BikePortland

Ride to a quiet beach just 10 miles away on a route that’s 80 percent carfree

Ride from NoPo to Kelley Point Park-31.jpg

This five-mile path parallels Marine Drive and connects Kelley Point Park with Smith and Bybee Lakes.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Did you know there’s a ride that’s 80 percent carfree and will take you from inner Portland to beaches on the Willamette and Columbia rivers on a mix of quiet residential roads, sidewalks, and paths?

View and download route at RideWithGPS.com.

We all know how Portland’s 90-mile network of neighborhood greenways are great at getting us across town; but they can also help us get away from town.

A Portland Bureau of Transportation staffer once referred to our neighborhood greenway network as a “bus system for biking and walking.” And similar to how some of us use light rail to expand the scope of rides (like taking MAX to Hillsboro to reach Stub Stewart State Park), our neighborhood greenways enable smaller journeys more suitable for riders of all ages and abilities but no less fun and adventurous.

This past weekend my six-year-old son Everett and I hopped on a borrowed tandem (thanks Peter!) and headed out to Kelley Point Park — an isolated, 100-acre stand of cottonweed trees and grassy meadows at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title *
Customer Experience Specialist

Company/Organization *
Velotech

Job Description *
This position is responsible for responding to customer phone calls, emails, and for working directly with customers in our store. Customer Experience Specialists provide product information, advice and order assistance. Qualified Customer Experience Specialists also review orders and price match requests and assist with site content, including product reviews, photos and descriptions.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

Answer product questions & assist with the order process
Analyze customer questions, troubleshoot, and provide clear answers in an efficient and professional manner
Develop trust and loyalty with consumers and build value in our brands
Navigate a sophisticated order processing system
Generate performance reports and recommend improvements
Coordinate with Returns to assist customers with returns and exchanges
Assist walk-in customers with product questions and purchases
Retrieve products from the warehouse to assist walk-in customers

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES/DUTIES:

Navigate a sophisticated order processing system
Work with Marketing to assist with customer-facing content, including site maintenance, product images and descriptions
Increase sales by genuinely helping customers learn about additional/alternative product options

MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Basic computer skills
Strong knowledge of cycling
Previous customer service experience is a plus, as is sales, service and mechanical experience in the cycling industry

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:

Excellent communication and organizational skills
Solid knowledge of cycling products
Ability to work in a high volume, fast-paced environment
Ability to work independently or with others to manage multiple task with minimal supervision.

How to Apply *
https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/index.php?/job/apply&clientkey=4C6D7027145254251F7D24DAA9BDF3F7&job=11943&jpt=

Multnomah County Planning Commission seeks new members

Aug. 1, 2017

Contact: Adam Barber, Multnomah County Senior Planner, 503-988-0168, adam.t.barber@multco.us

Multnomah County Planning Commission seeks new members

Multnomah County’s Land Use Planning Division is looking for two residents who live in Multnomah County to serve as volunteer members on the county’s Planning Commission.

The Multnomah County Planning Commission addresses rural land use planning issues to meet state planning requirements and policies set forth by Multnomah County’s Board of County Commissioners that apply to the county’s rural areas.

The Planning Commission typically makes recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners for adoption, revision or repeal of components of the Comprehensive Framework Plan, zoning code and other regulatory ordinances intended to carry out the plan as adopted by the board.

The Planning Commission typically meets on the first Monday of every month (except for holidays and the months of July and January) starting at 6:30 p.m. Most meetings take place at the Multnomah Building, 501 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., Portland. The commission consists of nine members who serve four-year terms and are appointed by the Board of County Commissioners.

Applications are due by close of business on Tuesday, Aug. 22. An online application is located here or may be requested via U.S. mail by calling 503-988-0168 or emailing adam.t.barber@multco.us. Applications may be submitted online or by mail.

For more information, please visit the Planning Commission’s webpage or Multnomah County’s Land Use Planning website.

ODOT’s new safe driving competition will use app that locks phone screen while driving

The app shows this screen when a car is in motion.

At this point the State of Oregon seems willing to try anything to change our dangerous culture of distracted driving.

