Duckworth Dock was the end spot for the 2022 Yacht Rock Ride. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
I hope everyone is having fun on all the great rides going on. Remember that it’s Bike Summer / Pedalpalooza season so you’ll want to check the official calendar and/or grab the Bike Fun App (iPhones only) for all the ride options!
Check out my picks for the best things to do for bike lovers this weekend…
Friday, June 28th
Sprockettes Hangout – 6:00 pm at Irving Park (NE) Members of Portland’s now defunct mini-bike dance team, the Sprockettes, are in town for a 20th anniversary reunion and they want to hangout with old fans. More info here.
Loud N Lit – 8:30 pm at Irving Park (NE) The biggest and baddest party ride of Bike Summer / Pedalpalooza is here. Light your bike, your body, and your mind and get out there to soak in the full Portland bike scene experience. More info here.
Saturday, June 29th
Reborn Bikes Cruiser Sale – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at Summerlin Center Parking Lot (West Linn) All bikes just $100 at this must-visit sale of refurbished bikes. Huge selection. First come, first served! More info here.
Cathedral Park River Fest & Yacht Rock Ride – 2:15 pm at Peninsula Park (N) Our friends at Human Access Project have restored a sandy beach and upgraded the dock at Cathedral Park under the St. Johns Bridge and they’re throwing a big party to celebrate. And if you like yacht rock, come join us at Peninsula Park for a ride to the big bash. There will be food vendors, swimming, and immaculate hangout vibes. More info here.
Neighborhood Celebration for Safe Streets – 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Lents Park (SE) PBOT and Oregon House Rep. Khanh Pham want to share all the cool bike and walk network updates they’ve made recently in the district. Show up for a family-friendly park party with drinks, games and quality time with Rep. Pham and PBOT leaders! More info here.
E-Bike Open House – 5:00 to 7:00 pm at River City E-Bikes (SE) Snacks, swag, and 10% off purchase of an e-bike. What else is there to say? OK, how about taking a peek at the amazing selection and spacious showroom of this cool shop. More info here.
Sunday, June 30th
The Alley Ride – 1:30 pm at Peninsula Park (N) You will not regret spending time on this 10-mile ride that will explore the multitudes of wonder available to us all in Portland’s unheralded alleyways. Art, mystery, adventure, alleys! More info here.
Biking With Toddlers Clinic – 3:00 pm at Rose City Park Elementary School (NE) Join other folks with little ones to share tips and tricks for how to make cycling safe and fun. Once you figure out your gear and get advice from others, you’ll be confident to ride with the kids! There’s a playground nearby if anyone get antsy. More info here.
Inflatable Costume Ride – 6:30 pm at Holladay Park (NE) You know you are curious about this. There’s still time to scrounge up an inflatable costume (T-Rex is my personal fave, sumo wrestler is fun too) and challenge yourself to pedal a bicycle while wearing it. More info here.
— Did I miss your event? Please let me know by filling out our contact form, or just email me at maus.jonathan@gmail.com.
One of the models they’re considering. It’s just 48-inches wide. (Photo: Madvac)
Dirty bike lanes have been a persistent problem for the Portland Bureau of Transportation for years. The influx of protected bike lanes too narrow for PBOT vehicles to fit into has made the problem worse. Portlanders of all stripes have complained about the issue; but rocks, gravel and other road detritus continues to plague our bikeways.
At a June 20th meeting of the PBOT Budget Advisory Committee, PBOT Director Millicent Williams addressed the issue. “We’ve heard the voices,” she said. “We just ordered a bike lane sweeper.”
I reached out to PBOT to learn more and turns out the sweeper hasn’t been ordered quite yet, but it’s coming soon. The bureau is on the verge of buying a new electric sweeper designed for spaces as narrow as 48-inches wide.
Tenax.MadvacMadvac and sidewalk for scale.
According to PBOT communications staffers, they’re looking at two models, a Tenax Electra 2.0 Evos and a Madvac LS125E. Both are electric sweepers built for tight spaces. PBOT says they’re getting demos of each model and have set up rental periods for prolonged test rides before pulling the trigger on the purchase. They want to be sure because the Tenax would set them back $345,000 and the Madvac goes for $283,000.
The new sweeper would be used in addition to their other mini-sweeper used for curb-protected bike lanes. That one, a Mathieu MC 210 I profiled back in 2021, works OK, but PBOT says it requires “quite a bit of maintenance.”
In a speech at Bike Happy Hour last week, mayoral candidate Keith Wilson said PBOT had cut all of its street sweeping, and “especially to bike lanes.” I asked PBOT Communications Director Hannah Schafer about that. She said it’s not true. “We are still continuing with bike lane sweeping and it is incorrect to say that we have stopped.”
