Job: Off-Road Cycling Plan Intern (Paid) – Portland Bureau of Planning & Sustainability

Job Title *
Off-Road Cycling Plan Intern (Paid)

Company/Organization *
Portland Bureau of Planning & Sustainability

Job Description *
Closes: Tuesday, December 20, 2016

BPS is seeking a Community Service Aide to assist with the development of the Off-road Cycling Master Plan. This is a paid internship from January to June 2016.

Since the intern’s work will focus on public outreach, we are particularly looking for candidates with the following desired qualifications:
o Direct personal or professional experience working with historically under-represented or under-served communities, such as communities of color, Portlanders with limited-English proficiency, low-income residents, youth, and Portlanders with disabilities;
o Experience with public outreach;
o Experience with research and data collection, organization and analysis;
o Valid state driver’s license and a driving record that meets the City’s good driver criteria;
o Ability to speak another language (Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Chinese, etc.)

Since the intern’s work will focus on public outreach, we are particularly looking for candidates with the following desired qualifications:
* Direct personal or professional experience working with historically under-represented or under-served communities, such as communities of color, Portlanders with limited-English proficiency, low-income residents, youth, and Portlanders with disabilities
* Experience with public outreach
* Experience with research and data collection, organization and analysis
* Valid state driver’s license and a driving record that meets the City’s good driver criteria
* Ability to speak another language (Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Chinese, etc.)

How to Apply *
A complete job description and application instructions are available at:
http://ift.tt/2gdV3jZ

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Take a photo tour of new bike access on nearly completed Sellwood Bridge

A new bridge on the greenway path on the west side of the main bridge connects walkers and rollers headed eastbound into Sellwood.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

It’s been almost a decade since our very first post about replacing the old Sellwood Bridge. Now, after years of debates over funding sources and designs, the new bridge is almost 100 percent complete.

While it re-opened to traffic back in February, many of the bikeway elements were unfinished. In recent weeks Multnomah County has made significant progress on the bike lanes, sidepaths, crossings on the west side, and on the greenway path connections. I rolled over a few days ago for a closer look at how it was all shaping up.

From the Springwater path, I made my usual connection up to the bridge via Spokane and SE Grand Avenue. The county has installed a new path with bikeway markings to direct traffic up onto the bridge.

I then back-tracked over to the eastside entrance at SE 6th to get a better view of the new cross section (note the left turn box in the foreground).

One the east side looking west from SE 6th onto the bridge.

Instead of having all vulnerable users share an area separated from motorized users, the County and their advisory committee decided to stripe a traditional, on-street bike lane on the main roadway. For most of the way the bike lane is five-and-a-half feet wide with a two-foot buffer. It will be interesting to see what percentage of riders opt for the bike lane versus the sidepath. Unfortunately, if you start in the bike lane from SE 6th and then decide you’d rather be on the sidepath, there’s no smooth ramp to take you up there. The only break in the path is a ramp that’s only meant for people leaving the path and entering the bike lane. This seems like an oversight that should be corrected.

Seems like there should be an option for a smooth transition (instead of curb-hopping) onto the sidepath here.

Back up on the sidepath, I noticed two large “SLOW” markings on the ground. I assume the County is worried about bicycle riders going too fast and colliding with other path users. If that’s the case, perhaps they should use the same treatment on the main roadway where motorized vehicle and bicycle users share space separated by nothing more than paint.

The County is relying on a subtle difference in the texture of the concrete in order to designate cycling space from walking space.

Mid-span there are two new belvederes on each side. These are wonderful! The space is nice and big and there’s a bench, signs about local history, and a great view of downtown and the river.

On the west side the bridge is unrecognizable from before. Bicycle users will see a lot of new signs, markings and even signals to help get across Highway 43 and into River View Cemetery. There are crossbikes, lots of green-colored bike lanes, and several bike-only signals. It feels a bit confusing at first, but I’m sure folks will get the hang of it. The direct connection into the cemetery is so nice and is now much less stressful than before. Same goes for the new treatments from the cemetery eastbound onto the south side of the bridge.

