Getting a charge at today’s launch event.
(Photos: TriMet)

TriMet and their partners launched five new all-electric buses at the Sunset Transit Center this morning. They claim to be the first transit agency in the nation to put fully wind-powered buses into regular service.

TriMet expects to have 10 electric buses on the road by summer of next year. The new rigs are part of the agency’s push to have a completely non-diesel fleet by 2040. And, with an assist from Portland General Electric, 100% of their power will be created from wind turbines.

At a press conference event today Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s Transportation Policy Advisor Brendan Finn said, “One of the most daunting challenges we have in our society today is our changing climate and how we’re adapting to it. 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change are from the transportation sector; and that needs to change! Governor Brown’s administration has been laser-focused on reducing carbon emissions. Investing and expanding in transit is one of the cornerstones in the governor’s strategy, as is transportation electrification.”

Funding for four of the new buses came from a $3.4 million federal grant. PGE will own and maintain the charging equipment, a move that saved TriMet enough money to buy a fifth bus. TriMet says they’ll spend another $53 million to purchase another 80 electric buses over the next five-to-six years with funding from the State of Oregon’s Keep Oregon Moving Act.

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The first all-electric bus will start service tomorrow on Line 62 in Beaverton.

In addition to not spewing out an estimated 1.17 million tons of toxic CO2 emissions into our air, each new bus will save TriMet about $400,000 in annual fuel costs. They have a range of 80 miles per charge and can be re-charged in 30 minutes (with a fast charger) or four hours (on a standard charger).

Asked if they’d considered safety issues related to how quiet the new buses are, TriMet Media Relations and Communications Manager Roberta Altstadt told me, “We haven’t heard a concern about that and have done numerous road tests over the last several months.” Altstadt said the new buses are about 39 decibels while idling and are “much louder than a Prius”.

These new buses will only add to the momentum to dramatically improve bus service in Portland — a key part of our efforts to encourage less driving.

For more information, check out the official announcement from TriMet. And happy breathing!

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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--> Related Posts

• TriMet launches online open house on Division Transit Project station designs July 3, 2018
• Faster buses, better biking: Weigh in on TriMet’s Division Transit project June 28, 2017
• The Monday Roundup: E-bike criticism, peak bike, cheat the wind, and more July 16, 2018
• The Monday Roundup: Lego hair helmet, riding against the wind, L.A.’s next… February 20, 2017

Ryan Francesconi at the 2018 Hell of the North Plains ride.
(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

What makes a great cycling city?

We often think of bike-friendly policies and politicians, or bikeway miles and ridership statistics. But if you ask me, the most important part of what makes a place great for cycling is the people who live in it. Here in Portland, we’re lucky so many smart, dedicated, selfless, and inspiring bicycle lovers call this place home. Why? Because most of them share their passions with the rest of us.

Ryan Francesconi is one of the people I’m grateful for. He’s one of the leaders behind the local gravel riding revolution. He’s the chief moderator of the “Unpaved” Google Group and he (along with his friend Ron Lewis) is one of the main leaders and organizers behind the legendary Our Mother the Mountain (OMTM) rides. Beyond that, he’s always quick to share his vast knowledge of routes and riding tips with everyone who asks (we shared his winter riding tips in 2017).

Sponsored by:

These companies make our gravel coverage possible.

• Oregon Triple Crown
• Co-Motion Cycles
• Rolf Prima Wheels
• Ride With GPS

And when I say routes, I don’t just mean he knows how to get from point-A to point-B. Ryan knows about roads and tiny trails in areas very few people ever go. He’s ridden unpaved roads up, over, and around seemingly every range of mountains in the region. I often marvel at his collection of routes and the amount of riding he does to keep them updated.

Thankfully, another one of Portland’s amazing, bike-inspired residents Dustin Klein, has captured Ryan’s route insights in a way that more people can appreciate (Dustin is a talented artist, filmmaker, rider, and creator that you need to follow).

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The latest edition of Dustin’s excellent YouTube channel goes behind the scenes to explain how Ryan builds such fun and interesting routes (watch it above). When he’s not cycling or dreaming about his next adventure, Ryan is a multi-talented musician.

Ryan’s creativity comes through in his routes. Here’s one of my favorite parts of Dustin’s interview:

“The way I think about route making is essentially creating a piece of art that anyone who creates any sort of time-based art — film, music — would relate to. You’re creating a scene for somebody to journey through. There’s a certain amount of tension, reveal, flow and ebb, reward, suffering. You are in control of those factors. I like to think of the route as the composition… Bikes are the instruments we’re using. They’re something you play.”

Ryan shares much more about how he creates routes in the video.

If you’re looking for unpaved inspiration, check out his Instagram feed @wherethepavementends and peruse his amazing collection of routes via his Ride With GPS Ambassador page.

Ryan (and friend Ron Lewis on the left) emerge from fog onto Bacona Road in Washington County.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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--> Related Posts

• Survive winter riding with these 30 pearls of wisdom January 2, 2017
• Finding heaven on the Hell of the North Plains January 22, 2018
• Oregon’s gravel riding season starts this weekend April 4, 2019
• The Ride: Exploring the ‘dark’ side of Larch Mountain May 16, 2017

The paint ends, the lanes don’t.

Despite confusion from some lawmakers that led to an unexpectedly lengthy discussion prior to the vote, House Bill 2682 passed the Joint Committee on Transportation yesterday by a tally of 7-3.

I’ve described this bill as a no-brainer; but because it involves bicycling, you just never know what some Oregon legislators will get hung up on. I was amazed at how much consternation and discussion this simple housekeeping bill received in committee yesterday.

“The attempt of this bill is to clarify longstanding practice and expectation.”
— Lindsay Baker, ODOT government relations

Let’s be clear: Since bike lanes have existed in Oregon, it has been understood — both by road users and the legal system — that they exist inside intersections even though they are not painted. Same for every other lane. Road authorities do not paint lane lines in intersections because with all the turning movements it would be a maintenance nightmare, dangerously confusing, and useless.

Out of hundreds, if not thousands, of court cases over the years, for some reason two Oregon traffic court judges — one in 2009, one in 2018 — took it upon themselves to decide that a bicycle user did not have the legal right-of-way in a collision because the lane wasn’t painted. Out of concern that these two outlier cases might start a trend, advocates proposed HB 2682. The text of the bill is short and simple.

If passed, HB 2682 would amend Oregon Revised Statute 801.155 (definition of “bicycle lane”) to read: “A bicycle lane exists in an intersection if the bicycle lane is marked on opposite sides of the intersection in the same direction of travel.”

Despite this simple clarification, three lawmakers voted against the bill yesterday: Representative Brad Witt (D-Clatskanie), Representative Lynn Findley (R-Vale), and Representative Rick Lewis (R-Silverton).

