4/21: Hello readers and friends. I'm still recovering from a surgery I had on 4/11, so I'm unable to attend events and do typical coverage. I'll post as I can and should improve day-by-day. Thanks for all your support 🙏. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor
I’m home from New York City and can’t wait to share the rest of the treasures I uncovered. But first, let’s get to the roundup!
Here are the best stories we’ve come across in the past seven days — all from sources you can trust.
NYC mayor pressured on protection: Just like in Portland, bike advocates in New York City are dialing up pressure on city hall to build more protected bike lanes and stop scaling back road projects to satisfy disingenuous parties. (Streetsblog NYC)
EV loophole: One thing advocates are grumbling about is NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ decision to lift limits on the number of Uber/Lyft licenses as long as they are electric — as if simply the use of a battery makes adding all these cars to the system A-OK. (NY Daily News)
Cut through the biking data B.S.: There’s been a ton of attention on recent biking numbers and I’ve steered clear of covering it because of what bicycling data expert Ken McLeod thinks too: Our data on biking is not good, so drawing major conclusions is perilous. (League of American Bicyclists)
20 years at Ahearne Cycles: Seriously can relate so deeply to what local bike maker Joseph Ahearne shares in this thoughtful (as always) blog post about his 20 years with a torch. He’s a real one and I can’t wait to record an interview with him in his shop soon for the podcast. (Ahearne Cycles)
Road rager caught on dashcam: A Portland man who raged his truck into a parade was caught entirely on his own dashcam. (The Oregonian)
‘Promise of e-bikes in American culture’: Sorry, but I just cannot get enough of how major US media outlets are framing stories about electric bikes these days. As a real and viable substitute for cars! (Washington Post and The Atlantic)
Worst PSA ever: The best example of victim-blaming ever produced by a government agency rightfully outraged millions of people; but in the end, it was a win for advocacy because of all the negative attention it received. (CBC)
When middle-schoolers ride: Results of a new study show that middle-school aged kids (a particularly tough time of transition for some kids) can get a significant mental health boost by riding bikes more. (NPR)
The museum is housed in the historic “C-Squat” on Avenue C in the East Village. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Sometimes I think the term “bike advocacy” doesn’t fully encapsulate the work we cover here on BikePortland. When I explain to people what I do, I often talk about how I cover “street culture,” a broader term that captures the breadth of topics I’m interested in (tactical urbanism, traffic calming, protests, land-use, open space, depaving, and so on)
After visiting the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space in the East Village area of Manhattan today, maybe I’ll start using “urban activism.” The small museum, housed in the historic “C-Squat,” refers to itself as “A living archive of urban activism.” It’s run by legendary environmental activism nonprofit Times Up.
I’ve always admired Times Up for their grassroots ethic and focus on direct action. They loomed large in the Occupy Wall Street movement, they organized Critical Mass to put cycling rights on the map more than two decades ago (and there’s still happens every month!), and when Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012, I saw first-hand how they sprung into action to help their community stay connected by charging phones for free with their pedal-powered generator.
A BikePortland reader tipped me off about this museum (thanks Jaimes!), and I’m so glad I saw it. It’s like a shrine to cycling activism.
Times Up has played a huge role in the cycling and safe streets movement since the 1990s and this museum was filled with information and artifacts that told the story. On the main floor they’ve got a cool old collection of zines, books, and shirts. The walls are filled with photos of campaigns they’ve worked on and the floor is stenciled with images from protests past.
But the downstairs is where I had the most fun. The stairway itself is a monument to cycling advocacy through the years. The side of the stairs are painted with “Bike Lane.” When you look at the treads from above, you see a bike path winding through a greenspace. When you look at the risers, you see a written history of bike activism in New York City. And as you walk down, they share notable activism campaigns and other bits of bike history on the walls.
In the basement they’ve got the original Times Up energy bike! They’re famous for using these at protests and in emergencies to create power. In one corner they even have a little exhibit titled, “Activist Tech” that tells the story of how they’ve used video cameras, texting, and live-streaming to document their events.
Perhaps the most memorable piece in the museum was a copy of a letter (above) written by Times Up. It’s titled, “Very Reasonable Demands Regarding the Future of Bicycling in New York City.” The card says it was written during the height of bicycling activism in 2005, when police were cracking down hard on Critical Mass and confiscating truckloads of bicycles.
The letter listed immediate, short-term, and long-term demands. “Bicycling should be viewed not as a problem for the city, but as a solution to the city’s problems,” it read. And according to the info card displayed above the letter, “Just a couple years later, every demand had been met.”
It was such an inspiring experience! And I grabbed two old t-shirts that I can wear at a future Bike Happy Hour T-Shirt night!
If you’re an urban activist (or just an admirer of the work they do), I highly recommend checking this place out next time you’re in Manhattan. For a video version of this story, see my Instagram reel.
“It is a sad fact, but you make a lot of money making cars that can kill people. And so we cannot hope that they change — we have to force them to do so.”
— Zohran K Mamdani, NY assembly member
There’s growing talk in advocacy circles about the need to regulate large vehicles. Right now, the auto industry is bathing in profits from selling absurdly-sized vehicles that are much more likely to kill and maim. With federal government regulation at least a decade off, it will be up to cities and states to take the lead and reclaim their streets from these unnecessarily large SUVs and trucks.
Before today I’d only heard concerns about this topic from transportation policy wonks and activists. Now I know there’s at least one elected official who’s not only serious about the issue from a legislative perspective, but who isn’t afraid to speak about it in strong and clear terms.
New York Assembly Member Zohran K Mamdani (who represents District 36, the neighborhoods of Astoria, Ditmars-Steinway, and Astoria Heights) was on a panel titled, Supersized SUVs, Mega Trucks, and Regulatory Failure.
Mamdani is frustrated by federal inaction and has introduced a bill that would tax vehicles based on weight. He wants to disincentive the purchase of vehicles that have, “a direct link to a higher likelihood of killing children and people on the streets.” “It’s up to us to make it clear to New Yorkers,” he said, “that when they purchase a vehicle of a certain size and a certain weight, that comes with an additional cost. And that cost should be a fiscal cost, not just a moral cost.”
Mamdani speaks with a candor that’s rare among elected officials (he even dropped an “F” bomb at one point). On the auto industry, he said:
“What we have is an industry that is almost entirely unregulated, that is pushing larger and larger vehicles, tying into notions of masculinity… vehicles that can’t even fit inside parking spots! And yet for some reason, they will continue to be allowed to be sold.”