Another major bit of progress is a new section of the Willamette Greenway path that connects to the eastbound path and bike lanes via a new bridge. This new path goes under the Sellwood Bridge and then (like the ramp on the north side), loops back, climbing gradually up to the south side. It wasn’t open yet but Multnomah County says it should be open by December 10th.

As we reported back in July, the new section of path that goes north of the Sellwood Bridge through SW Miles place toward Willamette Park is open for business. I noticed a few new sharrows and bikeway signage.

It’s very exciting to have this important connection back in the network. Speaking of which, TriMet bus service will return to the bridge on Monday after a 12-year absence due to weight restrictions. A few other notes: A speed reader board is now in use for eastbound traffic to help discourage speeding in Sellwood neighborhoods and two bicycle counters will be activated in the coming weeks.

Have you ridden any of this yet? What do you think?

For more information, check out the County’s excellent project website at SellwoodBridge.org.

— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org

BikePortland is supported by the community (that means you!). Please become a subscriber or make a donation today.

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Weekend Event Guide: Ale fest, SSCXWC, Chris King’s 40th, and more

This is what happened the last time the SSCXWC were hosted in Portland (in 2009). There’s no telling what’ll transpire this year.
(Photo: J Maus/BikePortland)

The last time the Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships were in Portland there was a huge steel thunderdome complete with dangers dangling from ropes and a huge bubble-making machine that covered costumed racers in foam. Seven years later there’s really no way to tell what will happen. All we can assume is that it’ll be memorable. Whether you plan to partake in the festivities out on Sauvie Island or have other plans (Holiday Ale fest perhaps?), we hope you enjoy this first weekend of December.

Check out our menu of great rides and events below…

All weekend

Holiday Ale Festival – Now through Sunday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at Pioneer Courthouse Square
The 21st annual (an auspicious age for a beer fest isn’t it?) Holiday Ale Festival is definitely worth rolling downtown for. There will be 53 beers and ciders poured — each one of them specially crafted for the event and with the holidays in mind. $35 ticket fee gets you 14 taster tickets and unlimited entry. There’s a Biketown station across the street and remember to take MAX home if you have too much to drink. More info here.

Saturday, December 3rd

SSCXWCPDX Day One – 10:00 am at Kruger’s Farm on Sauvie Island
Let the craziness begin! The main event of the “officially unofficial” Singlespeed Cyclocross World Championships” will culminate with mandatory tattoos for the winners and the golden speedo ceremony. Racing is sold out but watching could be just as fun. Bring cash for drinks, good food on-site, and hand-ups. After-party at the Kenton Club. More info here.

Sorella Forte Women’s Club Ride – 9:00 am at River City Bicycles (706 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd)
Geared toward the intermediate rider, expect an average speed of about 15 mph and a distance of 30-40 miles. Show up if you want to have fun on a solid ride led by solid women. More info here.

Chris King 40th Anniversary Open House – 12:00 to 3:00 pm at King Cycle Group HQ (2801 NW Nela)
In 1976 a surgical tools maker in Santa Barbara named Chris King built a headset for his bicycle. 40 years later his products have been raced at the highest levels in every cycling discipline and have set the standard for excellence around the globe. King created a special edition 40th anniversary parts kit and invited some of his friends to build bikes around them and join him for a celebration in his company’s cafe. Come hob-nob with famous builders, see the bikes, grab a bite to eat, and pay homage to a legendary business owner and industry icon. More info here.

Sunday, December 4th

Another Mexican Lunch Ride, Cha Cha Cha – 10:30 am at Wilshire Park (NE Skidmore and 36th)
This ride, led by the Portland Wheelmen Touring Club, will be a cross-town 25-miler from northeast to Sellwood. Ends at Cha Cha Cha for lunch and conversation. More info here.

