What do Tracey Sparling, Brett Jarolimek, Alan Marsan, Kathryn Rickson, Mark Angeles and Tamar Monhait have in common? All were killed in collisions with commercial trucks on Portland’s streets.
As a mother, daily bicycle commuter and lawyer for two of these families, this deeply concerns me.
A great city for biking must have great drivers.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)
This post was submitted by BP Subscriber Alex Reed.
We all know driving is a challenging endeavor that carries grave responsibility – lives are on the line. But even driving according to the law dependably is difficult – much less going beyond the law to be truly courteous and helpful to other road users.
Here are some ideas I’ve found useful – starting with how to obey the law. If you don’t drive, please share this with your friends and family that do.
1. Take a deep breath – don’t rush.
If you’re reading this for tips, I bet you already obey the speed limit without fail. But don’t forget the Basic Speed Law (layperson’s version: don’t drive too fast for conditions)! There are tons of places and times where the speed limit is way too fast. Don’t be in a rush. Opting for slower and safer is better than just going on autopilot at the speed limit. As we leave the summer, allow more and more extra time for less than ideal conditions.
“Rode today with a mask, but some eye protection is needed. My eyes started to itch after a while.”
— Alex Fallenstedt via Twitter
Larch Mountain, Crown Point, Cascade Locks — to people who love to ride bicycles, these places are more than cherished icons of Oregon’s beauty. They are ride destinations and inspirations.
The Eagle Creek Fire that’s still burning out of control in the Columbia River Gorge is having an emotional impact on many of us. People who live and work in the Gorge are struggling right now. And for those of us with emotional bonds to those places forged by hours in the saddle we can only watch in horror as the damage spreads. Even if we could put it out of our minds, the ash falling in Portland makes it impossible to ignore.
That ash has mixed with bad air quality (at hazardous levels last I checked) has many of you wondering if it’s safe to bike in the city. The answer is yes, but…
Welcome to September.
I know there’s a lot of despairing news these days. All the floods, fires, and fools in position of power are enough to make you want to drop everything and ride your bike off into the sunset. But if we’re going to get out of this mess, we can’t divert our eyes. (Especially those of us who are relatively well-off compared to those knee-deep in the stuggle.) We must learn what’s happening — and more importantly why it’s happening. In our little part of this world, one way we can help is by sharing the most important stories from the bike-transportation-mobility webospheres.
So without further delay, here are the most important stories we came across last week…
Sexism, still: UK-based Cycling Weekly magazine mistakenly printed a photo with “token attractive woman” as a caption. Now the magazine is facing mockery and a boycott from women who are tired of the sexist attitudes that pervade the industry.
Include congestion/value pricing before the project breaks ground to ensure maxim congestion relief and overall environmental benefits.
— from a statement drafted by Commissioner Dan Saltzman’s office
Will the City of Portland sit idly by and allow new lanes to be added to a freeway in the urban core? Not if the commissioner in charge of the transportation bureau has his way.
Prior to a public hearing on the Central City 2035 Plan slated for Thursday (September 7th), City Commissioner Dan Saltzman will issue a statement about the Interstate 5/Rose Quarter freeway project. According to his Senior Policy Director Matt Grumm, Saltzman has been watching the dialogue on the project unfold over the past week. Among the work they’ve done to understand the issue is to meet with leaders of the No More Freeway Expansions coalition — which includes Joe Cortright, an economist and expert on congestion pricing.
While Grumm hasn’t said Saltzman will agree to remove the freeway project from the Transportation System Plan (as No More Freeways wants), he will do something that many feel is just as important: Require congestion pricing before the tractors roll in and construction starts on the new lanes.
Here’s a snip of an early draft of the statement Saltzman’s office is working on:
Include congestion/value pricing before the project breaks ground to ensure maximum congestion relief and overall environmental benefits
In a blog post yesterday The Street Trust (formerly the Bicycle Transportation Alliance) offered further rationale for why they’ve chosen to not sign onto a letter opposing the a freeway widening project on Interstate 5 at the Rose Quarter.
