BikePortland

Affordability alliance? Some neighborhood leaders back low-impact infill ideas

Townhomes, like these on SE Ankeny, are currently the most common middle ground between apartments and single-family homes. Some neighborhood leaders want Portland to provide more options for moderate levels of density.
(Photo: M.Andersen/BikePortland)

A slate of ideas for increasing Portland’s housing supply with fewer visual changes to its central-city neighborhoods is getting warm reviews from influential neighborhood association leaders.

The list of policy proposals, compiled by local indie developer Eli Spevak last month after a conversation with Tamara DeRidder of the Rose City Park Neighborhood Association, includes concepts such as legalizing internal divisions of existing houses and scaling transportation, sewer and parks fees based on home size.

The general theme of the proposals: allowing more housing in Portland that offers more density than single-family houses but less than four-story apartment buildings.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title
Salesperson

Company/Organization
Athletes Lounge

Job Description
Athletes Lounge is a Triathlon Focused store, but we also sell Road and Lifestyle Bicycles along with Swimwear, Goggles, Wetsuits and a couple of brands of running shoes. We are a full service bicycle shop.

We are looking for a full-time salesperson with a strong sales background and industry knowledge. Triathlon experience is helpful butt no required.

The perfect Candidate understands the importance of our Customer.

This is a full time position which includes weekends.

How to Apply
Please send Resume and Cover letter to gary@athleteslounge.com, feel free to email me with any questions as well.

Riders rally at River View, urge city to reverse biking ban

“Raise your hand if you think we’re compatible with the resource goals at River View!”
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

69-year old Hillsboro resident Roger Lynn just found out about the bike trails at River View Natural Area a few weeks ago. “I’ve been looking for a place like this, so I’ve been here three times in the past week. It’s just such a shame that the trails are closed now.”

Major arterial.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

Whether you see it as a battleground or a workable compromise or a national model, the Clinton Street bikeway is one thing for sure: beloved.

A group of Clinton Street fans are meeting at SE 30th and Division Saturday to plan a party this summer that will celebrate this iconic bike route and everything it’s brought to the mix of residential and commercial uses that have made Portland’s Hosford-Abernethy and Richmond neighborhoods what they are.

River View MTB Ban from Cory Tepper on Vimeo.

As of 12:01 am this morning — for the first time in well over 20 years — it became illegal to ride a bicycle in a 146-acre parcel just west of the Sellwood Bridge known as the River View Natural Area. We’ve got more info on today’s protest ride and other updates below…

A planned freeway cap in Hamburg.

This week’s Monday Roundup is brought to you by the Ride the Heart of the Valley Bike Ride. Set for April 18th, this ride is a benefit for the Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Boys and Girls Club of Corvallis.

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

Hamburg post-auto: Germany’s second-largest city is planning to ban motor vehicles from “significant swathes of the city by 2034” in favor of a “Green Network” of biking, walking and public transit.

Beach biking: Fat-tire biking on Oregon’s beaches could be enough to end your love of long walks.

Cherry blossoms in Waterfront Park-18-17

(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

“In a city where two-thirds of people surveyed support safer bike routes, we aren’t falling behind because of opposition, we are falling behind due to a failure to execute.”

Reading my share of the hundreds of terrific comments here over the last week, I’ve noticed a few assuming that because someone is advocating for biking improvements, it must be because those improvements would directly improve their own lives.

It’s hard to dispute that most of us here are motivated in part by self-interest. But this afternoon, reader Chris Anderson made an eloquent case for two big ideas:

that bicycling investments are and should be popular because making bicycling fully mainstream actually has the potential to help create a generations-long era of success and prosperity here in Portland for riders and nonriders alike.
that bicycling basically doesn’t have any organized enemies to speak of.

It’s a bold couple of claims, but I was inspired. See what you think.

Nick Fish.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

We’ve finally heard a response from Commissioner Nick Fish on the decision to prohibit bicycling at River View natural area. His policy director Jim Blackwood just emailed us the following statement:

“River View provides a link for local wildlife to Forest Park, and includes special habitats including wetlands, interior forest, and waterfront areas. The area is an important resource for sensitive and threatened wildlife habitats. The Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) provides technical advice on the restoration and maintenance of the watershed.

When the City acquired River View, substantial funding came from Bureau of Environmental Services’ ratepayer dollars – so we must ensure the uses of the natural area match the BES mission to protect the watershed.

Read more

Bill in legislature would legalize safe crossings against unresponsive red lights

Many Portland bike users don’t realize how to use
detector loops like the one at NE Tillamook and
MLK Boulevard.
(Photo: M.Andersen/BikePortland)

Though a bill as seemingly uncontroversial as state Senate Bill 533 isn’t the sort of thing we’d usually bother covering, some coverage today that originated in The Oregonian certainly has people talking.

As the O correctly explains in the seventh paragraph of the web version of its front-page story, SB 533 would make it legal to “proceed with caution” through a red light that is trying, but failing, to detect one’s bicycle or motorcycle. This would only be allowed after someone has waited through a full cycle.

Here’s how Oregonian reporter and columnist Joseph Rose and his editors chose to explain this bill:

“There’s a public process we tried to go thru but got abandoned… now we’re supposed to be advocating for another public process?”
— Kelsey Cardwell, NW Trail Alliance president

It’s been 12 days since Commissioners Amanda Fritz and Nick Fish unilaterally decided to ban bicycling in the River View Natural Area and many people in the community remain shocked and confused.

We’ve been trying to get in touch with the Commissioners and their staff to get answers to many outstanding questions and have not heard back. While we continue to work on that, we wanted to share an update on what we’ve learned and offer some background on the issues swirling around the story.

Advocates and insiders were blindsided by the decision

For a city that usually puts such a premium on open and transparent public process around important issues, the decision to ban biking in River View came completely out of the blue.

Affordability alliance? Some neighborhood leaders back low-impact infill ideas

Job: Salesperson – Athletes Lounge

Riders rally at River View, urge city to reverse biking ban

As Clinton Street’s bikeway turns 30, locals plan a celebration

River View update: Protest ride, OPB radio coverage, new video

The Monday Roundup: Peak bike in Sausalito, engineering revolt, beach biking & more

Comment of the Week: Bicycling and the future ‘Golden Age’ of Portland

Statement from BES Commissioner Fish on River View biking ban

Bill in legislature would legalize safe crossings against unresponsive red lights

Biking in River View: A broken process and many unanswered questions – UPDATED

Advocates and insiders were blindsided by the decision

Latest Headlines

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From the Archives

The 10 busiest bicycling spots in Portland