State Parks Commission approves new rule allowing e-bikes on paths and trails

Go ahead and ride that e-thang!
(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Last summer we threw a bit of cold water on the very hot trend of electric-assisted bicycles when we reported on the little-known fact that e-bikes were prohibited on paths and trails managed by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD).

At the time, OPRD acknowledged that they never intended to exclude e-bike riders from popular paths like the Historic Columbia River Highway and Banks-Vernonia Trail. The situation, they felt, was a matter of the law not keeping up with the times. Oregon’s vehicle code recognizes e-bikes as bicycles; but OPRD facilities are managed with Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) which didn’t mention e-bikes at all. This meant they fell into the category of “motor vehicles” and were managed as such.

In response to public pressure to address the issue, OPRD began the process to amend their rules last September. Today we confirmed with agency staff that the State Parks Commission has approved a rule change that explicitly allows electric-assisted bicycles on all paths and trails eight-feet and wider unless otherwise posted.

The approval means that OAR 736-010-0015 now includes a statutory definition for “electric assisted bicycle” that is a carbon copy of Oregon Revised Statute 801.258.

More significant changes and amendments have been made to OAR 736-010-0026, the rule that governs the use of bicycles and other “similar devices” on OPRD facilities. The title of the rule has been changed from, “Non-Motorized Vehicles, Cycles or Similar Devices,” to “Operator-Propelled Vehicles, Cycles or Similar Devices.”

And the major addition is subsection (3):

A person may operate an electric assisted bicycle on roads and trails eight feet or wider unless otherwise posted to restrict or permit such activity.

The rule was written in a way that allows individual park managers to allow e-bikes on narrower trails if and when appropriate.

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OPRD also proposed to amend the rules to that e-bikes could be used on the ocean shore in all places where standard, non-motorized bicycles are currently allowed. The commission did not approve that proposal and instead chose to allow e-bikes only on sections of the coast where people are currently allowed to drive cars and trucks.

Beach e-biking is limited to areas where it’s legal to drive cars.

At their June 13th meeting Parks Commissioners heard a report from OPRD staff on how the public reacted to the proposals. OPRD received 332 comments with 201 people “generally opposed” to any rule changes and 127 people in support of more e-bike access on trails. Here’s a summary of the public feedback (taken from the meeting packet):

201 commenters were generally opposed to a rule change. Of those75 specifically were opposed to increasing use of electric bicycles on the beach.

56 commenters identified as equestrians concerned about increased user conflict with additional bicycles on trails.

There were 127 comments in support of adding electric bicycles to trails and/or the ocean shore. Commenters often described how electric bicycle allow them to continue to enjoy riding bicycles after an injury or illness.

In general, those opposed to the rule change expressed concern over safety, user conflict and lack of enforcement. Those in support generally feel electric bicycles should be seen as any other bicycle and would like to see OPRD regulate behavior, not the type of bicycle a person chooses to ride.

Themes of the comments:

• Numerous equestrian riders expressed concern over safety on our trails. They described fear over the encounters with bicycles currently and did not want to see additional users on already
crowded trails. Specifically, the often cited fears of a quiet e-bike coming up behind them at a fast rate of speed and spooking their horse.

• Many Oregonians were concerned with the peace and tranquility of the beach being disrupted by fast moving electric bicycles on the beach. They were concerned about the safety for kids and dogs if bicycles were riding fast. There were also a number of people concerned about the habitat impacts on the beach if more bicycles were riding faster and further. A number of people said they were comfortable with electric bicycles on motorized sections of the beach, but did not want
to see that expanded to all sections of the beach.

• Many of the commenters in support of electric bicycles describe themselves as part of the baby boomer generation. They describe how as they have aged the move to an electric bicycle as allowed them to keep active. Some describe how the electric bicycle gives them the opportunity to keep up with younger family members or see new areas of the state.

• Commenters expressed concern over lack of enforcement. Commenters expressed concern over whether OPRD had the staffing to enforce types of equipment covered under the definition or limits on speed and other safety requirements included in the rules.

• We received many comments from the Hood River area where electric bicycle riders would like to ride along the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail and enjoy the scenery.

• There were a number of comments expressing concern over whether a move toward acceptance of electric bicycles was a slippery slope toward allowing additional electric or gas powered devices on trails or the beach.

The rule is currently in effect and new signage is expected to start showing up in State Parks and other facilities by October.

