BikePortland

Monday Roundup: Star Wars urbanism, illegal kiss, school streets, and more

Welcome to the week.

Today’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by The eBike Store, Portland’s original all-electric bike shop. Stop in for great service and a selection of quality e-bike brands.

Here are the most notable items we came across in the past seven days…

Different coast, same battle: This disagreement over free, on-street car parking in a neighborhood in Queens, New York made me think of what PBOT is about to do on North Willamette. Gird yourself for petitions and read this one to ready your responses. (NY Times)

Star Wars urbanism: This is a fun and bitingly funny sendup of the battle that exploded the Death Star, “the first-ever pedestrian-only planet.” (McSweeney’s)

E-bike lessons from Europe: With e-bikes models now the majority in many of European’s cycling capitals, it’s well worth your time to read this interview with two experts on the topic. They cover some very important questions that U.S. policymakers need to keep top-of-mind, like the vital importance of subsidies, the need to focus on safe infrastructure, problems with speedy bikes, and more. (Bloomberg)

Long distance emissions: New research from the UK reveals the massive emissions reductions that can be gained from focusing on ways to encourage people to take fewer long-distance flights and car trips and the analysis is yet another vote for a more complete rail network. (Science Daily)

Corking consequences: Chicago’s vibrant Critical Mass ride has been met with violent rage by some drivers who have acted out against people corking traffic along the route. (Streetsblog Chicago)

School streets: This video of how school streets work in Ghent, shot during the recent Velo-city Conference, gives us a great primer on how easy and impactful temporary carfree streets near schools can be. (Streetsblog)

Post-freeway era: A project in Detroit is eerily similar to the I-5 Rose Quarter project where you’ve got a DOT trying to restore a thriving Black community it nearly destroyed with a freeway project and now wants to “reconnect” and restore the neighborhood with a less intrusive surface street. (NPR)

Another rebate frenzy: Minnesotans were so eager for e-bike rebates they became the latest in a long line of city residents to crash a website set up to hand out the subsidy vouchers. (Star Tribune)

Gamer urbanism: A game designer from the Netherlands is creating, “Car Park Capital,” a satirical, Sim City-like quest where gamers have to build a pro-car city despite how terrible the outcomes are, and use in-game propaganda to keep people convinced it makes sense. (PC Gamer)

‘Hill bomb’ enforcement: Looks like San Francisco has their own version of Portland’s ‘Zoobomb’ but in that city the cops and participants have clashed and a showdown seems imminent. (SF Gate)

Illegal kiss: During a recent time trial stage of the Tour de France, one of the riders (who happens to live just off the course) stopped to hug and kiss his wife. It was a beautiful moment, but earned the rider a fine from race organizers for, “unseemly or inappropriate behaviour.” (BBC)

Thanks to everyone who sent in links this week. The Monday Roundup is a community effort, so please feel free to send us any great stories you come across.

Hawthorne and Morrison bridges will be carfree for July 4th fireworks viewing

Just a quick reminder that Multnomah County, in their infinite wisdom, will ban drivers from the Hawthorne and Morrison bridges on Thursday, July 4th so folks can watch the fireworks show in peace.

What better way to mark Independence Day than getting out of cars and into the community? (Who was around in 2005 when I posted a “Freedom From Cars Declaration“? Cringey, I know, but I was just a kid.)

The County says both bridges will be closed to all car and truck drivers from 8:00 pm to 12:00 am. Have fun!

These are the optimal locations for secure bike parking hubs in Portland

Secure bike parking hubs — a place to store your bike while you shop or work without relying only on your own lock — is an idea that’s older than you might think.

In 1996, Portland had three “bike central” locations where commuters could park bikes and a citywide network was envisioned thanks to dedicated funding from the federal government in the 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). The idea came roaring back in 2007 when a “Bikestation” was in the running to take over the former McCall’s Restaurant adjacent to Salmon St. Springs. The idea gained momentum for a few years but ultimately fizzled out and Portland never opened a large, publicly accessible bike parking facility.

Those were the heydays of peak-hour commuting and an era when everyone assumed bicycle riders had to have showers and changing facilities. As bicycle styles and behaviors changed over the years, the need for showers and lockers has (thankfully) waned; but the need for secure bike parking has never been greater.

