BikePortland

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

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.

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.

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.

Northeast Portland’s bikes-for-all charity/advocacy organization and nonprofit bike shop has a new look.

For the second time since its founding in 1994, the Community Cycling Center has “refreshed” its branding, offering a new digital-friendly logo and one of those scroll-y mobile-friendly websites.

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.

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.

Comment of the Week: A better way from Clinton to Tilikum

Here’s another way to go.
(Map by Google)

Sometimes, you just have to stop reading the signs.

That’s the advice from BikePortland reader axoplasm, who responded to Tuesday’s post about the hassles of navigating to the east landing of Tilikum Crossing with a homemade route of his own that he said is “slightly longer” but “much faster, with simpler crossings and saner stoplights.”

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!

A quick, cheap crosswalk enhancement on 3rd Street in Austin, Tex.
(Photos: M.Andersen)

Austin, where I spent a few days this week, is not yet a great city to bike in. But some of the ideas it’s developed in its bid to become one are useful, and here’s one.

Looking for a new job or for a change of pace? We’ve got five great job opportunities for you to consider. Learn more about them via the links below…

Inside Sales Consultant – Bike Friday
Customer Service Manager – EVELO
Delivery Partner – GrubHub
Customer Service Rep – Yakima Products, Inc.
Inside Sales, Customer Service and Marketing – HGNR Inc.

Former BTA Advocacy Manager Michelle Poyourow and BTA
Deputy Director Steph Noll: undecided voters.
(Photos: J.Maus/BikePortland)

Last week, the spring 2016 race for Portland mayor looked like a hard-fought duel between two very similar people. On Monday, when Mayor Charlie Hales dropped out, it briefly raised the possibility of a coronation for the remaining major candidate, State Treasurer Ted Wheeler.

By Wednesday, it once again seemed clear that this will be a race. State House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson, former Metro Councilor Robert Liberty and Portland Association of Teachers President Gwen Sullivan said they’re considering runs. Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury and Multnomah County Chief Operating Officer Marissa Madrigal have both been conspicuously silent so far.

Amid all this, we wondered what the city’s bike advocates have been thinking. So we asked a bunch of them.

Roger Averbeck snapped this photo after recognizing the bike as one stolen from Southwest Bicycle in Multnomah Village last week.
(Photo by Roger Averbeck)

Quick thinking by a southwest Portland resident has resulted in a local shop being able to recover two bikes that were stolen from them last week.

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

Book Review: Our Bodies, Our Bikes

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

Community Cycling Center unveils new logo, website and a very nice video

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

Rising rents? Talk tonight at RNA meeeting

Comment of the Week: A better way from Clinton to Tilikum

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

Postcard from Austin: curb extensions that don’t block bikes

Jobs of the Week: Bike Friday, GrubHub, EVELO, Yakima, HGNR

10 biking advocates on Portland’s fast-changing mayoral race

Quick thinking leads shop to two stolen bikes

Latest Headlines

Dispatch from hiatus and update on the future

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

Guest Article: Demand a pause on PBOT’s SW Alder decision

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

From the Archives

The 10 busiest bicycling spots in Portland