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

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My parents’ condo makeover — Before and After

This post was created in partnership with Wayfair.

My parents recently moved into an old condo that has been in our family for 40 years.  It was long overdue for a condo makeover. My great-grandmother Ida lived there for many years — I have really fond memories of visiting her and my Papa Si at the condo as a kid, and being met with stuffed cabbage, matzo ball soup, blintzes, rugelach cookies and a whole lotta love from my Grammy Ida and Papa Si.

I lived there in college for a spell, my brother and his family lived there for ten years, and now that my bro and his family have grown out of it my parents decided to make it theirs.  This year, after 50 years of working with underprivileged youth, mentally ill folks, and folks with addiction issues, they have finally retired. Moving into the condo really represents a new stage in their lives–one that hopefully involves a whole lotta chilling out.

The condo was in pretty bad shape, so my sister Faith (who is an interior designer) and I decided to work together and redo their whole condo so it would feel totally new, fresh and exciting for them. It goes without saying that it was a huge privilege to be able to do this for them. For years, my sister and I have have been receivers of so much love, support, help and generosity from our folks that we felt so lucky to be able to use our expertise and connections to redo this place for them on a budget that would allow them to keep some of that retirement money in the bank. My sis took the lead on the interior design and project managing the contractor and building team, and I focused on sourcing.

The condo is a three bedroom. It was built in the 1960’s and most of it hadn’t been updated since the 80’s. The first thing we did, after chatting with our parents to get on the same page about overall look, feel and vibe was reach out to my friends at Wayfair to see if they were keen to work with us on this. We were in dire need of new appliances, flooring, bathroom vanities, fixtures as well as home furnishings and Wayfair is one of the few places that has an incredible assortment of all of those things so we were thrilled when they agreed to work with us on this. Over the next few posts we’ll take you through the whole condo remodel, but today we’ll walk you through the front portion.

Patio

While it may seem odd to start a tour with the patio, in this home it actually makes a lot of sense because this outdoor space serves as the main entryway to the home. Even though the front door is around the corner we’ve always entered the home through the patio gate so it feels very natural to start things off here. Here is what the space looked like before:

after:

Yeah. It needed a lot of work.  Outdoor living is such a huge part of So-Cal living, we wanted to give the patio a lush, mediterranean vibe, and the easiest way to lay a foundation to do that was to bring in floor tile.

We chose the Alberta Ceramic Field Tile 13″ x 13″ in Blue/ Beige from Wayfair. The tile is designed to look aged and it automatically lent a feeling of history to the patio and that “old-world” feel we were going for.

Faith designed this built-in-bench seating and had it custom made. The bench doubles (triples?) as storage and an outdoor bed situation — because my parents like to sleep outside sometimes. I know, pretty cute. The pillows are mostly made from my fabrics and/or are from my Loloi collection. The rug is vintage. This has truly become the major gathering place of this home. At any given time you’ll find my parents entertaining out here, waxing philosophical, helping one of our kids with their homework, sharing a meal, reading, or yes snuggling and snoozing.

Living Room:

before:

The living room basically stayed the same, but the floors needed refinishing, we had a new sliding glass door installed, and gave the room a fresh coat of paint. Then we brought in new furnishings.

after:

My sis bought the portraits of the Hopi man and woman twenty years ago at an auction an they look so comfortable and striking here that we decided to leave them. We added my Mor sofa from my Living Spaces collection (similar), and had vintage chairs (similar) recovered in my Boogie fabric. Our goal for the room was to create a space the felt warm, chic and cozy while still feeling airy, light and modern. Not always an easy combo to achieve but I really love how it came together.

The rug is from Loloi’s Xavier collection. We added pillows to tie the colors together —  the bolster is from my collection with Loloi. The coffee table and side table are from my Aries collection with Selamat.

For the wall color, we chose Navajo White by Benjamin Moore. It’s a color that changes quite a bit depending on the time of day, but has a very warm and soothing undertone. Plants we chose for the space include a schefflera, kentia palm, philodendrons, and caladiums.

Kitchen

before:

The kitchen needed some serious updates.

after:

We replaced the floors, and refinished the existing cabinets. We also removed some up the upper cabinets and replaced them with open shelving. We brought in new countertops and all new appliances.

