
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)
🚨 Please note: BikePortland is currently on hiatus and only publishing guest articles. Learn more here. Thank you. - Jonathan 🙏
PBOT has completed a lane “reorganization” project on NW Everett Street between NW 25th and I-405. As we reported back in May, this project is the result of two factors: An understanding by the bureau that the intersection of NW Everett and 16th is unsafe due to its history of right-hook collisions; and a repaving project that gave them a golden opportunity to do something about it.
Second in a week-long series about the BTA’s five new advocacy campaigns.
Over the last two years, people trying to reverse the spectacular 40-year slide in the number of kids who bike and walk to school have come to a gradual realization: dedicated federal funding for the Safe Routes to School program is probably gone for good.
Sue Groth’s job: use math and millions of dollars to stop injuries before they happen.
The team Groth leads at the Minnesota Department of Transportation has probably saved a few hundred lives over the last 10 years. In that time they’ve reinvented “highway safety” spending and seen traffic fatalities fall almost twice as fast as they have in Oregon and the rest of the country.
Groth is the plenary speaker at the Sept. 15 Oregon Transportation Summit hosted by OTREC at Portland State University. I caught her by phone last week to talk about MnDOT’s daring decision to give up some of the “gobs of money” it gets for highway safety and hand it to local agencies instead.
First in a week-long series about the BTA’s five new advocacy campaigns.
More than anything else in central Portland’s bike network, commercial corridors are the missing links.
People for Bikes, a national advocacy group funded by the bicycle industry, wants to change cycling in America by coming up with a new name for it. Specifically, the group wants help figuring out what to call everyday cycling in order to differentiate it from recreation and fitness riding.
Here’s the set-up from People for Bikes via an email they sent out today:
“Lots of people ride bikes for recreation, exercise and sport. But there’s another kind of bicycling that’s becoming more and more popular in communities across the country. It’s difficult to quantify, because folks call it a lot of different things. And it doesn’t have an official name…
Imagine you’re rolling out on your bike right from your garage—no spandex involved, you’re wearing normal, everyday clothes.
“Occupy the streets! Until we get peace! Occupy the streets! Until we get peace!”
Reeling from a (yet another) violent summer where gang members have ruled the streets with guns, about 150 people joined the Take Back the Streets Ride in New Columbia on Sunday. Armed with bicycles and a powerful sense of unity, they stood up to their fears. As they pedaled, chanted and smiled, they started a new narrative about the public space outside their doorsteps and showed how bicycles can be an effective tool for grassroots, social change far beyond the central city.
Here are the bike-related links from around the world that caught our eyes this week:
When Hollywood and biking mix on the red carpet: It’s a great sign for cycling in America when venerable movie industry paper The Hollywood Reporter covers an Emmy nominee who biked to the closely watched awards event (in Rapha no less!).
Mistaken for Uber: “Basically anytime I’m pulled over on the side of the street, someone tries to hail me or just opens my car door,” says a New Yorker who just wants to drive his car in the age of Uber. One person told him: “Are you Uber? Well can you just be? Can we go?” “It’s kind of immoral to have a car in New York anyways, so I feel like this is my tax for doing that.”
When lanes are less safe: Removing center lines on London streets (something Portland has been doing for some neighborhood greenways) reduced average speeds by 5 to 9 mph.
Like her predecessor Tom Miller, Portland’s top transportation bureaucrat is part of a class of bike-friendly Generation Xers who, after working up the ladder for years, are moving into the top perches of government.
Hired last year, Director Leah Treat turned out to be the first of three such faces on the West Coast alone. Last month, Seleta Reynolds of San Francisco’s livable streets division was tapped to lead the vast Los Angeles transportation department and Scott Kubly, who like Treat was a top lieutenant to fellow Xer Gabe Klein in Washington and Chicago, was named to the same role in Seattle.
Welcome to your menu of weekend rides and events, lovingly brought to you by our friends at Hopworks Urban Brewery.
Summer might be waning, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to stop riding bikes!
Whether you miss Pedalpalooza or you want to test out your fitness for the upcoming cyclocross season, there’s a great selection of activities this weekend, and even a few for tonight…
Rocky Butte Sunset Dance Party Picnic – 6:30 pm at Irving Park (NE 11th and Klickitat)
Two new opportunities have been posted to our Job Listings this week. Check them out via the links below…
Sorry, this job has been filled. Browse more great jobs here.
Job Title
Consumer Service Rep
Company/Organization
Yakima Products, Inc.
Job Description
General Description:
The position is responsible to respond to, and follow through on consumers’ requests for service and product information. In addition this position supports Yakima Products end users by providing technical product information, product / vehicle fit information, and warranty support and evaluation. Responsibilities include processing a high number of phone calls, emails and sales orders. Further, this position will execute and support projects with teammates to deliver against initiatives in Yakima’s strategic and annual plans.
Scope and Responsibilities:
•Provides troubleshooting and analysis to resolve consumer problems in a timely, efficient, cost effective, professional manner, and within established guidelines
•Processes sales orders, including follow-up and documentation, in an accurate and timely manner
•Provides timely technical product support to dealers by phone and email
•Increases sales through suggestive selling to consumers
Qualifications:
•AA degree from an accredited college, or equivalent experience preferred
•One (1) year customer service experience in outdoor retail sales, and experience selling Yakima racks preferred
•Intermediate level with Pac’s: Microsoft Office Suite; Outlook
•Ability to effectively develop work systems to manage workload, work independently and efficiently, have a keen ability to prioritize, and ability to identify and address needs in advance
•Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal/external customers and consumers
•Professional level communicator ~ both oral and written correspondence
•Data base experience preferred
•Mechanical aptitude
•Able to visualize and understand geometric and spatial relationships
Physical Requirements:
•Able to sit and work at a computer keyboard for extended periods of time
•Able to perform activities such as stooping, kneeling, bending at the waist and reaching on a daily basis
•Able to lift and carry objects up to 75 pounds occasionally
•Corrected 20/30 vision
•Must be able to safely operate a motor vehicle and sit for extended periods of time
The complete posting can be found at www.yakima.com
Compensation:
DOE
Comprehensive benefit package provided
How to Apply
To apply for this position please submit your resume and salary requirements to: CSRep@Yakima.com