🚨 Please note that BikePortland slows down during this time of year as I have family in town and just need a break! Please don't expect typical volume of news stories and content. I'll be back in regular form after the new year. Thanks. - Jonathan 🙏
It’s less than one year to go until TriMet takes the wraps off the Orange Line, a 7.3 mile extension of the MAX light rail system that will connect downtown Portland to Milwaukie in northern Clackamas County. While the marquee component of the $1.5 billion project, the Tillikum Crossing Bridge, won’t open until next fall, many parts of the new project are already open for business.
When Steven Van Zile moved from Los Angeles to the Pearl District last year for a job managing Guardian Management’s portfolio of Portland-area apartment buildings, the low number of parking spaces at some of the newer properties made him nervous.
Linden, the company’s new building on Burnside and 12th, had only 110 parking spaces for 132 units. In an interview at the time, Van Zile expressed gratitude to the building’s developer that the on-site parting lot was larger than at some other buildings. But what would happen if garage space ran short?
It turns out that Van Zile needn’t have worried.
When you stitch together the long-term bike plans of every city in the area, connect a few dots and put it all on one map, you get something pretty spectacular.
Thanks to PBOT’s N Williams project, our mailbag has been pretty full lately.
Last week we shared some feedback we’ve received about how traffic back-ups on Williams are impacting users of NE Rodney — a street the city has tried to set aside as a lower-stress alternative.
And yesterday we received several more emails from people who are still trying to ride on Williams. Most of the emails have to do with concerns over how the project is being phased-in and the general confusion about where and how to navigate the newly striped bike lane — which is now on the left side of the road instead of the right.
For the city’s part, PBOT says they understand the concerns. Reached by phone this morning, agency spokeswoman Diane Dulken asked for patience. “It’s still an active construction site. We’re in an awkward phase of switching from right to left and we’re dodging the weather.”
We are excited to announce that six and-a-half years after we first told you about Gateway Green, supporters of the project have planned their first official bike event. Yesterday on their Facebook page, the Friends of Gateway Green unveiled plans for “Community CX,” a cyclocross exhibition race that will take place on November 15th.
TriMet is a few months away from what its lead bike planner called a “pretty major” year-long review of the ways its transit system interacts with bikes.
“This effort will really help us in future years to make sure that we’re prioritizing the right projects at the right locations,” Active Transportation Planner Jeff Owen said in an interview Tuesday.
A $108,000 state grant awarded in August and $19,000 from TriMet will let the regional transit agency hire a consultant to gather best practices from around the world and make recommendations to TriMet about bike parking, how best to carry bikes on trains and buses, how to build transit lines with bike access in mind and other issues.
“We can’t think of everything ourselves, and outside ideas are really beneficial and powerful,” Owen said. “A lot of it might be things that we’re aware of, of course, but they could really bring some new ideas and creative thinking into it.”
Most city-to-city transportation comparisons are very simple: 64 percent of trips by car, 11 percent by bike, and so on.
But those broad numbers are really just blankets that have been thrown over the intricate topography of transportation choices that’s actually at work in our daily lives. To really understand how cities work, you also have to look at a second factor: How far are people going?
A motherlode of newly released data has revealed those patterns for Portlanders for the first time.
Two women-focused Portland bike companies — custom builder Sweetpea Bicycles and Gladys Bikes bike shop — have formed a partnership to do more of what they do, only better. Check out the press release below for more details…
Sweetpea Bicycles and Gladys Bikes Join Forces to Get More Women on Bikes
When you mix one of the largest cyclocross scenes in the world with promoters who focus on the fun as much as the competition, you end up with events where there’s almost as much action in the team pit area as on the race course. This Sunday, the Cross Crusade pits will be even livelier as series organizers host the first-ever Tailgator Competition.
As we shared last year, the rows of team tents that line Cross Crusade courses become a small cyclocross city on race day. People bring in full-size BBQs, fire pits, pop-up changing rooms, tables, chairs, custom-made bike racks, deep-fryers, and more. Each year it seems the set-ups get more involved and elaborate.
Sorry, this job has been filled. Browse more great jobs here.
Job Title
Warehouse Worker/Customer Service Representative
Company/Organization
Portland Design Works
Job Description
Portland Design Works (PDW) designs and develops simple, beautiful gear for everyday cycling. Located in Portland, Oregon, we are a fast-growing passion-driven company looking for the newest member of our close-knit team.
We are on the lookout for our new Warehouse Worker/Customer Service Representative to perform a wide variety of tasks in our NE Portland warehouse. This person will be detail oriented, positive, and possess the personality to complement our current team.
Responsibilities:
Warehouse
• Picking orders correctly and efficiently
• Packing and shipping orders using UPS, FedEx, USPS, and LTL
• Putting away incoming product shipments
• Keeping warehouse clean and orderly
• Use forklift to move pallets on/off pallet racking and load/unload trucks
• Monitor warehouse supplies to make sure they do not run out
Customer Service
• Respond to customer service emails and phone calls
• Work with the Office Manager to document and resolve warranty claims
Skills and Experience:
• Very detail oriented and organized
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
• Basic math skills
• Knowledge of bicycle components and accessories
• Able to lift up to 45 pounds and perform physical tasks including pushing, pulling, and grasping
• Able to be on feet for up to 5 hours
• Forklift certification a plus
• Basic computer skills (Windows, Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader)
Hours
• Monday – Friday, 9am-4pm
Compensation
• $13.00 per hour
How to Apply
Email resume and cover letter to Erik Olson, General Manager at erik@ridepdw.com
Portland’s newest bike advocacy organization is bringing back the postcard.
In the last few weeks, three Portland city officials have received an estimated “three or four hundred” individually stamped postcards from Portlanders sharing their opinions about local transportation projects on Southeast Clinton Street, Southwest Third Avenue and Northeast Rodney Avenue.
A significant chunk of global eyewear brand Smith Optics will move to Portland early next year.
The news was confirmed today via a story posted this afternoon in the Idaho Mountain Express newspaper.
Here’s more from the IME:
Safilo [Smith’s parent company] CEO Luisa Delgado came to Ketchum from Italy this week to discuss the results of the location study with Smith employees, local government officials and media, among others. Delgado announced the relocation plans today, Oct. 20.
As part of Smith’s integration within its parent company, it will be controlled out of the global Safilo Group headquarters in Italy.