In a post titled, “The future of the Rose Quarter” written by newly hired Communications Director Romain Bonilla, the group said, “While we have chosen not to sign this coalition’s letter, we share advocates’ concerns and wholeheartedly agree that widening highways will not reduce congestion.”
The No More Freeway Expansions coalition has written a letter to Portland City Council and the Oregon Transportation Commission that has been signed by over 25 organizations including the Audubon Society of Portland, Neighbors for Clean Air, the Urban Greenspaces Institute, OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon and others. Their letter strongly opposes the I-5 widening project and demands that the project is removed from the City of Portland’s Transportation System Plan.
Organizers of the Cyclocross Crusade, a Portland-based race series founded in 1993, have shelved a new logo design after concerns that it too closely resembled logos used by white supremacy groups.
The logo debuted at a kickoff event for the 2017 season on Sunday and was met with negative feedback from some in the community.
Late Thursday night the organization posted the following statement to their social media accounts:
We released the new logo for the Cyclocross Crusade on Sunday in hopes it could convey the fun and inclusive spirit of our bike race series.
We apologize for not recognizing sooner that the design may be too closely associated with symbols used by those who promote hate, racism, divisiveness and fear.
The Cyclocross Crusade series wouldn’t be what it is without our community. To be clear: yes, you belong. The logo will be retracted immediately.
Looking for a new place to spread you cycling wings? We’ve got four great job opportunities that just went up this week.
Learn more about each one via the links below…
–> Brand Marketing Manager – Surly Bikes
–> Service Manager/Asst. Manager – Confidential
–> Shipping Specialist – Velotech
Job Title *
Brand Marketing Manager – Surly Bikes
Company/Organization *
Surly Bikes
Job Description *
Surly marketing. Yeah, we know what you’re thinking. Goes together like oil and water, right? Isn’t Surly’s form of marketing tapping a keg? Well, therein lies the conundrum.
Surly is synonymous with anti-marketing. So how do you go about marketing that? The real question is: how does one not only reach, but also engage the skeptics, the critics, the jaded yet passionate, the ones they call “surly loyalists.” Well my friend, you’ve just stumbled on your mission statement.
The Surly idea has been summarized in various ways throughout the years:
“Bike. Parts. Chaos.”
“Serious bikes for people who don’t take themselves too serious”
“When the industry zigs, Surly zags.”
The right candidate for this job is someone who knows how to engage a very passionate audience with the right message, at the right time, in the right place. This marketing ninja should understand how to distill broad concepts into meaningful campaigns, crafting actionable briefs that outline the creation and connection of campaign collateral across a broad array of marketing channels.
We seek less an individual who can rattle off the nuances of Long Haul Trucker wheelbase benefits (we have that covered) and more of an individual who knows how to craft a content calendar using email, social, website content, blogging, video, retailer training, and event activation, to speak of a few.
Sound like something you’re up for? Give us a shout. Despite our name, we’re actually quite enjoyable people.
Overview
Increase brand awareness and customer loyalty by crafting brand and product marketing strategies and activation plans that implement unified collateral across all marketing channels. Collaborate with Product, Sales, Engineering and Creative team to coordinate the building of smart, effective, and unified marketing materials. This leader will ensure Surly products and services are powerfully placed in the market to connect customers to the brand and drive sales at retail.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
• Brand Positioning – Collaborate with Brand leadership to develop a 3-year strategic plan that places Surly in a distinct marketplace position.
• Marketing Campaigns – Identify, develop and implement campaigns that deliver on shared goals that are developed and identified with Sales, Product, Creative and QBP Leadership teams.
• Collateral and Detail — Identify and deliver appropriate marketing strategy and materials for each specific audience: Internal, sales reps, retailers, and consumers. Collaborate with Product and Marketing to ensure all marketing touchpoints deliver consistent and complete information, from product specification to compelling creative.
• Insights and Opportunities — Understand and be able to implement qualitative and quantitative methods of research to understand Surly and competitor positioning. Understand digital age tools to segment audiences, A/B test images and content, conduct user surveys and deliver insights that help Surly further refine its marketplace position.
