Cycling News & Blog Articles

The detour means bike riders will need to merge across these lanes on Highway 30 into that left turn lane to get up to the St. Johns Bridge.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) plans to close NW Bridge Avenue for six months starting Monday, January 8th. The closure will impact bicycling and other vehicle access to the St. Johns Bridge and will increase freight truck traffic on N Lombard between Kenton and St. Johns.

The closure of the southern section of NW Bridge between the west end of the St. Johns Bridge and Highway 30 will allow ODOT crews to address a persistent problem of landslides on the hillside above the road. We covered a rockfall that closed the street for a few months back in 2022. ODOT says there’s been about one major rockfall a year for the past five years.

The planned detours (see maps below) will impact bicycle riders in two major ways.

First, if you are riding north on Hwy 30 and want to get up onto the St. Johns Bridge, instead of using the signal south of the bridge to get onto the southern section of NW Bridge Ave, you’ll have to bike one additional mile north. The detour will take you under the St. Johns Bridge and then you’ll need to merge over two lanes of Hwy 30 (and its 45 mph speed limit) to use the left-turn signal that will get you onto the northern side of NW Bridge. (And similarly, if you’re on the St. Johns Bridge and want to go south (toward downtown) on Highway 30, you’ll be routed north on NW Bridge Ave and will need to ride an additional mile.)

2019 rendering of skate park and plaza as seen from NW Everett.
(Image: DAO Architecture)

“The skatepark near the Steel Bridge will be a world class attraction.”

The Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) bureau will use $15 million in Parks System Development Charges (fees paid by developers) to build a skatepark near the Steel Bridge just west of Waterfront Park. The news was announced this morning by Parks Commissioner Dan Ryan, who said the investment will be enough to “fully fund” the Steel Bridge Skatepark.

The site has been eyed by advocates since 2001 when Portland’s first skatepark was built at Pier Park in St. Johns. The idea for a park in the 35,000 square-foot parcel bound by NW 1st, Everett, and Naito Parkway was first formalized as the “crown jewel” of 19 facilities in Portland’s 2008 Skatepark System Plan. In 2011, Portland-based DAO Architecture developed a plan for the site (available here) under the guidance of the City of Portland and an advisory committee. BikePortland has covered this project several times since an effort to re-launch the idea was first announced in early 2019.

At least two previous attempts to build this park fell through, but it seems the urgency around downtown revitalization — combined with growing popularity in skating since the pandemic — was enough to finally get it over the hump this time around. Beyond the need for funding, the project is additionally complex because of overlapping jurisdictional boundaries. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) manages the city streets, TriMet light rail vehicles use one of the overpasses, Union Pacific Railroad operates a line nearby, PP&R is in charge of the riverfront paths, and the Oregon Department of Transportation owns the ramps on and off of the Steel Bridge.

(Photos via Nextdoor)

Portland’s motor vehicle menace spread to someone’s living room in the Lents neighborhood in the early morning hours of December 30th. According to a post on Nextdoor shared by Portlander Lucy Dao yesterday, her family is now homeless because a driver piloted their Mercedes SUV into the front of their home.

“A drunk driver and three passengers drove their SUV through our fence and a tree into our living room, bathroom and barely missing my brother’s bedroom right where the head of his bed lay. Luckily no one was injured and no one was in the living room when it happened,” states a post on GoFundMe where the family has raised over $3,200 so far.

Photos show that the car came to rest inside the home and did extensive damage to several walls. The driver and passengers allegedly fled the scene and the family faces thousands of dollars in repairs and months of alternative housing.

The new year is a time for reflection and vision, and several commenters this week described the Portland they would like to see. They could all envision, or remember, a city which felt vibrant, appealing, alive with possibility, a little collection of poignant letters about a city a lot of people love.

One commenter always gets points for punchy writing and passion, here’s what SD would like to see, and what it would take to get there:

Real transportation reform that could provide safe, affordable, efficient transportation for the Portland region will require a leap forward championed by a coalition of state and local leaders rather than incremental prodding and piecemeal projects; a clear coordinated message where the political heat is absorbed across multiple agencies. They should go big to get people excited and bring out the strong grass roots support for a livable vibrant city. Nobody should die on Portland streets, but more importantly every Portlander should feel alive on Portland streets.