Left to right: Representatives Lynn Findley, Brad Witt, and Rick Lewis.

Rep. Witt based his opposition on what appears to be a misunderstanding of what the bill actually proposes. “I think we create an exceedingly dangerous situation,” he said, in a discussion prior to the roll being called, “by creating bicycle lanes that go through intersections” (that’s what existing law says). Rep. Witt continued, “It would be reasonable for someone to assume if they are in a marked lane they have a right-of-way. And lanes that are marked on the same side that a car may be turning, I think is a prescription for disaster… I think this bill sets us up for disastrous accidents if it allows for passing on the same side that the lane is in, and I think that bicyclists are going to assume that they have a lane and that it’s safe to be passing vehicles on the side the vehicle is turning on.”

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Rep. Lewis said he agrees with Witt, but his main concern is that the bill doesn’t include, “Some sort of traffic signal adjacent to an intersection that indicates a bike lane goes through.” Lewis is concerned that automobile users aren’t able to see all the way to the other side of an intersection and therefore won’t assume the bike lane exists. “A motorist could potentially be found liable if he turns right and hits a bicyclist and didn’t know there was a continuous bike lane on the other side because of the distance,” Lewis said.

“A motorist could potentially be found liable if he turns right and hits a bicyclist and didn’t know there was a continuous bike lane on the other side.”
— Rep. Rick Lewis

Senator Cliff Bentz (D-Ontario) also voiced confusion about existing law and what the proposed bill would do. “The question is, who has the right-of-way as you’re zipping through? If we’re merely painting a line to illustrate the existence of something already legally there, that’s one thing. If by painting the line we are creating a new set of rights, that’s another.”

This bill doesn’t “paint” anything so it’s unclear what Sen. Bentz was referring to.

At this point, Committee Vice-Chair Caddy McKeown felt the need for expert insights and called up Lindsay Baker from the Oregon Department of Transportation government relations office. Baker explained why ODOT never paints lanes through intersections and that the bill is simply to, “Clarify longstanding practice and expectations.”

Unfortunately ODOT’s Baker got one key fact very wrong in her testimony to lawmakers. She said the two decisions where judges ruled unstriped bike lanes have no legal standing were made in the Oregon Court of Appeals and as such, they set a legal precedent. That is incorrect. The two cases were decided in traffic court and no opinion was written.

Thankfully, Portland lawyer and bike law expert Ray Thomas made the trip to Salem and was in the room yesterday just in case this hearing went off the rails. Vice-Chair McKeown called him up and asked him to clarify the bill. Thomas has practiced law with a focus on cycling and traffic issues since 1979. He deftly laid out the rationale behind the bill, countered some of the concerns expressed in previous statements, and explained why this basic clarification is necessary.

After Thomas spoke, the vote was held. The bill passed 7-3. Reps. Lewis and Witt were not swayed by Thomas’ expert insights and Rep. Findley, after saying he agreed with Rep. Witt’s concerns, added a revealing reference to an unrelated bill: “Also, there’s a lot of discussion of adopting the Idaho standard for bicycling; which is, do not stop at intersections, just roll through and keep going. I think coupled with that, it compounds the situation.”

Rep. Findley was referring to Senate Bill 998 which passed committee last week. That bill would allow bicycle users to treat stop signs and flashing red signals as yields. The only connection it has to HB 2682 exists in Rep. Findley’s mind.

From here the bill goes to the full House for a vote and then it will be voted on by the Senate. Be sure to contact your state legislator and let them know how you feel about it. Stay tuned for updates.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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--> Related Posts

• Proposed bill would clarify definition of bike lanes in Oregon December 19, 2018
• Bend judge rules bike lane does not continue through intersection October 17, 2018
• Judge: Woman hit in unpainted bike lane is not protected by law December 18, 2009
• Senate committee passes ‘Idaho Stop’ bill allowing bicycle riders to yield at stop signs April 10, 2019

Rebecca Twigg has won six world track cycling championships, 16 U.S championships and two Olympic medals, likely making her Seattle’s most decorated bike racer. Today, she is one of the more than 12,000 people experiencing homelessness in the Seattle area.

Twigg spoke with the Seattle Times’ Scott Greenstone about how her life, her troubles holding a consistent desk job after more than a decade as a pro racer in the 80s and 90s, and her hesitancy to accept help when there are so many thousands of other people who need access to an affordable home, too.

Twigg’s story poses far more questions and issues than it resolves. For one, it highlights the dramatic inequity between men’s and women’s professional racing. A man with these kinds of championships would be a millionaire, but she needed to seek out a day job as soon as she stopped racing following the 1996 Olympics.

Twigg, though, said she hoped her story could help people understand that folks become homeless for all kinds of different reasons. And her message is really important now more than ever, as an ugly anti-homeless sentiment seems to be growing among Seattle residents that paints everyone on the streets with the same dehumanizing brush.

From the Times:

Twigg, 56, agreed to share her story to convince the public that not all homeless people are addicted to drugs or alcohol; that there are many like her, who have struggled with employment and are “confused,” as she said she is, about what to do next with their lives. She did not want to discuss mental health but feels it should be treated more seriously in Washington.

“Some of the hard days are really painful when you’re training for racing,” Twigg said, “but being homeless, when you have little hope or knowledge of where the finish line is going to be, is just as hard.”

People sometimes justify their callous attitudes toward people experiencing homelessness by say, “Oh, they just don’t want to work hard.” Well, the amount of work and training it took to win those races and Olympic medals is unfathomable. And here is someone who was at times the fastest woman in the world telling us that the daily struggle to keep going on the streets is “just as hard.”

But she doesn’t want help just because she was once a bicycling champion, she told the Times:

“Shelters are great, but there has to be a next step,” Twigg said. She still won’t accept housing for herself, even when help is offered by people who’ve found out about her state; her homelessness was mentioned in a cycling magazine last month.

“The point is not so much that I need help, it’s that there are a bunch of people who need help — 12,000 in this area, half a million in the country,” Twigg said. “Help should be provided for everybody, not just a few.”

Thank you, Rebecca, for sharing your story. I wish you well.

We had such a great time last year! Let’s do it again.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Flowers are blooming, the rain feels a bit warmer, and bike shops are off their winter schedules. That means Kidical Mass PDX is back, too! Our “season” typically starts on Easter Sunday with our annual Kidical Mass PDX Easter Ride and Egg Hunt:

Our Family Biking column is sponsored by Clever Cycles.

➤ Read past entries here.