AHHH THIS KITCHEN MAKES ME SO HAPPY!! I think it just exudes earthy, warm vibes but it’s still super functional and clean. We added a few arches where corners were squared off before to bring the mediterranean vibe and some architectural interest to the space. Our mama loves teal, so we put in a new backsplash that goes all the way up the ceiling which really helps to make the ceilings feel higher. The tile is Paseo from Fireclay tile, in Sea Foam colorway. The dishwasher is water and energy saving and runs silent which is really key in a kitchen that’s open to the living and dining room.

We used my “Nido” fabric to reupholster the bench seating. The fabric is from my collection with Inside Out Performance fabrics, so no matter how many spills it incurs, it’ll hold up really nicely.

In the eating area,  paired the bench with a modern pedestal table (always better to go pedestal with bench seating so it’s easier to slide in and out without bumping table legs). The chairs we brought from their last place. We created a basket gallery wall and suspended a jute pendant lamp to tie all that jute together. The earthy vibes continue onto the floor with maybe my favorite aspect of the design, the floor tiles which is Porcelain Field Tile which has the look of weathered terra-cotta, which I love so much — but it’s very strong and durable since it’s porcelain.

You’ll also notice the our Cosmic Desert gold wallpaper peeking out from the corner, from our collection with Hygge and West. The countertops are Silestone.

The copper apron sink has my heart and I absolutely love how it looks with the tile. The Kyla wall sconces from Hudson Vally Lighting’s Mitzi line and I love how they feel both modern and traditional.

We were so thrilled to be able to get them all new appliances (thank you Wayfair!!) nothing makes a home feel shiny and new like a new refrigerator and stove. We chose this counter-depth refrigerator  which has the look of  built-in, but not the price tag of a built-in.

My parents both love to cook and this  range is not only pretty but it makes my parents feel like cooking pro’s. Also…THAT BLUE INTERIOR!!!

Challenges we faced
Of course, like every big remodel, this project was riddled with issues and challenges, which I’ll also share–because I think there are some good takeaways. First, we started the project in late November of last year, which, I now know, is not a great time of year to start a big remodel project. Many items have lead time of several weeks (or more) and the holidays can delay both ship dates and availability of workers. My parents were planning to move into the condo the first of February, but the project took so long to complete, that they were couch surfing for months before we finished in early April. Also, condos have different rules for permitting and such, and there was a lot of bureaucracy and hoops to jump through before we could do what we wanted how we wanted for both the municipal permits and HOA permissions. Oy. Lucky for me, Faith dealt with it all, but it was quite a drag, and my mom, who suffers from COPD couldn’t move in until the project was totally complete because she can’t be in places with lots of dust.

Now that they are all moved in, however, they are THRILLED. And so are we. If feels so wonderful to know my parents are happy and comfortable and that my sister and I had a chance to give a little bit back to us after all they’ve done for us for our whole lives. They barely even let us treat them to a meal, so the fact that they let us do this for them means so much.  Stay tuned for our next post where we’ll reveal the rest of the condo and all that went into it.

With a heartfelt thanks to Wayfair for working with us on this project.
Photography by J. Blakeney 

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Paving project will lead to cycling detour for N Williams Ave

Bike traffic on North Williams… coming soon to NE Cleveland.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

The Portland Bureau of Transportation just announced a repaving project that will require bicycle users to detour off North Williams Avenue for two weeks beginning this Tuesday.

PBOT plans to grind down and then repave Williams as part of regularly scheduled maintenance on a one-mile stretch between Beech and Killingsworth. The project will require lane closures from September 4th through September 18th from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm and possibly on weekends. They also say bicycle users will have to detour around the work zone onto an adjacent street.

Here’s more from PBOT:

Streets with ground down surfaces are open for travel. Lane closures are only in effect during project hours. Access will be maintained for businesses and residents during the project. For the safety of people biking on this popular bike route, bicyclists will be detoured onto NE Cleveland between N Beech and N Killingsworth.

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Cleveland is one block east of Williams. It’s not clear why PBOT is requiring bicycle users to detour while allowing auto users to continue on Williams. We’ve asked for clarification on that as well as whether or not bicycle riders and other vulnerable road users could share lanes on Williams with other road users. Also worth noting is that one block to the east of Cleveland is NE Rodney, which is the designated neighborhood greenway route.

Williams Avenue is the sixth busiest street for bicycle users in the city. PBOT counted 3,835 bicycle trips per day at Williams and Going in 2017.