To take a bite out of an alarming rise in traffic deaths last year — the 495 people who died was a 58 percent rise from 2013 — the Oregon Department of Transportation convened a task force and purchased unmarked patrol cars, published a report on the “epidemic”, and most recently the legislature acted to tighten a loophole in our existing distracted driving law.

Their latest effort will rely on friendly competition. Drive Healthy is the name of an initiative announced today that will pit individuals and organizations against each other to see who can be the safest driver. Similar to the Bike Commute Challenge, people will sign up online and have their results tracked via the Livesaver app and results will be posted on a public leaderboard. Once downloaded, the app runs in the background and automatically locks your phone when you drive (see screenshot at right). The fewer times you unlock the phone, the more points you get. The only functions available while driving are “Emergency Call” and “Passenger Unlock”.

Here’s more from ODOT and the DriveHealthy.org website:

This guy has the right idea.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

It’s coming. A collective flip-out has begun because several days of triple-digit temperatures are about to hit Portland.

This week’s Monday Roundup is made possible by Treo Bike Tours, who reminds you to reserve a spot for their upcoming (August 25-27) three-day ‘Journey Through Time’ riding experience.
——

Welcome to the week. Everyone’s talking about the heat wave headed our way. Hope you can keep riding through it. Stay tuned for some tips and tricks to stay cool on the bike.

Before we get to last week’s best stories, remember to follow us on Facebook if you don’t already. We’ll be sharing more content there in the future.

Here are the best articles we came across last week…

NYC’s bike boom: What do you get when you combine the biggest bike share system in the U.S., a dense urban form, an aggressive DOT, and the nation’s best transportation reform advocates? More than 450,000 daily bike trips — and all the other immeasurablly positive benefits that come with them.

Hidden housing cost: The title of this piece says it all: “If you’re renting a US city apartment without a car, 16% of your rent pays for parking you don’t need.”

Bike tech and AVs: Researchers think bicycles need to feed data to autonomous vehicles (AVs) in order to prevent the future robocars from inadvertently running over bicycle users.

Job Title *
Bike Tour Guide

Company/Organization *
Cycle Portland

Job Description *
We’re looking for individuals that love biking, exploring, and sharing our wonderful city with visitors from across the world. Cycle Portland is Portland’s oldest bike tour & rental company providing sightseeing tours, rentals, and repair at our full service shop in historic Old Town/China Town. Most tours last around 2-3 hours and the pace is about 10mph. Here you’ll flow between providing engaging and insightful tours and helping renters and locals with in shop bike services.

The Tour Guide/Shop Hand we’re looking for has:
Excellent public speaking skills with a genuine desire to work with the public and comfortability with large groups
Strong verbal and written communication abilities
A strong sense of craftsmanship
The itch to grow and learn about Portland, its past, present, and its future
A drive for a mix between fast paced summers, and mellow project oriented winters.
Eagerness to work with a bike shop values a fun, supportive, and inclusive work environment.

Requirements:
Candidate must be available to work at least 20 hours/wk starting.
Must be able to work weekends
Previous guide and shop experience is useful, but is not required.
Must be able to lift and maneuver heavy objects up to 55 pounds.

Compensation:
Position is part-time and seasonal with the potential of full time permanent work for qualified applicants. Pay starts at 13/hr with the potential to move up after a 30 day review.

How to Apply *
Interested candidates should send an email to portlandbicycle@gmail.com with a resume and a paragraph or two stating your interest in this position, and why you would like to work with us. Thank you.

Flashback Friday: Here’s what we were talking about in July 2007

10 years ago Dingo the Clown performed for the final time at the “Clown house” on Alberta.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

This is the first attempt at new thing I’ll be doing on Fridays: A look back into the BikePortland archives to see where we’ve been and how we have — or haven’t — changed.

It’s no coincidence that this also happens to be the 12th birthday of BikePortland. On this date in 2005 I bought the domain name, plugged in a free WordPress theme, and never looked back.

Actually, I have looked back. A few times. Luckily I never gave in to the temptation to give up. It hasn’t been easy surviving this long. But I’m very glad to still be here. I love this job more than ever and I’m committed to making this thing a true success once and for all (I’ll save what I mean by “true success” for another day). I think being around so long (relatively-speaking, for a blogger) gives me a greater appreciation for the value of longevity both to me personally and to the community-at-large. There’s a history of this place and its relationship to cycling that lives inside my head and on these pages. I hold a lot of different threads and I relish every opportunity to weave them together and try to expand the scope of understanding and provide historical context for our current decisions.

