorious intersection of West Burnside this fall.
The Tram is closed! How do I go by bike? (Day 2)
(Photos: Armando Luna)
Today is day 5 of the Portland Aerial Tram shutdown, but for me it’s only the second day I’ve had to deal with getting up the hill without riding the tram. Monday I telecommuted, yesterday I rode one of the shuttles and today I am taking an e-bike. Today was actually my very first time using bike share and riding an ebike.
I chose the Jump bike because I had already downloaded the app and the Lime bikes just arrived yesterday and I don’t have the app yet. OHSU has partnered with these companies to let students and staff use the bikes to get to OHSU, so the usage area is confined to the South Waterfront and the OHSU campus.
After checking my bike in at the Go By Bike valet (Whitaker lot), I opened up the Sobi app and reserved a Jump bike. There were only two, so I got lucky. I as I was trying to remember my pin, my coworker Jennifer showed up and reserved the other bike. She used the Jump bike yesterday to ride up the hill, so I asked her if we could ride together. I loaded my bag and speaker into the Jump bike basket and we were on our way.
For unpaved road lovers, it’s a ‘Show & Tell’ weekend
In the past few years there’s been a meteoric rise in the popularity of unpaved road riding — a.k.a. “gravel grinding”. In just five years we’ve gone from exploring “Bullshit” roads, to capturing the State of Oregon’s attention, to the rise and fall of the Oregon Outback.
The current state of this adventurous style of riding is the proliferation of groups that organize themselves online via social media and plan unsanctioned, unsupported rides on logging and forest roads in and around the Portland region.
One of the largest and most well-known of those groups is Our Mother the Mountain, and this weekend will be something of a coming-out party for all if its fans. Known simply as OMTM, the group is “led” by people whose knowledge of excellent backroad routes is as deep as their passion for riding them. These are the folks who inspired me to discover the dark side of Larch Mountain and the “hell of the North Plains.”
This weekend, Portland-based HiFi Wheels will team up with OMTM, Royale Brewing, and emerging apparel brand Biciclista for Show & Tell, a full weekend of riding and connecting with other unpaved enthusiasts.
There’s a bike show and two days of riding planned. Here’s how it’ll go:
Jump and Lime offering electric bike share during Aerial Tram closure
(Photo: Armando Luna)
Two private bike share companies have set up tiny pilot programs to help Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) cope with a five-week closure of the Aerial Tram.
The Street Trust will get more political with launch of 501(c)(4) ‘Action Fund’
“The public concern about traffic is a great opportunity, but also a great risk if we don’t have right leaders in place.”
— Jillian Detweiler, The Street Trust
If Portland has any chance of reaching its transportation goals and bashing through the ceiling of the driving-dominated status quo, we must have more progressive politicians who fear the consequences of inaction more than a few angry constituents and tough headlines.
That’s the thinking behind the newly created Street Trust Action Fund, a new 501(c)(4) arm of the Portland-based nonprofit.
The Street Trust as we know it today is a 501(c)(3), a federal status that limits their ability to get directly involved with politics — whether through lobbying for specific legislation or the support of specific candidates for office. As a 501(c)(4) The Street Trust Action Fund will be able to endorse political candidates and lobby for issues without limitation. Unlike a 501(c)(3) however, donations to the new entity will not be tax deductible.
Reached for an interview via phone today, The Street Trust Executive Director Jillian Detweiler said they plan to launch the new organization with a fundraising party this Thursday (6/28). In the short-term, they plan to focus on two key political races: a Portland City Council seat that’s up for grabs and a Washington County Chair race. “We think it’s really important to connect with those candidates and provide some guidance [to the community] about who we think will be strongest for transportation.” In addition, Detweiler says the new 501(c)(4) status will help them more fully engage with the ongoing effort to build support for a major transportation funding bond that will emerge in 2020.