TriMet survey finds no clear answers for cutting bikes-on-MAX crowding

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Bikes and people squeeze
onto a MAX train.
(Photos © J.Maus/BikePortland)

Many people who take their bikes on MAX have had to skip a train at least a few times because it’s too full of people.

But park a bike at the station because all the hooks are full? Not so common. Most riders will wheel it on anyway if they can, even if it’ll block other people from boarding down the line.

Those are two findings from an online survey, conducted as part of TriMet’s bike plan, that explored the problem of people trying to take their bikes on MAX and bus but running out of space.

Here’s the question about skipping trains that can’t fit a bike. 21 percent of respondents said this happens to them “often,” and another 38 percent said they’ve done so once or twice:

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Bait bike programs trace thefts but can struggle to convict, KATU reports

With Reed College’s bait bike program dealing with enforcement challenges, local ABC affiliate KATU-TV is shedding more light on the thorny issue of theft deterrence.

In the most recent case, KATU reported yesterday, one of the bikes that the college has equipped with a GPS unit was tracked to a “chop shop hidden behind [a] bookcase.” But nobody was arrested, because there was no easy way to prove that any specific person in the house had done the deed.

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Job: PDX General Manager – Motivate International, Inc.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title *
PDX General Manager

Company/Organization *
Motivate International, Inc.

Job Description *
Motivate is the world’s leading bike share operator, powering systems in New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and other North American cities. We have nearly 17,000 bicycles in our fleet and 150,000+ members throughout the ten systems we operate, and are growing fast.

In September, 2015, it was announced that Motivate International, Inc. was selected by the City of Portland to plan, implement and operate its bike share system. Portland is continuing to grow at an unprecedented rate so this is a very exciting opportunity for a General Manager to join our Motivate team.

We’re committed to innovation and working actively with our vendors to provide best-in-class technology to deliver great customer experience and operational excellence.

Motivate is led by one of the world’s most innovative transportation executives as CEO and is backed by world class investors.

We offer an opportunity to work with the most passionate, creative and proven team in this emerging, dynamic industry that is transforming cities around the globe.

Overview of Position:

The General Manager will be responsible for supporting the launch of the program and overseeing all aspects of the bike share system’s ongoing operations. The GM will represent Motivate to program stakeholders, including the City, the program’s sponsors, and the community. This position reports to the VP of Operations.

Key Aspects of Position:

Oversee all aspects of the bike share customer experience, including system operations/maintenance, membership and corporate sales, customer service, and interaction with vendors and clients.
Oversee and carefully manage budget to control costs, forecast revenues, and ensure system viability.
Manage multiple subcontracts.
Maximize revenues and profitability for bike share system.
Use and improve bike share operations best practices.
Identify and share opportunities for efficiency.
Identify and address key strategic barriers and opportunities critical to the success of local operations.
Work closely with City, sponsors, and other business and community stakeholders.
Ensure contractual obligations are met or exceeded.
Ensure reporting metrics are met, and where needed, improved.
Ensure reporting is complete and timely delivered to clients and senior management.

How to Apply *
Please apply directly to the link attached below:

https://www.appone.com/MainInfoReq.asp?R_ID=1159353

Flyers by Woodward residents question ‘isolated’ diverter at 32nd and Clinton

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A poster taped to some poles in the Richmond area.

In advance of Thursday’s city open house about a proposed traffic diverter at SE 32nd and Clinton, a set of flyers shows the nuance among people who are concerned about the current plan.

In short: even the people who are trying to organize opposition to this plan seem to be arguing for more diverters, not fewer.

The anonymous creator of these flyers is concerned that if a new traffic diverter is placed at 32nd, “hundreds of cars” currently using Clinton as a westbound neighborhood cut-through during rush hour will turn south at 32nd and then make the first right, which is Woodward Street.