Can government influence market forces? Mamdani thinks so:
“I often think about the development of the mini-fridge, and how that is closely tied to NYCHA [New York City Housing Authority] putting out an RFP [request for proposals] about this, saying, ‘These are the parameters they need for their housing units.’ And then that is what led to this this creation of the mini-fridge, that now we think of as market-driven and it is everywhere in our society. The state has a role in incentivizing the way in which the market acts. If the state puts additional costs on certain sizes of vehicles, then I think that it creates an opening for there to be smaller vehicles… I believe if there’s a clash between the market and the state, the state can and should win.
You must try and influence the market itself, because the market is driven only by profit. And it is a sad fact, but you make a lot of money making cars that can kill people. And so we cannot hope that they change — we have to force them to do so.”
Mamdani was joined on the panel by: Alex Engel, senior manager of communications at NACTO (National Association of City Transportation Officials); Jessica Hart with Families for Safe Streets; and Eric Richardson, the deputy chief fleet management officer for the City of New York. The panel was moderated by Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris.
While Mamdani is focused on hitting consumers’ pocketbooks, Engel with NACTO says street design can also influence buying decisions (and in turn, what automakers build and sell):
“We’ve seen in our experience that the by far the most effective mechanism for reducing traffic deaths is street design. Even with vehicles getting bigger, if the vehicles are moving slower, if they’re having to drive more carefully, if you don’t actually have a way to speed into someone or go through a crosswalk, you’re going to make your streets safer.
… there are some mechanisms you can use, like narrowing lanes, making sure that turns are tighter, using real concrete barriers… We receive photos all the time from members who say that put up this concrete barrier and now all these vehicles are getting stuck on the concrete barrier. And we’re like, ‘Yes, that’s the point!'”
Jessica Hart, Families for Safe Streets.
You don’t need a political or policy background to support more regulation of oversized trucks and SUVs.
“I’m here because I don’t like big vehicles, I think that they are horrible and deadly and unnecessary,” said Jessica Hart, after sharing with the audience that her five-year-old daughter Allie was killed in 2021 by the driver of a large van while biking in a crosswalk.
Hart has channeled her grief into a campaign to revise the federal New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) star rating system so that it takes into account how safe a vehicle is for people who are not inside of it. Her petition on Change.org has 35,000 signatures so far, and she hopes to push to 42,000 — the number of road deaths in America the year Allie was killed.
NACTO, a group with a member list that includes hundreds of planners and engineers from 100 of America’s largest cities, is behind Hart’s proposal. Engel said they’re lobbying the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), but they’re a long way from major breakthroughs. So in the meantime, they’re focusing on educating car buyers. “We’re trying to show that a five star rating does not belong in a vehicle that’s much more likely to kill someone.”
One of the thorny problems with this issue is how cars and trucks are sold. Eric Richardson with City of New York, shared a jaw-dropping story that has led them to pressure car companies to decouple luxury and safety. “If I walk into a dealership, I should be able to get the highest safety package I can get, without having to pay for heated seats, massaging seats, a sunroof, a five CD changer, you know, it goes on and on and on.”
“We receive photos all the time from members who say that put up this concrete barrier and now all these vehicles are getting stuck on the concrete barrier. And we’re like, ‘Yes, that’s the point!'”
– Alex Engel, NACTO
On one occasion, Richardson was negotiating the purchase of several vehicles for the city fleet and asked for the package with the highest level safety trim. “I was told, the only way we could get it is if they put TV screens on the back seats. And I’m like, ‘Wait a second, I’m in city government, nobody’s going to use those TVs… So we ended up actually pulling them out when the vehicle got delivered, but we paid for them because they were part of the safety package.”
All this though talk around big SUVs and mega-trucks plays well at a Vision Zero conference in Manhattan; but the issue will likely stoke serious pushback among many Americans. That’s why, for the politician Mamdani, an anti-car framing might not be the best approach.
“I think that there’s a ceiling if all of these fights are framed as the ‘war on cars,’ Mamdani said. “I think there’s a lot more possibility if it is framed through the lens of safety.” He cautioned against framing it as a moral choice and said to resist engaging in culture wars. “What if our city government just did an advertising campaign saying, ‘How long would it take you to find parking if your vehicles was this big [holding his close together]? And how long would it take to find parking if your vehicle was this big [holding hands further apart]?’ Right? I think time is money — especially in New York.”
Source: Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
A vibrant city has both affordable housing and access to safe transportation, the two go hand in hand — or at least they should. But in the face of Portland’s housing crisis, the city is pursuing a Regulatory Relief Project which “aims to increase housing production” through “temporary waivers and permanent changes” to certain building requirements — including bike parking standards. The Portland Planning Commission will hold a hearing about the proposed changes next Tuesday and is soliciting public comment.
Reports and bulleted lists can be mind-numbing, but this is the kind of insider baseball that determines how easily you will be able to park your bike. Put simply: code changes affect your life.
Here’s what you need to know…
Bike parking room at Central Eastside Lofts. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Background
The Regulatory Relief Project began with last winter’s Bureau of Development Services survey of developers and others involved in the permitting process. The purpose was to learn what were the obstacles to increased housing production. Readers might remember that survey respondents viewed bike parking as a key cause of delayed housing production, and that a consultant working for the city estimated that bike parking in particular can add 3 to 6% to a project cost.
The survey results, particularly the narrative responses, were informative. Keep in mind that for-profit developers did not make up the majority of those surveyed, even the group of city staff outnumbered them. Other respondents included: applicants for construction permits; non-profit organizations developing new housing; businesses and professionals involved in housing development (like lawyers and architects); and city employees from the seven bureaus who review permits.
Last month, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability released a draft set of 16 zoning code amendments in response to what was learned from the survey. The amendments are intended to provide regulatory relief and speed up housing production. They included changes to “requirements for bike parking, ground floor active use and height, nonconforming upgrades, bird-safe glazing, eco-roofs, façade articulation, neighborhood contact, and onsite loading spaces.”
Proposed Changes to Bike Parking
(PBOT slides)
The specific changes proposed to the bike parking requirements are:
Temporarily reduce the ratio of required bicycle parking from 1.5 to 1.0 spaces per dwelling unit in the inner pattern area and from 1.1 to 0.7 spaces in the outer pattern area.