Despite the maintenance delays with the Mathieu sweeper, Schafer told BikePortland they’ve swept 343 miles of protected bike lanes in the last 12 months, which exceed their goal of 300 miles. One reason Schafer said PBOT has focused on sweeping bike lanes is because striping crews can’t paint fresh lines on dirty roads. So far this season, PBOT has striped 1,664 miles of roads, with 91% of all high crash corridor streets already receiving at least one pass (they try to do at least two passes of striping on all arterials as Portland winters wear down stripes significantly each year).
Regardless of the reason for doing it, cleaner bike lanes are an essential part of keeping people in the saddle. And folks that ride bikes have a right to well-maintained facilities.
PBOT should make a purchase decision on the new sweeper by this coming October. Stay tuned for a BikePortland video where I ride-along on one of the test runs.
Screenshot from State of Oregon livestream video of Joint Committee on Transportation hearing held on June 18th in Tillamook.
There’s a lot of ink spilled over Oregon’s “urban-rural divide,” but a love of bicycling and its benefits is something that ties our state together.
Case in point: Nearly one-third of the people who testified at a public hearing hosted by state lawmakers Tuesday said they want more funding for bike paths. Safe places to bike and walk away from drivers and cars was the most popular issue by far. What’s notable is that the hearing didn’t happen in urban cycling hotspots like Portland or Bend or Corvallis. It happened in the city of Tillamook on the Oregon Coast.
This was the second stop on a 12-city tour of the Oregon Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation and the Oregon Department of Transportation to garner feedback on a possible 2025 transportation package.
As I watched the hearing online, it became clear that rural Oregonians place a very high priority on getting around without a car. 13 of the 30 people who shared testimony said they wanted either better bike paths or better transit. The Salmonberry Trail project in particular — an 86-mile rail-trail that would connect Banks in Washington County with the Oregon Coast — had more support than any project or issue at the hearing.
Rockaway Beach City Councilor Mary McGinnis was just one of six people who talked about the project. “I’m here to encourage you to fund the Salmonberry Trail,” McGinnis said. “When it’s finished, our children will be able to walk to school without having to walk the shoulder of Highway 101 with semi-trucks and people won’t have to get in their cars just to drive to the next business to eat lunch.”
For Libby Golden, the Tillamook County Coast Ambassador for the Salmonberry Trail Foundation, the project is personal. “My son is about to switch from Nehalem Elementary to the middle school in Rockaway,” she shared with committee members. “He’s also just learning how to ride his bike, but we don’t have places for this.”
Other people who spoke up for the Salmonberry Trail included: a man who lives in Manzanita and introduced himself as “an avid bicyclist for 40 years” but said he’s afraid to ride on Highway 101; a representative from the Tillamook Coast Visitors Association who asked the committee to imagine, “a future network of multi-use pathways where hikers and bikers can leave their cars in portland entirely and just access our area by foot or pedal”; and a former director of public works for the City of Wheeler.
Screenshot of ODOT press release.
And two other folks spoke up for a multi-use path between Tillamook and the towns of Netarts and Oceanside as an alternative to narrow and dangerous Highway 131.
But you wouldn’t know that lawmakers and the committee heard all this support for carfree path projects if you read ODOT’s press release about the event. That release was titled, “Coastal residents urge ODOT and lawmakers to ‘maintain what we have'”. “A common theme,” the statement reads, was, “The desire to better maintain the infrastructure we have in order to better connect our communities, support our economy, and keep all travelers safe.”
ODOT’s lead quote from the meeting shared in their press statement was from the owner of a trucking company who urged the state to invest in highways to relieve “bottlenecks” on Portland area freeways. That was despite this person being one of only two people who testified in support of more funding for freeway expansions.
And despite the fact that five people testified in support of better transit service and more funding for buses, ODOT included only one passing reference to transit in their recap statement.
I also noticed the way ODOT framed feedback about walking and bicycling was to point out how dangerous and unsafe it was. It’s too bad they didn’t share the overwhelming support for new paths that would open up human and earth-friendly ways of moving around coastal areas. Several people at the meeting shared a hopeful vision of what these paths would do for people and how they’d have a positive impact on coastal communities.
These 12 tour stops are important; not just for the feedback ODOT receives, but for the narratives that ODOT and lawmakers build from them. There is a clear political agenda going on with lawmakers, lobbyists, and agency staff. That’s fine and I’m aware of that reality. But ODOT needs to be careful and honest with their recaps of these events so that folks who don’t attend or watch the meetings get an accurate assessment of what was talked about.
Standing-room-only at the “Community Conversation about Transportation in Southwest Portland” event. (Photos: Lisa Caballero/BikePortland)
“Alpenrose is forcing the issue.”