SSCXWCPDX Day Two – High noon at Kruger’s Farm on Sauvie Island
They’ve added a full day for geared racers so they don’t feel left out of the fun. Only a few people will still be alive after the singlespeed race on Saturday, so show up and you can probably win something. Afterwards join the party at the Kenton Club. More info here.

Symbols of the Season at Pittock Mansion – 1:00 to 4:00 pm at Japanese American Historical Plaza (2 NW Naito Pkwy)
Join the fun-loving Puddlecycle crew for a ride up to Portland’s most regal residence and take in the traditional holiday exhibit. We hear Santa himself might even be there. Bring $11 to get in and keep in mind that the four-mile ride up to the mansion goes up 900 feet. More info here.

Did we miss anything? If so, give it a shout out in the comments.

For more fun events, including great stuff next week and beyond, visit our full events calendar.

Looking for a great way to promote your company or organization and support our community? We’re looking for a partner who wants to sponsor our calendar and event coverage. Get in touch!

— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org

BikePortland is supported by the community (that means you!). Please become a subscriber or make a donation today.

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Sponsor pulls out of Singlespeed Cross “World Championships” amid sexism concerns

“There is a constant struggle for women to feel included, welcomed and looked at as equals in bike racing… This type of content just adds to the stereotypes and sexist culture that is still prevalent in athletics and society as a whole.”
— Hazel Gross

Hundreds of racers from all over the country will descend on Portland this weekend for the “officially unofficial” 10th annual Singlespeed Cyclocross World Championships (SSCXWC) — but some fans have decided not to attend and one of its sponsored has pulled out. They say the marketing of the event has been blatantly sexist and objectifies women.

SSCXWC, which got its start in Portland in 2007 and will be held this year at Kruger’s Farm on Sauvie Island, is legendary for its irreverent and debaucherous approach to cyclocross racing. Beer, mandatory tattoos for the winners, crazy costumes, severe heckling, and even strippers are expected elements of the race atmosphere. As the weekend approaches, it feels like everyone in the local bike racing scene is buzzing about it. Registration has been sold out for weeks as organizers have teased out details of Saturday’s main event as part of an elaborate and creative marketing strategy.

But some people feel like the promotion of the event has crossed a line from edgy humor to outright sexism — a behavior the bike industry on the whole has struggled with for many years.

Portlander Hazel Gross had registered for the event but no longer plans to attend. On Tuesday she went public with her feelings that the race’s official social media posts, “Just adds to the stereotypes and sexist culture that is still prevalent in athletics and society as a whole.” “There is a constant struggle for women to feel included, welcomed and looked at as equals in bike racing and pretty much any other sport that we participate in,” Gross wrote on Facebook.

Two of the Instagram posts from @sscxwcxpdx that have been deleted.

Specifically, Gross was offended by the inclusion of live strippers at the event (organizers say there will be both male and female strippers) and two Instagram posts: one that included a photo of a bikini and another that featured a photo of Ammon Bundy and the words, “You just gotta grab your host housing by the pussy.” Both of the images have since been deleted by the event organizers, a group named the PDX Singlespeed Collective.

Gross’s Facebook post received dozens of supportive comments. Her feelings were also validated when local bike company Ruckus Composites decided to pull their sponsorship of the event.

In a statement yesterday Ruckus said, “Recently, the SSWCXPDX race has come into criticism for sexism and misogyny… Our organization simply cannot support events that degrade from our working passion or marginalize groups of individuals, whether unknowingly or unwittingly.” “We at Ruckus speak through actions,” their statement continued, “and participation in this [event] means complicit connection with every aspect of it. It is for such reasons that we will not be involved in SSWCXPDX.”

Dani Dance, one of the event organizers, responded to the concerns yesterday. “We have never intended for our posts to be sexist and I apologize,” she said via an Instagram post that featured the iconic bikini and men’s shorts that have been part of the event’s tradition for years. Here’s the rest of Dance’s statement:

“I take full responsibility. It is very important to me that this event is equal in all things. For example the golden bikini is just the other half of the golden speedo… both genders get silly swimsuits, both genders fill them up. They have for ten years (going back to 2007) and I guess we were assuming that everyone knew the history of the swimsuits. It was not intended to sound like a swimsuit competition or a “podium girl” outfit that only the ladies wear.