We’ll update this story when we hear more from PBOT.

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

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Bikeway design firms up for long-awaited SW Capitol Highway project

When completed, the new SW Capitol Highway will have 27-feet of space for walking and rolling and 24-feet of space for driving.
(Concept drawing of intersection looking southbound.)

The Bureau of Transportation has issued a major update to the plans for a project that will add a protected lane for vulnerable road users on a one-mile section of SW Capitol Highway between Multnomah Village and Barbur Blvd.

A big change since the project was first announced two years ago is that the new 60% plans have removed the “green street” planter strips from the corridor. According to a statement from PBOT earlier this month, this decision, “allows for more separation between people walking and biking on the east (downhill) side of the roadway, and reduced grading impacts on the west side.”

Latest cross-section concept.

The current cross-section calls for a 12-foot wide multi-use path in the southbound (uphill) direction split between a four-foot lane for walking, a five-foot travel lane and a three furnishing zone. In the northbound direction there will be an 18-foot wide, grade-separated path split between a six-foot wide sidewalk, a three-foot planting zone, a six-foot lane for vehicles, and a three-foot furnishing zone. The center of the cross-section will feature two, 12-foot wide travel lanes.

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Existing conditions are… no so good.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

These new plans also give us our first detailed look at how the street will look from a cycling perspective. Northbound, the lane will be constructed out of a black material to help differentiate it from the adjacent sidewalk. At each intersection, PBOT will install green-colored crossbike markings. In the southbound lanes the path will have markings on the concrete to keep people aware of where they should walk and roll. Cycling speeds will be much slower southbound due to it being uphill.

While this progress is welcome news, the project continues to move slowly (two years of planning and we’re still just at 60% design?!). This is the highest priority transportation project for southwest neighborhood advocates and they’ve been pushing for it since 1996.

Despite the design taking longer than anticipated (the city should get some slack here, given that streets in southwest have extraordinary stormwater management issues), PBOT says construction is still on track to begin next year and be done by 2020.

Learn more about this project at the official website.

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

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Jobs of the Week: Universal Cycles, Community Cycling Center, Castelli, Santiam Bicycle

Looking for a new place to spread you cycling wings? We’ve got four great job opportunities that just went up this week.

Learn more about each one via the links below…

–> Warehouse Team Member – Universal Cycles

–> Director of Equity, Engagement and People – Community Cycling Center

–> Social & PR Coordinator – Castelli

–> Bicycle Mechanic/Sales – Santiam Bicycle Inc.

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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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Lawsuit says City of Portland was negligent in Greeley Ave crash

The crash scene on the I-5 on-ramp.
(Photos: Portland Police Bureau)

A notorious stretch of North Greeley Avenue where it crosses over an on-ramp to Interstate 5 is the subject of a lawsuit filed yesterday by a Portland law firm.

The blue Surly ridden by plaintiff Robert Smith.

Thomas, Coon, Newton & Frost lists three defendants — the City of Portland, the State of Oregon and the driver, Brandon Swiger — and asks for $1.36 million on behalf of their client, Robert Smith.

Smith sustained life-altering injuries as a result of being hit by Swiger while bicycling on Greeley on December 21st, 2017. Smith’s medical expenses to treat a traumatic brain injury, multiple bone fractures, collapsed lungs, and injuries to internal organs have totaled over $359,229.

The complaint (below) filed yesterday in Multnomah County makes claims of negligence against Swiger for his careless driving and against the city and state for their failure to manage and maintain the roadway.

p-Complaint- Robert Smith-CONFORMED

According to the police report, Swiger was driving southbound on Greeley on his way home from work at about 1:45 pm in his Honda Crossover (a mid-sized SUV) prior to the crash. There are two driving lanes at this location; the left lane curves eastward toward Interstate Avenue and the right lane goes onto the I-5 ramp. According to witnesses and Swiger’s own statement to the responding police officer, Swiger had moved into the left lane prior to the merge to pass another driver and then moved back into the right lane just before making impact with Smith’s body.

“In addition to this location being a known safety hazard, there was plenty of notice to the responsible authority that it should be fixed or somebody was going to get hurt, so was pretty frustrating when it actually happened.”
— Ray Thomas, attorney for Robert Smith

The police report states that Swiger estimated his speed to be around 55-60 mph. The posted speed limit is 45 mph.