– Event attendee
About a hundred and fifty people gathered at the Hayhurst Elementary School auditorium Monday night for a standing-room-only event billed as a “Community Conversation about Transportation in Southwest Portland.” Joining them were nearly 20 elected officials, staff, candidates for office, and representatives from government agencies.
While the impetus for the gathering was the Alpenrose development, the meeting covered the area’s broader transportation problems.
Left to right: Candidates Bob Weinstein, Mitch Green, Eric ZimmermanLeft to right: Candidates Andra Vitavin, Moses Ross, Sarah Silkie, Chad Lykins, Soren UnderdahlCandidate Chad Lykins shakes a voter’s hand, with Representative Dacia Grayber and Washington Co Commissioner Kathryn Harrington to his left.A parade of candidates spoke at the event.
Marita Ingalsbe, a founder of FoA and President of the Hayhurst Neighborhood Association, began the meeting by introducing the public employees in attendance and pointing out how many different jurisdictions were affected by the development plans. Indeed, there were representatives from the cities of Portland and Beaverton, from Washington County and Metro, and from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Trimet. Not to mention that eight of the 18 candidates running to represent Portland City Council District 4 were in attendance.
Let’s just say a lot of hands were shaken and business cards exchanged.
One of the biggest talking points Monday night was the issue of jurisdictional challenges.
The infamous intersection of Scholls Ferry Rd, Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy, and Oleson Rd known as “crash corners,” “consternation corners,” and Councilor Hwang’s “intersection of doom.” Map of the jurisdictional boundaries between Multnomah and Washington Counties. The City of Beaverton is violet, and City of Portland is pale yellow. Unincorporated areas are white. (Source: Metro)
The patchwork of jurisdictions in play is one thing that complicates all transportation issues along the border between Multnomah and Washington counties — not just the Alpenrose development. This north-south border territory has a swath of some of the most poorly designed and dangerous roads you’ll find in the metro area. Those roads don’t have sidewalks or bike lanes, and their cross sections can change as you enter a new jurisdiction.
It’s not right, but it makes sense why that is so. As an advocate, it’s challenging enough to get something fixed when working with just a single jurisdiction, like the City of Portland. But when I was on my neighborhood association’s transportation committee, neighbors would regularly contact me about that speedway known as SW Scholls Ferry Rd, which runs through three jurisdictions: the City of Portland, and unincorporated Washington and Multnomah counties. Why can’t Scholls have a sidewalk, they’d ask. We need another turn lane! We need to get rid of the turn lane! If we narrowed the lanes there would be enough room for a sidewalk and a bike path! I heard it all.
Scholls Ferry is so dangerous for anyone not in a car that TriMet refuses to put bus stops on it. As a transportation volunteer, I never knew where to begin and, apparently, even folks receiving a paycheck don’t know what to do.
In general though, the Washington County side of border territory is mainly unincorporated, with small islands of City of Beaverton within it. The Multnomah County side is mostly City of Portland, which leads to the border territory’s second complication: Portland has neglected to provide basic infrastructure to this part of town for half a century. And no one has wanted to own the growing problem.
But, as one attendee told me, “Alpenrose is forcing the issue.”
Metro Councilor Duncan Hwang’s role
Metro Councilor Duncan Hwang addresses audience. (Photo credit: Richard Clucas)
There is a saying in finance that goes like this: “If you owe the bank a million dollars you’ve got a problem. If you owe the bank $100 million dollars, the bank has a problem.” That doesn’t exactly fit this situation, but as I listened to several public sector employees tell the audience to “keep advocating,” I found myself thinking that the problem is bigger than something neighborhood volunteers should be responsible for solving. And that, yes, the neighbors have a problem, but so do all these different representatives and public sector employees. Alpenrose is a whale of a development which, when you consider that recent “missing middle” housing rules allow each eventual owner to add additional units to their property, severely strains the area’s already sub-par transportation system.
(Plus, I was recently in a meeting in which a veteran southwest bicycle advocate quipped “we all have bruises on our foreheads,” presumably from banging heads against the wall for so many decades.)
Hopefully, Metro Councilor Hwang, who played an outsized role in the meeting, and State Representative Dacia Grayber can champion this part of town and orchestrate a solution. Because this is a political problem.
As Marita Ingalsbe explained to me, “It makes sense for Metro as the regional transportation planner to take the lead.”
What about stormwater?
“It shouldn’t take 25 years to get a sidewalk.”
– Mitch Green, city council candidate
In a meeting which covered many, many issues — from sidewalks, to bus service cuts, to transportation plan prioritizations, to matching federal grants, to the state’s upcoming transportation package — one issue I didn’t hear mentioned was the area’s lack of stormwater facilities. In a lot of ways, that’s the problem which unites them all.
