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Advocates fear loss of dedicated biking and walking funds from Metro

JPACT meeting-2

A JPACT meeting at Metro.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Regional leaders are hinting that it might be time to stop dedicating a key funding source to biking and walking projects. And advocates are not taking it lightly.

The discussion is centered around what is known as the regional flexible funding allocation, a pot of money Metro gets from the federal government and then hands out to cities and counties. In the next round of allocations for 2019-2021, $38 million (out of a total of $125 million) is set-aside specifically for infrastructure. (The rest goes to transit bond payments ($48 million) and region-wide planning and program investments ($28 million). There’s another $11 million that might be available for infrastructure but that’s not decided yet).

Unlike the vast majority of transportation dollars (gas tax and other mode-specific loan and grant programs), local governments can spend flexible funds however they want — which means something other than highway widening, rail transit or bridge upgrades. That makes flexible funds extremely competitive. In the past, Metro has chosen to invest these funds into two categories: freight and biking/walking (a.k.a. active transportation).

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State and city fast-track closure of extra offramp near east end of Broadway Bridge

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The extra “slip ramp” from
I-5 onto Broadway would close.

Here’s some good news about one of the most dangerous spots on one of Portland’s most popular bike routes.

The Oregon Department of Transportation and City of Portland are planning to break ground this spring on much-anticipated changes to the area where a southbound Interstate 5 offramp drops people fresh off the freeway into a slip lane that curves across the North Broadway bike lane.

This project had previously been scheduled to start next summer.

The changes planned will mean that when someone exits I-5 to head across the Broadway Bridge, instead of seeing this (a “slip lane” that is all but begging people to roll through it, right into a bike lane)…

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Portland’s former urban bike farmer releases new book

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If you’ve lived in Portland long enough you’ve probably caught site of someone on a bike hauling yard and home improvement tools around. We have organizations that plant trees by bike, businesses that do landscaping and carpentry by bike, and we even have farmers who’ve replaced the iconic work-truck with a work-bike.

One of those farmers, Kollibri terre Sonnenblume, has now written a book about it. Adventures in Urban Bike Farming from Macska Moksha Press is what Sonnenblume calls, “Equal parts historical document, confessional memoir and social critique.”

Don’t let the title of the book fool you, based on an excerpt made available by the publisher Sonnenblume has just as many insights to share about Portland’s cultural upheaval in the past decade as he does about how to increase potato yields. “If you’re looking for a message of ‘rah rah, look how sustainable we are!’,” he says, “you won’t find it here.”

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Scary pinch-point on Lombard puts new ORcycle trouble-reporting app to the test

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
bike lane ends lombard

Where the bike lane ends.
(Image: Google Street View)

After our report last month about the Oregon Department of Transportation’s new “ORcycle” app for reporting biking problems, BikePortland reader Hazel G. decided to try it out.

Hazel regularly bikes on NE Lombard Street, a U.S. highway managed by the state, under the overpass of 42nd Avenue. This is one of those overpasses where it suddenly becomes less important to separate people biking from 50 mph motor traffic than to ensure that both lanes of motor traffic don’t have to merge into a single lane. (This is a strange American approach to street design that we compared with European practices in 2013.)

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Local transgender racer told she can’t enter men’s championship event – Updated

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
Stumptown Criterium-13

Cameron at the Stumptown Criterium in 2014.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Molly Cameron, a 39-year old local professional cyclocross racer and owner of Portland Bicycle Studio, has just gotten some bad news. Despite a stellar racing season where she amassed 14 top five finishes in the highly competitive men’s “A” category, she has been told by USA Cycling (USAC, the governing body of racing in America) that she cannot race in the men’s event at the Cycloross National Championships next month in Asheville, North Carolina.

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Weekend Event Guide: BikeCraft, new beer, a singalong, and more

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A new belt made out of recycled inner tubes? What will you find at BikeCraft?
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

This menu of delicious rides and events is brought to you by our friends at Hopworks Urban Brewery. Their support makes BikePortland possible.

Whether it’s because racing season is over or due to the crazy weather, we realize you might not be riding as much as usual lately. If that’s true, than this weekend we’ve got some very mellow rides and events that might be right up your alley.

What are your plans? Check out our suggestions below…

Saturday, December 12th

Multi-Faith Friendship Ride to Rizwan Mosque – 10:30 am at Japanese American Historical Plaza (2 NW Naito Parkway in Waterfront Park)
Our News Editor Michael Andersen is leading this ride because he wants to do his part to counter all the Muslim hatred and bigotry going on in America right now. If you are curious about Islam and want to meet and support local Muslims, come along for the ride. More info here.

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Event: Multi-Faith Friendship Ride to Rizwan Mosque

In the last few weeks, some people in the Portland area and elsewhere have expressed hatred and anger toward refugees fleeing danger and toward Muslims.

I’m a secular Christian by culture who doesn’t know a ton about Islam, and I’m not sure I know a single Muslim. I would like to do my part to help prevent a wave of hatred from engulfing our country but that’s hard to do when you don’t know anything or anyone directly affected.

That’s why I’m going to ride my bike to an event Saturday at the Ahmaddiya Muslim Community, on Southwest 35th Drive.

Here’s the event description from the mosque, which is also posted on its website:

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City proposes parking-protected bike lanes for Gateway retail district

nacto parking protected

A rendering by national organization NACTO of a parking-protected bike lane. A similar configuration could be coming to the NE Halsey/Weidler couplet in the heart of the Gateway district.
(Image: Urban Bikeway Design Guide)

If Gateway is ever going to get going, it’ll take tricks like this.

City planners have high hopes for this area on the inner edge of East Portland — literally. It’s zoned for downtown-style skyscrapers but (despite being fed by three MAX lines) currently devotes its real estate to gas stations, fast food joints and parking lots.

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From the Archives

The 10 busiest bicycling spots in Portland