Comment of the Week: How the history of cell phones explains American streets

Ride Along with Ali Reis-30

Surrounded by investments in everything else.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

“Why is Portland-ish planning not spreading more rapidly?”

That was the question BikePortland reader Paul asked on Monday morning, after reading about how the Danish rust-belt city of Odense is rebuilding its economy around livable streets. It’s a great question, and it got a great answer from BikePortland reader Anne Hawley.

Anne went back to the 1800s for an analogy of how too many U.S. cities went astray and have stayed that way:

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On bikeways, paint matters when it’s all we’ve got

NE Multnomah Bikeway

The bikeway on NE Multnomah is only as strong as the paint that protects it. In this photo, notice how people park in the bikeway buffer in the foreground where it lacks paint versus how people park in the background where the paint is more visible.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

There are a lot of reasons why using only paint to separate bicycle operators from motor vehicle operators is problematic. Today I’ll share an example that speaks to the importance of maintenance.

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Zoobomb’s Mini Bike Winter is about to invade Portland

Mini Bike Winter 2012 - Chariot Wars-39

A scene from the 2012 edition.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

One of our city’s most time-honored traditions is prepping for its big annual bash. Yes folks, it’s time for Mini Bike Winter! Put on by our friendly local Zoobombers, this annual extravanganza of unique skills challenges performed on highly-modified, child-sized bicycles is now in its 13th year.

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Nine questions for Better Block founder Jason Roberts

jason roberts

Mr. Roberts in action.
(Photo: Better Block)

If you had to pick a single person to thank for the wave of live on-street demos that’s been spreading rapidly around the country — most recently, today’s pop-up protected bike lane on Southwest Broadway — it’d probably be Jason Roberts.

In 2010, the Dallas-based planner co-created what’s now The Better Block Foundation by raising $1,000 for a semi-legal weekend demo of bike lanes, street flowerpots, cafe seating and pedestrian space in the city’s Oak Cliff neighborhood. From there, Roberts has spun the concept into a group that has lent its name to disciples around the country and last month received a $775,000 grant from the Knight Foundation to enshrine live community-led demos as a legitimate part of American urban planning.

As we wrote on Tuesday, Roberts is visiting Portland this week for a talk at City Hall on Friday. We caught up with him for an interview about how to run a great street demo, how these projects can improve cities and why they were developed in Dallas, of all places.

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Gas tax ‘Yes’ campaign says it’s got $17,000 in pledges, will aim to raise more

fix our streets

The campaign named a committee of backers
Thursday.

Five months after a poll showed a slight majority of likely Portland voters would support a temporary 10-cent gas tax to improve local streets, some donors are hoping cash will lock that lead in for the May election.

Backers of a local gas tax have so far pledged $17,000 for the effort, campaign strategist Stacey Dycus said Tuesday.

“We’re going to ask some local electeds to help chip in,” Dycus said. “We’re going to ask businesses to chip in. We’re looking for help from organizations. … Hopefully organizations and businesses and individuals are going to step up and help us tell the story.”

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A closer look at the ‘Better Broadway’ pop-up protected bikeway

braodwaybr4after

(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

For today only you can feel what it’s like to ride on Southwest Broadway without the threat of someone opening a car door into you, or someone parking in the bike-only lane, or someone squeezing you into parked cars. (Sorry I can’t promise you won’t be right-hooked before you get there.) That’s because a trio of “tactical urbanists” have come together to create a temporary protected bike lane between Salmon and Taylor, just outside the doors of the Hilton Hotel where a smart growth conference is taking place.

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BTA and environmental groups line up against bill that could boost bus service 42%

First snow day of 2014-1

The proposed tax hike would be enough to upgrade
20 bus lines to frequent service.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

A coalition of transportation and environmental groups is opposing a payroll tax that would create a massive boost to TriMet bus service.

As reported Wednesday by The Oregonian, they’re doing so because the tax would fall flatly on both rich and poor workers, like TriMet’s existing payroll tax does.

The main differences: unlike TriMet’s employer-side payroll tax of 0.7337 percent, which is invisible to employees, this tax of 0.185 percent would appear on paychecks alongside Social Security and Medicare; and the revenue could be spent only on bus service, unlike other payroll taxes that have been earmarked for new rail service, bus service or construction projects.

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‘Negligence gap’ bill passes committee 4-1, now heads for Senate vote

prozanski

Senator Floyd Prozanski ferried
the bill through committee.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

The Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee voted 4-1 to pass a bill that would revise existing law and create a new crime for negligent motor vehicle operators.

As we reported yesterday, Senate Bill 1553 would add one sentence to the list of behaviors that could result in someone charged with violating ORS 163.165. The sentence reads, “[A person commits the crime of assault in the third degree if the person:] With criminal negligence causes serious physical injury to another who is a vulnerable user of a public way by means of a motor vehicle.”

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s office is pushing for this new law out of frustration over cases where someone causes serious physical injury due to their negligent driving and is able to walk away with only a traffic ticket. The new crime would come with a felony charge punishable by a maximum of 11 months in jail for the most egregious cases. The DA’s office say they anticipate most of the cases will result in probation and a restitution payment plan to the victim overseen by a parole officer. In total the law is estimated to be triggered in about 15-16 annual cases statewide.

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Pop-up protected bike lane coming to SW Broadway tomorrow

bblockbroadway

Mock-up of a bikeway that’s set to make a cameo on Broadway tomorrow.
(Image: Nick Falbo/Alta Planning + Design)

Tactical urbanism is about to make another imprint on Portland’s downtown streetscape. Tomorrow morning, a trio of planning and place-making groups are planning to create a temporary protected bike lane on one block of Southwest Broadway.

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Latest Headlines

Bicycle rider struck and killed by MAX train after crossing barriers

Transportation bill amendments target 12-foot minimum lane width

Portland man hit intentionally by driver on Pedalpalooza ride shares his story

E-bike rebate and path funding return to transportation bill with luxury car tax

From the Archives

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