Currently southwest Portland does not have a formal stormwater system, instead its run-off drains to streams. Stormwater from impermeable surfaces like sidewalks is not allowed to go, per federal environmental regulation, directly into creeks and streams without treatment to slow it down, cool it off, and filter out pollutants. In many cases, developers cannot be required to provide that treatment for public works like sidewalks, and in recent years public works development review has stopped requiring sidewalks on the frontage of many new developments, thus not capturing for the public good the frontage improvements which are required.
It might make transportation seem more manageable to address it street by street, but, like whack-a-mole, the same inability to put a sidewalk in one place just repeats itself in a different location.
Or, as district four candidate Mitch Green said, “It shouldn’t take 25 years to get a sidewalk.”
My takeaway
This was a remarkable event. I’m impressed that so many residents showed up to a meeting about transportation, and was really blown away to have this collection of elected officials in a room together addressing the topic. That alone felt like an accomplishment.
But to have eight city council candidates already versed in transportation issues, months before the election, and before even holding office, was all I needed to see to believe that our new form of elections, with ranked choice voting and multi-member districts, is working. The level of engagement is the highest I’ve ever seen it, and these candidates are working their rear-ends off.
I don’t have the answers to southwest’s transportation problems. But I know that cutting bus service, and not providing safe networks for walking and biking just makes the area more dependent on the automobile. I’m hopeful that people who know more about this than I do will soon start working together to make the southwest the best it can be.
Whatcha gonna do when they come for you? (Photo: City of Portland)
The era of the City of Portland looking the other way when it comes to expired registration, missing license plates, and parking violations will soon come to an end. In recent weeks the transportation bureau has hired a fresh contingent of enforcement officers and they announced today these new ticket-writing troops will hit the streets July 8th.
Whatever people say about this move, they can’t say they weren’t warned. PBOT made it clear during budget talks back in February that the lack of enforcement of these violations was robbing the bureau of precious resources needed to maintain streets and perform other core services. According to PBOT estimates, of the one million registered vehicles in Portland, nearly half (460,000) have expired tags.
“Over the course of many, many years, PBOT has been quite altruistic and has taken on opportunities to be in service to community without necessarily charging,” PBOT Director Millicent Williams told city council members at a February meeting.
And the number of cars without license plates (both front and rear are required by law) and folks parking in places they shouldn’t has skyrocketed in recent years — a result of the combined shift in behavioral norms after Covid and PBOT’s laissez faire enforcement approach.
Now those days are over.
In a June 4th meeting with state legislators and local agency leaders, Williams was direct: “We are coming for you if you have not registered your vehicle. This is registration summer,” she said in a forceful tone, while adding that the new officers will also provide, “An additional set of trained eyes and ears are situations that arise on our streets.”
PBOT has received permission from council to hire 22 officers. In a statement today, the agency said recent hires are a, “large expansion of their parking enforcement operations.” Currently the bureau employs around 59 parking code enforcement officers. Once the hiring is complete they’ll have 81 on staff.
List of common infractions shared in a PBOT statement today.
The more robust team of officers (who make between $42,00 and $79,000 per year) will allow PBOT to patrol all paid parking districts on a daily basis. They’ll be busy because the bureau estimates only about 50% of meter users are paying the required fees.
PBOT’s 2023-2024 budget listed a “strategic target” of 280,000 parking citations issued; that would be 125% more than the 124,00 citations they issued in the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
Specifically, the officers will be citing people for expired tags, missing plates, wrong-way parking, and drivers who park their cars in a way that blocks visibility at intersections. And yes, they’ll also be booting cars that have a tow order from Multnomah County Circuit Court. The citation fees range from $55 for parking the wrong way on a street, to $145 dollars for tags that are more than 90 days expired.
The result of this effort is expected to net the bureau an average of $3.8 million per year over the next five years and increase compliance rates by about 5% per year, bringing total compliance to 75% within that timeframe.
Ghost bike for Mark Angeles on corner of SE Gladstone and Cesar Chavez. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
NOTE: This is the second post in a series. The answers shared have been highly edited for brevity. Please read the full responses at Bike Loud’s website.
Local bike advocacy nonprofit BikeLoud PDX asked all City of Portland candidates* to answer eight questions gleaned from their members. The second question, “How would you help Vision Zero succeed, and reduce the number of people killed and injured by automobiles in Portland?” was answered by 38 city council candidates and four mayoral candidates.
I’ve gone through the submissions and pulled out 1-2 particularly salient sentences from each candidate. The very abbreviated answers below are based on what I personally found to be the most interesting/notable/newsworthy parts of their responses. For the full answers, visit BikeLoud’s website. I’ve also shared photos of each candidate in the order their responses were shared (if you’re on mobile, be sure to hit the arrow and scroll through the images.) The photos were taken from the Rose City Reform candidate tracker.