One witness who saw the collision told police that Swiger and another driver both passed her, “As if we were standing still.” Another witness said Swiger had been “tailgating” her prior to changing lanes. As a result of his behavior, Swiger was issued a citation for Careless Driving with Serious Injury to a Vulnerable Road User (ORS 811.135(3)).

Swiger’s careless driving was amplified by an intersection with well-known design flaws that have been flagged as a hot-spot for collisions and close-calls for years.

Greeley is a busy, four-lane “freeway” (a term for the road used by a Portland Bureau of Transportation staff person in a meeting last year) where people using bicycles are required to merge from a relatively narrow curbside lane across a lane where people often drive 50-60 mph. The crossing is not signalized or marked except for a small caution sign off to the side of the road. In February 2016, in a report on a separate serious injury collision at this same location, I wrote that this is a completely unacceptable design for a bikeway.

The design is so dangerous, PBOT wants to shift the bikeway to the other side of the road.

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In February of 2017, 10 months before Smith was hit, PBOT announced plans to build a physically protected, bi-directional multi-use path on the east side of Greeley. However, that project was delayed in July 2017 due to a contracting technicality and the timeline for completion was pushed back to this past spring. In June of this year PBOT announced another delay and the project is now expected to be built in spring 2019.

The lawsuit says PBOT and ODOT (the agencies have overlapping jurisdiction of the roads at this location) are negligent for six reasons:

a. Designing the intersection so as to require a cyclist in the southeast bound bike lane to cross a freeway entrance ramp where traffic routinely travels at 55-60 miles per hour;
b. Establishing a bike lane on N. Greeley Avenue southeast bound, knowing that bike lane would cross the freeway on-ramp;
c. Failing to provide a means of traveling on the southeast bound bike lane on N. Greeley Avenue without crossing the freeway on-ramp;
d. Failing to provide a bike lane on the northeast side of N. Greeley Avenue to accommodate both northwest and southeast-bound bicycle traffic;
e. Failing to warn approaching traffic of the bike lane crossing; and
f. Failing to close the bike lane until a safe design could be implemented

Smith’s attorneys are asking for $358,229 to pay his medical expenses and $1 million in non-economic damages.

In an interview yesterday, attorney Ray Thomas, a rider himself and well-known cycling advocate, said, “In addition to this location being a known safety hazard, there was plenty of notice to the responsible authority that it should be fixed or somebody was going to get hurt, so it was pretty frustrating when it actually happened.”

To win in court, Thomas and his partner on the lawsuit, Cynthia Newton, are likely to face an attempt by attorneys for the city and state to dismiss the case at the outset. They’re likely to argue their clients can’t be held liable by way of discretionary immunity, as outlined in ORS 30.265(6)(c). That statute says a public body is immune from liability for, “Any claim based upon the performance of or the failure to exercise or perform a discretionary function or duty, whether or not the discretion is abused.”

According to the Oregon Supreme Court (John v. City of Gresham, 2007) discretionary immunity applies to policy decisions, “that involve a balancing of competing policy considerations in determining the public interest.”

Put another way, government agencies make decisions about how to allocate funds and design and maintain their roads, and the law protects them from being sued for making bad decisions. But their are exceptions. Among the reasons a judge might conclude that immunity does not apply are: if a public body decides on a course of action then fails to follow it; if their actions were based merely on fact (like whether or not a design conforms to national standards) and not a conscious judgment of policy; if they fail to respond to changing conditions; or if they fail to follow an established maintenance program.

Recent cases where PBOT and ODOT have been sued for negligence did not go to trial and resulted in settlements. In February 2017 the State of Oregon and the City of Portland agreed to pay the family of Martin Greenough $23,000 for their role in his death that resulted from a drunk driver hitting him in a bike lane gap on North Lombard. And in March of 2017, Portland paid a settlement of $525,000 to a man who was seriously injured while biking on a dangerous section of North Interstate Ave.

Win or lose, Thomas believes lawsuits are an effective way to hold government agencies accountable.

“I think these design and maintenance cases are important,” he shared with me earlier this week. “And if things go as they should with this case, what will happen is that the next time the city decides to dither on something, they’ll say, ‘Remember what happened on Greeley? We put it off and a guy got nailed just like everybody said was going to happen, and we got sued. So maybe this time we should expedite the process. We have a safer design, let’s expedite the process.’