Temporarily suspend the requirement for large (i.e. cargo) bicycle parking spaces.
Permanently eliminate the requirement for an alcove and proximity to the front door for bikes within dwelling units.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation made a presentation to the Bicycle Advisory Committee in August, and their slide deck explains the issues bulleted above.
But even with a helpful slide deck, land use and development are intricate subjects. Understanding the implications of the proposed changes is difficult for a lay person, partly because anyone with the technical expertise to really understand the issues probably also has a financial interest in a certain outcome. So figuring out who to listen to can be difficult.
My approach has been to do a lot of listening, to everybody, and to keep in mind the interests of the person doing the talking. Here are some of the people and groups I checked in with to balance out the survey findings and consultant reports.
Chris Smith
I reached out to Chris Smith, a long-time Portland transportation activist, who as a Planning and Sustainability Commissioner several years ago was deeply involved in designing Portland’s current bike parking code. Given his role in crafting the current code, I was surprised by how measured and moderate his response to the Relief Project was. He wrote:
There’s a very real policy trade off between building parking for the 15-25% bike mode share we want in 2030+ versus increasing housing cost now (and allegedly making some projects not pencil out now). I think adjusting the ratios temporarily is a valid thing to do in response.
Temporarily removing the cargo bike space (10′ x 4′) requirement is probably also reasonable until/unless we can demonstrate that folks who buy big front-loaders often live in multi-family housing. Most long-tail cargo bikes can probably squeeze onto a standard staple rack.
One of his specific concerns was the removal of the in-unit bike alcove:
The one that troubles me the most is the removal of the ‘alcove’ standard for in-unit bike parking. We know that before we introduced that standard a lot of in-unit parking was not in fact usable. [Ed: see the PBOT slide deck for photos of oddly-placed, unuseable bike hooks.] But I also concede that the alcove standard has proven challenging, particularly the way BDS has enforced it. I’d really like us to keep working on a better in-unit standard.
But mainly Smith viewed the project as an emergency package, one put together very quickly, and he is advocating for further study after the package is adopted, “I think there’s there’s a lot we could do if we had time to do a really good policy process …”
BikeLoud PDX
BikeLoud Chair Nic Cota told BikePortland that the organization is working with Portland Neighbors Welcome, an affordable housing group, as well as with Chris Smith, on a unified letter to the Planning Commission which recognizes that affordable housing and affordable and safe transportation “are two sides of the same coin.” The draft is currently being reviewed by all parties. Cota emailed that,
Overall our groups are asking that the Planning Commission and City Council assign a work group to review bike parking usage to understand how Portlanders use available bike storage, and look at how the code can be adjusted in the near future. We also want the commission to acknowledge how the code can best provide for the anticipated growth in e-bike ownership, especially as the city looks to roll out Portland Clean Energy Fund initiatives that gears to providing e-bikes to thousands of Portlanders in the next 5 years.
The Street Trust
The Street Trust (TST) wrote a letter and detailed technical memo to Commissioner Rubio, with a copy to PBOT, BPS, and the Planning Commission. This is the most prescriptive of the three approaches, and goes as far as to make dimensional, size recommendations to the code. TST Board Director Victor Duong signed the letter. Duong is a project manager at an architecture firm which might be why TST felt comfortable getting so deep into the design weeds.
The group also specifically brought up BIPOC inclusion at several points: “Finally, we ask all future regulations to be more BIPOC-equity focused because we can’t achieve 25% bike trips by 2030 if we are not including 25% of our population’s needs in our system design and execution,” and
Temporarily remove Design Review requirements for BIPOC owners/developers and consider a permanent removal until the city meets min diversity requirements for review board members. DR is a financial burden for small BIPOC owned projects.
And Duong ended the letter with some punch,
Commissioner Rubio, the time for bold action is now. We have a unique opportunity to redefine Portland as a city that leads with compassion, innovation, and inclusivity. Our plans, policies, and codes must be pro-human, not pro-bike or pro-housing. We are crafting a city for people, not just buildings and bikes.
Conclusion
Assuming that the Planning Commission approves the proposed code changes, the next step in the code change process will be a City Council hearing and vote to approve the code. According to the project timeline, the Council hearing will be in December.
The Regulatory Relief Project has an online tool for submitting comments to the Planning Commission, and so far 92 people have commented. A glance through the comments shows that there is much more on the table than just bike parking. As I eyeball the list, it looks like window glazing for protecting birds is a much hotter topic than bicycles.
The deadline for comments to be considered before Tuesday’s hearing is 5:00 PM Monday afternoon.
Danny Harris, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, speaking at the Kimmel Center on the campus of NYU in Manhattan this morning. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Danny Harris, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, New York’s leading safe streets advocacy group, opened the Vision Zero Conference this morning with an important insight for everyone involved in making streets safer.
In order to make real progress in the work, more people need to trust the intentions and messages from advocates and their partners in politics and city agencies. Harris’ remarks leaned on how people pushing Vision Zero need to remember that the core of the work is to lift those less fortunate out of danger, out of poverty and ask themselves, “How we can create a city where truly everybody can thrive?”
In a 10th floor pavilion overlooking Washington Square Park in Manhattan this morning, Harris said the lack of trust by much of the public is one of the key reasons safe streets measures are failing to take hold fast enough to save lives. (According to Transportation Alternatives, New York City is on track to have the deadliest year for bike riders since 1999.)
“All of us are here are navigating a world where there’s a declining amount of trust in the media, in our elected leaders, the ability to deliver on promises,” Harris said. “The fundamental challenge that we have, regardless of what the issue is, is just simply that of trust.”
Harris went on to explain how a lack of trust is the reason many communities bristle at things like traffic calming, bike lanes, and other things cities propose as ways to make roads safer. His remarks can help explain pushback in places like the North Williams Avenue corridor in Portland, where longtime residents strongly opposed plans for a bike lane in 2011.
“Going into a community that has been left behind for decades,” Harris continued. “Largely because they may be low-income, or communities of color, for communities that have largely undocumented individuals who’ve been given promises over and over again — and what it means to come in and make promises or to talk about new opportunities, when somebody may simply be waiting for a stop sign they requested 10 years ago.”