Read edited responses from all 42 candidates below:
Timur EnderSonja MckenzieDavid LinnSteph RouthAll candidate photos are in order of answers below and taken from the excellent new Rose City Reform website. (If reading on mobile, please click the arrow on the right to view candidate gallery.)
City Council District 1
Timur Ender
I will advocate for protected intersections where signal timing phases are separated between bicycle and pedestrian movements and right turning cars.
Sonja Mckenzie
… start by supporting the creation of an education and community engagement plan for our community…
Steph Routh
First, we need to believe as a city that Vision Zero is possible. Second, we need to be clear about the devastating impacts of traffic deaths in our communities.
David Linn
Use data-driven upgrades to target high-risk areas, especially routes to schools and bike/bus transit routes can help us invest our money prudently.
… we have to slow cars down and make more spaces and more space (different things, and both important) for bike and pedestrian users.
Christopher Olson
Create a network of protected urban trails across the city.
Nat West
Close the intersection where a death or car-on-bike/ped crash occurs until inexpensive and temporary traffic calming measures can be installed… Immediate application of daylighting on all city intersections.
Michelle DePass
I’m in favor of more enforcement. Just this week I’ve witnessed cars in bikes lanes on Williams Avenue, and multiple red light runners at the intersection of Fremont and Williams.
Debbie Kitchin
Road signage and marking should be consistent across the city so all users understand what is expected… combine driver education with more diligent enforcement of driving rules.
Mariah Hudson
… implementing protective barriers and dedicated lanes to minimize the risk of collisions. There needs to be a culture shift and greater responsibility among motorists if we want to significantly reduce the incidence of accidents.
Jonathan Tasini
We need to prioritize people by prioritizing other modes of transportation rather than cars by investing in public transportation, bicycling, and changing the city’s physical infrastructure to save lives.
Mike Marshall
I’d work with the OLCC to evaluate reducing overall access to alcohol and shutting down establishments linked to continued fatalities.
Laura Streib
We need separate streets for vehicles and for bikes to reduce the number of people killed/injured by autos.
Will Mespelt
… we need to start enforcing traffic regulations in a meaningful way to protect bikers and increase general safety for all non car users.
Introduce and fight for policy that centers SAFETY for our streets over SPEED.
Rex Burkholder
Higher penalties for motorists who hit vulnerable road users or break speed limits, run signals/stop signs including license suspensions and loss of vehicles.
Theo Hathaway Saner
Lowering speed limits in areas with high bike traffic and installing speed bumps can reduce accidents.
Daniel Gilk
To achieve real systemic change, we need to redesign our transit systems to better incentivize residents to drive less.
Angelita Morillo
Environmental changes such as [the Arleta Triangle Square Plaza project at SE 72nd & Woodstock] can have tremendous affects on neighborhoods and pedestrian safety – we just need to prioritize them.
Jonathan Walker
We need the resources so every hit and run is fully investigated and prosecuted… For the plan to work, the city needs to get serious about making sure cars are registered and have license plates.
Matthew Thomas Anderson
A fundamental change is needed to the visibility of the bike. Light is not the only visual cue we use to identify a moving car or threat when driving.
Daniel DeMelo
When we adopted Vision Zero, we failed to establish a timeline for achieving our goal of zero traffic deaths. This oversight has made it difficult to assess whether our safety investments are delivering the expected results.
Philippe Knab
I would focus on improving infrastructure, enhancing public awareness, and enforcing traffic laws.
Sandeep Bali
More accountability for reckless drivers.
Jesse Cornett
I will lobby in Salem to eliminate the preemption that does not allow Portland to tax alcohol… Portland should pass a tax on beer and wine and use part of the revenue for better public education about the danger of drinking and driving.
Chris Flanary
Paint alone doesn’t stop vehicles, we need to create the protective bike lanes and traffic-calming measures to slow cars down.
Mike DiNapoliOlivia ClarkBen HuffordChad LykinsSarah SilkieMichael TrimbleEli ArnoldAndra VltavínEric ZimmermanLisa FreemanBob WeinsteinMitch Green
Council – District 4
Mike DiNapoli
Increase visibility for all commuters with additional street and safety lighting.
Olivia Clark
Bring back and expand the Portland Police Traffic Division for enforcement.
Ben Hufford
Traffic Rules and are a language that people learn… Consistent rules, physical separation of bikes from cars and prioritizing maintenance of systems should be the standard.
Chad Lykins
I will propose legislation that prohibits the removal of infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit before (1) the completion of comparable alternatives and (2) validation that these alternatives function as well or better than the infrastructure being removed.
Sarah Strawberry Silkie
Increase enforcement of speed violations – traffic is consistently 5-20 mph over the posted speed limit…
Michael Trimble
I want to make many streets car free zones giving pedestrians and cyclists their own walkways/bike lanes.