When I visited New York City last fall, I learned about a very intriguing solution known as Oonee pods. These publicly funded, privately operated facilities offer a high-tech, easy and secure solution for parking bikes in busy areas. They can be small for a half-dozen bikes in a neighborhood, or larger with dozens of spots in higher-traffic areas downtown.

But before someone brings an Oonee pod, Cyclehoop Cycle Hub or other product to Portland, we’ll need to figure out where to put them. And we can’t just go on vibes, because these only work when they are used.

Portland State University graduate student Brandon Barnhart has the answers. He just completed a project for his Advanced GIS class that used mapping and data analysis to find the optimal location for 10 secure bike parking areas. Barnhart shared his project on the BikeLoud PDX Slack channel this morning.

To find his locations, Barnhart ran the numbers on four factors: bike traffic demand, major destinations, proximity to affordable housing, and proximity to multi-family housing. After pushing all the data through various GIS modeling tools, here’s his list of “optimal bike parking hub locations”:

NW 21st and Johnson
NW 10th and Lovejoy
NW 10th and Glisan
NW Naito Pkwy near Union Station Crossing
NW 4th Ave and Flanders
SW 2nd Ave and Pine
NE Williams Ave and Russell
NE Williams Ave and Ivy
N Haight St and Failing
N Mississippi and Failing

Notably, there are no location in southeast, which is traditionally the area of the city with the most bicycling traffic. Barnhart noted that in his writeup: “I suspect that though southeast Portland has high amounts of bike traffic and destinations, the area doesn’t have the same levels of affordable and multi-family housing, compared to Northwest and North Portland.”

Barnhart also added that if he ran the numbers again he’d give more weight to places with more low-income housing.

Barnhart thinks the time is right for secure bike parking hubs because Portland’s bike theft problem is still out of control. And with skyrocketing interest in e-bikes, including a new city-funded rebate program set to launch next summer — there will be an even larger demand for safe bike parking. On a related note, Portland City Council adopted an ordinance at their meeting this morning that authorizes the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability to recruit and hire staff and organizations to run the forthcoming e-bike rebate program. A key part of that program is funding set-aside for low-income housing developments to develop bicycle parking areas.

Like Barnhart, the folks who created the Portland Clean Energy Fund’s e-bike rebate program understand that cycling will never reach its potential if the threat of theft remains high. Secure bike parking hubs could be the answer.

Choose a new design for the Burnside Bridge

Screenshot from video rendering of traveling westbound on tied arch design.

With the environmental review process and cross-section finalized, Multnomah County has moved into the design phase of their project to replace the Burnside Bridge.

On Monday, the county released a survey to garner public feedback on which type of bridge they should construct. There are two choices for the eastern end of the span: cable stay and tied arch. (For reference, the cable stay is very similar to the Tilikum Crossing and the tied arch design looks like the Wapato Bridge that connects Highway 30 to Sauvie Island). In addition to bridge types, there are several other design elements that need your input.

Here are the two design options:

And detailed view from the saddle of a bicycle on the new protected lanes:

A new county website goes through all the options and has new visuals that give us a sense of what the new bridge might look like from a cycling and walking perspective. To refresh your memory the 78-foot wide bridge will have 34-feet dedicated to non-drivers. Car users will have two lanes westbound and one lane eastbound. Bus riders will have their own lane in the eastbound direction (and hopefully in the westbound direction someday soon). And bike riders and walkers will share a 17-foot wide space on each side, separated from other traffic by a concrete wall.

In some of the new visuals, they forgot to to include green paint or other delineator markings between the biking and walking areas. But rest assured, it will have bike lane green to help communicate where folks should ride.

The county wants the new bridge to, “provide a welcoming pedestrian space and viewpoint of the Willamette River, encouraging Portlanders and tourists to walk the bridge.”

Check out the new visuals and see what you think. Then be sure to take the survey and share your feedback. If you’re more of a hands-on learner and want to talk to project staff in-person, there will be a special “Breakfast on the Bridge” event July 12th from 7:00 to 9:00 am on the east end of the bridge near 334 NE Couch.

