Cycling News & Blog Articles

Barriers keep people out of bus lanes. (Photo: Smart Growth America)

Garrison Christian is a 20 year old undergraduate student at Portland State University. He is studying Urban Planning, with hopes of becoming a professional transportation planner.

Garrison Christian at a recent Bike Happy Hour. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

As most of you already know, 82nd Avenue is going to be redesigned by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) in the coming years. This is our chance to make it much better. In this post, I’ll share my ideas for how to achieve a safer, more equitable 82nd.

The street faces many challenges for safe transportation. 82nd is a high crash corridor, with multiple pedestrian deaths over the past 5 years, including one at SE Flavel Monday morning that marked the second one so far this year alone. Sidewalks along the corridor are particularly narrow, often with utility poles blocking the right-of-way. Many sidewalks lack ADA curb ramps, and 82nd is home to TriMet bus line 72, the highest ridership route in the entire Portland metro area.

State Capitol building in Salem in 2009. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Note: If you are aware of a transportation-related bill that’s not on this list, please contact me.

The 2024 session of the Oregon Legislature kicked off Monday and now there’s a 35-day sprint to make new laws before the gavel comes down. It’s a short session (Oregon only has full sessions on odd-numbered years), so pundits like to say the only things that will get attention are major bills from the most powerful players. But you never know, and judging by the hundreds of bills already filed, it appears many lawmakers are willing to roll the dice.

I’ve spent a bit of time wading through the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) and have found a bunch of bills that have transportation implications. Note that there are some bills we expect to see that I could not track down. Those include: A funding request for safety upgrades on inner SE Powell Blvd; a change to bike lane law being pushed by trucker advocates, and a bill to clarify Oregon’s recreational immunity law. I’ll update the list below if/when I find those and any other bills that may come to my attention in the coming days.

Check out the list below to see the bills BikePortland will be keeping an eye on this session…

A fledgling nonprofit with an outlandish name that launched in Portland six years ago, now sees itself alongside 17 other organizations statewide who have come to the same conclusion: “Highway expansions are pulling our country into an environmental, budgetary, and public health crisis and it’s time to end this destructive, unsustainable practice and set a responsible course toward a cleaner and more equitable future.”

No More Freeways formed to fight the I-5 Rose Quarter project in 2017 and has been stalwart in its mission ever since. Today they are one of 195 organizations who signed onto a letter that pressures elected officials to put a moratorium on highway expansions. That line above is just the opening salvo in a call-to-action that not only demands no more freeways, but also offers a prescription to repair our ailing transportation infrastructure machine.

The organizations, led by national nonprofit America Walks, are marshaling their respective troops to contact lawmakers and urge them to pause all existing highway projects until climate, equity, and maintenance goals are met. This demand is similar to what Portland-based activists have been asking the Oregon Department of Transportation to do on the I-5 Rose Quarter project for years now: Complete a full and transparent environmental impact statement before investing more money and time into the wrong kind of project.

In today’s statement, the signees call for “community-first infrastructure” which they define as, “increasing frequent, reliable, and accessible public transportation; policies that build homes close to jobs and amenities; and making neighborhoods healthier, quieter, and safer.”

Three more platforms like this one in front of the Schnitz are being built this month. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

If you see city construction crews tearing up the bike lane on SW Broadway through downtown, don’t fear. They are not removing the protected bike lanes so many riders depend on for their safety every day. The work is part of an expected project from the Portland Bureau of Transportation to install new loading zone platforms.

If you recall from our coverage back in late September, before the big Broadway bike lane kerfluffle, PBOT was talking to managers and operators of hotels along the street about how to mitigate safety concerns voiced by valet staff, guests, and road users. As early as March 2023, PBOT staff told hotel operators they could receive the same type of loading platform in front of their business that the city had already installed in front of Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The platforms raise the bike lane to sidewalk level, include green color for added visibility, and provide easier access to business entrances for people who park adjacent to the bike lane. The combination of the ramp, along with more robust signage and pavement markings increase awareness of the potential conflict zone for all users: valet staff, hotel guests, and bicycle riders.

PBOT announced on Monday they’ve begun construction on three new platforms. At a cost of about $90,000 each, they’ll be installed in front of the Benson (SW Oak), Heathman (SW Salmon), and Vance (SW Columbia) hotels. Each location should take about two weeks to build and you should expect a work zone environment as you cycle through. PBOT hopes to button up construction by mid-March. Final pavement markings won’t be done until spring because crews need dryer, warmer weather to install the materials.

In addition to building these platforms, PBOT said back in September they would release an evaluation of issues on SW Broadway and proposed upgrades that reflect the concerns from the public and business operators Commissioner Mingus Mapps and PBOT Director Millicent Williams used as justification for their planned changes. That evaluation would come with public outreach so a true, community-wide conversation could be had about how to improve SW Broadway. Three new signal upgrades at SW Oak, Taylor and Jefferson to separate bicycle through traffic from right-turning cars were also promised.