While Harris identified a trust deficit as a big problem among transportation advocates, he said practitioners should not be paralyzed by the challenge of overcoming it. “Our goal here isn’t to solve trust in the media or trust with elected officials; but simply trust in how we can engage with each other and communities that are on the frontlines. It’s a very big job. It’s a huge responsibility. But in order to move forward with Vision Zero, in order to create the conditions where all of us can thrive on the streets, each of us has a responsibility to come back and ask yourself that question. How is it that we are building and instilling trust in our partners?”
Harris then introduced one of his most important partners, NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
“I’m not supposed to be here,” said Rodriguez, “My first job was washing dishes. I used to walk around this area on my break time.” Rodriguez built on Harris’ remarks about the perception of transportation reform from lower-income communities.
“For many decades poor people were told that riding a bike is equal to being poor,” Rodriguez said. “And that’s why when you see cycling in New York City, it’s mainly composed by the upper class and middle class. So we need to have this socio-economic conversation. How can we help all working class New Yorkers to understand that if you ride a bike, that’s not a luxury; that’s good for your health, that’s good for you environment, that’s good for your economy.”
Rodriguez also said if transportation agencies want to move forward on Vision Zero goals, they must look like the communities they serve. “When I got to DOT, I said, we need to diversify this agency if we want to be trusted.”
These remarks kicked off a full day of workshops and panel discussions. I attended sessions on e-bikes, the impact of oversized trucks and SUVs, and a panel on alternatives to police enforcement — all of which touched on how economic and racial inequality are playing into the fight for safe streets. Stay tuned for coverage of those topics.
I was surprised to bump into a volunteer from Safe Street Rebel (note: story updated 7/31/24 to keep person anonymous at their request) at the Vision Zero Cities Conference this morning. Given that the volunteer was listed as “anonymous” on a panel yesterday, and identifiable only by the name of the group they organize with, Safe Street Rebel, I figured folks like them prefer to stay in the shadows.
The volunteer is part of a what conference organizers glowingly referred to as “illegal,” “confrontational,” and “illicit,” and, “a new breed of tactical urbanism that has sprung up across the U.S. and is transforming city streets without the permission of city governments.” “Direct action gets the goods,” reads the title of a panel the Safe Street Rebel organizer participated in Wednesday.
Or, you might just know his group as the folks who garnered national headlines in August for sabotaging driverless taxis in San Francisco by placing traffic cones on the hoods.
Given that similar tactics bubble-up in Portland from time-to-time — most recently as a group called BlockOps that earned the ire of the Portland Bureau of Transportation for placing concrete curbs in a bike lane where woman was brutally hit by an errant driver who plowed right through plastic flex-posts — figured it would be fun to ask this person from Safe Street Rebel to share more about what they’re doing with Safe Street Rebel.
Screenshot of Safe Street Rebel Instagram account.
Jonathan Maus/BikePortland: What is your message to activists in other cities that, might just be a few folks with a social media account, but who aren’t as far along as your group?
Safe Street Rebel organizer: I mean, we started with a Twitter account, too, and a group chat, and just all it takes is a group chat to come together with your friends and get out in the streets.
BikePortland: Can you give me a sense of scale or context in terms of what you are up to?
Safe Street Rebel organizer: We have a big group chat with about 250 people on it. That’s not really for organizing. It’s more for just chatting about what’s going on, and keeping each other up-to-date. But then we have breakout groups for things like guerrilla infrastructure, for community slow rides, and we try to have actions that accommodate all risk levels.
And even with the cone campaign, you know, there were people who were instrumental in that, who never put a cone on a robo-taxi, the person who made that viral Tiktok video for us never did that, but still really wanted to get involved. So I think it’s important to create a welcoming environment, so that anyone, regardless of their risk tolerance, can get involved. Yeah.
But on the other end of the spectrum, we also do tactical urbanism and guerrilla infrastructure. We’ve been learning how to drill plastic, soft-hit post into the streets.
BikePortland: Tell me more about “risk level.” I mean, you’re breaking the law. What do you tell activists who might be afraid of getting into something like that?
Safe Street Rebel organizer: I think using your privilege is important. You know, there are a lot of people in our community who can’t take that risk of getting arrested, whether that’s for immigration reasons, economic reasons, or whatever. But there are some who can. And it’s important to step up for your community. It’s important to show the public that safe streets are worth taking risks for.
BikePortland: So, like a protestor who goes to an action wanting to get arrested?
Safe Street Rebel organizer:Well, I’d emphasize that the most important thing is for you to get out of there and have the action end safely — not to finish the action… Getting arrested is not ideal. It can be dire for a lot of people economically, it could be the reason why you lose her job. We’d rather people sort of get out safely, then finish the install.
BikePortland: Speaking of getting arrested, what’s your position on police enforcement and street safety?
Safe Street Rebel organizer:Safe Street Rebel is explicitly anti-police. We’ve seen efforts from a lot of traditional advocacy groups calling for increased enforcement. We see cops as a reactionary band-aid, and something that’s not a preventative solution. There’s a limit to the deterrent effect they have. We think it’s important that we focus on literal, concrete solutions, because infrastructure will always be more effective than enforcement.
“We say ‘bullying works.'”
BikePortland: Do you see yourself as being an antagonist of transportation agencies? Or partners? What’s that relationship like?
Safe Street Rebel organizer: We have a love-hate relationship with SFMTA [San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency]. Wee have good relationships with the lower-level planners, who definitely agree with us in terms of our goals. But then, sometimes it can be tense with the directors and appointees of the Mayor’s office, for example, or people who favor car access, or, you know, oppose safe streets.
But we’re not like a libertarian kind of group. We want the city to make these improvements. We don’t want to be the only ones doing this. It’s also not sustainable for the community to do this entirely. So, just like the Portland group with installing concrete, it’s really just a way to push the city in the right direction.
We say ‘bullying works.’ It’s not a way of antagonizing it’s more of just showing what’s possible — quickly. If we can install soft-hit posts in response to a four-year-old being killed within five days, there’s no reason the city shouldn’t.
BikePortland: Anything else you want to say?
Safe Street Rebel organizer: This is as much community-building and making friends, and having fun with your friends, as it is direct action. You’ll make some of the best friends you’ll ever have doing this work and it’ll change your life.