This is reminiscent of a sentence that advocates for bike infrastructure hear frequently:

I support bike safety and ride a bike myself but (PROPOSED BIKEWAY IMPROVEMENT) is wrongheaded because (POSSIBLE PROBLEM FOR ME) so the real solution is (POLITICALLY OR FINANCIALLY IMPOSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE).

But if you look closely, that’s not quite what’s going on here.

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Book Review: Our Bodies, Our Bikes

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The cover art is a nod to The Sprockettes,
a mini-bike dance team based in Portland.

[Publisher’s note: Please welcome our new writer Jessie Kwak. She’ll be writing a range of stories, including a monthly product review. – Jonathan]

As a woman who’s been riding her bike for years, I’ve learned a lot about how to deal with my gender-specific cycling needs – mostly through awkwardly-broached conversations with other women who bike. There are a lot of questions that no one wants to ask. “Are you supposed to wear underwear under those padded bike shorts?” “Is it weird that I’m constantly starving since I started bike commuting?” And the biggie: “How do you make it stop hurting you-know-where?”

Reading Our Bodies, Our Bikes, a new book edited by Elly Blue and April Streeter (and funded via a Kickstarter campaign), is a lot like having those weird conversations. Just in loud, joyful voices using poetic turns of phrase.

The book is full of essays by women willing to delve into the most intimate parts of their lives as openly as if they were knocking back a few beers with their girlfriends.

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Kaiser parking plan could threaten key bikeway but may boost Lloyd’s boom

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People bike on NE 7th Avenue north of Multnomah, across the street from one of Kaiser Permanente’s three surface parking lots.
(Photo: M.Andersen/BikePortland)

There aren’t many ways that a new six-story $13 million parking garage subsidized by a health care company is good news. But at least in this case it might not be entirely bad.

Kaiser Permanente, the medical insurer and provider that owns more than three acres of surface and two-story parking lots between Northeast Grand Avenue, 7th Avenue, Wasco Street and Holladay Street, said Monday that it’s looking to build a new 700-space garage with ground-floor retail at 500 NE Multnomah Street.

That’s the site of Kaiser’s existing, seismically delicate two-story parking garage, immediately east and southeast of its office tower.

The site is adjacent to a MAX stop with service east and west every three to seven minutes for most of the day, plus a streetcar line and four bus lines, three of which offer frequent service or will soon.

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The Monday Roundup: Chicago’s low-car suburb, London’s media and more

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Evanston’s rail stations: not just for show.
(Photo: City of Evanston)

Here are the bike-related links from around the world that caught our eyes this week:

Low-car suburb: Evanston, Illinois, slashed its parking requirements, joined Chicago’s bike share system and has seen building near rail stations boom. Eighty percent of the university town’s households within half a mile of its rail stops own either one or zero cars.

Fatality coverage: London’s media went from covering 6 percent of local bike fatalities in 1992-1994 to 75 percent of them in 2010-2012. Scientists wonder if this may have distorted public perception of biking’s danger.

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Rising rents? Talk tonight at RNA meeeting

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

PSU Professor Matthew Gebhardt will talk tonight at the RNA Land Use meeting about rising rents and housing prices, and what influences or causes these increases, whether it is regulations, or lending practices or other factors.

Meeting starts at 7 PM at Waverly Church, 3300 SE Woodward. Professor Gebhardt’s talk starts around 7:30 PM.

Weekend Event Guide: Scary cyclocross, architecture, tricks and treats, and more

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Bend Cyclocross weekend 2-26

It’s that spooky time of year again and that means many Portlanders will spend the weekend in Bend for the annual Cross Crusade craziness.
(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.

If you love costume rides, this is your weekend. With Halloween-themed rides galore, you should have no trouble finding a ride to let your freaky flag fly.

What are your plans for the weekend? Whatever they are we hope they include a bike (or maybe you need a bike break? That’s fine too).

Have a great weekend!

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From the Archives

With six kids and no car, this mom does it all by bike