Sunday, April 21, 2019
11:00 a.m.
Start: Overlook Park (1599 N Fremont St, Portland, OR 97227)
End: Arbor Lodge Park (N Delaware Ave & N Bryant St, Portland, OR 97217)
➤ The three-mile route
➤ Facebook event page

Like all Kidical Mass PDX rides, this one is for kids of all ages and their families. Three miles is probably best tackled with 16-inch wheels and larger, but fast balance bikers, kids on 12-inch-wheeled bikes, and kids (well one particular awesome kid) on unicycles have been known to keep pace and enjoy themselves.

This year feels very different than last year’s April Fools’ Day/Easter ride, both coming on the heels of the Youth Climate Strike and falling the day before Earth Day. Kidical Mass is lots of things, from a parade on bikes simply for the sake of having fun to a first step towards non-polluting transportation and ditching one’s car for good. Earth Day is a wonderful reason to showcase the environmentally friendly aspects of bicycling for transportation and encourage our peers to bike more and drive less.

Earth Day is a wonderful reason to showcase the environmentally friendly aspects of bicycling for transportation and encourage our peers to bike more and drive less.

Our Easter ride is always a big one, with lots of families driving their bikes over — a perfect audience to talk to about shifting travel modes. Overlook Park is right on the MAX Light Rail Yellow Line so even if it’s too far or tricky to reach by bike, one can get there multimodally (check out my tips for taking taking kids and bikes on MAX light rail).

On Sunday, we’ll take the Green Line MAX to the Yellow Line, rather than bike 10 miles. This will take about an hour, as would biking the whole way.

Beyond transportation, changes we’ve made to this year’s Easter ride include making a bigger effort to collect our plastic eggs at the end of the event. We’ll do this by announcing at the beginning of the ride and the beginning of the egg hunt that we’ll collect and reuse the plastic eggs, and I’ll have my kids help me make a fancy egg collection receptacle. My kids are used to using their bike helmets as egg collecting baskets so they’ll do that and I’ll encourage other kids to do the same.

I’d love to hear any sustainable Easter and general Earth Day tips you’ve got in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

Remember, we’re always looking for people to profile. Get in touch if it sounds like fun to you. I’d especially like to feature families of color so please get in touch or ask friends of color who bike with their kids if they’re interested in sharing their stories. And as always, feel free ask questions in the comments below or email me your story ideas and insights at madidotcom [at] gmail [dot] com.

— Madi Carlson, @familyride on Instagram and Twitter

Browse past Family Biking posts here.

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• A big, all-ages turnout at annual Kidical Mass Easter ride April 2, 2018
• Tagging along with the Kidical Mass Easter Ride March 28, 2016
• Family Biking: Join us for Kidical Massive this Saturday (9/15) September 11, 2018
• Join the family biking fun at Kidical Mass planning meeting January 15, 2019

It’s sad, shocking, and surreal to start my work day watching an 800-year-old landmark burn in realtime. I was in Paris last year street shooting with the a9 and by bike. From the BREAKING NEWS Wire

A fire broke out at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. The cause was unknown, and firefighters were on the scene after an evacuation.
Monday, April 15, 2019 1:29 PM EST

André Finot, a spokesman for the cathedral, said in a telephone interview that the spire of the cathedral had caught fire.

Video filmed by onlookers and shared on social media showed smoke and flames billowing from the top of the cathedral, engulfing scaffolding and the spire.

I didn’t publish any photos of Notre-Dame when I took them because the scene there is mostly tourists taking photos. Here they are now and shared with a sadness for a landmark everyone should see and photograph. I’m sure they’ll rebuild it.

Notre-Dame in Paris Photos by Bike: this is the west side. The cathedral on the other side burned today.

Notre Dame is a symbol of France. Imagine the scene as thousands stood on the banks of the Seine river watching in shock when the fire tore through the cathedral’s wooden roof and brought down part of the spire.

Notre-Dame in Paris Photos, as seen from the street. Part of Paris Burned

Video shared on Twitter showed smoke and flames billowing from the top of the cathedral and the iconic cathedral collapsing.

#Breaking: Just in – Close up Video of The concrete spire of the iconic cathédrale Notre-Dame de #Paris collapsing inside the church.#NotreDame #France pic.twitter.com/DL5FTJJeHy

— Sotiri Dimpinoudis ❁‏ (@sotiridi) April 15, 2019

Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, the cathedral is currently undergoing extensive renovation work. That’s what I saw around the back of the building. There were gargoyles stacked in scaffolding.

Notre-Dame in Paris Photos, tourists taking photos with phones. Notre-Dame in Paris Photos, tourists taking photos with phones.

About Notre-Dame, Mr. Macron said on Twitter

Like all of our fellow citizens, I am sad tonight to see this part of us burn.

Feature photo: FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP

It was lovely and we saw plenty of Parisians cycling. More about cycling Paris

• While in Paris
• Paris Fixed
• Viva Velib

The post Notre-Dame in Paris Photos by Bike appeared first on Bike Hugger.

Charles Brown (L) and Anthony Foxx will deliver keynote speeches on April 25th.
(Photos: Brown, Rutgers University; Foxx, Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

The Oregon Active Transportation Summit will take place April 24th through the 26th at the Oregon Zoo. The annual conference is organized by The Street Trust and features a full slate of mobile workshops, plenary sessions, professional training, and networking opportunities.

Headlining the summit’s main day — Thursday, April 25th — will be a noted researcher and a Cabinet Secretary for former President Barack Obama.

Former Charlotte, North Carolina Mayor Anthony Foxx spent four years as Obama’s Transportation Secretary and as of last October works for Lyft as their chief policy officer. Foxx visited Portland in 2016 as part of the US Department of Transportation’s “Smart City” initiative.

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Charles Brown is a senior researcher at the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) and adjunct professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. Mr. Brown will deliver the lunch keynote. In 2018 he was nominated for a “Streetsie Advocate of the Year” award by Streetsblog Los Angeles for his, “important work on the intersections of race and mobility.”

In a statement about the event, The Street Trust Executive Director Jillian Detweiler said, “This year, many sessions address ways to achieve more equitable outcomes from our transportation system.”

Among the topics of Thursday’s breakout sessions are: Voices From Williams Avenue; Designing Safe Streets for Pedestrians of Color: The Intersection of Equity Engineering and Vision Zero; Inclusive Bike and Scooter Share; Creating Bike Networks; Let’s (Not) Talk About Congestion; and more.

After a day of interesting keynotes and sessions, The Street Trust will host a Pecha Kucha event at Rock Bottom Brewery. Unwind with friends old and new as you listen to a series of short and stimulating presentations on a variety of transportation-related presentations.