Emily Stutts and Sam Balto, with Megan Ramey right behind. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Dressed in uniforms of bright yellow jackets with “Bike Bus” emblazoned on the back, the foot soldiers of America’s burgeoning bike bus movement came together in Brooklyn today. But instead of leading kids, they led bike bus advocates and fans from across the country.
In just a few short years, the simple act of riding bikes to school together has gone from lone advocates in a few schools, to a bona fide national movement. At today’s ride, organized as part of the Vision Zero Cities Conference hosted by nonprofit Transportation Alternatives, there was a sense that the disparate efforts that have blossomed in the past two years or so are beginning to gel.
And leaders of bike buses in Oregon can take some of the credit for the momentum.
Underhill Bike BoulevardL to R: Megan Ramey, Diane Castelucci, Kashif Hussain, Emily Stutts, Sam Balto Park Slope Plaza School StreetStudents flood school street in Park Slope.School street outside Brooklyn New SchoolScheming world domination.
In February of 2022, Brooklyn school teacher Emily Stutts was cooking breakfast with her husband when a podcast featuring Hood River’s Safe Routes to School Manager Megan Ramey came on. “I hear her story and I said to my husband, ‘Someone should do that here,'” Stutts shared with me today as we gathered in Brower Park before the ride. “And he’s like, ‘Yeah, it’s you, you fool! Who else would do it?’ And I was like, ‘No, no, no, it’s someone else, not me,’ and he was like, ‘You’re a teacher, you know all the kids, you ride your bike — I’m pretty sure it’s you.'”
So a few months later, Stutts had created the Bergen Bike Bus. Each morning before school she rides the same, five-mile route and kids and parents from up to 10 schools hop on and off the bus.
Today Stutts and Ramey rode together.
“We all keep saying, ‘Thank you for inspiring me,'” Ramey shared while biking on Stutts’ route. “And I think the feeling is mutual; because without each other we wouldn’t have been able to do this.”
Ramey was inspired to start her “bike train” in 2020 after watching a Streetfilm video shot in Portland in 2013. And of course the person who made that film, the inimitable Clarence Eckerson, was also at today’s ride.
In addition to Ramey and Stutts, other bike bus leaders on the ride included: Sam Balto, leader of the Alameda Bike Bus in Portland; Luke Bornheimer from San Francisco Bike Bus; Andy Hawkins and Jessica Tillyer from Montclair (New Jersey) Bike Bus, and others.
The next stop for the bike bus is to create a national organization. A clearinghouse of sorts, that can guide would-be bike bus leaders and give them the tools to get rolling.
I ran into Luke Bornheimer as he scribbled his name and phone number on the bottom of fliers that had “Bike Bus World” in big red letters across the top.
What’s this? I asked.
Luke Bornheimer
“It’s a national organization that is helping people start and grow bike buses and support them from a national state and city level,” he replied. According to Bornheimer, a lot of people see a bike bus video online and want to start one, but they have no resources or advice on how to do it. “They’re basically reinventing the wheel every single time. And this is happening all across the country,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is solve that problem for people, help them start bike buses, and give them the tools and resources to do it, and advocate for the policy and infrastructure that helps support that.”
On that note, the group stopped by two “school streets” on the ride — carfree streets adjacent to schools that help make drop-off and pick-up safer while providing a larger space for play and community.
Diane Castelucci
At the Brooklyn New School, parents and administrators worked together to get a permit to prohibit drivers from using the street outside the playground. Now they use the space to teach kids how to ride bikes. School principal Diane Castelucci called it, “Extended outdoor learning space,” on the permit paperwork. “And for us, what sort of came naturally and having a nice long open space was a biking program.”
Asked what type of volunteer effort it takes to keep the school street going, Castelucci said, “It’s made a huge difference for our school and being able to have much more outdoor space for our kids has been wonderful. We’ll do whatever it takes to keep it going.”
At another school street in Park Slope, the folks who made it happen said it became such a success that the school moved its main entrance off the busier commercial street and onto the newly carfree one.
There’s a clear nexus from getting more families biking to school, to vision zero. One of the most effective ways to reduce fatal crashes is to simply lower exposure to automobiles. Getting kids and families out of them, and creating safe routes and safe spaces near schools, can save a lot of lives.
And safety is just one of many reasons bike buses are taking off. Actually, that’s hardly the reason at all.
“The very first time I went on a bike bus ride, it was so joyful and uplifting,” Bornheimer told me at a happy hour mixer after the ride. “People talk a lot about policy and infrastructure and how, we hope things will happen. And this is very real. You see it in front of you and it’s like a visceral feeling of, like, knowing this is a very positive thing.”
Flatiron District (I think!). (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Riding a bike in Manhattan is like everything else in this city; you never know what to expect, there’s something new around every corner, and the bike people watching is world-class. Portland is weird, Manhattan is wild.
I’ve spent just two days rolling and walking around the east side of lower Manhattan from about West 25th down to the Brooklyn Bridge and City Hall. I realize there’s a lot more to see, but the experience has already made quite an impression.
The first thing I noticed was the bike traffic. A great sign! An obvious presence of bicycle riders is the first sign that you’re in a cycling city. When there are ample people on bikes, the infrastructure is almost secondary, because the humans themselves force — and reinforce — the idea that bikes belong.
In Manhattan, it feels like the majority of people on bikes are deliveristas — professional food delivery riders who zoom around on throttled electric bikes. I reported on them on my previous trip in 2012 and their numbers have swelled since then. So too has their speed. 11 years of electric battery technology and a boom in ordering-in apps has made these fast food bikes ubiquitous here.
I’m glad deliveristas have gained a more organized advocacy voice since my last trip. Given the challenging — and too often deadly — conditions they work under, tensions around illegal mopeds and e-bikes using bike lanes, and attention by New York City Mayor Eric Adams on e-bikes in general, they are going to need it.
Another big change since I was last here is the presence of Citi Bike, NYC’s bike share system. And that’s an understatement. Citi Bikes are everywhere. And now the fleet includes zippy e-bikes with futuristic front lights. I’ve used these for two days. They work great, although it’s odd and a bit of a bummer that they have only one gear (I prefer to pedal a higher cadence and would love to start on an easier gear).
The presence of deliveristas and two types of Citi Bikes (electric and not) alone would be enough to create a bit of chaos on the bike lanes. Add into that mix tourists on hotel bikes, folks on commuter bikes, mopeds, e-scooters, and so on and so forth.