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

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Pineapple Jalapeño Pitcher Margaritas

These Pineapple Jalapeño Pitcher Margaritas infuse good-quality tequila with spicy jalapeño. Mix with pineapple juice for a margarita that balances sweetness and heat!

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What Tequila Should You Buy?

Confused by tequila? Ever wondered what words like anejo and blanco mean? What's best for a straight-up margarita, or sipping neat, or a fruity pitcher cocktail? In this guide to tequilas, we break it all down for you!

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Weekend Event Guide: Tour de Lab, cyclocross, Welcome to (Bike) Portland, and more

The many modes of multi-talented, marvelous, non-motorized maven Meghan Sinnott. You can join her for a ride on Sunday.
(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

The Weekend Event Guide is sponsored by Abus Bike Locks. Thanks Abus!

Yes, cross is here; but it’s not the only thing on the menu this weekend.

While Portland’s favorite cycling discipline kicks off with a race just across the river in Vancouver on Saturday, we’ve also got things for commuters, wonks, newbies and dog lovers.

Check out our selection…

Friday, August 31st

Breakfast on the Bridges – 7:00 to 9:00 am on the Steel and Hawthorne Bridges
It’s the last Friday of the month so you know what that means… B-on-B! Give yourself some extra time on the way to work and pull over to chat and sip hot liquids and nosh nice snacks thanks to the Shift-inspired volunteers who keep this great tradition alive. More info here.

PSU Bike Parking Tour – 1:00 to 3:00 pm at PSU Bike Hub (SW)
PBOT has embarked on an update to their bicycle parking code and local activists with Bike Loud PDX think it’s a great time to learn more about the subject. They’ve arranged a free tour of PSU’s excellent bike parking facilities with the school’s transportation options manager. More info here.

Saturday, September 1st

Grand Prix Carl Decker #1 – All day at David Douglas HS (Vancouver, WA)
Cross is here. This is the first big local race of the year. Yes it’s early in the season; but why wait for the fun to begin!? More info here.

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Sunday, September 2nd

Casual Group Ride – 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at Western Bikeworks (NW)
Free coffee, mellow pace, lots of smiles. Grab your road bike and do it! More info here.

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*BP PICK!* Tour de Lab – 8:00 am at Lucky Lab Brew Pub (SE)
Choose from the Big Dog (45 miles) or Puppy (18) and tour several Portland pubs on this quirky and fun, fully-supported and catered ride that benefits local animal hospital Dove Lewis. Registration and more info here.

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Welcome to (Bike) Portland – 10:00 am at corner of NE 38th and Klickitat (NE)
If you’re new to Portland or new to biking, this is a ride you won’t want to miss. Part of a ride series and social club (created by Filmed by Bike), this month’s edition will be led by Meghan Sinnott, a veteran of many great bike events and a scene-maker like no other. Meghan will share her favorite local destinations and hang-outs while demonstrating the natural flair and joie de vivre that makes her a friend to so many! More info here.

Zoobomb Birthday Bomb – 8:30 pm at the People’s Bike Library of Portland (SW)
Can you believe Zoobomb is 16 years old? This ridiculous idea-turned cultural touchstone is worth celebrating — whether it’s your first time or your adopted religion. 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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The Street Trust makes first ever political endorsements with nods to Hardesty, Harrington

Hardesty (left) via Twitter bio image; Harrington image by Jonathan Maus/BikePortland.

Since their start in 1990, the local nonprofit advocacy group The Street Trust (formerly known as The Bicycle Transportation Alliance) was prohibited by law from endorsing candidates for elected office. That changed earlier this year when they announced the formation of a spin-off 501(c)4 entity known as the Street Trust Action Fund.

Now the group has released its first-ever endorsements in two local races: Jo Ann Hardesty for Portland City Council and Kathryn Harrington for Washington County Chair.

Here’s more from their statement:

The Street Trust Action Fund chose to conduct a candidate endorsement process in the open Portland City Council race and in the Washington County Chair’s race because the winners of these races have an opportunity to make a positive impact on the safety and convenience of walking, bike and transit.

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The Street Trust Action Fund Board President Leslie Carlson explained, “Portland is the largest city in the region and Washington County is urbanizing and changing its orientation to transit and active transportation,” she said. “Working together, elected leaders from the City and County can advocate for active transportation choices and projects across the region that increase safety, help low-income households, promote public health and reduce pollution.”