Register for the event and view the full schedule here.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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• ‘Human Transit’ author Jarrett Walker to keynote Oregon Active Transportation Summit March 17, 2017
• Faces in the crowd at the Oregon Active Transportation Summit March 14, 2016
• Active Transportation Summit dispatch: Vision Zero and the myth of freight March 14, 2016
• 2016 Active Transportation Summit will tackle freight, housing, the Gorge and more February 22, 2016

*All photos by Eric Thornburg/No.Lens.Cap on Instagram

Part race, party relay, part party: The Ladds 500 is quintessential Portland.

Back for its fourth edition after it was an instant hit in its inaugural running in 2016, the free and unsanctioned event drew hundreds to Ladd Circle Park on Saturday. Teams with names like Huffy The Vampire Slayer, Laddimir Putins, Scoot Along, and Aggressive Dolphins pedaled for hours in the rain to complete a century by riding 500 laps of the 0.2 mile circle.

Photographer Eric Thornburg (No.Lens.Cap on Instagram) was there to capture some of the magic. As I looked through his images and saw other posts about the event, it struck me that — while we grapple with how quickly Portland is changing and losing parts of its “weird” spirit — events like The Ladds 500 seem to take on even greater meaning.

After all the changes, we still have people who dream up and execute crazy biking ideas. And when free bike fun is done right, the community responds in a big way!

Just look at more of Eric’s images below and see the wide variety of people who came out to “do something stupid” in the middle of a usually quiet neighborhood on a rainy Saturday…

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Thanks David Robinson, Eric Ivy, and everyone else who came together and made this event happen.

For more coverage, see this video from KOIN-TV.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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• Ladd’s 500 kicks off season of free bike fun April 16, 2018
• My first Ladd’s 500 April 16, 2018
• Get ready Portland, here comes the Ladd’s 500 April 11, 2017
• Forget Daytona, Portland has the ‘Ladd’s 500’ February 23, 2016

(Photo: A Better Cycle)

A neighborhood bike shop in the Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood will close its doors next month after over a decade in business. Owners of A Better Cycle announced their decision last week.

Six original co-owners in 2007: Aaron Truman, Tim Weeks, Clinton Garner, Ian Mitchell, Rachel Dominguez-Benner, and Ben “Sauce” Applebaum.
(Photo: A Better Cycle)

“We are so proud of our time here as your local, neighborhood bike shop,” the announcement states on the shop’s website. “Thank you all so much for the opportunity to live and work the way we wanted to for over a decade! We love you all.”

The small shop at 2324 SE Division opened in 2007 when six friends came together to share ownership. The shop has remained worker-owned and has been run as a collective ever since.

Christine Dakis is one of the shop’s workers. She told us the decision ultimately came down to money. “The last few years haven’t been great financially, and we (and most other bike shops we talk to) have been doing less and less business (money-wise) every year,” she shared. “It is down to the point where we can’t really cut costs any more and think it is time to close up before we can’t get out of the hole.”

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Dakis added that in addition to the financial pinch, it was just time to move on. She pointed to the “vast” neighborhood change in the past decade. This part of southeast has seen transformational commercial and residential real estate development, with thousands of new residents looking for a slice of the famous (or infamous, depending on your values) Portland lifestyle. Unfortunately for Dakis and her fellow workers, that lifestyle didn’t include shopping at a place like A Better Cycle. “It seems there aren’t as many people nearby looking for the kind of business that we are,” she said.

“It seems like our core customers are slowly being driven away from here. The weird side of Portland is getting smaller and smaller.”
— Christine Dakis, co-owner/worker

“It feels like there are more and more people moving here, but that they are moving here with cars, and either prefer online shopping or big shop convenience, which doesn’t bode well for us,” Dakis added. “Even with folks we do know — it is hard not to go for what are, or may seem like, better deals online or elsewhere when you are squeezed between rising rents and stagnating wages with increasing costs for healthcare.”

Since A Better Cycle has been open, inner southeast Portland has experienced an exodus of sorts. A place that used to house many lower-income activists, artists, and entrepreneurs has lost its affordability. People have moved further north and east, or even out of the city altogether.

“It seems like our core customers are slowly being driven away from here,” is how Dakis put it. “The weird side of Portland is getting smaller and smaller.”

As for the future of the shop, the plan is to continue taking service orders until May 1st. All new stock is currently 20% off and you can expect deeper discounts as the days go by. Dakis says if you’re looking for cool older frames and parts, new rims and hubs (that were stocked for wheelbuilding), and other bike shop supplies, roll on over and take a look. The shop is expected to close sometime next month.

Thank you Christine and all the workers at A Better Cycle for all your service and dedication to our community over the years!

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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--> Related Posts

• A Better Cycle opens on SE Division December 18, 2007
• After a decade of service in northwest Portland, 21st Avenue Bicycles is closing May 2, 2018
• Golden Pliers, a bike shop and cafe, opens on North Skidmore at Interstate June 25, 2018
• Velo Cult will close retail shop to focus solely on e-commerce July 25, 2018

This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by Ride Like a Girl Cycling, who invites you to their ‘Coastal Delight’, all-inclusive training camp for beginner riders: May 20-22 in Pacific City on the Oregon Coast.

Welcome to the week!

Here are the most noteworthy items we came across in the past seven days.

Where protection is the law: Big news from Massachusetts where the city of Cambridge passed a city council ordinance that mandates physical protection for bike lanes. City Lab says the law makes new bikeways “bikelash proof”.

Paint not enough: Why did Cambridge take such a drastic step to ensure physical protection? Easy: Because paint-only bikeways — like the ones the City of Portland has deemed sufficient for much of our network — are woefully inadequate.

Walmart to sell high-end bikes: We are watching very closely as news of Walmart’s high-quality carbon MTB and gravel “Viathon” bikes ripple through the bike industry.

Time to pay up: The reason so many people feel entitled to using public roads for free is because government has always subsidized it. That is finally changing as congestion pricing moves to the forefront.

Death of Kelly Catlin: The NY Times takes a closer look at why an aspiring, Olympic-level track racer enrolled at Stanford University killed herself?

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Mayor Pederson? Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson has started to make a name for herself as a transportation reformer. Now she’s reportedly interested in being Portland’s mayor.

E-bikes on tour: Another facet of the impending shift toward e-bike acceptance is multi-day tours. Imagine being able to travel almost anywhere by bike, for several days, without having to worry about your fitness!

Moving the needle: Writing in Curbed, Alissa Walker updates us on new policies from London, Sacramento, New York City, and Cambridge (more on that later) intended to discourage people from driving.

High speeds kill: New research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that a 5 mph increase in the maximum speed limit was associated with an 8 percent increase in the fatality rate on interstates and freeways and that about 10,000 people die in the U.S. every year due to driving too fast.