Welcome to the week.

Here are the most notable stories our community came across in the past seven days…

Sad but true: Really important deep dive into the data and demographic trends that have led to the “end of the school bus era” and the explosion of really terrible school pick-up lines. (Washington Post)

Dutch formula: Figured we can always use another reminder of why so many people bike in Dutch cities: Driving is hard and inconvenient and biking and transit are easy and convenient. (Global Cycling News)

Last week’s post about PBOT’s newly released design for 82nd Avenue brought out an interesting bunch of comments. I liked reading all of them, I think because they were so authentic. Not too much internet grandstanding, mainly just people sharing their thoughts. Altogether a “no drama” group of responses.

There was one calm comment which has kept worming its way into my mind over the past few days. Clearly this commenter hadn’t yet picked up that confident and commanding internet “voice.” The comment’s lack of bombast was endearing, even kind of soothing.

Here’s what a commenter named “E” had to say about bike riders on 82nd:

I live near 82nd closer to the southern city limit and drive on 82nd often for groceries/shopping. I see more people biking on 82nd (they have to use the inadequately narrow sidewalk to do so) than on some other commercial streets in Portland. Whereas I would never want to bike along that street in its present form, my guess is that a lot of people are forced to bike on it to get to businesses that serve their basic needs or to and from work. At the same time, I think these folks are hardly going to participate in PBOT’s outreach sessions and take the time to fill out surveys or make their voices heard. I think that there is a real need for bike facilities along 82nd, which would most likely not be reflected in PBOT data.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation has released fresh renderings of the future 82nd Avenue that they plan to break ground on this summer. With a total of $185 million in funding spread across several concurrent projects, PBOT says they’ve reached a major milestone on the biggest piece of the puzzle: the $55 million 82nd Avenue Critical Fixes: Major Maintenance project that will bring changes to a 2.5-mile stretch of the road in southeast and northeast Portland.

We last checked on this project in March 2023. On Wednesday, PBOT released updated plans that bring the project up to a 60% design completion level.

In a statement yesterday, PBOT said this project will bring, “transformative maintenance upgrades” to two separate sections of 82nd Ave: from NE Fremont to Schuyler, and SE Mill to Foster. The city plans to completely rebuild and repave some sections of the roadway from the ground up and build new or updated traffic signals and safer crossings at 10 intersections (more crossings and signals are planned as part of a separate project). This project also includes new center medians, 250 new street trees (up from 138 back in March), and repair or construction of 15,000 linear feet of sidewalk.

Two of the crossings — at SE Lafayette and Raymond — will look like this. Note the red stamped bricks and setback of trees at intersections to allow emergency vehicle access.

The recent weather and this shot from the Rose Ride on June 16th, 2023 has me pining for spring! (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Happy weekend everyone! Remember, I always appreciate an email or other message about the event you’re hosting or ride you’re leading. I try to track everything, but I sometimes miss stuff.

Also, Sunday is fareless transit citywide thanks to TriMet and their efforts to honor Rosa Parks, a Black woman who changed the course of history when she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated city bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955.

Have fun planning your weekend!

WeBike Winter Light Fest Ride – 6:00 pm at Lloyd Center (NE)
Enjoy a fun route on opening night of the PDX Winter Light Fest. This ride is “for anyone who does not benefit from cis male privilege.” More info here.

Portland City Council District 2 (N/NE) candidate Mariah Hudson joined me for a brief interview today. I was first introduced to Mariah through her role as chair of the PBOT Bureau & Budget Advisory Committee. When I heard she was running for council and was a daily rider who bikes with young kids, I knew I had to chat with her.

The interview above (and just posted to the BP YouTube channel, which you should subscribe to!) is part of a new series, “15 Minutes With” where I chat with interesting folks for 15 minutes (or so). Thanks for your patience while I dial things in and make this part of our regular offerings. I’ve got an exciting list of folks I want to talk to; but if you’ve got ideas or want to be interviewed yourself, please send me an email – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Now, back to Mariah…

In our interview she shares that she’s got two kids in Portland Public Schools (first and seventh grades) and is a daily bike commuter from the Alameda neighborhood to OHSU where she works in public health communications. Mariah is also on the PPS budget committee and has served as a leader of the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods. Asked why she’s running for council, Mariah said, “To try and make a difference, to clean up the city, to help people with safety so that my kids and others will want to live here and can afford to live here in the future.”

Mariah rides a Rad Power Radwagon, longtail e-cargo bike and said, “It’s been a game changer, especially in terms of going into work.” Having the e-bike has made her 10-mile round trip commute often quicker than driving and she can show up to work without being sweaty.

