BikePortland

Budget update: Safety upgrades to outer Halsey and ‘Seasonal Naito’ poised for funding

Buffered bike lanes, safer crossings, and lower speed limits could be coming soon to Northeast Halsey.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

And then there were two.

Winners and losers are coming into focus in the mad dash for cash that is known as the Fall Budget Monitoring Process (BuMP). Two of the five Bureau of Transportation projects we’ve been tracking are now poised for funding.

$8 million from the city’s General Fund is up for grabs this go-round with about $4 million of that total set-aside for major maintenance and infrastructure projects. The process began with each city bureau submitting their funding requests. Then the City Budget Office offered their opinions to City Council. The final step before the budget is voted on at Council next week was to see what the Mayor wanted to do.

As we alluded to in a post this morning, we can now confirm that — out of the six PBOT projects in the discretionary category (as in, not part of the major maintenance and infrastructure list) — Mayor Hales has formally requested $350,000 for the Seasonal Naito project and $1 million for new sidewalks and other “safety improvements” on Northeast Halsey Street between 112th and 162nd Avenues (the Gresham border).

Naito Parkway traffic observations -14.jpg

We can set this in stone every summer for five years if we let City Council know we want it.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Bicycle access through and to Waterfront Park is in dire need of help. And ‘Seasonal Better Naito’ — a project proposed by the Bureau of Transportation and supported by Mayor Charlie Hales — is our best chance to get it.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Three new job opportunities offered up this week.

Learn more about each one via the links below…

–> Tig welding & brazing specialist – HIA Velo (Little Rock, AR)

–> Machining Specialist – HIA Velo (Little Rock, AR)

–> Bike Tour Guide Worldwide – Trek Travel

One of three options would include a ramp and an elevator.(Drawings: Port of Cascade Locks) — One of three options would include a ramp and an elevator.
(Drawings: Port of Cascade Locks)

For over a decade the city of Cascade Locks in the Columbia River Gorge has wanted to rebuild the entrance to their marquee destination: Marine Park. Now the project is moving forward and they want to hear what you think about the options.

Currently, the only entrance to Marine Park (a place that attracts 350,000 annual visitors) is down a narrow road at the far end of the main commercial area. The road makes a sharp right turn under a set of railroad tracks before emerging on the other side. Besides having height restrictions, the underpass is so narrow that there’s no accomodation for people on foot or on bikes. “The current undercrossing’s narrow width is dangerous to pedestrians, strollers, wheelchair users and cyclists trying to enter or exit the park at the same time as vehicles,” wrote the Port of Cascade Locks to the Oregon Department of Transportation in a project grant application. “It has a steep grade, blind 90-degree corner, and shared lanes. The new overcrossing would protect non-vehicle traffic from potential crashes.”

Yikes. This weekend is packed and Saturday should be mostly sunny, so finish up your Halloween costumes early and get outside. In fact, why not take your costume for a test ride? Whether you’re looking for eccentric or educational, there’s plenty to choose from.

Check out our weekend picks below and have fun out there!

Friday, October 21st

Art Exhibit: Annexation & Assimilation Along 82nd Ave – 6:00pm APANO/JADE Multicultural Space (8114 SE Division St)
This one-day only exhibition uses 20ft large-scale video projections, poster installations, oral histories and a theater performance to explore the fraught process of annexation and growth as experienced by disparate communities east of 82nd Ave. The result is an accelerating and visceral mash-up of Portland’s past and present along this boundary, which is at once both real and imagined. Free. Learn more here.

The top-ranked project would make walking and rolling to 82nd Avenue and Gateway much easier.

The Cully neighborhood would get a new biking and walking “parkway” and big roads that run through two major commercial districts in east Portland near I-205 could be updated and vastly improved for people on bikes and foot if the City of Portland is able to convince Metro to give them the cash to do it.

Nutcase founder Michael Morrow in 2011.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

10 years after being founded by a former Nike employee, Portland-based Nutcase Inc. has been acquired by Bravo Sports Corporation.