The mix of vehicle types — and the mix of people riding them — in Manhattan is more diverse than anywhere in North America. That’s a guess, since I haven’t been everywhere, but if there’s another place with such a vast diversity of humans and modes of conveyance in bike lanes, I’d love hear about it.
All the bike and assorted micromobility traffic puts a tremendous pressure on the infrastructure network. And to the DOT’s credit, the cycling system here holds up relatively well. I say “relatively” because it’s nothing like the European cycling capitols, but for the US of A, it’s not bad at all.
Like I said, you never know what to expect. One block you’ll have a wide, physically-protected space, the next block you’ll be sharing space with drivers (all of whom are on their phones) or squeezing between a curb and a delivery truck. It’s probably because I don’t know the routes (which shouldn’t be a requirement in a good network) and because I’m new here, but there have only been a few blocks where I felt I could relax and enjoy the ride.
New York City has had an impressive run at building out a quality bikeway network for the past 15 years or so (since former NYC DOT Chief Janette Sadik-Khan burst onto the scene in 2007), but if a calm, “8-80” experience is the goal, there’s a lot of work to do.
And the bumps! My goodness the streets here are rough. There aren’t potholes, but with sewer grates and uneven surfaces all over the place, the ride is quite jarring (the very high tire pressure on most of the Citi Bikes doesn’t help).
Bumps are relatively minor quibble. Given the legacy of car-centric street planning here, and the crush of human and vehicle traffic everywhere, I give a lot of credit to advocates and the DOT for squeezing in a useful bikeway network and taking road space wherever they can.
Given the chaotic feeling of Manhattan streets, it’s a testament to human nature that — at least in my experiences so far — folks on both sides of the windshield seem to be pretty good at sharing space. Unlike in Portland, people here expect chaos, so they go with it. They adjust.
I’ll test this claim out a lot more today, as I ride across town over to Brooklyn to see Portland’s very own Sam Balto and Hood River resident Megan Ramey lead a ride that shares lessons from their creation of bike buses.
I’ve got a lot more cool stuff to share. Stay tuned!
A Portland couple were hit and killed Tuesday while biking on a rural road in Napa, California.
52-year-old Christian Deaton and 48-year-old Michelle Deaton were avid bike riders and travelers. They were visiting Napa County’s wine country and were riding on Silverado Trail when a truck driver attempted to pass them. Law enforcement officials say the driver’s load of lumber shifted just as he passed the Deatons and a piece of wood hit both of them. Christian died at the scene and Michelle died shortly after at the hospital.
Silverado Trail has two general purpose lanes and is striped with unprotected bike lanes. The speed limit near the location of the collision is 55 mph. It’s considered a safer, less-trafficked alternative to nearby Highway 29.
It’s unclear whether police will hold the driver accountable for breaking any traffic laws. In California, all vehicle operators must secure their loads. Failure to do so can result in a citation. And the state’s safe passing law requires motor vehicle operators to give bicycle riders at least three feet when they pass.
“According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, at 55 miles per hour, an object weighing just 20 pounds that falls from a vehicle strikes with an impact of half a ton,” states a press release from the California Office of Traffic Safety.
Both victims were employees of Nike. Christian raced several times at Oregon Bicycle Racing Association events, including the Monday night series at Portland International Raceway. A source who knew Christian said he rode with him on Nike’s ‘Windjammers’ cycling club.
“This enormous, preventable loss is sitting heavy in our hearts and minds, as we know it is for those who ride locally and work toward safer streets,” reads a statement from the Napa County Bicycle County Bicycle Coalition. “Living here, riding here, and visiting here should be safe for all road users, and we are incredibly saddened that the Deatons were not kept safe.”
If anyone knew the Deatons and wants to share more about them, feel free to do so in the comments below or get in touch and I will add your remembrance to the story.
***Update October 20, 2023: This morning, BikePortland spoke with a witness to the crash who has posted several comments under this article. Laura Ray told BikePortland that she was traveling south on Silverado Trail and that the crash occurred in the northbound lane. Laura wasn’t able to directly see the impact, but she pulled over and rushed to the aid of the Deatons. Three or four other people also stopped, and a couple of men in two trucks directed traffic and used their vehicles to protect the site. Laura took a number of photos of the site.
She said that a witness was driving northbound, in back of the crash, and that he was the first to call 911. He was freaked out, as was everybody, and he spent most of the time on the phone. She thought she heard him say that there was wood hanging off the back of the truck.
Laura was distressed that it took so long for the emergency response to arrive–15 minutes, she thought–which didn’t make sense to her because there is a hospital nearby. When the police arrived she was surprised that they did not collect information from the witnesses, and that they seemed more concerned with clearing everyone away. (An investigator contacted BikePortland early yesterday evening.)
The driver of the truck which allegedly struck the Deatons stopped, but very far from the location of the crash, Laura thought about a quarter mile past the crash. He did not approach the crash location.
Laura said that Silverado Trail is a dangerous road, particularly this time of year, during harvest season, and also with wine-lovers visiting the area’s vineyards. She mentioned that the area was building a protected path, with no cars allowed, which would run to Calistoga.
Whatever pops into your head when you first think of bike share bikes, I bet that it’s the polar opposite of what Jerome Peel thinks of.
Peel is a 33-year-old New York City resident and fashion designer who’s become the face and the force behind Citi Bike Boyz. Peel’s exploits include launching a set of stairs, bunny-hopping over subway tracks, launching over work zones — all on a 45 pound Citi Bike (or 60 when he grabs an electric one) — have earned notoriety in the NY Times, Vice, The New Yorker, and more.
With over 120,000 followers on Instagram and a merch line that’s mostly sold-out, it was no surprise that when I met up with him Tuesday afternoon, he was on his way to the post office to deliver dozens of hats and t-shirts.
Thumbnails of videos on @Citibikeboyz Instagram.
“This is my bike,” Peel shared as we pedaled the streets of Lower Manhattan, “It’s hard to work with bicycle brands [who are eager to sponsor him] because I only ride one bike. I can’t ride anything but a Citi Bike. It’d be weird.”
(If you’re wondering, Peel doesn’t rent his Citi Bike. He pays for an annual Citi Bike membership, but said he found the one he rides and that it’s not no longer in the system.)