The current transportation ecosystem in many ways is like a garden where PBOT has been trying to create conditions for beneficial plants to grow that provide beauty and sustenance. However, they are too timid to remove the toxic invasive weeds that will never let the desirable plants thrive. All of the water, compost and flexi-posts in the universe are not going to shift the equilibrium to create a Portland where someone can walk a couple miles and feel energized by being in a city rather than threatened by noise, pollution and the selfishness of drivers. There needs to be a city-wide vision that is clearly communicated to the public.

PBOT can’t make a transformative change on their own. They need a full-throated, coordinated campaign from all public agencies as if they are starting from square one. They need to get leaders of the business community that don’t suck to endorse the plan. They need to put ODOT’s 100 million dollar PR budget toward something useful and life affirming. All the pieces are here, Portland just needs leaders that want Portland to lead the US into a rational future. Portland doesn’t need second-career discards that want Portland to be an incubator for mediocre politicians.

Happy 2024 everyone!

To kick off the new year, I’ve decided to share only positive, uplifting stories in this week’s roundup. Here goes…

The thought that counts: A basketball superstar who plays for the Dallas Mavericks gave all his teammates new e-bikes for Christmas. Let’s hope they make riding a habit! (Dallas Morning News)

US cycling hopes: Rising professional racing star Sepp Kuss is the hero American cycling deserves a decade after Lance Armstrong ripped all of our hearts out. Can he spark a return to glory for the US on the world stage? (Cycling Weekly)

In the world of sales and marketing, there’s a thing known as a unique selling proposition, or USP. Put simply, it’s the one thing that differentiates your product or brand from competitors.

What if Portland’s leaders once again acted as through our city’s USP was a safe, efficient, earth-friendly transportation system? I say “once again”, because in many ways that’s what set us apart from other American cities starting in the 1970s. That’s when activists came together to turn a massive highway, Harbor Drive, into Waterfront Park. Then Portlanders defeated the Mt. Hood Freeway in the 1980s (and built light rail instead), laid down innovative bike lanes in the 1990s, then went on to become the coolest cycling city in the world from 2000 to 2015.

Now that some of the shine as come off our transportation reputation and everyone’s looking for a way to “revitalize” Portland, one bike advocate thinks we should consider finishing what we started in the 90s.

Local nonprofit BikeLoud PDX encourages members to testify each week at the open public comment period prior to City Council meetings. These three-minute slots are open to everyone and they’re an excellent opportunity to speak directly to Mayor Ted Wheeler and the four other commissioners and get your ideas on the record.

At just 27 years old and with no prior experience in elected office, southeast Portland resident Angelita Morillo is currently leading the entire field of 2024 council and mayoral candidates in total number of campaign contributions. And it’s not even close.

That fact alone should pique your interest in this rising political star who wants to represent District 3 on Portland’s City Council.

I started following Morillo on her popular social media channels long before she declared her candidacy. I appreciated how she deftly described detailed city policies, educated her (mostly young) followers about local government, and then encouraged them to vote and get involved. I didn’t know at the time she immigrated to Portland from Paraguay at a young age, or that she attended Lincoln High School. When I saw a photo of her, on her campaign website, standing in the middle of the school’s national title-winning Constitution Team in 2014, it all began to make sense.

I’ve since watched Morillo build a huge following on TikTok, and when she announced her city council run, I knew it was just a matter of time until we sat down for a chat. In the past few months, I’ve talked with her several times and have come away impressed. Her combination of smarts, life and work experience, communication skills and work ethic should make her someone to watch in local political circles for years to come.

When she recently asked to do a bike ride of her district and visit Bike Happy Hour, I happily obliged.

Bike buses funded by PCEF? Why not! (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

The Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) announced the third round of its Community Responsive Grants (CRG) last month. This will be the first year with a Transportation Decarbonization category, and bicycle projects appear to have a large role to play.

Sam Baraso, PCEF’s Program Manager, called Transportation Decarbonization “our newest and most exciting funding area,” with this cycle expected to fund between $10 and $20 million in projects.

Readers might recall that PCEF funded a $20 million e-bike rebate program earlier this year, but, as many have pointed out, owning a bike is not the same as using it, and that’s where the grants come in. The Transportation Decarbonization category will fund projects that support “mode shifting to active transportation” and also “transportation electrification.”

Rolling across the Burnside Bridge on The Street Trust’s New Year’s Day ride on January 1st, 2022. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

It’s almost the end of the year and I’ve got just two more posts coming your way before we meet again in 2024. First, I want to share details on two rides that will help you ring in the new year on your bike.