Strippers will be male and female (which is not part of the course), equal pay out men and women, if we are making fun of the culture it’s not from a gender angle. This event is about being inclusive. We are not arguing that some of these things aren’t juvenile, but the goal isn’t to be sexist, it’s to be equally silly to everyone. When I started this race ten years ago , my main goal was, even if there were only 17 women, that they would receive equal prizes (including the golden bikini), same course, same qualifier, equal everything. I am super proud that we have over 150 women competing this weekend… we are pretty sure this is the largest ladies race in history. This is huge! We are proud of that and we want to welcome our ladies and show them a super silly fun amazing time. We really just want to have everyone race their bikes and have a great time doing it. Social media can be a blessing and a curse. We are still real people that can make mistakes, but we are also open to a dialogue about them so that we may all learn and move forward.”

Dance’s post also received many supportive comments.

Another one of the event’s organizers, photographer Dylan VanWeelden, responded to Gross’s Facebook post by saying, “For reference this race is a joke. If you don’t like the humor that’s fine. Some do and some don’t. Just don’t follow the IG [Instagram] and surely don’t sign up and pay for the event if it’s not your thing. It’s been this way for a decade and isn’t going to change this weekend.”

The event flyer.

If you do plan to attend, there are three days of racing and get-togethers in the works, starting with a party in southeast Portland Friday night. Saturday is the main event and the fun and games are set to begin at 10:00 am. There will be qualifying heats every 20 minutes, lots of great food and drinks available, and plenty of shenanigans to take part in. If singlespeed isn’t your thing, there are geared races on Sunday. Roll over to the Kenton Club (2025 N Kilpatrick) for after-parties and live music after the racing on both days.

— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org

BikePortland is supported by the community (that means you!). Please become a subscriber or make a donation today.

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How to Make Salmon Gravlax

Of all the DIY home-cured foods, gravlax is one of the most satisfying.

The process doesn’t take long – or much of your attention – and it’s so pretty!

Give fresh salmon a sprinkle of salt, sugar, and herbs and a few days in the fridge, and it will transform into a beautiful, flavorful dish ready for the brunch table.

Continue reading "How to Make Salmon Gravlax" »

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PSU transportation class projects: A Safer SW Salmon Street by Ross Peizer

Ross Peizer wants to create a safe bikeway on Salmon that would connect Washington Park to the Willamette River.

(Publisher’s note: This week we’re excited to highlight a few of the projects created by students in Portland State University’s Traffic and Transportation course. As we reported in a profile earlier this year, the class has had a vast impact on Portland in numerous ways by churning out over 1,200 smart and inspired graduates since 1991. We worked with class assistant Rebecca Hamilton (a graduate herself who now works at Metro) to share three of the projects. Learn about Amy Wren’s work to improve biking and walking near Bridger Elementary School and Charles Tso’s work on parking benefit districts.)

SW Salmon Street Bikeway between Washington Park and the Willamette River – Ross Peizer

There are precious few convenient and safe east-west routes for cycling through downtown Portland. In the southwest quadrant I-405, the Park Blocks, and Portland State University buildings are just some of the impediments to cycling access between Washington Park and the Willamette. Ross Peizer (who took a job as program manager with the Westside Transportation Alliance last year) thinks SW Salmon is a good candidate for improvements.

What’s your big idea?

Ross Peizer.

My big idea is a SW Salmon Street Bikeway connecting Washington Park to the Willamette River. Portland lacks a good east-west bikeway through downtown and I thought this would connect two key destinations while creating a safer SW Salmon St for all modes. I live near SW 16th and SW Salmon and when I bike east along SW Salmon it can be stressful sharing the lane with cars. The issue I see and experience is cars going east speeding up the hill and this intersection is at the top of the hill. Visibility can sometimes be an issue due to the parked cars along SW Salmon St. It is a fairly well used intersection for pedestrians with a main entrance to Lincoln High School. In addition, SW 16th Ave is the only way to get through Lincoln High School. I think a protected bikeway would make those who currently bike and walk safer while encouraging others to bike and slowing down the speed of cars.