Eli Arnold
We need stricter traffic enforcement combined with an end to street camping along roadsides.
Andra Vltavín
I will be working toward phasing out fossil fuel use altogether.
Eric Zimmerman
I think standardization of lanes leads to safer streets. We have also introduced a lot of distracting factors to the roadway for all users… These are creating different decision-making and norms across the city and it is not helpful from a safety perspective.
Lisa Freeman
We need to de-prioritize cars in our decision making, and prioritize safety, especially that of our most vulnerable populations…
Bob Weinstein
Increase funding for safe infrastructure: Allocate more resources to redesign dangerous intersections, expand protected bike lanes, and implement traffic calming measures in high-risk areas.
Mitch Green
…treat traffic injuries and deaths as a public health issue… Shelter and house our most vulnerable who are living on roadways so that people driving cars don’t kill them.
Liv OsthusDurrell Javon Kinsey BeyKeith WilsonCarmen Rubio
Mayor
Liv Østhus
Using data around specific areas and intersections, I will advocate for PSUs urban planning teams to join in evidenced based solutions.
Durrell Javon Kinsey Bey
Work with the several non profits that have already been doing this work…
Keith Wilson
I do not consider paint and flexible poles adequate safety infrastructure. I support permanent materials to protect biking corridors.
Carmen Rubio
I want our police department to work with the District Attorney’s office to see what evidence and process would be needed to prosecute more drivers for vehicular homicide or assault. While I generally do not support sending more people through the justice system, I also recognize the fear of prosecution can be a strong deterrent.
I find the format of this project by BikeLoud interesting and useful in large part because they’ve received such a large volume of responses. That means we can see what folks have in common and what issues we might find some consensus and political majority for. On that note, I noticed 16 candidates mentioned the need for stronger enforcement. 12 specifically called out the need for physical protection of bicycling facilities, and six mentioned the need to address homelessness due to the vulnerability of people who live along streets.
What other trends or commonalities did you find in the answers?
BikeLoud will post more responses in the weeks to come. Stay tuned for question #3 and see related posts for more 2024 Portland election coverage.
*BikeLoud sent the questionnaire to all candidates that had filed a letter of intent as of May 27th.
See you Wednesday. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Summer has been sublime so far on the Bike Happy Hour (BHH) patio. I love seeing all of your beautiful faces every Wednesday afternoon. And I hope you’re ready for another great time because there’s a special BHH coming tomorrow.
But first…
If you missed last week, we heard speeches by two mayoral candidates: Marshall Runkel and Keith Wilson (videos below). Marshall told a story about how he handled a very wild constituent call into city hall while he worked for a former city commissioner. And Keith outlined how he’ll provide all Portlanders a shelter and how he believes we need a bike lane on Sandy Blvd and better bike lane maintenance.
Mayoral candidate Keith Wilson at Bike Happy Hour, 06/19/24.
Mayoral candidate Marshall Runkel at Bike Happy Hour, 06/19/24.
We also heard a speech from City Council District 4 candidate Michael Trimble. Michael promised free transit, more enforcement against people who park in bike lanes, and really excited the crowd with his passion. There were other folks on the mic as well, including District 2 candidate Will Mespelt. Each week around 5:00 is open mic where anyone can come up and share what’s on their mind. In addition to political stump speeches, we have people asking for volunteers, promoting events, and just sharing projects they’re working on.
What’s on your mind? You don’t need an invitation to speak at BHH. It’s an open, community space!
Michael Trimble on the mic.Joan! City Council D2 candidate Will Mespelt.TovaMattErikaKate
And you don’t want to miss the fun this week. That’s because BHH will be the end spot for BikeLoud’s General Member Meeting Ride with groups of folks descending on the patio from four corners on the city.
BikeLoud will meet with members to discuss issues in each new political district. Then they’ll take four different routes to BHH to join us on the patio. BikeLoud leaders will then grab the mic to share what they heard at each district meet-up and tell you what actions you can take to help improve cycling.
In addition, we have City Council candidates Jesse Cornett (D3) and Mitch Green (D4) who will share a short speech.
Jesse Cornett (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)Mitch Green (Photo: Mitch Green campaign)
A rider opts for the sidewalk on SE 122nd to avoid drivers and a dirty bike lane. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Portland ranked fifth among 173 large cities and saw minor improvement to its score over last year in an annual ranking of bike-friendliness by a national nonprofit cycling advocacy organization.
People for Bikes, a nonprofit supported by bicycle companies (that was formerly known as Bikes Belong) gave Portland a score of 59 out of 100 in their 2024 City Ratings — that’s up 3 points from last year’s score. Portland was rated fifth in the large city category (population above 300,000), coming in behind Minneapolis (71), Seattle (65), San Francisco (64), and St. Paul (61). There were 173 large cities Portland’s score has grown steadily since the first year of these ratings in 2018.