Council candidate Sarah Silkie hears an answer to her question from BHH regular Melissa Kostelecky. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

If you missed Bike Happy Hour last week, you missed hearing from three more Portland City Council candidates. That brings the count of candidates we’ve heard from this election cycle up to 11.

Last Wednesday candidates Deian Salazar (D1-E), Jesse Cornett (D3-SE) and Sarah Silkie (D4-W) hopped on the mic. We got to know a little about each of them and heard what makes them tick.

At just 23 years old, I was really impressed with Salazar. In true Bike Happy Hour form, he made an effort to meet every single person in the room. His remarks focused on how he wants to get homeless Portlanders into job training programs to, “get the skill sets and they need in order to stay out of poverty, and to have a decent living wage.” Asked how he moves around the East Portland district, Salazar replied, “I’m not rich enough to be able to afford a car. So I often walk and take the bus. I’ve been considering getting back into cycling… what I really want to do is build a lot of new bike infrastructure, because I think we should not be requiring cars for everyone to be able to move around the city.”

Cornett described himself as being an advocate for the vast majority of his career. He shared tales of shadowing U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and said the “proudest moment” of his work so far was being a legislative lobbyist for an effort that resulted in 55,000 Oregon migrant farm workers getting health care coverage. Cornett is currently the policy advocate for Oregon Recovers, a nonprofit that advocates and provides services for people suffering from addiction. When it comes to transportation habits, Cornett has a bike but rides it infrequently and mostly gets around by car or his own two feet.

The corner of SE Ellis and 48th where Melissa Kostelecky saw an elementary student on a bike get hit by the driver of that grey Subaru Monday afternoon. The child rolled out of the curb cut right behind that maroon SUV that is parked too close to the corner. (Photo: Melissa Kostelecky)

“Just saw a kid get hit by a car right across from Woodstock Elementary,” read a message from Portlander Melissa Kostelecky posted to a local advocacy forum on Monday. “This is exactly why we need to get on the city to enforce daylighting.”

Daylighting, or what the City of Portland refers to as “vision clearance at intersections” is a way to improve visibility by prohibiting on-street auto parking all the way up to the curb. It’s a well-known concept to local road safety advocates and one that should be well-known to local elected officials and policymakers.

Over the years we’ve seen lots of attention on the issue in the form of advocacy campaigns, promises from leaders, even a lawsuit from a bereaved family of a man killed as a result of poor intersection visibility. Despite all that, Portland has still not made enough progress on ridding corners of the scourge of parked cars.

Kostelecky was shaken-up after watching that crash on Monday. Luckily the child on the bike and the driver were going slowly and the driver was able to react before serious damage could be done. Kostelecky has since filed a report with police and with PBOT’s 823-SAFE system just to make sure it’s accounted for.

The location of a bicycle crash in 2019 that led to a lawsuit against ODOT. Note the patched pavement in the lower right (smoothed over in this Google Maps image).

I have long urged people to avoid the trap of bad-faith arguments about whether or not a particular bicycle ride is for recreation or transportation. The suggestion that some bicycle trips are less important because a person is recreating has always struck me as a sneaky, paternalistic attempt to marginalize cycling.

We often hear people point out that a bicyclist in spandex is less important than other road users because they’re just training or on a fun ride; but we never hear people frame car trips in the same way. People driving cars are always doing serious things, the thinking goes, and people on bikes are just out on a lark. It’s a distinction with a difference, because trips made for “recreation” will always have much less political power than those made for “transportation.”  And in that context, once you cede this semantic ground, bad things are more likely to happen.

An example is a legal case that involves the State of Oregon and a man who crashed while biking on the Historic Columbia River Highway in 2019. This case was brought to my attention in October 2022 by a local attorney named Charley Gee. Gee had seen a story on BikePortland about Oregon’s Scenic Bikeways program and wanted to warn me that the Oregon Department of Transportation might use the status of certain bike routes as a way to shirk liability for maintaining safe roads.

Gee shared a lawsuit he filed against ODOT on behalf of a client (who asked to remain anonymous) who was riding on the Historic Columbia River Highway on April 24th, 2019. His client crashed while riding over a depression in the road that was left after repair work by an ODOT contractor. The crash happened about 200 feet west of the Stark Street Bridge (see photo above) and resulted in a fractured right femur (that required surgery), major bruising, and a torn rotator cuff. Gee sought $1.04 million for his client.

— This is a guest article written by Andrew Lindstrom, who writes about infrastructure, transportation and urban spaces on his City Hikes blog.

TriMet has a problem, but it’s not the one you’re thinking of. Safety and rider comfort is still a big deal, and they are certainly struggling on that front – but I want to focus on a more pressing issue, the nuts and bolts of schedules and service changes. This all began with a supposed upgrade of part of the #17 to Frequent Service (“every 15 minutes or less most of the day, every day”) which resulted in no additional buses being run. It bugged me then, and it bugs me now so let’s take a look at the history, mystery, and wonder of the scheduled service on the 17-Holgate/Broadway.