Crossing NE Killingsworth? It’ll soon be much easier

After next summer, Northeast Killingsworth Street might have more median islands and crosswalks across a two-mile stretch than any other road in the city.

Starting this summer, the Portland Bureau of Transportation plans to build nine safer crossing treatments between NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and NE 42nd Ave (see below). That’s in addition to seven existing crossing treatments, bringing the total to 18 hardened or signalized crossings in the two-mile stretch. That’s about one place to cross every other block.

The impact on road users could be significant in terms traffic calming for drivers and stress-reducing potential for people on foot and on bikes.

According to the official project page, PBOT will construct crossings on NE Killingsworth at 7th, 22nd, 25th and 27th this summer. Crossings at 11th, 13th, 17th, 35th and Cesar Chavez will be constructed in the summer of 2025. Five of those locations will receive median islands. Curb extensions will be added to NE 17th and a “paint and post” crossing at NE 22nd will be upgraded to concrete islands.

The aim of the project is to slow down drivers and make it safer for people on foot, bikes — or anyone trying to cross. PBOT’s Vision Zero dashboard shows 16 crashes on this section of Killingsworth between 2014 and 2021. With this much new concrete on the relatively narrow neighborhood collector street, the projects should have a significant traffic calming effect.

PBOT also wants bring the corridor up to the crossing frequency guidelines set in their 2019 PedPDX citywide pedestrian plan.That plan set a standard for how often someone should find a crossing treatment in various parts of the city. This section of NE Killingsworth is classified in the Transportation System Plan (TSP) as a “major city walkway,” (the second most important walking designation, only below “pedestrian district”) which PBOT says should have a crossing at least every 800 feet (or every three blocks). According to PedPDX, only the segment between 27th and 33rd currently meets that standard.

One BikePortland reader who’s lived just off Killingsworth for 25 years shared with me via email, “As a local bicyclist I’m a little bit freaked out by this.” This person prefers to ride on Killingsworth (which is classified as a “local service bikeway,” the lowest possible priority) because it’s more direct than other nearby routes. He worries the new median islands and crossing treatments will make it less safe for cycling.

“I feel safe riding it because the street is so wide, so there’s lots of room for cars and bikes to avoid each other,” he wrote. “But these sorts of islands always seem to pinch the car traffic and the bike traffic together. I predict that this is going to make Killingsworth a lot harder for bicyclists and drivers to share.”

I have a hunch these additions to Killingsworth will make it better for all users — except people who like to speed and like to ignore other road users trying to cross in front of them.

The reader who shared their feelings on this project wondered if he was the only person who felt this way. I personally don’t ever bike on this section of Killingsworth because it just doesn’t feel safe (I’ll use the sidewalk instead). I general, I think the more concrete curbs in the road, the better. What about you?

PBOT plans to build four of the new crossings (7th, 22nd, 25th and 27th) this summer and finish the rest next summer. Check out the project website for more information.

Off-road trail group sees bike skills area, dirt trail in future of University Park

The Northwest Trail Alliance (NWTA) is urging its members to tell Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) to build off-road cycling opportunities in a neighborhood park.

The City of Portland plans to spend $3.6 million on two parks projects in north Portland, including University Park — which was recommended for cycling facilities in the Off-Road Cycling Master Plan. PP&R has opened an online survey asking Portlanders what type of parks features they’d like the city to invest in. But they’ve left out cycling as an option, so NWTA is telling members to use the “Other” section to make their desires known.

If this has you feeling deja-vu, that’s because PP&R launched a similar process for Rose City Park back in May. In that case, advocates cried foul when PP&R left off-road cycling out of their plans. NWTA wants to make sure plans for University Park don’t repeat that oversight.

Details from Off Road Cycling Master Plan (PP&R, 2018/2023)

“As a result of the NWTA community actively engaging in the Rose City Golf Course survey, bikes are now an active part of the planning process – but we still need to emphasize the community desire for bike trails,” reads an action alert from NWTA sent out today.

