In ‘Requiem for a greenway,’ Clinton Street user renews call for diverters

Clinton bikeway signage-4-4

(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

Has one of Portland’s first and most beloved bikeways drowned in car traffic over the last six months?

The data isn’t there yet to say for sure. But Brian Davis, a transportation analyst for Lancaster Engineering and a regular user of Clinton Street on his bike, has written a short, moving essay on Portland Transport about his changing experiences riding on the street. (Emphases mine.)

Just a few years ago, the thought of going two whole months without setting tire upon Clinton Street would have been unfathomable to me. One of the best things about my job is that I get to travel throughout the city to look at roads and intersections, and Clinton has long been my superhighway to all points southeast. If you got there early enough, you could often go from Seven Corners all the way to Southeast 26th without seeing a single car. On my many ambles through the corridor I discovered the best cup of coffee in Southeast, the best corn muffins in the city, and the best hot buttered rum anywhere. I realize now that I developed something of a sentimental attachment to the street while riding eastbound all those mornings, mesmerized by constant stream of people cycling past me on their way downtown. Those sign-toppers really meant something back then.

Read more

New path will link Sellwood to Milwaukie on SE 17th

se17thpath-crosssection

SE 17th is getting a makeover between Sellwood and Milwaukie.

A new, $3.4 million path and street design update will vastly improve the bicycling connection between Portland and Milwaukie and the City of Milwaukie wants your feedback on its preliminary design.

Read more

Job: Part-time Accounting Assistant – Castelli – FILLED

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Sorry, this job has been filled. Browse more great jobs here.

Job Title
Part-time Accounting Assistant

Company/Organization
Castelli

Job Description
Accounting Department is looking for part-time assistance with a state sales tax related project.

Ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:
*Excel experience
*Adobe Acrobat experience a plus
*Strong attention to detail
*Highly organized

10-16 week project working 20-30 hours a week
Compensation: $10 hour

How to Apply
Please submit resume and cover letter to accounting@castelli-us.com

Commissioners Fish and Fritz warm to income tax to pay for streets

council work session novick fritz hales fish

Portland’s city council speaks with staff Monday about the “Our Streets PDX” proposal.
(Photo: M.Andersen/BikePortland)

Can Portland’s proposed transportation income tax count to three?

In the political tea leaves of Portland’s five-member city council, three is the magic number. And the tenor of Monday’s hearing on the city’s proposed tax suggested that consensus is building. But the vote seems likely to hinge on who would pay how much.

Read more

Here’s what PBOT wants to do with $173.8 million in new transportation revenue

ourstreets-lear

PBOT staffer Mark Lear updated advisory
committee members on the Our Street
funding effort.
(Photo J. Maus/BikePortland)

This morning in a conference room in the Portland Building, Bureau of Transportation staff laid out how they intend to spend $173.8 million in new revenue they hope to collect from residents and businesses in the first six years of the “Our Streets” funding plan.

While 42% of all the new revenue go toward paving (about $75 million), bike-specific investments are also on the list. A new carfree bridge over I-405 at NW Flanders Street and a protected bike lane on NE Broadway from 24th to the Broadway Bridge make up a list of about $7 million in projects that would dramatically improve biking conditions.

PBOT called this meeting to share an update on the funding plan to their various advisory committees. Among the 12 people in attendance at the meeting, six were city staff and the others were representatives from the City’s freight, bicycle, and pedestrian advisory committees. Members of the City’s Transportation Needs Funding Advisory Committee and Business Workgroup — both put together specifically to address the Our Streets plan — were also at the meeting.

Read more

The Monday Roundup: A clever road-space demo, Seattle gets bike share and more

latvia

Now that’s taking the lane.
(Photo: Let’s Bike It!)

[This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by North St. Bags, celebrating their 5th year of making great bags in Portland.]

Here are the great bike links that caught our eyes this week:

Road space demo: Latvian bike commuters came up with an evocative (though probably wobbly) way to show how much space bikes save on the road.

“The Wash Cyclist”: A Philadelphia startup is preparing a national rollout of a cargo-trike laundry delivery service.

Read more

Comment of the Week: For this rider, driving is a necessity

2490690324_945b8c7214_z

(Photo: Amanda)

Even in Portland, people who bike more than they drive are a pretty small minority.

What sets us apart, in fact, might actually be the percentage of Portlanders who drive while wishing they were on a bike.

In a comment beneath our post about a road diet on Burnside that probably improved safety at a cost to fast driving (but might have also made biking less convenient), reader Edwards shared some compelling thoughts from the perspective of someone who loves to bike but also needs, at least for the moment, to drive.

Read more

Smiles, fire, kids, crashes, and mud: A Cross Crusade gallery

Cross Crusade #1 Alpenrose-53-53

(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

On the eve of the opening race of the Cross Crusade, I find myself getting a bit nostalgic. This season marks the ninth year I’ve photographed these epic spectacles.

Looking through the 1,500 or so images in my Cross Crusade archives brings back all sorts of memories. There has been so much great racing and shenanigans over the years!

Scroll down and browse through this selection of images as you get ready for yet another season of the world’s most photogenic cyclocross race series…

Read more