Let’s fill the bike parking at the Moda Center again! Join us for the game on Sunday!
(Photo: J Maus/BikePortland)
(Photo: J Maus/BikePortland)
Hi Portland. Has this been a completely fucked-up week or what?!
Fact check: The St. Johns Bridge does not need 19-foot wide lanes for freight traffic
(Photo: Joe Mabel/Wikipedia)
Despite multiple demands over the years to improve bike access on the St. Johns Bridge, the Oregon Department of Transportation has used many different excuses for why the current lane configuration simply cannot change. And it turns out their latest excuse — that state design guidelines for freight traffic require 19-foot wide lanes in both directions — is untrue.
First look: New striping and pavement on key stretch of Highway 30
Riding the shoulder bikeway through Linnton on Highway 30.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)
The Oregon Department of Transportation has completed a major repaving project on a key section of Highway 30 that’s a popular bike route between the St. Johns Bridge and Sauvie Island.
Back in March we said this was a “golden opportunity” to make the highway better for bicycling. Unfortunately ODOT didn’t make any major improvements to bike access; but the shoulder is now a more consistent width throughout the project’s seven-miles (between the bridge and McNamee Road). We were also disappointed that the shoulder wasn’t striped until a few days ago — well over a week after all the lanes for auto use were completed and striped.
Portlander Ira Ryan (co-founder of Breadwinner Cycles) pointed out the lack of striping in a post on Instagram:
Trump in, Novick out: Recap and thoughts on the election
Last night’s election was full of surprises both nationally and locally. And that’s a huge understatement.
Donald Trump was elected president with 279 electoral votes to Hillary Clinton’s 228 (so far). She becomes just the fifth candidate to lose after winning the overall vote count (her national popular vote margin over Trump was 166,443 as of 7:45 am this morning). His win comes despite — or more likely because of — the fact he was endorsed by the Klu Klux Klan, was dismissed by the political and media establishment, is an unabashed misogynist, told blatant lies throughout his campaign and repeatedly hurled vulgar and dangerous insults at a long list of public figures. Trump also connected strongly with a large voting block of rural white Americans who are fed-up with business as usual in Washington and he offered them a clear and simple choice.
Since last night, Trump and his staff have moderated the fiery tone they had on the campaign trail and both President Obama and Clinton have given respectful and hopeful concession speeches. “Donald Trump is going to be our president,” Clinton said this morning. “We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.”
Election Day Open Thread
Everyone is a superhero when they use our democracy.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)
The big day is finally here.
City of Portland will deploy ‘Be Seen Be Safe’ street teams as dark season begins
(Photo: City of Portland)
With the sun now setting well before the evening rush-hour, the City of Portland wants everyone to step-up their vigilance and visibility while using the roads.
In a statement released today the bureau of transportation (PBOT) shared tips about how to safely operate a motor vehicle and how to increase your chance of being seen if you are walking or rolling. They also announced that all this week “street teams” made up of PBOT volunteers and staff will be stationed at danger hot-spots throughout the city. These teams will pass out lights and reflective stickers to people who walk and roll by.
PR efforts like this are typical for transportation agencies this time of year, and they often put most of the onus of responsibility for being seen on vulnerable users. But PBOT is not your typical city transportation agency. They know better.
One year in, how’s the Lafayette Street bridge elevator treating you?
The bridge has been in operation for just over a year now.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)
I used the Lafayette Street Bridge for the first time last week. And I liked it.
The bridge was completed by TriMet in 2015 as part of the Orange Line MAX project and creates a connection over railroad tracks in the Brooklyn neighborhood between SE Lafayette and Rhine streets. It’s the only crossing of the tracks between Holgate and Powell (major arterials).
The Monday Roundup: Freeway removals, car abuse costs, bike use savings, transit haters, and more
Bikes now outnumber cars in Copenhagen.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland))
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland))
I know all you can think about is the election. But you should probably take a break and get caught up on the best bike-related stories we came across last week…
Hales sees the light: Remember that no good, horrible, very bad decision Mayor Charlie Hales made in 2013 to enact parking minimums on new residential development? Now he wants to remove them.
Seattleites are over I-5: This article about removing I-5 through Seattle could be — should be! — written about Portland. That freeway sucks and has no business bisecting our central city.
More freeway removal: The city of Rochester in upstate New York filled in a central city freeway with dirt, “to focus on pedestrians and establish vital neighborhoods for housing, expanding businesses and producing jobs.”
As goes Los Angeles, so goes…: A ballot measure in Los Angeles would raise big money ($42 Billion) for light rail. The LA Times has a great rundown on that and a general overview of the non-driving transportation mix in the driving capital of America.
Oregon State Police blames vulnerable victims while driving deaths spin out of control
(Photos: Oregon State Police)
This is an editorial.
The Oregon State Police issued a relatively rare safety message to the media today. In light of three collisions in the past nine days that resulted in the death of someone trying to walk or roll across a state highway, they included the following message in a press statement (emphasis theirs):
***This is the third fatal crash involving pedestrians that OSP has investigated in the past week***
Collision Chronicles: Road rage on NE 16th between Tillamook and Thompson
“The woman driving the car proceeds to call me a ‘faggot’ and to ‘ride on the sidewalk.'”
— Reader email about a road rage incident in northeast yesterday
This story is part of our Collision Chronicles, an ongoing series to shine a light on the steady stream of street interactions we hear about but that you probably won’t see covered in the news.
The incident below was sent in by a reader via email and it happened Thursday, November 3rd:
Hi there. I had a crazy incident occur earlier today…
So I’m riding my bike on NE 16th between Tillamook and Thompson. To give you backdrop, this is a designated bike route that is usually spare of vehicles and the type of road where I often see people running on the street. It’s a very calm, residential side-street with friendly drivers. Most of the time.
In any case, I’m approaching the stop sign at NE Thompson and while I’m within 10 feet of the sign a speeding vehicle tries to pass me. Like at the intersection. She brakes HARD and slides uncontrollably for around 5 feet. This was a roughly 2000 green Dodge Caravan with the front passenger side window busted out.
Mailbag: People have lots to say about maintaining status quo on the St. Johns Bridge
“I understand you’re upset, but don’t make my long commute worse by backing up traffic… You don’t have the right to impede my way home on a public street. Try standing on the sidewalk with signs regarding your concerns.”
— Email to BikePortland about last night’s protest ride on the St. Johns Bridge.
It happens every time there’s a high profile fatality involving a bicycle in Portland: People who never read BikePortland see me talking on the news or read my quotes in articles and they can’t resist giving me a piece of their mind. They will sometimes leave voicemails on our tipline; but they usually email.
The recent fatal collision on the St. Johns Bridge has spurred a lot of local media coverage and as a result my inbox was full of several such emails. It’s one thing when people spout of hate-filled screeds in The Oregonian/OregonLive comments section (a vile place); but it’s much different when they take the time to share their opinion with the local bike blog.
I want to share a few of these emails with you because I feel it’s important that we have a clear understanding where people are coming from when it comes to transportation culture in Portland. Keep in mind, the views expressed from the people below are relatively reasonable compared to anonymous online comments. Also keep in mind that these are the same people who are very likely to take the time to write their elected leaders when a bike-related infrastructure investment or policy is being debated.
Photos and memories of the 2016 N.O.I.S.E. Ride – an urban singlespeed rally
One of the stops in the competition involved racing around a mini-velodrome that was constructed by visitors from Seattle and installed at a picnic area in Peninsula Park.
(Photos by Christopher San Agustin)
(Photos by Christopher San Agustin)