Competencies
To perform the job successfully, an individual will need the following competencies:
Passion for Knowing the Customer— Demonstrate deep empathy towards the customer. Identify, acknowledge and remediate the pain points in their customer journey by crafting clear content that engages the Surly loyalist and keeps them engaged with the brand. Develop and deliver insights that reinforce the meaning behind the brand and will help it grow.
Content Connector — Craft a content calendar with the creative team to deliver meaningful, engaging, and differentiating content to connect with all potential Surly customers, at the right time and place, using the right channel.
Organized & Analytical – Uses intuition and experience to complement data-driven decisions to deliver on broadly communicated goals.
Team Attitude – Understands that any team is only as strong as its weakest link. Willingness to nurture team members, drive consistent execution, effectively address challenges and lead a team of peers to solutions.
Job Qualifications:
5+ years of brand, marketing, and/or communications experience
4-year college degree in a related field
Expert knowledge of traditional and digital marketing tools & techniques, including Email, Facebook and Google Analytics
Expert knowledge of brand theory, science, and practice
Demonstrated track record of effective team and people leadership
Demonstrated track record of identifying and solving complex problems
Comfortable working with financial metrics, P&L, and balance sheet
All candidates are subject to a pre-employment criminal background check and a drug screen. Some applicants may be subject to a credit check as well
How to Apply *
Apply online at www.qbp.com/careers
The weekend is almost here — and so is cyclocross season!
As we slide into September and get ready for Women’s Bike Month (we’ll have special coverage all month — stay tuned for details!), our event calendar isn’t quite as full as usual. It’s probably a mix of being in the shoulder season and the fact that local weather is so hot and smokey.
But it’s also Labor Day Weekend so for many people it’s one of the last chances for a big adventure. If you need some ideas and inspirations, we’ve great suggestions. Check them out below…
Art Ride on the Eastside – 5:30 pm at Eutectic Gallery (1930 NE Oregon)
It’s the first day of Women’s Bike Month and The Street Trust is leading a tour of art galleries on the east side. More info here.
Cycle Oregon 2017 has been cancelled. Below is the statement from Executive Director Steve Schulz:
Wildfires in Central Oregon Force Cancellation of 2017 Cycle Oregon Classic Ride
“We would love to see this project successfully set a new precedent for how we address urban highways in Portland.”
— The Street Trust (formerly the Bicycle Transportation Alliance)
Technically speaking, not all freeway projects are created equal. But they all pretty much have the same goal: Make it easier for people to drive cars.
That being said, is it ever a good idea to widen a freeway in a dense, urban area? In 2017?
From an engineering perspective, the Oregon Department of Transportation’s current plan to add lanes to Interstate 5 at the Rose Quarter is a far cry from the 1950s-era plan to build the Mt. Hood Freeway through southeast Portland or the more recently vanquished Columbia River Crossing project.
A major theme of the current debate is whether the I-5 Rose Quarter project is qualitatively different. What if — as its backers (and fence-sitters) say — it represents a new era of highway building? One that’s kinder and gentler? One that even (supposedly) progressive Portlanders should get behind? What if this one is worth it and the “No More Freeways” mantra from activists is a knee-jerk reaction to an old boogeyman that deserves a chance to make good?
These are just some of the many question I want to address in the coming days.
The debate around this project is heating up as we’re just about one week away from a Portland City Council hearing that a new coalition group has targeted as the place to stop it.
While this coalition sees the project as a waste of money that will encourage auto use (among other things) — people who support it see it as a golden opportunity to fix local streets and bridges in the Lloyd District that serve thousands of daily bikers and walkers. Some even push back at the notion that it’s a “freeway widening” project at all.
Back in March, Portland Bureau of Transportation Planner Mauricio LeClerc told the Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission that, “This is an innovative project that really makes a freeway project something that is about place-making and that improves conditions for all modes.” LeClerc also warned that if the project doesn’t go forward, funding for surface street updates and new overpasses would improve convenience and safety for bicycle users could be lost. “How else are we going to fix those five bridges over the Rose Quarter now, unless we come up w $200 million ourselves?”