NWTA wants members to remind PP&R that the Off-Road Cycling Master Plan recommended a bicycle skills park at this location and/or a family-friendly trail around the perimeter of the park. The adopted plan says University Park would be appropriate for a 5,000 – 10,000 sq. ft. bike park with, “areas for family recreation and skill building.” And a trail could be used for cycling, walking and running. The plan states PP&R should add, “Off-road cycling skill features (like rocks, logs, or skinny bridges) along the sides.”

With the New Columbia neighborhood, Charles Jordan Community Center, schools, and the existing Community Cycling Center Bike Hub nearby, this would be an place for new bike facilities in the park.

Take the survey here.

Candidates and voters from all four districts will converge at Bike Happy Hour tomorrow

Come and join us on the patio. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Four districts, four rides, 35 candidates on bikes. The first ever 4 Quadrant Candidate Splash Ride happens Wednesday (tomorrow July 3rd!). And it includes a stop at Bike Happy Hour where teams of candidates will have to work together on a collaborative, bike-themed game. After an hour or so on the Gorges Beer Co. patio, the fun will continue to Duckworth Dock on the Eastbank Esplanade where swimming and sunning will ensue.

It’ll be another high point on what has turned out to be one o the most exciting summers of cycling politics Portland has ever seen. We’ve had dozens of candidates hang out with us at Bike Happy Hour, we’ve seen our future leaders show up at bike buses and Sunday Parkways, and BikeLoud’s candidate questionnaire has earned responses from 40 candidates.

Wednesday’s event builds on this momentum. Here’s what’s on tap…

Nonprofit BikeLoud PDX is organizing the ride. They’ll host meet-ups at four parks: Floyd Light Park in District 1, Peninsula Park in District 2, Essex Park in District 3, and Willamette Park in District 4. From 3:30 to 4:30, everyone is welcome to show up at a park to meet-and-great with candidates. At 4:30 all four rides will leave on an easy, 5-mile route to Bike Happy Hour at SE Ankeny and 28th.

All the candidates and riders will converge on the Gorges patio around 5:00 and shenanigans will ensue. We’ll split the candidates into four mixed-district teams (to mimic how they’ll have to work together on council) and then put them to work on a bike-themed group task that will require collaboration.

It’ll be a fun mix of politics, cycling, and socializing you won’t want to miss.

And after Bike Happy Hour, the party will continue to Duckworth Dock on the Eastbank Esplanade where Human Access Project and Lloyd EcoDistrict will host their weekly swimming event with a DJ, food carts, sunset viewing, and so on.

If you’ve been on the sidelines, now is the time to get engaged with this important election. Since the new charter includes a provision that alternates district elections every two years, this is the first and last time Portland will elect all 12 city council positions at the same time. And with just six months from the start of our brand-spankin’ new form of government, it’s time to buckle down, organize, and make sure we get great people into these leadership positions.

Speaking of which, below is the list of candidates who will participate in tomorrow’s event:

Council – District 1

Timur Ender
Sonja Mckenzie
Steph Routh
David Linn

Council – District 2

Elana Pirtle-Guiney
Christopher Olson
Nat West
Debbie Kitchin
Mariah Hudson
Jonathan Tasini
Mike Marshall
Laura Streib
Will Mespelt
Marnie Glickman

Council – District 3

Rex Burkholder
Theo Hathaway Saner
Daniel Gilk
Jonathan Walker
Matthew Thomas Anderson
Daniel DeMelo
Philippe Knab
Jesse Cornett
Angelita Morillo
Tiffany Koyama Lane
Luke Zak

Council – District 4

Mike DiNapoli
Ben Hufford
Sarah Strawberry Silkie
Michael Trimble
Eli Arnold
Andra Vltavín
Eric Zimmerman
Lisa Freeman
Mitch Green
Chad Lykins

Mayor

Liv Østhus
Durrell Javon Kinsey Bey
Keith Wilson

Bike Happy Hour is every Wednesday, 3-6 pm at Gorges Beer Co (2705 SE Ankeny). See you there!