The move brings Nutcase under an umbrella of 23 other brands owned and/or managed by Bravo Sports that includes well-known names in the skateboarding market like Kryptonics, Sector 9, Pro-Tec, and Vision Street Wear. Bravo also owns children’s scooter brand Pulse Performance Products, holds major licensing agreements with Marvel, Nickelodeon, Disney/Pixar (and others), and holds exclusive rights to license, manufacture, and market E-Z UP tents. Bravo Sports is backed by Transom Capital Group, a private equity firm based in Los Angeles.

Nutcase was founded in 2006 by Michael Morrow. Over the past decade the company has grown steadily and has become a leading helmet brand known for their focus on eye-catching designs. After establishing a strong foothold in the U.S. market, Nutcase made a big push into Europe in 2013 and now has distributors in over 40 countries worldwide. In February of this year the company hired its first-ever CEO and a few months ago Nutcase made the decision to drop their motorsports helmets to focus exclusively on bicycling helmets.

The Craigslist post (still up as of today) said the bike was, "Recently bought for me as a gift but I'm not much into bicycle riding." — The Craigslist post (still up as of today) said the bike was, “Recently bought for me as a gift but I’m not much into bicycle riding.”

Northwest Portland resident Tina Penman is feeling very grateful for the Portland Police Bureau today. After her bike got stolen on Monday she set up a Craiglist sting with an officer who rolled up just in time to bust the thief.

In the interest of educating others about how to prevent and recover a stolen bike, we asked Tina to share how it all went down. Here’s her story…

With the rain and winds late last week into this past weekend, I took a 5-day hiatus from riding my bike. On Monday night, I popped down to my building’s private courtyard to say hi (who doesn’t miss their bike after a 5-day hiatus?) and see how it was doing. I live in an apartment complex in the Pearl and you need a fob to gain access to this area. To my unpleasant surprise, it was no longer there. I had it locked using a Kryptonite Chain Combination Lock in a well-lit area next to two other bikes (one was my husband’s) that remain unscathed.

I immediately hit up my husband and a couple friends to ask for advice. My bike had a Tile tracker attached to seat and I wasn’t sure how it would work in a situation where my bike could be anywhere. Tile utilizes a Bluetooth connection so you have to be in very close proximity for an item with a Tile attached to be found. I hopped in a Zipcar, drove real slow around some popular camps in PDX in hopes my Tile app would capture my bike, but no such luck. After driving around for an hour, I realized it was like searching for a needle in a haystack so I called it quits and went home.

Read more

Job: Tig welding & brazing specialist – HIA Velo (Little Rock, AR)

Job Title *
Tig welding & brazing specialist

Company/Organization *
HIA Velo/Little Rock, AR

Job Description *
HIA Velo is looking for an energetic and hardworking tig welding/brazing specialist to join our core team. We are a passionate team of cycling focused individuals who pride ourselves on building quality frames close to some of the best roads and trails in the US. Are you able to self-manage, have a strong work ethic and the desire to be part of a small dedicated team? If yes, then you might be the perfect fit.

JOB FUNCTION
• Perform cosmetic frame welds (Thin wall steel)
• Braze small parts (inserts, cable stops, bosses, etc.)
• Quality control
• Assist in other production areas as needed
• Communicate when workflow or process are inefficient
• Participate in brainstorming to improve manufacturing process

BASIC REQUIREMENTS
• Working experience tig welding thin wall steel tubing
• Silver brazing experience
• Ability to read prints
• Good with hand tools and measuring devices
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Extremely detail oriented, organized, and dependable
• Windows based computer programs a plus
• Must be able to lift 30 Pounds

Position is temp to hire. PTO and health insurance credits are available after 90-day probation period. Pay is dependent on experience. Shift hours are Mon-Fri 7:30am-3:30pm.

How to Apply *
Please send resume and cover letter in the body of your email to: careers@hiavelo.com

Walk-ins will be disqualified.
We are not hiring interns or trainees at this time.