While looking into this idea and contacting PBOT I came across a couple different plans that made it seem that a SW Salmon St protected bikeway is a ways out, so in the meantime a short-term solution I thought of for the intersection of SW Salmon St and SW 16th Ave would be to test out painted curb extensions which would provide shorter crossing distances for pedestrians and act as traffic calming for cars. I have seen these being done inexpensively in the street with paint and bollards in Austin and Seattle. This would be a cheap way to test out a curb extension before investing in a bioswale. You could even have the students at Lincoln High School help with ideas for the paint designs. This could also be a treatment the city uses all over the city!

An example from Seattle.

What steps are you taking to make it happen? Have you made any progress?

I have contacted a few folks at PBOT so far. While looking into this idea I came across a number of plans that support a bikeway along SW Salmon St including the Portland Bike Plan for 2030 and the West Quadrant Plan. However, the Lincoln High School Master Planning effort seems to show SW Salmon St remaining as a parent drop off and short term parking zone with curb extensions. I’ve also begun making a list of stakeholders. Those include: Goose Hollow Foothills League (Neighborhood Association), Lincoln High School, TriMet, businesses at 16th and Salmon (and along Salmon Street for larger bikeway concept), apartments near 16th and Salmon, the BTA. If anyone else is interested in this project and wants to help me reach out to these stakeholders/knows these stakeholders, let me know!

What have you learned about trying to make a change in your community? Has anything surprised you?

The class has taught me to be persistent and that change does not come easily. I think it was Rick Gustafson who said, “Your project is not worth anything until you have gotten three no’s.” We discussed how the best ideas have had to ask multiple times. It was also refreshing to hear from folks working for the City of Portland, TriMet, Metro, Portland Streetcar etc. who were just as passionate as the students in the class about creating a world class transportation system that has protected bikeways and sustainable transportation options to support the land use.

This is the final post in our series. Read all three of them here. If you’d like to see this and other projects presented live, the final presentations for the Traffic & Transportation course will be shared on Thursday from 6:40 to 8:40 pm at the Portland Building auditorium, 2nd Floor, Room C. The event is free and open to the public.

— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org

BikePortland is supported by the community (that means you!). Please become a subscriber or make a donation today.

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One month of Highway 26 path closures start December 7th

As part of an ODOT project to add new electronic signs on U.S. 26 and I-84, there will be short-term impacts to the multi-use path along the south side of U.S. 26.

The contractor for the project expect intermittent nighttime path closures beginning December 7 and continuing for approximately one month. The section of path being closed is between SW 79th Avenue and SW Katherine Lane, adjacent to West Sylvan Middle School.

A signed detour will be in place during the nighttime closures, directly path users through the West Slope neighborhood. The detour will add approximately 4 minutes to the trip of a person on a bike averaging 10 MPH. The detour route includes more hills than the path.

On nights when work takes place, the path will close at 8 p.m. and reopen by 5:30 a.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. on Saturdays and 9 a.m. on Sundays.

The path will remain open during daytime hours, but will be narrowed to 3 feet minimum width to accommodate the work zone. An alternate option to avoid the work zone closure is to use Trimet’s MAX from the nearby Sunset Transit Center.

The closure area is part of a work zone for an ODOT RealTime project, which will provide real-time traffic information on roads to help travelers get where they’re going more safely and efficiently. The work adjacent to the path involves drilling foundations for a new electronic sign. For more information, visit www.odotrealtime.org.

Attached is a flier with more information, including a detour map. There will also be signs posted on the path. Feel free to get in touch with any questions.

Lili Boicourt, Community Affairs Coordinator
503-731-8247 (desk) | 503-731-3266 (fax)
Lili.D.Boicourt@odot.state.or.us

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