Specialized recall: If you have a new Roubaix, Roubaix, Ruby, Diverge, or Sirrus model bicycle, it might be susceptible to cracks in the steerer tube according to a safety recall notice.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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• The Monday Roundup: Cycling paradise in Africa, stick shifts for safety, and more April 1, 2019
• The Monday Roundup: Zwift world domination, helmet testing standards, ignoring drivers, and more March 25, 2019
• The Monday Roundup: Coal rollers guilty, Car Talk, middle finger rights, and more March 18, 2019
• The Monday Roundup: Speed-limiters in EU, ‘Porn Pedallers’, progress in Seattle,… March 11, 2019

Crews install a manhole on NW Newberry Road on April 3rd.
(Photo: Multnomah County)

Multnomah County’s latest update on the NW Newberry Road repair project has good news for those of you who miss this popular route up to (or down from) Skyline Blvd.

The project is several months ahead of schedule and instead of waiting until summer, the road is now expected to reopen by later this month!

Here’s the latest word from the County:

The slide-damaged road section has been excavated, a rock basket retaining wall built, the road has been rebuilt and paved. Remaining work includes installation of guardrail on the outside curve of the road, lane striping and various final “punch list” items. The road is expected to reopen in mid to late April 2019. Multnomah County appreciates the public’s patience during this road closure.

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A major landslide in January 2017 caused about half of the road near the lower section to fall away. When it reopens in the next few weeks, the road will have drivers on it for the first time in over two years.

And keep in mind that starting July 8th, a project will close NW Cornelius Pass Road and will divert over 11,000 car and truck trips onto NW Newberry Road for an estimated 13 weeks.

My advice: Get on it as much as you can before July! See you out there.

For more information, see the official project website.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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• Construction begins next month on NW Newberry Rd December 21, 2018
• County says NW Newberry Rd could be fixed — and reopened to drivers — by summer January 19, 2018
• County shares plans to address cycling safety during major road closure February 28, 2019
• County says NW Newberry road will be fixed by summer/fall 2018 August 25, 2017

(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

As our community continues to grapple with a spate of deadly and serious injury collisions, much of the discussion in the past few days has focused on enforcement.

It’s an important topic that deserves a productive debate.

Out of around 260 comments in this shortened week (I was out of town Monday-Tuesday), here are three that stood out:

Reader MTW had this to say in response to our story about North Fessenden:

“Even if I thought a city could “enforce” their way to road safety, Portland quite clearly can’t. We’re broke (currently proposing to close parks and community centers) and already under-staffed at PPB. Designing unsafe road conditions and then trying to use police man hours to ticket their way out of the problem is ineffective, wasteful and almost certainly inequitable.

The streets need to be re-designed in a way that forces compliance (with or without agents of the state being there to drive compliance rates.) Unfortunately, people will drive as fast as THEY feel safe and that high threshold for personal safety (particularly in an SUV) is incompatible with a safe and welcoming environment for VRUs [vulnerable roadway users].

2 people have died in 24 hours, treat this like the emergency it is. Until we can afford to re-engineer these streets properly (with concrete, diverters, re-painting, etc.,) break out the orange cones and take some lanes out. Tactical urbanism and traffic calming.”

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Scott Kocher added this comment to our story about Police Chief Outlaw’s calls for more enforcement:

“In the past PPB has not supported automated enforcement. A PPB Sergeant once told me we didn’t have enough officers but he opposed automated enforcement because it ‘lacks the human touch.’ I hope in the current climate we can free up officers so they’re not doing tasks a camera can do, placement can be reviewed for equity and safety need, fines can be graduated based on income as elsewhere, and revenue (if there is any) can go to infrastructure.”

And reader SD had an opinion about the PPB’s communications:

“One immediate improvement would be for all communications from the Portland Police and all other city agencies to stop “both-siding” their street safety message. Across the board, the data show that driver behavior contributes to pedestrian injury and fatality far more than that of pedestrians. Despite this, many people as well as many media outlets believe that the cause is distracted pedestrians. If there is any point to making a public statement like the one from Outlaw, it is to give drivers pause to consider if they are driving in a way that is more dangerous than it needs to be. When the PPB calls out pedestrian behavior, it is interpreted by many drivers to mean that their windshield-biased notion that it’s the victim’s fault is true. And, since they already consider their driving habits safe, regardless of whether they speed or drive while looking at their cell phones, this message just reinforces their idea that every thing they do is fine, because nothing bad has happened to them yet, or if it has it was just once or twice.

Statements like these show that very few in Portland government have taken the very first baby steps of understanding Vision Zero that include, at the least, making statements that target the most harmful factors in road safety.”

I’m grateful for these perspectives. Thank you for taking time to share your thoughts. And remember, I rely on you to nominate great comments by leaving a reply that includes “comment of the week” so I can more easily find them via search.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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• Comment of the Week: Slow Skyline Boulevard down, don’t widen it March 1, 2019
• Comment of the Week: A woman’s fear of riding on the I-205 path March 18, 2019
• Comment of the Week: Entitled bike riders are a thing, and it’s not helping October 26, 2018
• Comment of the Week: We need stronger countermeasures to defend against out-of-control drivers June 11, 2018

Seattle’s more honest promotional photo: Our 1962 symbol of the city of the future next to our 2019 car tunnel smoke stacks.

Hello, wonderful Seattle Bike Blog readers. I’ve got some cool bits of blog and family news to share, so I figured I would write you all a letter keeping you in the loop.

First, my incredible spouse Kelli started work this week as Legislative Assistant to Councilmember Mike O’Brien. I’m letting you all know because A: I think that’s really cool news, and B: I figured I should explain how we plan to avoid conflicts of interest for the sake of transparency.

O’Brien is the Chair of the Transportation Committee, which I report about often. So Kelli and I have come up with some simple rules to both protect our relationship and avoid any conflicts of interest:

1. I will never ask her for information she would have learned from her job. If I want info, I will pursue it through the usual channels.
2. O’Brien’s office will have someone other than Kelli communicate with Seattle Bike Blog.

Seattle Bike Blog endorsements board

With 50 candidates running for City Council, some of whom I consider personal friends, there’s no way I can do blog endorsements myself this year. So I am in the planning stages of putting together an endorsements board to help with the workload and provide a wider perspective on candidates. A board will also allow our endorsements to be fair to all candidates in races where I have existing friendships.

The alternative to an endorsements board would be to not have endorsements this year. But that’s no fun.

There will likely be an open call-out for board members, so stay tuned for details (if anyone has relevant experience putting together something like this, I’d love advice). I’m hoping to make it both work and fun.