Job: Machining Specialist – HIA Velo (Little Rock, AR)

Job Title *
Machining Specialist

Company/Organization *
HIA Velo/Little Rock, AR

Job Description *
HIA Velo is looking for an energetic and hardworking manual machining specialist to join our core team. We are a passionate team of cycling focused individuals who pride ourselves on building quality frames close to some of the best roads and trails in the US. Are you able to self-manage, have a strong work ethic and the desire to be part of a small dedicated team? If yes, then you might be the perfect fit.

JOB FUNCTION
• Set-up and operation knee mills & lathes
• Cope bicycle frame tubing (Steel, aluminum & carbon fiber)
• Create tooling
• Quality control
• Assist in other production areas as needed
• Communicating when workflow or process are inefficient
• Participate in brainstorming to improve manufacturing process

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

• Working experience with manual mills, lathes and other fabrication machinery.
• Ability to read prints
• Good with hand tools and measuring devices
• Ability to operate machines with digital read outs
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Extremely detail oriented, organized, and dependable
• Windows based computer programs a plus
• Must be able to lift 30 Pounds

Position is temp to hire. PTO and health insurance credits are available after 90-day probation period. Pay is dependent on experience. Shift hours are Mon-Fri 7:30am-4:00pm.

How to Apply *
Please send resume and cover letter in the body of your email to: careers@hiavelo.com

Walk-ins will be disqualified.
We are not hiring interns or trainees at this time.

Cargo trike company B-Line takes over delivery for SoupCycle

Bike-powered business, urban freight delivery and local food production have come together in a very exciting way in Portland.

Today two local companies that have built strong niches hauling cargo with pedal power — B-Line and SoupCycle — announced they’ve joined forces. From now on B-Line’s electric-assist cargo trikes will distribute meals for SoupCycle, a company with over 600 customers throughout Portland.

It’s an intriguing collaboration that shows the maturity of Portland’s bike business ecosystem and it comes just days after the University of Washington debuted a new “Urban Freight Lab” in partnership with major retailers and shipping companies with an aim to make downtown deliveries more efficient and friendlier for humans and the environment.

For SoupCycle and B-Line, the move allows both of them to do more of what they do best.

This week’s Monday Roundup is brought to you by our friends at Bicycle Fitting Services, who reminds you that it’s the perfect time of year to dial-in your fit for maximum power and comfort.

Here are the best stories we came across last week:

Bike valet at the train station: Great news from Amtrak: You can now simply check your bicycle as luggage on the Coast Starlight route which goes from L.A. to Seattle.

Utrecht makes it look easy: This transformation of a street in the Dutch city of Utrecht shows the pinnacle of people-centered design. And yes, it unabashedly comes at the expense of space for driving.

An opportunity for cargo bikes?: Good news: University of Washington now has a corporate-funded Urban Freight Lab to figure out more efficient urban, last-mile deliveries. Bad news: The word “bike” doesn’t appear in the article and “drones” and “autonomous vehicles” does.

Perspective on “inner cities”: After an awkward moment in the second presidential debate, The Black Urbanist Kristin Jeffers lays out some important perspective about who lives where (and why).

Budget update: Safety upgrades to outer Halsey and ‘Seasonal Naito’ poised for funding

Call to action: Let’s make ‘Seasonal Better Naito’ a reality

Jobs of the Week: Trek Travel, HIA Velo

Cascade Locks unveils designs for new carfree bridge into Marine Park

Weekend Event Guide: Freak bikes, singlespeeding, the ‘Ovas’, and more

Friday, October 21st

Metro gives east Portland bikeway and safety projects highest rankings for federal funding

Portland’s Nutcase Helmets acquired by private equity firm

Police surprise Craigslist seller to help woman get her stolen bike back

Job: Tig welding & brazing specialist – HIA Velo (Little Rock, AR)

Job: Machining Specialist – HIA Velo (Little Rock, AR)

Cargo trike company B-Line takes over delivery for SoupCycle

The Monday Roundup: Carfree holy day, six-foot traffic cone, bikes on trains, and more

Latest Headlines

Dispatch from hiatus and update on the future

Reminder: No riding through River View Cemetery during Memorial Day Weekend

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Guest Opinion: The bike beat lives on in all of us

From the Archives

The 10 busiest bicycling spots in Portland