BikePortland

Editorial: Freeways, the future, and Mayor Ted Wheeler

When it comes to transportation, recent statements from Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler paint a confusing picture of the future.

On one hand, Wheeler seems to understand the urgency of climate change. On the other hand, he supports the I-5 Rose Quarter project that adds lanes to a freeway to improve driving conditions in our central city.

On one hand, he understands that the future of transportation is in flux. On the other hand, he supports single-occupancy vehicle use — a form of urban transportation whose time has long since passed.

Confused or simply wrong, Wheeler — someone who is ostensibly a progressive — is on the wrong side of this issue.

Steve Novick was a Portland City Commissioner from 2013 to 2017.

After having the pleasure of having her serve on my staff for nearly four years as city commissioner, today I’m writing to the readers of BikePortland.org to explain my support and endorsement for Andrea Valderrama for the Portland City Council race. Quite simply, my experience of working with her has left me convinced she is the candidate you should vote for if you’re interested in improvements to the safety and livability of our streets, our region’s ongoing housing crisis, and how these issues relate to climate change, public health and equity.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Two fresh jobs posted this week.

Learn more about each one via the links below…

–> Mechanic and Sales – The eBike Store

–> Sales Associate – Trisports

A family makes their way to Beach School in north Portland on the Concord Neighborhood Greenway.
(Photo: J. Maus)

One of the bright spots in the $5.3 billion transportation package passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2017 was annual funding dedicated to Safe Routes to School.

House Bill 2017 (which the Oregon Department of Transportation now calls the Keep Oregon Moving program), included a $10 million annual investment in street safety projects within a one-mile radius of schools. That number bumps up to $15 million a year in 2023.

But when the ink on the bill dried, there remained a lot of things to figure out. Who would be eligible for the money? What would the grant process look like? Which type of roads and projects would compete best for the funds?

To answer these and other questions, ODOT convened a Safe Routes to School Rulemaking Advisory Committee. The bulk of that committee’s work is done and yesterday ODOT announced that the draft rule update for the new Safe Routes to School Fund is ready for public scrutiny.

Hopefully the warm and dry weather we’re having holds up for a few more days so the weekend riding can reach its full potential.

Check out our selections for things to do with your bike this weekend — which we’ve decided should start tonight!

Thursday, April 26th

Bike Bingo – 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Radio Room
Get prepped and hyped for the 16th annual Filmed By Bike (May 4-6th) with a fun bout of bingo on Alberta. More info here.

WT&F Wrench Clinic – 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Bike Farm is hosting this fix-it-yourself night with a big assist from the mechanics at Gladys Bikes. They’ll cover suspension basics, trailside repairs, and more. More info here.

A panel of judges has picked the finalists in a design competition that will bring new colors to Portland’s fleet of Biketown bikes.

And it’s time to vote on them.

Southeast Uplift, an official City of Portland neighborhood coalition group that represents 20 neighborhoods, has thrown their weight behind opposition to the Portland Bureau of Transportation and the Oregon Department of Transportation’s negotiated settlement to remove bike lanes on SE 26th Avenue approaching Powell Blvd.

As we’ve been reporting for nearly three years now, the nearly unprecedented removal of bike lanes on a city street is the result of a squabble between PBOT and ODOT. As final word came down from ODOT in February that they planned to cash in an agreement wrung out of PBOT over the lanes, there’s been a ratcheting up of activism to keep them.

Southeast Uplift joins a loud chorus speaking up against ODOT’s inexplicable demands for the removal of these bike lanes. Activists rallied during a snowstorm in February where the director of The Street Trust, Jillian Detweiler, said removing the lanes is “completely unnecessary.”

One Hwang at the 2017 Tiki Ride.
(Photo: Eric Thornburg)

This story was written by Portland bike fun enthusiast and Shift volunteer, One Hwang. (Please note: This project is not affiliated with Shift or Pedalpalooza.)

Pedalpalooza 2018 is right around the corner and the bike fun community fire is burning hot. This year we want even more people to organize and attend Pedalpalooza rides, so we’re going to try something new: A Bike Fun Library with everything you need to lead a successful ride!

Members of the public could more easily organize their own Pedalpalooza ride if they had access to a bike ride equipment library, where they could borrow for free a flat bed trailer, sound system, disco ball, batteries, and radio transmitter. Furthermore, if they receive training on how to welcome women and other underrepresented groups, they could help create a more inclusive bike community and address factors that discourage these groups from participation.

We will soon create the Bike Fun Library. And we need your help to make it happen.

Finn on his bike in 2008 and at Commissioner Saltzman’s side in 2010.
(Photos: J. Maus)

Portland Commissioner Dan Saltzman’s chief of staff has been hired by Oregon Governor Kate Brown. Brendan Finn, who’s worked with Saltzman since 1999, will be Brown’s new transportation policy advisor.

It now appears even more likely that the Portland Bureau of Transportation will develop a new neighborhood greenway route on NE 7th between I-84 and the Woodlawn neighborhood.

A biking and walking path on the Bridge of the Gods took a big step forward last month.

In March, the Port of Cascade Locks and the Pacific Coast Trail Association (in cooperation with the United States Forest Service, Washington Department of Transportation, Friends of the Columbia Gorge, and City of Stevenson, WA) turned in a proposal (PDF) to the Federal Highway Administration requesting $934,000 for a planning study that would lead to the construction of the project.

Riders spin against the numbers at C-Velo Performance Cycling Training Center in Sellwood.
(Photo: J. Maus)

Some of Portland’s toughest bike races don’t even happen on the road.

Over the past seven years, exercise physiologist Rick Cady has melded his love of cycling with the science of human performance to create an indoor training center unlike anything in Oregon.

Editorial: Freeways, the future, and Mayor Ted Wheeler

Guest Opinion: I’m Steve Novick and I endorse Andrea Valderrama for Portland City Council

Jobs of the Week: The eBikeStore and TriSports

ODOT unveils draft rules for spending new Safe Routes to School funding

Weekend Event Guide: Architecture exploration, women’s track clinic, Grant Petersen, and more

Thursday, April 26th

A Paul Bunyan-themed Biketown bike? Your vote could make it a reality

Southeast neighborhood coalition comes out against 26th Avenue bike lane removal

A “Bike Fun Library” is in the works, just in time for Pedalpalooza

Saltzman staffer Brendan Finn hired by Governor Brown as transportation policy advisor

Public strongly favors greenway route on NE 7th, PBOT report finds

Plan for new path on Bridge of the Gods moves forward in search of funding

At C-Velo, the bike racing happens indoors

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