Dedication to independent news

Seattle Bike Blog is proudly independent, supported by direct-sale relationships with local businesses (no third party ad services like Google) and paid monthly reader supporters. News has been slower than usual here since my daughter was born because I double as a stay-at-home dad these days (is “work-at-home dad” a thing?). But as she grows and learns to be more independent (she’s so close to walking!), I’m getting back more and more time to dedicate to this site. So expect things here to continue ramping up slowly. The biggest change, I hope, is that I will eventually be able to do more on-the-ground reporting and long personal interviews than I have lately.

I have also been thinking a lot about platform ownership. When I started this site in 2010, there was this trend where reporters were spending lot of time and energy reporting directly via Twitter and Facebook, since those platforms were a very effective way to reach more users more quickly. But eight years later, we’re seeing the downsides to giving your work to social media companies: They keep all the money. Well, Facebook does, anyway. Twitter is pretty awful at making money. Facebook doesn’t report the news, they just profit from reporters’ work. Even worse, Facebook won’t even serve your posts to most of your own followers unless you pay them money (which I have never done outside of a few event promotions). This is not a new development or observation, but as more and more news outlets close or make cuts (or get bought by assholes like Sinclair who break editorial standards by forcing conservative propaganda disguised as local news), I’m realizing how important it is that independent journalists own their platforms and revenue streams.

I own SeattleBikeBlog.com, and I own the advertising sales system. Of course, that means I am also my own tech support, which is why the calendar is so often broken or why the “forgot password” button didn’t work for months (it’s fixed now I think!). It’s also why the design of the desktop site hasn’t changed in eight years. My logo is still a sharrow! But at least this site belongs to the journalist behind it.

Badass journalists at Gawker unionized, and now Buzzfeed journalists are working to do the same thing. You might even say there’s a journalist union movement happening, and it’s about damn time. But I also think it’s time for the independents and the freelancers (OMG freelancers are treated like such shit) work together to take more ownership and/or control of their own work. I don’t know exactly what the looks like, but the status quo is clearly not working. Whenever a legit journalism job is lost, corporate and government PR gains power, misinformation on Facebook has more space to grow, and propaganda from Sinclair or whoever becomes that much more powerful.

To tie this into the section above, Seattle has fewer journalists and more City Council candidates than any other time in recent memory. I’m honestly worried that our city is not in a place to report adequately about this election, and that opens the door for social media misinformation to have a bigger influence.

The Seattle Times and The Seattle Foundation recently launched the Seattle Times Investigative Journalism Fund, which can take tax-deductible donations to help keep the paper’s remarkable investigative work going. This is a very interesting concept, and I hope it works. Because there are very few organizations that can do that kind of work these days, and it’s so important.

But what’s it going to take to keep the rest of the journalists funded in this town?

Willamette River Greenway path south of downtown Portland.
(Photo by pdxwheeler)

If your bicycling plans involve any paths, bikeways, or roads around the Willamette River, be on the lookout for water.

National Weather Service flood level chart for Willamette River in Portland.

A BikePortland reader sent in the photo above of the Willamette Greenway Trail south of the South Waterfront area this morning. “The trail has been getting progressively worse this week,” he said. “It’s starting to get fairly bad in a couple sections. In one of the pictures you can see a gentleman avoiding the water up on the rocks.”

Asked about the situation, a Portland Parks & Recreation spokesperson told us staff plan to visit the location today. Signs will be posted to warn users of flooded sections.

Earlier this week we heard from PP&R that they were considering a closure of the floating ramps section of the Eastbank Esplanade. The last time high water led to a closure of the Esplanade was 2011. Back then, we reached just over 17 feet as per official gauges.

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On Wednesday of this week the Willamette was at 13.2 feet. PP&R says they seriously consider closing the ramps at 13.5 feet (give or take a few inches). As of right now the National Weather Service shows the river at 15.7 feet. Since the water level is predicted to decrease substantially over the coming days, PPB says they don’t plan to take any action at this time.

According to the Willamette Week, water from other parts of the state are affecting Portland area rivers. The Corvallis area has seen major flooding and a state of emergency has been declared in 10 counties so far.

Whatever your weekend riding plans are, be aware that flooding could impact your route. If you are venture onto unpaved roads, be advised that mud could seriously alter your ability to roll.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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• High water on Willamette creates safety hazard on Esplanade – Updated May 31, 2011
• High Water on the Willamette: Photos, updates on bikeway impacts May 31, 2011
• Rain, landslides, and flooded streets: How are you handling the storm? December 7, 2015
• How Portlanders handled a wet, dark, stormy bike commute December 14, 2018

Scene from Clapshaw Hill Road in Washington County during a club ride last October.
(Photo: Portland Bicycling Club)

After 48 years as the Portland Wheelmen Touring Club, a local riding organization has decided to change its name to Portland Bicycling Club.

“We will no longer appear to potential members as an exclusive club comprised of elite aggressive, high-speed riders who manage bike tours.”
— Pat McManus, club president

The decision was made at the club’s April 4th meeting after months of debate among its 600 members. As we reported back in December, leaders of the club felt the old name wasn’t inclusive enough and that it was time to evolve to attract more diverse, younger riders.

Portland Bicycling Club President Pat McManus shared via email with BikePortland yesterday that, “Rebranding our club will not change the club… But the name will at once be simple and at the same time represent complexity, in that we will no longer (incorrectly) appear to potential members as an exclusive club comprised of elite aggressive, high-speed riders who manage bike tours.”

McManus supports the new name because she believes it will help the club “Morph into a more contemporary organization” and become one that, “Pulls in the diverse types of riders we see in the Portland area.” In a recent club newsletter McManus wrote that the club has been, “Feeling pressure to re-examine our place in Portland’s active cycling community.”

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The club’s new ad created for the upcoming Filmed By Bike festival.

The club also recently decided to end the Pioneer Century ride after 44 consecutive editions in part because of dwindling participation.

Like other parts of the cycling scene, the Portland Bicycling Club is dominated by older white men. Out of their eight regular ride leaders, none of them are women.

Pat McManus.

Club surveys showed a strong majority in support of the change. At the April 4th meeting, 71% of the 90 members present voted in support of the new name. McManus said the members who voted against the new name felt it was too ordinary, bland and dull.

Looking ahead, McManus wants everyone to know you don’t have to be a member to ride with the club. She personally loves to lead themed rides (like their annual Halloween Ride and Heritage Tree Ride) and would love to have new members lead more of them. She’s also hoping to see more gravel rides and family-oriented rides on the calendar in the future.

“Our diversity of rides and simple love of bicycling is one of the messages that I hope the new name reflects,” McManus said.

Graphic released by club in official public announcement made today.