Peel grew up in South Florida and moved to New York City about six years ago. He told me much of his inspiration for Citi Bike Boyz came from the hit TV show and movie, “Jackass,” known for its star Johnny Knoxville’s high-risk pranks and stunts.
“As a kid I loved jumping curbs, making my own ramps, fixing up dirt piles and stuff,” Peel shared. “I like to pretend I’m on a skateboard sometimes. I see a lot of inspiration in skate videos.”
Jerome Peel in Lower Manhattan. (Photos and video: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Peel rode motocross bikes as a kid, and when he moved to New York City he didn’t have anything to ride. “So I just took a Citi Bike. You’ve got to work with what you’ve got and be resourceful.”
And work he does. A few years later, these beastly, ubiquitous blue bikes most of us can hardly lift up a curb or pedal up a hill, have made Peel something of a legend.
For now at least, Peel seems content to impress his followers and search out that next iconic jump or trick. He doesn’t have any grand mission and mostly just wants to have fun (and use his design skills to sell a bit of merch) — although he did say he’d like to travel and get rad on bike share systems around the world (anyone from Biketown interested?).
What about Citi Bike? Are they mad? Peel said he hasn’t heard from them yet; but we both agreed it’d be funny if he ended up in one of their ads — or in a safe riding PSA.
As I pedaled back to my hotel room and filmed Peel popping-a-wheelie through chaotic, traffic-filled streets, his response to my last question bounced around my head.
“Anything else you want to say?” I asked.
“I would just say the possibilities are endless. Keep riding. And there’s no there’s nothing wrong with one of these bikes. These bikes are cool. They’re not whack! Yeah, it doesn’t make sense to everybody, but people don’t get it. It is stupid, but it’s also what I do for fun, and it entertains some people.”
Alpaca wool for mama, waterproof onesies and Bogs boots for the kids. (Photos: Shannon Johnson/BikePortland)
Thanks for all the great feedback on my post last week about how I psych myself up for riding in the rain.
As I mentioned in that post, I really enjoyed Ride Westside’s Winter Gear Clinic earlier this month. If you missed it, they posted their members’ gear recommendations. It was so encouraging to hear gear suggestions and solutions in-person, and to meet like-minded folks who ride in the rain. I relied on their enthusiasm to get me outside on our first rainy ride last week, and I’m using their gear list to shop for a few items to bolster our stash of winter riding gear.
Now, after two years of rainy riding, I finally have some winter gear favorites of my own to share.
A word about our gear: Much of our gear isn’t bike-specific. A big reason for that is that we’re adopting a rainy lifestyle outside; so we want gear that can ride the bike, play at the park, pop inside at the library, and head back outside for an afternoon picnic in the drizzle. With an upright e-bike, slow pace, and nearby destinations, I am not riding like a fitness cyclist or long-distance commuter, so bike specific gear is less necessary for me and most of my children (who are riding along without pedaling).
OK, here’s my list. First I’ll share what I’ve got, and then will share what I’ve got my eyes on.
Recommended
Used/donated rain jackets, boots, rain pants
In other words, whatever we can find. It’s worth investing in quality rain gear, but if you can’t afford what you need, Portland thrift stores probably have something to cover you (hint: look for rain gear in the summer and stock up), or a BuyNothing group may be able to supply you for free. When it comes to children, who change sizes every year and lose/misplace gear regularly, I usually rely on used gear found for cheap or free. I have found much of my kid rain gear that way. You can too.
Be sure to get waterproof (not merely “resistant”) from head to toe–hoods, shirt, pants, lined boots, gloves, plus a warm performance underlayer complete with hats and warm socks. Don’t skip anything or kids will be cold and very unhappy. In other words: worry less about having the perfect/best brands, and just make sure you have everything covered.
Full-Body Rain Suits
A onesie for the rain! These are an absolute favorite, a “must-have” especially for toddlers, who somehow manage to belly flop into the first puddle they see. The brands Hapiu, Tuffo, and Oaki have all served us well. (We managed to have different brands in each size, passed from kid to kid. After five years in the PNW, we haven’t had to replace any of them yet.)
One caution: These rain suits make playground slides go really fast. Rain-suit-wearing kids will fly a few feet off the end of the slide–which might be great or terrible, depending on the kiddo. I recommend you be ready to catch a flying kid at the bottom.
Toddler/Baby Bunting
A friend gave me her JJ Cole BundleMe stroller bunting, which is basically a winter sleeping bag that connects to the stroller to keep baby snug and warm. This worked with our bike seat straps kept my baby cozy. He always looked so snuggly! It gave me the confidence that my little one’s toes would stay warm. There are many brands that offer stroller bunting. I just used what I was gifted.
Bogs Boots
Warm, sturdy, waterproof, and with handholds to help put them on. Added benefit of rain boots: No shoelaces! It’s wonderful when the youngest ones can put their boots on without help. Definite win. BogsFootwear.com
Wool/Waterproof Picnic Blanket: My favorite piece of rain gear!I didn’t have a rain cover to keep my kids warm and dry, so I purchased a waterproof picnic blanket from Amazon (from a company which has since disappeared… this is the closest similar item I can find). My picnic blanket is wool on one side with a waterproof layer on the back. The wool is so warm, and it’s very sturdy and the waterproof side lives up to its purpose. We have used this durable blanket year-round for picnics and we never have to get wet from sitting on wet grass or wet park benches. Furthermore, I wrap this around my kids, wool side down, to keep them warm inside and dry outside.
This is a really good idea, especially if you will be waiting around in the cold with kids. It’s one thing to bike in the cold, but it’s especially hard to sit and wait in the cold, which happens a lot, like when picking up a sibling from an activity, or for kids riding along without pedaling. (This is a hard adjustment, compared with waiting in a heated car, so try to plan for it.) Be prepared to wrap up waiting/riding kiddos in a warm blanket. We find we need this even with our fancy rain canopy. Wool is sturdy and warm, and I am now a wool convert. This is pricier, but I think our sturdy wool/waterproof blanket will last us a decade, and it doesn’t seem to get muddy and gross the way a regular blanket would. Previous family biking columnist Madi Carlson also recommended this upside-down waterproof picnic blanket.
