Kenneth C. Martin Blogs: Things people asked me this week

Friday, November 9, 2018

Things people asked me this week

“I found a stolen bike the other day at the Rose City Golf Course. Any suggestions on what to do with it?

BikePortland is really neat.

One of many things about my role in the community that I don’t think most people appreciate or realize is how much of a concierge BikePortland has become.

From the mundane to the ridiculous, and everything in between BikePortland is the place people come with all sorts of requests and questions. I love that this happens. It’s a sign that people are aware of BikePortland and it reinforces how much the value of this resource means to our community. And as a reporter, this is how I find many of my best sources and stories.

On that note, I thought it’d be fun to share just a tiny sampling of the emails I get. Keep in mind that these are just some of the inquiries I received in the past seven days or so…

It’s great that the Springwater Corridor is back open, but not so great that the homeless continue to be menacing farther east. I rode it from Sellwood to Gresham and back yesterday and there were trashy camps and people blocking the path just west of 82nd and around the intersection with the I205 bike path. What can I do as a cyclist? Report what I see? To whom?

In the past few days I have encountered bike lanes that are so chock full of leaves that it is impossible to ride through them, forcing me out in the street. Is there someone to contact about this?

I was hoping that you may be able to give me some advice. I had the most unfortunate experience this morning of being nearly run over not once, but twice. The first time was by a garbage truck, the second was by a trimet maintenance truck. The garbage truck ran a stop sign and cut the corner, the trimet truck blatantly ran a red light… This is all part of the larger issue of the inherent danger of motor vehicles and perhaps I’m just peeved because this literally just happened. But I would like to lodge some sort of complaint to the city about this behavior and I’m totally unsure of where to send it!

We’re a group of graduate students working on a research project about the [redacted] project… After reading your articles on the project, we hoped that you could direct us to someone who could give us some perspective on the dynamics that went on behind the project.

I found a stolen bike the other day at the Rose City Golf Course. I brought it home and then posted it on ‘Next Door’. No one has come forward for the bike. It’s a kids 20″ BMX bike. Any suggestions on what to do with it?

Do you, or do you know of any business they will accept bicycle helmets as a donation? I work at a preschool /after school care facility and I have about 20 bike helmets. Thank you!

I’m looking to talk to Steven Mitchell regarding the video he posted on SW Terwilliger. We would like to talk to him about the incident with the truck driver and issues on that road as it relates to all the leaves. If you could pass along my info to him or send me his email, I would greatly appreciate it!

I just got a new Metrofiets [cargo bike] but no rain canopy. Do you know where I can get one or who built them or if another one fits? Thanks for an answer in advance, from Germany.

We at The University of [redacted] are conducting a study of bikeshare policy in cities such as Portland, and my team and I are seeking to interview those individuals with influence or input over the process of regulating/managing bikeshare programs… Would you be interested in taking part in a phone interview to discuss the subject?

Whew.

And yes, I do answer as many of these as I can. I’m honored that people trust me with these questions and I feel it’s an important role I can play in the community. I wish I could keep up with all of it, but it’s just not always possible. I feel bad for the people who I’ve left hanging! Seriously. It’s me, not you. Please feel free to re-up your email. Your messages never bother me.

I’ve shared these to show the crazy variety of what people ask about. I also wanted to remind you that BikePortland is just me and that it takes a lot of work to do this job. Most people assume BikePortland is an organization with staff. But it’s just me. I would love to have someone on staff to take over concierge duties (and a million other things!); but I haven’t been able to make that happen yet. It’s a real struggle to keep this operation afloat financially right now, but I love what we’ve created here and I’ll fight for it until the very end.

If you think BikePortland matters and that it has value in our community, please support it. Now’s a great time to do some advertising of your brand or business. You can make a one-time contribution or become a monthly subscriber here.

Thanks.

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

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