To see if Portland Bicycling Club is the place for you, check out their website, Facebook page, and on Instagram.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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--> Related Posts

• Portland Wheelmen Touring Club to consider name change December 4, 2018
• Local riding club looks to raise money for fellow Wheelman December 19, 2008
• Pioneer Century kicks off the summer riding season May 19, 2009
• How Portland’s oldest Buddhist temple got better bike parking March 29, 2016

If the amount of listings is any indications, it appears as though Portland’s local bike industry is alive and well.

Learn more about each new opportunity via the links below…

— Customer Experience Champion – Kenton Cycle Repair

— Keyholder/Sales and Installation Associate – Rack Attack Portland

— Mechanic- Full Time – Western Bikeworks

— Service Writer- Full Time – Western Bikeworks

— General shop assistant – Ti Cycles Fabrication

— Sales / Customer Care – The eBike Store

For a complete list of available jobs, click here.

Be the first to know about new job opportunities by signing up for our daily Job Listings email or by following @BikePortland on Twitter.

These are paid listings. And they work! If you’d like to post a job on the Portland region’s “Best Local Blog” two years running, you can purchase a listing online for just $75. Learn more at our Job Listings page.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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• Jobs of the Week: Community Cycling Center, North Portland Bikeworks, Southwest Bicycle March 29, 2019
• Jobs of the Week: GO Box, Velotech, Community Cycling Center March 22, 2019
• Jobs of the Week: Community Cycling Center, Breadwinner, Bike Clark County, Rapha March 1, 2019
• Jobs of the Week: Kenton Cycle Repair, Kerr Bikes, Cynergy E-Bikes, Rack Attack February 22, 2019

6 fatal crashes in 5 days! 27 people have died on our streets this year. I am directing officers to increase enforcement, but this is everyone's responsibility. Drivers slow down, don't drive impaired/distracted. Bikes and peds use caution—don’t assume drivers see you.

— Chief Danielle Outlaw (@ChiefDOutlaw) April 11, 2019

With 14 fatal traffic crashes so far this year and six in the past four days, Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw couldn’t stay quiet any longer.

PPB Chief Danielle Outlaw.

Since she was hired in October 2017, Chief Outlaw has had many intense issues to focus on: from a crisis-level officer shortage to violent protests. She hasn’t engaged on transportation safety issues. Until now.

In a tweet posted today, Chief Outlaw wrote:

“6 fatal crashes in 5 days! 27 people have died on our streets this year. I am directing officers to increase enforcement, but this is everyone’s responsibility. Drivers slow down, don’t drive impaired/distracted. Bikes and peds use caution—don’t assume drivers see you.”

(Note: It’s unclear where she got the 27 deaths figure. To be clear, there have been 14 traffic-related fatalities so far this year and the PPB’s Major Crash Team has been called out 23 times.)

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Asked for specifics about the increased enforcement, Portland Police Bureau Public Information Officer Sgt. Brad Yakots wrote in an email to BikePortland, “Our Traffic Division and precincts are providing extra patrols in high trafficked areas. Our focus is education and outreach.”

“I want to make sure your support of Vision Zero is Vision Zero as it is now, which is not enhanced law enforcement.”
— Jo Ann Hardesty, Portland City Commissioner

Chief Outlaw’s call for enforcement puts her in the middle of an ongoing debate about how best to use police officers in Portland’s quest for safer streets. More enforcement is a common request when traffic crashes are in the news; but fears of racial profiling put it on shaky political ground in Portland.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Vision Zero Action Plan passed in 2016 with a host of recommendations from PBOT’s Vision Zero Task Force. Among them was a specific intention to limit enforcement, “In order to reduce the possibility of racial profiling and disparate economic impacts.”

This recommendation was not without its detractors on the Task Force. Newly elected City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty has also expressed concerns about increased enforcement.

In a debate prior to her election last year, Hardesty said she’s “absolutely terrified of more enforcement.” “When I hear public leaders talk about enhancing police presence…we know African-Americans and Latinos are targeted for more enforcement than anyone else.”

And Hardesty repeated this concern at a City Council Budget Work Session on March 12th. During a presentation about PBOT’s budget, Hardesty said, “I want to make sure your support of Vision Zero is Vision Zero as it is now, which is not enhanced law enforcement, but more about notifying speeders to slow down.”

Hardesty’s colleague, PBOT Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, had a much different tone at the same work session. In her introduction to the PBOT presentation, Eudaly lamented the lack of more enforcement funding in the budget. “I’m really disappointed to see there’s no request for an increase in traffic enforcement,” she said. “In 2018 we had 27 murders in Portland. We had 34 people die in traffic deaths. We are seeing rampant disregard for the law and human life on our streets and the Traffic Division is seriously understaffed. Our city has adopted Vision Zero and we’re diligently working on that. We can’t accomplish our goal without support of Police Bureau.”

With Chief Outlaw now engaged on the issue, Commissioner Eudaly has momentum to push for more enforcement; but it’s unlikely to happen without a debate.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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--> Related Posts

• Another person hit and killed while crossing North Fessenden April 11, 2019
• Racial bias concerns and staffing shortage present enforcement challenges for Portland Police March 7, 2018
• Police and transportation bureaus team up for enforcement on SE Clinton tomorrow (2/10) February 9, 2016
• The Street Trust puts street safety issues on radar of Police Chief Danielle Outlaw May 10, 2018

Zipp’s new 3ZERO MOTO inspired wheels launched. Zipp said the new wheelsets provide riders with the control and durability required for pure speed on enduro courses or trail riding. 3ZERO MOTO carbon is available as a 27.5 or 29.

Moto remains a powerful source of inspiration for good reason, Zipp is based in the racing hotbed of Indianapolis. For more than three decades the components company has used motorsports as an inspiration to develop pioneering carbon cycling innovations.

Zipps single-wall approach, what they call Moto Technology, allows the rims to “pivot” from either side of the spoke bed while traversing rough terrain. The approach to comfort is similar to how Stan’s carbon rims flex.

What happens is, when the wheel encounters obstacles, the rim edges flex instead of bounce.  That means there’s a feel of extra suspension and control. If the rider and bike are in control, that means they’re going faster. While an entirely different wheel, what’s why tubular Zipps in cross have been so popular.

Zipp 3ZERO MOTO Inspired Wheels Zipp 3ZERO MOTO Features

• Higher impact resistance
• Reduced chance of pinch flatting
• More traction in rough corners
• Smoother ride in rocky terrain
• Ability to run lower tire pressure
• Reduced rider fatigue

Learn more about Zipp’s latest on their website. I’ve spent hundreds of hours on Zipps and most recently, 650b 303s. In a first for Zipp, they’re offering the rims alone so you can build them up with the hub of your choice. The rims ship in 8 colors too.

I’d consider for my gravel bike building these with a dynamo hub for not only speed an control, but a powered light.