The fantastic usefulness of a cargo trike

Stopping, shopping, and hanging out is so easy on a three-wheeler. (Photos: Shannon Johnson/BikePortland)

When it comes to bike versus trike, I generally prefer the feel of two wheels and I’ve been considering selling my current trike to replace it with a two-wheeled cargo bike. You might even say I have “bike envy” when I see those Urban Arrows riding by. But there is one place where the cargo trike excels over other two-wheeled rigs: the farmers market and anywhere slow and steady cycling is preferred.

The cargo trike is essentially a bikeable shopping cart and quadruple stroller, making it my dream vehicle for summertime trips to the farmers market and outdoor street festivals. If you haven’t experienced the fantastic usefulness of the cargo trike, allow me to sing the praises of my favorite mode of market mobility.

First of all, by biking to the farmer market, we avoid the chore of parking a car and don’t have to make vulture-like circles for a car spot. (Any sort of bike is a great way to go!) But with a trike, we don’t have to park at all, not even in nearby bike parking, because the trike is stable while walking or frequently starting/stopping. In areas like a crowded outdoor market or street festival, where a bike should be walked, the trike is a dream vehicle because you can sit on it and pedal as slowly as a walker, or even stop and sit without pedaling at all. With a trike, you don’t need to engage and disengage a hefty brake, or keep feet down and walk on tippy toes to balance. You can stand beside the trike and walk it easily, without needing two hands to balance it or keep it upright.

I have tried my two-wheeled cargo bike at the market and it’s been immediately obvious that a two-wheeled bike is meant to be moving. It doesn’t much like to be walked, especially if the cargo box is laden with children and produce. When I ride a two-wheeled cargo bike to the market, I prefer to park the bike and walk around to shop, because it’s unpleasant to walk a two-wheeled cargo bike, and one has to activate the hefty kickstand to look at food or goods in a stall. This makes a two-wheeled cargo bike unpleasant to haul around on foot: kickstand down, up, down; two hands on the handlebars; hold steady or she’ll tip. It’s one occasion where two wheels feels cumbersome.

Parking a cargo bike loaded with toddlers and all our stuff is also a bit of an ordeal, similar to parking a fully loaded minivan. It means unloading all the kids, then trying to determine what stuff is needed, and what can be left in the bike. In our case, that means we might be hauling water bottles, sunscreen, a diaper bag, picnic lunch, towels (for playing in the fountains), change of clothes. We probably need to put a stroller in the cargo bike just to be able to carry all of our stuff when we park the cargo bike, and also to carry a family-sized haul of produce home. I also don’t like to have toddlers on the loose either, and prefer to have them strapped in while I am shopping.

Which is why we love our trike: with its extra wheel, the trike is absolutely stable when stopped or being slowly walked. You can keep all of your stuff with you, as you walk the trike slowly along, and you can put all of your bags of groceries directly into the cargo box. And my husband’s favorite feature: you keep the littlest ones strapped into their seats, without worrying about them running off.

I say this, as a person who prefers a two-wheeled bike.

There is no question: when it comes to the farmers market, our whole family prefers the trike. My husband, who doesn’t otherwise bike, loves the trike for visiting our local outdoor market. It’s the easiest, most efficient, and most pleasant vehicle for the job. He can keep all of his kids inside, or let the older ones hop in and out at will. He can step away from it to buy a box of strawberries without it tipping or having to engage the hefty brakes. He likes it so much he’s made Saturday trips to the market a weekly tradition and says, “if we didn’t have the trike, I probably wouldn’t go. Or I wouldn’t take the kids with me.”

Cargo trike versus a two-wheeled bike

What would make the trike right for you?

Slow & Steady: I would recommend a cargo trike if you are planning to use it at slow speeds, and in situations with frequent starting-stopping, such as outdoor festivals and markets.
Match slow kid-rider speeds: The trike is also a great way to travel with a slow independent kid rider, as you can comfortably match the very slow speed of a young child rider or even walkers (which is more of a chore on a two-wheeled bike, and much harder with a front cargo bike).
No balancing needed: The trike is also a great option for those who have trouble balancing on two wheels or who are prohibitively nervous about tipping their box of kids over.
Good for snow? The stability of the trike may be especially relevant to those who bike more often in snow conditions–it’s pretty rare here, but I felt very comfortable slowly riding the trike on packed and slushy snow, while my two-wheeled kid riders were slipping and tipping. (Please comment, if you have more snow-riding experience).
Easy parking brake (no muscle needed): The trike may also be great for grandparents or anyone who has trouble engaging/disengaging a hefty double-brake on a two-wheeled cargo bike; this can vary by model, but I have found that engaging and disengaging the brake on a two-wheeled cargo bike takes some “oomf” and it’s a bit intimidating to wrestle with the brake while balancing a bunch of children in the box. My trike has simple hand-brakes for parking, which are easy to to engage, no “oomf” required.