Which brings me to the “Flashback Friday” idea.

With 21,700 Front Page stories published so far, the BikePortland archives are like a real-time account of biking in this city since April 2005 (which is when I started doing the “Bike Fun” blog on OregonLive.com and before I transferred all those posts to BikePortland.org). It’s probably safe to say that I care about these archives more than anyone else on earth. They’re full of past friends and acquaintances, heartache and hope, fun and frustration.

So let’s dive into this first edition. What were we talking about in July 2007?

A new, 10-foot wide, physically separated bike path is coming to this section of North Greeley; but not until next year.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus)

Bicycle users will have to endure stressful and dangerous conditions on North Greeley Avenue for another year because the City’s plans for a physically protected bike lane have been delayed.

Back in February we reported that the Bureau of Transportation planned to update this stretch of Greeley between Going and Interstate by adding a 10-foot wide, bi-directional path separated from motor vehicle traffic by a two-foot wide concrete barrier (see proposed cross-section below). The barrier is needed because a recent PBOT speed analysis showed the 25,000 motor vehicles on the road every day are driven at freeway speeds — about 56-59 miles per hour on average.

Greeley makes an important connection between downtown and north Portland neighborhoods from Arbor Lodge to St. Johns.

Fly down smooth and nearly empty roads as you cross the John Day River at Cottonwood Canyon State Park.
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Note: This post is part of a paid promotional partnership between BikePortland and Treo Bike Tours.

Imagine following in the tracks of Oregon Trail pioneers and ancient dinosaurs from the perfect perch of your bicycle. Now imagine doing it in a weekend with all-inclusive support from one of Oregon’s premier bike tour operators.

Treo Bike Tours has put together a “Journey Through Time” ride that departs from Portland on August 25th and they have a limited number of spaces available.

For $565, you’ll get an all-inclusive ride that includes, lodging, food and snacks, full ride support, and door-to-door shuttle service (via a fully-stocked bus with nice big windows) from Portland to the dream-worthy roads of eastern Oregon. I’m not just promoting this trip because Treo is paying me. I’ve done these rides and can vouch not only for the excellent routes and mind-blowing landscapes they roll through; but also for the world-class hospitality of Treo proprietors Phil and Cathy Carlson. To get a better sense of what to expect, check out the photos and reports I did from a trip on these same routes back in 2014.

Press release below from ODOT:

Ready, set, go! The 2021-2024 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program cycle begins

Ready or not, the process for distributing money to transportation projects in the 2021-2024 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program begins now. Because projects in the STIP are funded with taxpayer dollars, we are making every effort to get input from Oregonians about how we spend these funds.

To accomplish this, we created a website to share information. Check it out at oregon.gov/ODOT/STIP.

On the website you can:

— Take a survey to provide input on funding priorities.
— Sign up for our STIP email list to get regular updates.
— Watch a new video to learn STIP fundamentals.
— Keep current by viewing videos and materials from the Oregon Transportation Commission meetings and read monthly STIP updates.

We want your feedback on how to spend the money so we are providing opportunities to weigh in at key points in the process. Get involved early in the STIP process and stay involved to make a difference in the future of our transportation system!

Ride to a quiet beach just 10 miles away on a route that’s 80 percent carfree

Job: Customer Experience Specialist – Velotech

Multnomah County Planning Commission seeks new members

ODOT’s new safe driving competition will use app that locks phone screen while driving

Ride the heat wave with these 10 proven tricks

The Monday Roundup: Tech, why words matter, a $35,000 python-wrapped bike, and more

Job: Bike Tour Guide – Cycle Portland

Flashback Friday: Here’s what we were talking about in July 2007

Greeley Avenue protected bikeway delayed until spring 2018

Take a ‘journey through time’ on this 3-day eastern Oregon adventure

ODOT STIP process begins – Learn more here

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From the Archives

The good, the bad, and the ugly on the Oregon Coast Bike Route