To begin, we should understand what the service was back in the ancient days of 2021. The simplest way to do this is looking at the schedule, so let’s take a peek.

It’s brutal out there. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

The gravel put out by PBOT to help cars and trucks get around for a few days during the storm, has created a massive and dangerous mess citywide: Bike lanes and road shoulders are a mess and millions of tiny little pebbles are creating slip hazards for bike tires. As we work to convince everyday folks to give biking a try, these conditions work against our transportation goals by telling Portlanders, “We don’t care about people who use bike lanes.”

Tired of waiting for the city to do its job and concerned about the safety of cyclists, this is the year Portlanders are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to getting the gravel out of bike lanes. Thanks to an innovative product and can-do attitudes, local bike advocates are leading the charge.

Since we shared in August that nonprofit advocacy group BikeLoud PDX would partner with California-based Bike Lane Sweeper creator Pierre Lermant, the two have become close collaborators. BikeLoud’s “sweeper” Slack channel has 44 members and it’s active with feedback and knowledge-sharing that appears to be pushing the product forward.

Lermant and his design and engineering partner Cedric Eveleigh have moved onto Version 2.0 and are currently designing V3. In late September, Lermant and BikeLoud Vice-chair Kiel Johnson met with PBOT Bicycle Coordinator Roger Geller to discuss ways the city could help. They agreed to do run a trial where volunteers leave bags full of gravel along streets, then city trucks come through and pick them up.

Holes in the pavement where a Road Closed sign once stood. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Vandals have destroyed a neighborhood traffic safety project in Rose City Park. Apparently angry about a plan to limit driving access to one direction on NE 72nd Drive through Rose City Golf Course, someone sawed off two metal poles that held up a large “Road Closed” sign and discarded them a few yards away near the trunk of a redwood tree.

Based on what I saw from a visit to the park this morning, it’s clear someone used a high-powered saw to cut the poles and bolts. They were also in a hurry because I found bolts and washers hastily strewn about the area.

According to posts on Nextdoor and photographs sent to BikePortland, the suspects took multiple trips to the intersection to complete their job. They also sawed off bolts that held up a “Left Turn Only” sign and a sign that was posted nearby that reads, “72nd Drive Closed at Tillamook, Use 82nd.” The signs were thrown down a ravine and discovered yesterday.

BikePortland has asked the Portland Bureau of Transportation for comment, but has yet to hear back. Someone who posted on Nextdoor shared an email from a PBOT staffer who confirmed the vandalism on January 23rd. “We are aware of the issue and are looking into mitigation options,” the staffer wrote.

Jonathan’s post last week about the DA in Polk County reversing his decision and deciding to pursue criminal charges against the driver who struck and killed Adam Joy was bittersweet. On the one hand, it looked like BikePortland’s coverage might have had some influence on the decision. That’s to be noted, and several commenters did.

On the other hand, nothing is bringing back Adam Joy, so any sense of accomplishment is tempered by that tragedy. That’s a hard note to hit, but one commenter found appropriate and moving words to mark the turn of events.

This is what Cooper wrote:

This situation is a prime example of effective, appropriate advocacy. A journalist, attorney and Adam’s family didn’t give up or give in to their grief. Sadly, this confluence of individuals speaking out is not present in many situations. It is difficult for everyone involved, but not giving in is the core to a moral, just society.

Welcome to the week.

Here are the most notable stories our community came across in the past seven days…

Carbon admissions: Never one to shy away from controversy, Eben “Bike Snob” Weiss says that only pro racers fully benefit from carbon fiber bikes and regular folks like you and I should never buy them. (Outside)

Thank you, San Francisco: In a bid to reduce traffic deaths, a California state senator has introduced a bill that would require speed governors in new cars that prevent the vehicle from going more than 10 miles over the speed limit. (SF Standard)

Next Saturday (February 3rd) Portland will welcome two members of the Navajo Nation who will be in town to promote a screening of the new documentary film, In the Dirt. The film tells the story of a group of Native American cyclists who bring mountain biking to a reservation in New Mexico, and then watch how a community flourishes around it.

A local screening is being organized by Ruandy Albisurez. Roo is founder of Warpaint, a nonprofit that fosters community for Black, indigenous and people of color who love the outdoors. Roo is also community manager for Northwest Trail Alliance, an off-road cycling advocacy group based in Portland.

In a recent interview (watch below or on our YouTube channel), I asked Roo to update us on what he’s been up so since we last checked-in with him about a year ago, how he got connected to the Native American MTB scene, to share more about the documentary and the people behind it, and what he’s got planned for the big screening event next Saturday.

Check out our interview below and scroll down for links about the film and to grab tickets to the local screening.

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