New to the calendar this year is the Nostalgic Yesteryear Excursion that will embark (as its acronym implies) New Year’s Eve on a “last orbit around Portland with the friends that give meaning to an otherwise arbitrary timeframe we’ve called ‘2023’.” The ride is organized and led by John Russell, an interesting character who you might have met at other social rides or at Bike Happy Hour. The NYE ride meets somewhere in inner southeast at 8:08 pm and shoves off at 9:09. RSVP on Facebook for all the details.

And keeping to the annual tradition, The Street Trust will host a New Year’s Day Ride that meets at their headquarters office in Lloyd Center Mall. New this year, the org will require a $40 donation for all riders over 18 years of age to take part (no one will be turned away for lack of funds). The entry fee will come with an annual membership that supports The Street Trust’s important advocacy work. If you can’t make the ride (it meets at 12:00 pm), you can show up at their office around 2:30 or so for hot drinks and food for the after-ride party. Required RSVP and more details here.

Whatever you do for New Year’s, please have fun! And remember that if you can’t safely get yourself home the City of Portland and their partners at TriMet, C-Tran and Portland Streetcar offer free transit and a $10 taxi discount. Learn more at the Safe Ride Home website.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

Thanks for understanding that I needed a break. It just so happens that my daughter’s birthday is on December 23rd (she turned 21 this year!), so it’s extra-important for me to focus on family around Christmas. Now I’m ready to re-engage and finish out 2023 strong. Let’s get things started with a roundup of the most important items we came across in the last week or so.

Europe is showing us the way: As Portland hits yet another grim traffic death milestone, it’s time for us to try something decidedly different. This article illustrates examples of how some major cities are fighting back against cars — and actually making progress. (The Guardian)

Nationalize Greyhound: What if the federal government ran intercity bus service, made stations as common as post offices, and gave bus lines priority on the interstate freeway network? (Jacobin)

Five Portland intersections where people where killed in traffic collisions since Christmas Eve.

For too many families, the holiday break has been a nightmare instead of a joyful celebration.

Portland streets claimed five more victims since Christmas Eve and our annual traffic toll has once again reached its highest level for at least three decades. Despite years of local leaders being committed to “Vision Zero” and a return of the Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division, 71 people have been killed on Portland streets so far this year.

After choosing to scale back its Traffic Division as part of a political game to win more funding from City Hall, the PPB renewed its enforcement efforts back in May. At a press conference to announce 14 officers would return to patrol streets for traffic violations and crimes, Portland Bureau of Transportation Public Information Officer Dylan Rivera said, “We are hopeful this will help us kind of set a new trend, post-pandemic, of less traffic violence on the streets.”

Unfortunately that has not yet come to pass. Too many of our streets remain dangerous by design, and too many road users remain woefully unwilling to use them safely.

This afternoon you’re all invited to our last Bike Happy Hour of 2023. Please consider joining us because we have a very special guest: City Council (District 3, Inner Southeast) Candidate Angelita Morillo.

You might know Angelita from her popular @pnwpolicyangel TikTok or Instagram accounts, or you might have emailed with her when worked inside City Hall as a constituent relations staffer for former City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty. Angelita is a carfree renter and immigrant who has strong progressive values mixed with a pragmatism borne from her lived and professional experience and a desire to make material gains for the Portlanders who need help the most. I’ve followed Angelita online for a while now and have met her in person a few times (once for a lengthy chat over coffee), and have come away impressed with how she approaches problems and politics.

What I feel is missing from Portland politics is someone with strong progressive values that can communicate them with the sense of urgency they deserve, while not dismissing people who see things differently and who has the political acumen to make enough progress to quiet haters and push back against Portland’s slide to the right. Is Angelita one of the people who has that ability? Come to Bike Happy Hour to find out!

At her request, I plan to meet Angelita for a bike ride before I roll over to Happy Hour today. She wants to learn more about cycling and transportation issues in her district. We’ll share our conversations at Bike Happy Hour where we’ll do a short live interview and then open it up for audience Q & A. Bring your questions! (And bring your appetite because Ankeny Tap has great food and drink options.)

Eva Frazier and I are back with another episode of “In The Shed.” This episode was recorded December 7th* in the BikePortland Shed a few blocks from Peninsula Park in north Portland. (*Sorry for the longer than usual turnaround. It won’t happen again!)