Alpaca Winter Hat and Gloves
I love the coziness of real wool, and I like thinking about the alpacas that my kids got to feed and pet, who provided the wool for my favorite hat. This hat makes me happy. And the bonus is I got them from a local farm! StonebergAlpacas.com
Merino and Alpaca Wool layers
After falling in love with my wool blanket and hat, I’m trying out more wool layers this year. So far I am enjoying various layers from WoolX and Paka. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Crosspoint Knit Waterproof gloves from Showers Pass
I don’t usually ride very far/long, so I can often wear my fingerless gloves, but when the temperature really drops, I regret it if I forget my Showers Pass gloves. These are warm and flexible and they even handled a morning of sled-riding and snowball fighting last winter. ShowersPass.com
Nikwax Tech Wash Keep rainwear waterproof or refresh the waterproofing on used gear with this technical wash. Otherwise, avoid washing rain gear with detergent (try a water-only wash, or only wash when needed) and never use fabric softener. I try to make our waterproof layers last a long time with limited and careful washing. REI.com
Merrell Men’s Jungle Moc Nubuck Waterproof This is the only pair of shoes my husband wears. He stomps in puddles and wears them to work. He beats them up and one pair last him two years. Totally waterproof, sturdy, comfortable, and with no shoelaces to tie. Best all-around, walking, working, do anything waterproof shoe. Worth every penny. I resupply him every second Christmas.Merrell.com
My Rainy/Winter Gear Wishlist
Alpaca Joggers from Paka I’m very interested in wool for its warm and breathable qualities, its combination of sturdiness and coziness. I don’t usually want to bother putting on rain pants, and I dislike the swishy noise and plastic feel. I want something else that keeps me warm while wet.
Portland’s annual Tweed Ride got me thinking more about functional wool clothing. I’m also interested in wool as a nature-friendly product. And I’m especially interested in the Paka brand for their commitment to pay a fair wage to the women artisans who make the clothing. This is what I am looking for in clothing that matches my needs and values. I already bought— and love — the Paka Hoodie. Now I will have to save up for these!
Double Darn Wool 4-Panel Cap Thanks to Michael and the Ride Westside Winter Gear clinic for this suggestion. I’m in love with this cap, handmade in Portland, with helmets and cyclists in mind. I wonder if the shop could add the earflaps to the charcoal colored cap? I bet they could. That would be dreamy! Double Darn
Lights, Lights, and More Lights As it gets darker and rainier, we need more lighting. We never have enough lights. They break, they fall off, kids switch to new bikes over the summer and we forget to add lights to them. We always need more lights to see and be seen. First, I need a better headlight to be able to see debris and roadway hazards. Any recommendations?
For our front-box cargo bike to be better lit for drivers to see us, I really wanted Cargo Glow lighting, but they don’t make a product for my Bunch bike (Bunch is currently working on a new lighting option for their box bikes). So in the meantime, I swiped my husband’s work light and the kids just hold it up on the night ride home. The plastic rain cover filters it such that the entire bike box is lit up like a glowing lantern. I bet an electric camping lantern could work too. I think it’s a pretty effective DIY solution.
I’m also interested in pedal lights and wheel spoke lights for my son’s bike. The more we ride, the more we ride in rain and darkness, the more we want more lights.
Shower’s Pass Updated Little Crossover Jacket Reflective and bright kid jacket with waterproofing and breathability. Since my 10-year-old son rides fast to keep up with his Momma’s e-bike, I think he merits some cycle-specific clothing that can help keep him warm, comfortable, and highly visible. Showers Pass
Low Profile, Casual, Waterproof Shoes I thought I would try wearing my regular sneakers with wool socks yesterday. That was a soggy failure! I hated how wet and squishy my feet were. But I don’t feel very comfortable in my heavy waterproof hiking boots all day, and I don’t always want to wear my giant galoshes.
I’d like to find a low-profile, casual, everyday waterproof shoe to wear to the park, playground, library, and local bike rides. Something that feels comfy at a coffee shop, but can do the job in the rain. No more squishy feet. Any recommendations? (I’m looking at waterproof Merrell sneakers and I am also told that Nike Shield is a line of waterproof sneakers great for the rain. I think I’d be more interested in a low-profile waterproof slip-on shoe, more of a “rainy lifestyle brand” casual shoe…anyone have a favorite?)
What’s your favorite piece of winter gear? Let us know. It’s great to learn from each other! Thank you so much!
I learned a lot reading your comments. I learned that my husband probably needs some waterproof socks. I learned about chaps (they aren’t just for horse riders). The comment thread was oddly intimate, but hey, it’s nice to forget about policy and politics for a while and get down to the brass tacks of dressing for dry. There were a few common themes that many of you touched upon, “no bad weather, just the wrong gear,” “tubeless is a game-changer,” ventilation . . .
(Looks like hail out my window, sleet maybe. Definitely getting dark and cold.)
Anyway, out of your bounty of comments, Aaron’s put a smile on my face. It was a cheerful combination of practical advice, encouragement, and appreciation of our city’s beauty.
Riding in the rain is just as enjoyable as riding on a sunny summer day, just a different kind of enjoyable. Glad you could get out there and see for yourself!
I’m an advocate of the rain cape/poncho for cycling in the rain. I switched to one a few years ago and I’ve never looked back, between that and waterproof socks I feel like I am prepared for basically any kind of wet weather. I have one of the Cleverhoods that are popular, as far as I can tell Cleverhood and Showers Pass are the only two companies making good quality rain capes these days.
The rain cape keeps your upper legs dry and because the bottom is open you get a ton of ventilation so you can even be comfortable riding in the rain on a warm day, unlike a regular rain jacket that will have you drenched in sweat after a while. If it’s cold and rainy I will often wear my fleece and/or windbreaker underneath the rain cape.
Portland has too many days filled with a beautiful foggy misting rain to just stay inside all winter, everyone should try enjoying the PNW for the unique type of beautiful weather we are lucky to have. When I first bought my rain cape I was living in a city where rainy days usually meant heavy rain that comes in punishing, torrential sheets. The rain we get here is like a dream compared to that, but I rode happily in both. There’s no bad weather, just the wrong gear.
I think the torrential rain just started.
Thank you Aaron, and everyone else for all the good advice. I hope you arrive home dry, with a steaming mug of cocoa waiting for you.
If you aren’t as dry as you would like to be, you can read Aaron’s comment and the whole thread under the original post. And stay tuned for Shannon’s next post Tuesday morning where she’ll share her personal rain gear recommendations and wishlist.