Stress map of Portland. Blue is lower stress, red is higher stress.Portland’s scores in each destination category.(Source: People for Bikes)
People for Bikes uses a methodology called Bicycle Network Analysis (BNA) to form the basis of their rankings. The BNA is built on six main factors: safe speeds, protected bike lanes, reallocated space for biking and walking, intersection treatments, network connections, and trusted data. Using those factors, People for Bikes determines what parts of a city’s bike network is “low-stress” and then overlays the stress map with important destinations.
The BNA score is then calculated by a process that considers how well a city’s bike network connects to six categories of access: where other people live, jobs and schools, core services like health care and grocery stores, recreational riding opportunities, shopping areas, and transit hubs. Each category is weighted and scored from 0 – 100.
Portland scored highest (72) in access to shopping centers and lowest (41) in access to transit (see chart above right).
Portland’s score of 59 is over double the average city score and is nine points over what People for Bikes considers the “tipping point to becoming a great place to bike.”
People for Bikes rated 34 cities in Oregon. Portland came in third in our state behind Ashland (73) and Corvallis (70). Below are the scores of all Oregon cities included in the ratings:
Ashland
73
Corvallis
70
Portland
59
Bandon
55
Cascade Locks
49
Astoria
46
Rockaway Beach
42
Brookings
41
Lincoln City
41
Eugene
39
Hillsboro
37
Cornelius
34
Forest Grove
33
Grants Pass
31
Beaverton
31
Klamath Falls
31
Bend
30
Medford
29
Milwaukie
28
Tigard
27
Hood River
27
The Dalles
24
Springfield
24
Roseburg
24
Albany
24
Prineville
23
Oregon City
23
Salem
23
Troutdale
23
Gresham
22
Lake Oswego
21
Redmond
21
Happy Valley
20
La Grande
17
Portland’s social bike culture is unrivaled, but it doesn’t earn us any extra points in these ratings. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
These ratings are a helpful way to track our network quality over time, but they lack a major part of what makes Portland such a great cycling city: our social bike culture. Take the three months of Bike Summer/Pedalpalooza going on in Portland right now. This festival of free cycling events features welcoming group rides that transform city streets into casual critical masses. Many people find the safety of riding in a group and easy socializing opportunities to be more attractive than a protected bike lane; but none of Portland’s world-beating bike culture is figured into these ratings.
I’ve always said that when our bicycle network quality improves it will combine with our existing bike culture to make Portland the greatest cycling city in the world. If People for Bikes added a measurement for free bike events and the fun-on-bikes potential of a city, Portland would be rated #1 every single year.
Woman riding a Class 2 e-bike (throttle-assist, 20 mph top speed) on the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
The effort comes as e-bike use has skyrocketed statewide and a new law that clarified e-bike types was passed by the Oregon Legislature last session.
You’ll recall in 2017 we reported on an unfortunate wrinkle in OPRD rules that meant bikes with battery motors were technically not allowed on the popular bike paths throughout the State Park system. That legal glitch was cleared up in 2018 when the State Parks Commission approved a new administrative rule that allowed e-bikes to be ridden on trails and roads wider than eight feet unless otherwise posted.
Now they seek to re-evaluate the rules to account for different types of e-bikes and different trail types. According to OPRD, the resulting change in rules is expected to be made later this year and could, “expand, limit or continue where e-bikes can be used.”
(Keep in mind, Oregon parks are managed with Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR), not the Oregon Vehicle Code.)
House Bill 4103 passed the legislature earlier this year. It brought Oregon in line with national standards and adopted a three-class system: Class 1 includes bikes that can go up to 20 mph with only pedal and battery power; Class 2 includes bikes that can go up to 20 mph with a throttle; and Class 3 includes bikes that can go up to 28 mph with only pedal-assisted power.
“OPRD’s current e-bike rules do not account for these differences between e-bike classes, so now is an ideal time to revisit current regulations and assess whether changes are appropriate,” reads an OPRD webpage.
A new survey is the first step in the public outreach process that will help inform which new rule(s) OPRD ultimately adopts. The survey asks respondents what type of activities they do in parks, how often they encounter e-bikes, and whether, “e-bikes on trails impact your recreational experience.” Another question: “Do you have any concerns about e-bikes sharing trails?” makes it clear that this process will tilt heavily toward ameliorating complaints from some park users that some e-bike riders don’t ride with respect to others.
I sincerely hope OPRD does not over-regulate e-bikes. They should focus on regulating behaviors, not bicycle types, just like they do with other types of vehicles. Any type of blanket exclusion of a particular type of e-bike could risk limiting access t recreational activities for many Oregonians.