As per usual, Eva and I had a fun, informal chat about a wide range of stuff. In this video we talked about:

Thanks for listening! We’d love to hear feedback. Eva is coming back to the Shed tomorrow so I’ll have another episode before Christmas. Listen in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.

Major neckdown at N Fessenden near Peninsula Crossing Trail would make dramatic difference in safety at what is now a wide and stressful intersection.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is putting finishing touches on their North Portland In Motion (NPIM) plan and they’ve just released the final online open house.

NPIM aims to improve the future of biking, walking, and transit on Portland’s peninsula from I-5 between the Overlook and Kenton neighborhoods, west to Pier Park in St. Johns. It launched in 2021 and will likely be adopted by City Council in early 2024. These planning processes (similar ones have been done for east and southwest Portland) are important because they result in a prioritized, clearly-defined list of projects that are shovel-ready and primed for funding. In some cases, the process validates current PBOT planning and they’re able fund and build the projects before the plan is adopted by Council.

These “In Motion” plans have been popular with both PBOT and Portlanders because they add transparency and predictability to the planning process. They also take a network-level view of what needs to be done to make the system (not just one location) safe, which makes each project easier to justify in the case of pushback (as in, “I hear you, but this is part of North Portland in Motion, which went through a comprehensive outreach process and was adopted by City Council, so we’re going to do it even if you don’t like it.”)

As we’ve shared in previous NPIM updates, PBOT gathered community feedback and categorized projects in three different types of projects: neighborhood greenways, corridor improvements, and “plazas & places to connect.” Each set of projects is then prioritized into tier 1 or tier 2.

I-5 off-ramp at N Rosa Parks Way.

According to a new report from Multnomah County, traffic-related fatalities made up the second largest number of unintentional deaths among homeless residents in our area. At least 315 people died while homeless in 2022, a record high since the data was first collected in 2011. Among those, 14 people died as a result of traffic collisions — the second highest number among all categories of unintentional deaths.

These stats come from Multnomah County’s Domicile Unknown report released in collaboration with nonprofit advocacy group Street Roots on Wednesday.

In 2020 and 2021, a separate Multnomah County report found that people experiencing homelessness accounted for 24% of all traffic deaths. The problem hit a peak in 2021 when 19 of the 27 pedestrian fatalities in Portland befell people who lived outside. This trend mirrors national numbers that show an increase in pedestrian fatalities among homeless people every year for the past five years.

“The issue may seem complex, but at the core, it’s quite simple: speed, impairment and distraction contribute to over 90% of vehicle crashes in the U.S… This public health epidemic is preventable but only with timely attention and action from the government at every level,” said The Street Trust Executive Director Sarah Iannarone in a county statement.

Looking west across Orenco Station Parkway on NE Cornell. This is direction driver was headed.

Around 7:00 am on December 12th, a young Hillsboro man was involved in a traffic collision while riding his bike. The crash happened at or near the corner of NE Cornell Road and Orenco Station Parkway. According to a crowdfunding page set up by a friend, a twenty-something named Connor is the victim and he’s still in the hospital recovering from serious injuries.

Photos taken by KATU-TV at the scene show a white sedan (pulled over on NE 61st Ave, one block west of the intersection) with a significant damage to its upper driver-side windshield. The damaged bicycle Connor was riding was shown in a photo without its rear wheel and with a helmet and backpack strewn about the street about 100 feet west of the Cornell/Orenco intersection.

This is the second serious traffic crash at this same intersection in less than a month.

Plans for north Portland near Marine Drive. (Source: IBR Program)

“This is a big moment for the Pacific Northwest,” is how Oregon Governor Tina Kotek characterized news announced Friday that the Interstate Bridge Replacement project (IBR) won a $600 million Mega Grant from the Biden administration’s infrastructure bill. These funds are in addition to $1 billion already authorized by the legislatures of Oregon and Washington.

You know a project is expensive when a $600 million grant is just 8% of the total estimated project cost — which in this case could be as much as $7.5 billion.

The IBR is a freeway expansion project that will add lanes to nearly five miles of I-5, enlarge seven interchanges, extend MAX light rail into Vancouver, create new paths for walking and biking, and more.

Despite critics that say the bridge will promote sprawl and increase vehicle miles traveled (VMT), Governor Kotek was one of many local elected officials that welcomed the grant. “This project will help advance our goal of reducing emissions through a modern, multimodal bridge and will provide an infusion of federal funds to our region that will support local jobs and broader workforce opportunities,” the Governor said in a prepared statement.