If you are debating trike vs. bike, check back next week for my full comparison of the pros and cons.

In the meantime, enjoy the farmers market on whatever you pedal!

— View a video version of this story on Instagram.

Monday Roundup: Girmay Day, suffering, traffic, and more

Welcome to the week.

Not sure why, but the past seven days were a bit lighter then normal when it came to notable transportation and cycling news.

Hit the brakes: A new rule from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that requires cars to have automatic emergency braking is being opposed by lobbyists for automatkers on grounds that it won’t work and “will frustrate or flummox drivers.” (The Verge)

Pain pics: “The Art of Suffering” is a new book by professional cycling photographer Kristof Ramon that takes an inside look at the emotions and pain that define World Tour cycling. (CNN)

Historic stage: The Tour de France is off to a fine start and stage three was special because Eritrean Biniam Girmay became the first Black African rider to win a stage. (The Guardian)

The debate of our lives: It’s wild that in 2024 we still spend billions to widen freeways all across the U.S. One of the reasons is because of how impacts of projects are quantified and a debate over Highway 80 in California is a great illustration of the current conundrum. (L.A Times)

Gaming the system: DOTs can be pretty sneaky with how they manipulate policy in order to line themselves up for federal cash; but fudging pedestrian fatality goals just to not get dinged as much for failing to meet them is a new low. (Streetsblog USA)

Thanks to everyone who sent in links this week. The Monday Roundup is a community effort, so please feel free to send us any great stories you come across.

Experience the sights and sounds of the Loud N Lit Ride (Video)

Friday night’s Loud N Lit Ride was truly one for the ages. If you missed it — or if you were there and weren’t running around all over the place trying to document as much of it as humanly possible like I was — you’re in luck! Watch this video and bask in the bicycle cultural phenomenon that is known locally simply as “bike fun.”

You’ll hear from event participants and ride creator Jon Dutch, whose big personality first graced these pages back in 2008 when he was into gravity biking. These days, when Dutch isn’t leading massive bike rides in Portland, he’s a sought after acrobat who performs at NBA games and other performances nationwide.

Dutch has always had flair so it’s perfect that he’s the person behind Loud N Lit, which has become Portland’s biggest and baddest party dance bike ride of the year.

Don’t miss the full photo gallery I shared over the weekend.

Loud N Lit Ride Photo Gallery

Terry Brumfeld (center) and his crew rolled up to Irving Park early to soak up the scene. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

What an amazing night! The people and music and colorful outfits and lights and creativity of all types. I had a really fun time out there tonight. The turnout was unreal in terms of quantity and quality. It was impossible to count because I never saw the beginning or the end of the crowd. Just an infinite multitude of humanity and good energy. One thing that stuck with me as I went through the photos was the diversity of the crowd. The bike fun scene in Portland is exploding and it’s full of every type of person you can imagine. I love that!

And I’m sure thousands of them are still dancing the night away on this perfect Portland night.

It was so nice to see everyone! I focused mostly on video tonight, so stay tuned for that. But I also grabbed some photos because y’all were so irresistible. Here are the pics. I’ve been working since 7:00 am this morning, so I need to go to bed. See you on the streets.

Podcast: In the Shed #21

It’s been a big couple weeks since Eva Frazier and I sat down for our regular chat in the shed.

In this episode we talk about a forgotten Portland naked bike riding activist named Terri Sue Webb, Eva’s backyard cherry crop, how I resolved a dispute with an angry BikePortland protestor at Bike Happy Hour this week, and much more.

Have a great weekend everyone. Maybe see you tonight at Loud N Lit and then it’s back at the grindstone again on Monday morning with our latest news roundup.