The survey is open through August 31st. Take it here.
Stay tuned for the public comment period and any other news on this front.
This week’s Comment of the Week comes from reader “X” in response to our story about River City Bicycles going 100% electric. The story’s 68 comments sorted into the usual e-bike debates — do they replace car trips; what we should call conventional bikes to distinguish them from e-bikes; concerns about the environmental impact of batteries; riding etiquette.
X’s comment stood out because of its clarity and simplicity. Also, I liked it because X moved from an abstract discussion to something personal by mentioning a recent decision to electrify one of their several bikes.
I tried to fact-check X’s 2% figure, but couldn’t easily find a citation. However, I came across a review published by the Institut Polytechnique de Paris about the carbon footprint of electric bikes, and it did a good job of attaching some facts to our e-bike discussions (including the carbon footprint of a frame).
Here’s a number that has to be in the e-whatever debate: 2 percent. As in, an e-bike is a very small proportion of a car at all points of the cycle. For another person who is morally opposed to extracting materials from the ground I understand that and could admire them for making their own shoes. I’ll join them for a walk any time.
If we scrapped five percent of the cars now existing that would provide enough materials to build every living person a new bike.
In global terms, I’m rich. I have several bikes and am still second-guessing my decision to convert one to an e-bike. Possibly I could have better used the resources to make the bike lighter and more efficient since my ability to wheel it in or out, and park it, may be limiting before my ability to pedal it around would have been.
Thank you “X.” You can read X’s comment in the context of the BP comment section’s ongoing discussion of all things e-bike, below the original post.
Could it be?: It’s fun to go down the rabbit hole of whether or not an electric bike is actually better for the earth than a conventional bike. This writer thinks so and it’s based largely on food consumption and energy used. (Cycling Electric)
Transportation decarbonization: Youth plaintiffs in Hawaii scored a major win in a lawsuit against their state DOT, who they say isn’t doing enough to reduce carbon emissions that jeopardize their future existence. (The Guardian)
Engineering profession in the hot seat: Another week, another chance for “Killed by a Traffic Engineer” author Welsey Marshall to blow the whistle on why some traffic engineers implement designs that are inherently unsafe. (Scientific American)
Horrific crash caught on video: A man driving a Subaru was allegedly drunk when he plowed directly into a group of people riding bicycles. He was later arrested, but not before video of the incident went viral. (NBC DFW)
Bus enforcement: What if a bus could automatically cite drivers who block bus lanes? We don’t have to wonder anymore because a pilot with NYC’s MTA has begun. (Gothamist)
Car confiscation: Austria is joining other European countries who don’t mess around when it comes to extreme speeders: Authorities have the right to take someone’s car away if they break the speed limit by a large amount. (Bloomberg)
Cars a burden for Black families: “A stunning 76 percent of Black households in the U.S. that owned cars are spending more than 15 percent of their income on vehicle-related expenses every month.” (Streetsblog USA)
Off-road riding at the coast: A planned mountain biking area near Cape Lookout in Tillamook County on the Oregon Coast is sparking the classic debate over whether more MTB trails will be better or worse for the local landscapes and lifestyles. (OPB)
Business owners and bias: The fact that a study found no link between a bike lane in San Francisco and a slump in adjacent businesses just validates my ongoing belief that most business owners will jump at the chance to use “the bike lanes are bad” as a catch-all scapegoat for their grievances. (The San Francisco Standard)
Inset: “Table” design option. Background photo from yesterday’s open house event sent in by a reader.
The City of Portland hosted its second open house for the North Parks Blocks Extension project last night.
As we shared back in February, the Parks & Recreation bureau is looking to extend the existing linear park that exists between W Burnside and NW Glisan, north to Hoyt (behind Pacific Northwest College of Art, which is why some folks refer to this as the “PNCA Block). The project looks to design a new, 30,000 square foot park. It was spurred by the Broadway Corridor development and will also be a key piece of the future Green Loop.
Last night under tents in an outdoor plaza outside PNCA, design consultants and city staff unveiled three new design options. The designs were gleaned in large part from over 500 public comments received at the first open house on February 29th. The new renderings give us our clearest view yet of how we might some day pedal our bikes from the North Park Blocks, through the Broadway Corridor, and onto the western end of the Broadway Bridge at NW Lovejoy.
The design team shared three options at last night’s event: Option A, Quilt; Option B, Table; and Option C, Clearing. Each option consists of landscaping, infrastructure, and other elements that could help define three blocks of park space between NW Glisan and NW Johnson (which will be extended through the site as part of this plan).
If you have feedback, stay tuned to the project website for news of upcoming open houses and surveys. You can also contact the project manager via email at gary.datka@portlandoregon.gov. Construction is set to begin in 2026 with an anticipated opening in spring 2027.