Zipp 3ZERO MOTO Works

From Zipp’s PR, this is how their new wheelset works

• Lateral stiffness — In a sharp turn, the rim remains stiff, providing confidence that the wheel is firmly planted.  Zipp’s wide hub flanges provide better spoke-bracing angles which help to increase the lateral stiffness.
• Torsional windup — When torque is applied to the rear hub when pedaling, you don’t want the spokes to create a spring-like flex sapping your wattage. Having 32 spokes at the right tensions keep the wheel constrained during windup, meaning the energy in your legs is efficiently transferred to your rear wheel.
• Radial compliance — When you hit a rock, the system is designed to act as a shock absorber. Zipp’s MOTO Technology allows the rim to flex, which absorbs the impact energy and spreads it away from the impact zone for increased durability. In essence, more of the rim carries the load from the impact.
• “Ankle” compliance — Imagine a runner rounding a sharp turn, the ankle naturally flexing to maintain grip as the runner leans. The rim can locally flex to stay parallel to the ground during cornering, which increases traction much like a human ankle. This ability to twist locally allows it to deflect during single bead impacts without the rider getting bounced off line.
• Durability and ride quality — 3ZERO MOTO rim strength exceeded our expectations for impact resistance due to MOTO Technology compliance. As for ride quality, the wheel also deflected three times more than top rival box-section carbon wheels. That extra compliance behaves like extra suspension, but it also spreads the impact energy over a larger area. This also benefits the rider in the form of pinch flat prevention.
• The benefits of all that are simple. More control. Fewer line deviations. Greater durability. Fewer pinch flats. The net gain? Pure speed.

I’d consider a set for my gravel bike and building them with a dynamo hub for not only speed and control, but a powered light.

The post Zipp 3ZERO MOTO Inspired Wheels Launched appeared first on Bike Hugger.

Crisis.

Another person has been killed by a driver while trying to walk across North Fessenden Street.

Commissioner Eudaly expedited installation of new speed limit signs last month.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

According to the Portland Police Bureau a woman was hit while crossing near North Polk Street at around 10:30 pm last night. The driver of a red sedan sped away and is still on the loose.

This brings the toll to two deaths and two serious injuries in the past 15 months.

Just over one month ago we reported that Fessenden was in crisis. Five days later, on March 1st, Portland Bureau of Transportation Commissioner Chloe Eudaly stepped in. “This latest tragedy has shaken the community,” she wrote on Facebook, “and I understand why.”

Eudaly took action by expediting a change to the speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph. She had city crews install the signs immediately. Speed reader boards have also popped up on the street.

But it’s clearly not enough.

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PBOT knows this. They’ve been harangued by local residents and activists like Donna Cohen, leader of the Citizens for a Safe and Attractive Fessenden/St Louis/Lombard Facebook page.

Cohen and others have clamored for long-promised safety upgrades like median islands, flashing beacons, curbs extensions, a new lane configuration, and more. PBOT’s St. Johns Truck Strategy Phase 2 project will deliver these upgrades; but it has taken what feels like an eternity to materialize. The plan itself was adopted by council in 2001. The grant to build Phase 2 was accepted in 2010 2013 and engineering and design recommendations were completed in 2013.

PBOT finally received FHWA approval to proceed with the $5 million project in October of last year and construction is finally underway.

From, St. Johns Transportation Concept Development Project, 2013 prepared by T-Y-Lin International for PBOT. North Polk is on the left.

For Cohen and other residents, it didn’t come soon enough. On her group’s Facebook page today, Cohen pointed out that PBOT’s plans call for a new median island and crossing on N Tioga Street — just one block from where the woman was killed last night (see graphic above). “If PBOT had not dragged their feet on this project this is what would be at Tioga now – a 16′-wide median island. You cannot go nearly as fast around a 16′ median island as on a narrow island or a straight-away.”

This is the third traffic fatality in Portland in less than 24 hours and the sixth in the past four days. So far this year 14 people have died on our roads, eight of them were walking.

UPDATE, 5:01 pm:

Family identifies 82yo Sandy Bosch as woman killed in hit & run Wednesday night. It happened at North Fessenden & Polk. Sandy was a mother & grandmother. The suspect vehicle is a red sedan & it should have damage. pic.twitter.com/pTyTaPPz3q

— Mike Benner (@MikeBennerKGW) April 11, 2019

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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• While we wait for safety fixes, another person has died trying to cross Southeast Division March 14, 2018
• Comment of the Week: One person’s corporate takeover, another person’s mobility lifeline April 7, 2017
• On eve of North Portland traffic safety town hall, a man was hit and killed last night on Fessenden November 27, 2017
• Another person killed while walking in east Portland March 22, 2018

Everyone — and everything! — is welcome at the Ladds 500 on Saturday.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

We’ve been teased with dry and sunny weather and the roads are filling up with new faces. Let’s keep the momentum going (despite the forecast) by getting out there on two wheels!

Check out our event recommendations for the next three days below…

Friday, April 12th

Midnight Mystery Ride – 11:45 am at location TBA
Portland’s monthly night ride is on. Watch the official website tomorrow for location announcement. More info here.

Saturday, April 13th

Sandy Ridge Adventures – 9:30 am at Sandy Ridge Trailhead
West Coast Women’s Cycling Team and NW Trail Sisters are co-hosting this ride at the popular Sandy River Trail system. Please note this ride is for women/trans/femme and gender non-conforming people only. More info here.

Free Adult Riding Lessons – 10:00 am at Portland Community College Southeast (SE)
Come one! Come all! This event is geared to anyone who wants to learn to ride and feel more confident on two wheels. More info here.

First Timer’s Ride – 10:00 am at River City Bicycles (SE)
Let the friendly and knowledgable staff from River City guide you on a neighborhood cruise that will build your confidence for urban riding. More info here.

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to help maintain and expand this vital community resource. --> -->

The Ladds 500 – 10:00 am at Ladd Circle Park (SE)
This epic and fun, team-oriented event is back! Party in the park while you and your crew ride in circles for hours. It’s the perfect way to welcome the spring riding season. Curious? Check our 2018 coverage. More info here.

Sunday, April 14th

Sauvie Shootout – 9:00 am at Ovation Coffee & Tea (NW)
Roll out with Portland’s premier road training ride. Explore Sauvie Island and the West Hills while getting great experience riding in a group. More info here.

Alpenrose Velodrome Clean-up Day – 10:00 am at Alpenrose Velodrome (SW)
The recent threat of closure revealed how much our community supports this facility. What better way to demonstrate that by coming out to the annual clean-up as race organizers get ready for the best track season ever. Wear work clothes! More info here.

Stay plugged into all the bike and transportation-related events around the region via our comprehensive event calendar.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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