The Street Trust Action Fund endorsement interviews focused on candidates’ positions on expanding walking, biking and transit through new investments in infrastructure and policy choices such as how public streets are designed. Candidates were also asked how they would end deaths and serious injuries from traffic violence and how they will ensure new transportation technology benefits low income communities and communities of color.

“Hardesty and Harrington demonstrated the best knowledge of the transportation challenges we face and the greatest willingness to take on the changes we can make to improve transportation choices for everyone in the region.” Carlson said. “The Street Trust Action Fund urges voters to elect Jo Ann Hardesty to the Portland City Council and Kathryn Harrington to the Chair of the Washington County Board of Commissioners.”

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

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Striping complete, concrete protection still to come for North Rosa Parks Way

No more swerving between the curb and parked cars. It’s a straight shot of protected lane on Rosa Parks!
(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

What began as a straightforward repaving project is now one of Portland’s best protected lanes. In the past two weeks, the Bureau of Transportation has finished restriping North Rosa Parks way between Willamette Blvd. and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. This means it’s now possible to bike (or scoot!) in a wide curbside lane that has some form of separation from drivers on 3.5 linear miles of this important east-west neighborhood street.

“I think it’s going to look great. These [curbs] will look better and will protect the bike lane more than plastic wands.”
— Scott Cohen, PBOT

Back in June we shared concerns that this project was languishing as three sections remained untouched and some of the promised elements had not been installed. With the striping complete, we talked to PBOT yesterday to learn more about what’s left to come. We asked specifically about three things: the sections still not physically protected (paint doesn’t count, even if it’s buffered); promised bus islands at the Albina intersection; and the latest on the N Villard median and enhanced crossing.

A bus island and platform made out of PVC will be installed at this location, allowing curbside traffic to flow more smoothly when a bus operator needs to service the stop.

PBOT Project Manager Scott Cohen had mixed news about the bus island. As reported earlier today, the good news is that the City plans to test a promising modular platform product at Albina and several other locations citywide. The bad news is that it won’t be on the ground until spring of 2019. Until then, this protected lane will be vulnerable to bus operators who drive into the lane to service curbside stops. Once the new platforms are installed, bus drivers will stop in the standard travel lane (in the roadway) and people using the curbside lane will be able to continue through without stopping behind a bus (unless passengers are present of course).

As for Villard, PBOT has decided to pull back on earlier plans to create a full median that would have limited some turning movements by drivers on this very popular cut-through street. A partial median that will come with a newly painted crosswalk and make it safer for everyone to cross is in the process of being designed and its installation is imminent. Asked why the more robust option won’t be built, Cohen said PBOT has plans for other median diverters in the neighborhood (a full diverter has already been installed on Greeley at Willamette) and they, “Need to look at how neighborhood traffic patters will work holistically.” In other words, PBOT’s approach is to go light on diversion until they see what impact other changes might make to driving patterns. If cut-throughs at Villard remain an issue, “It’s really easy to come back later and fill it in,” Cohen said.

Notice where the old striping was worn off.

There seems to be more cycling traffic than ever on Rosa Parks these days.

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This is the type of curb that’s coming to Rosa Parks Way.

And I’ve saved the best news for last: PBOT is going to add concrete curbs as a protective measure.

According to Cohen, they heard from residents that the white, plastic, delineator wands don’t jibe with their vision for making Rosa Parks look and feel like a neighborhood street. Local neighborhood associations asked PBOT to go back to the drawing board and find additional funding for a different type of protective material. Cohen said they found the money and the new plan is to install concrete traffic separators. The curbs will be the same design as the ones used on North Lombard in St. Johns that we reported about earlier this month (in photo above).

“I think it’s going to look great,” Cohen said. “These [curbs] will look better and will protect the bike lane more than plastic wands.”

Asked if the entire project will have some form of physical protection, Cohen said yes. Except for intersections, driveways, a small section near a parking cut-out in front of Arbor Lodge Coffee, and the I-5 overpass (which is managed by ODOT), Cohen promised that the entire length of the lane would be protected by either plastic wands or concrete curbs. Overall, he estimated Rosa Parks will be about 70/30 curbs/wands once the project is fully complete. And that’s the only rub with this news. Because the curbs are still new to PBOT, they aren’t stocked by the maintenance crews and the work will have to be contracted out, leading to a delay. Cohen says they’ll install the curbs in spring of next year.

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

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