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Holiday Weekend Open Thread: Share your bike fun

2009-07-03T16:04:15Z

Whatever you do, make sure
there’s plenty of water involved.
(Photo © J. Maus)

It’s the big Fourth of July Weekend… what type of bike adventures do you have planned?

I know about 20 people who are joining the Cycle Wild bike camping trip to Big Bottom. My three ladies and I are headed for some bike camping of our own. We’ll join two other familes (that’s six adults and seven kids!) for a ride from Portland to Champoeg State Park.

Out at the velodrome, the Alpenrose Sixday wraps up tomorrow.

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I also know many folks will grab the bikes and roll down to the Waterfront for the Blues Festival. If you go, remember that they’ve closed and/or re-routed many bikeways (including, to the ire of some readers, Hawthorne Bridge access in some places).

Enjoy the weekend, and share your bike fun adventures below.

A look at TriMet’s role in MAX ad campaign flap

2009-07-03T16:39:34Z

“I think there are some big leaps being made here with regard to the ad’s message being misleading or in some way endangering cyclists. The ad poses a question. How people interpret it or act on it is not up for TriMet to determine.”
– Becky Witt, Public Information Officer for TriMet

As the debate continues over an ad campaign on a MAX train that asks, “Should cyclists pay a road tax?”, several people in the comments have wondered whether TriMet should have even allowed the ad in the first place.

Yesterday, I learned more about TriMet’s advertising policy from their Public Information Officer Becky Witt. In a nutshell, Witt says an Oregon court ruling prevents TriMet from picking and choosing what ads they run, yet their policy still allows exceptions for offensive ads or ads that could endanger public safety.

In an email exchange/interview last night, I asked to Witt more about this situation.

When it comes to ads, Witt likened TriMet to “an impartial third party” and wrote that:

“TriMet is considered a public forum wherein we do not get to judge the content or nature of advertising being purchased on our vehicles or shelters… we provide the means for people to share their message, whatever that might be, and we do not get to prohibit advertisements that are political in nature, advocacy ads or the like.”

This policy is not TriMet’s choosing. Back in June of 2008, in Karuk Tribe v. TriMet, the State of Oregon ruled that TriMet’s refusal of a “political” advertisement (view PDF of it here) was unconstitutional, on both state and federal grounds.

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According to the ACLU, the judge in the case ruled that:

“…TriMet does not have to make its buses available for advertisements, but that if it does “it places itself in the same position as a government … (and) may not … violate the Oregon Constitution.” TriMet’s decision to deny an ad, the judge ruled, may not be based on the content of that ad.”

TriMet strongly disagreed with the ruling and an appeal is still pending review.

However, despite this ruling and TriMet’s contention that they are an impartial third party, their advertising policy still states that:

“TriMet will allow transit advertising submissions that are not misleading, do not have an adverse effect on the health, safety and welfare of its customers…”

PIO Witt explained that policy further by stating that,

“we still make exceptions for ads that we think may be harmful to vulnerable populations (youth, for example) or are offensive as that is applied to the first amendment/free speech laws in Oregon and federally. Typically, the ads we would question are ones… that we think would be harmful to the public.”

So, I asked DeWitt, does this mean we can assume TriMet felt like “Should cyclists pay a road tax?” was not offensive or misleading?
Witt replied:

“In the case of this ad today, I’m not sure we would have caught that as being offensive or a road-rage inciting ad. Having uncovered the ad’s purpose today, we now know that the intent was to create controversy and spur dialogue and debate. Does that make it offensive or harmful? Perhaps, but it wasn’t up to us to question the ad’s intention.”

I asked Witt whether or not they considered how that statement might fuel anti-bike sentiment and lead to more dangerous conditions on the road.

Witt:

“I think there are some big leaps being made here with regard to the ad’s message being misleading or in some way endangering cyclists. The ad poses a question. How people interpret it or act on it is not up for TriMet to determine.”

That is Witt’s opinion, but she also adds that about a dozen calls and emails have come from the community saying that this campaign is an “inappropriate discussion for TriMet to be involved in.”

Several people in the comments yesterday shared that sentiment, including reader Jimmy P who wrote:

“I wrote to Trimet. It’s irresponsible on their part to accept this kind of advertisement. It creates an unsafe environment for everyone on the road. And, it does it with blatant lies - implying we don’t pay taxes.

It’s irresponsible, it’s dangerous, and it shouldn’t be allowed.”

In the end, Witt maintains that Oregon courts are to blame, not TriMet:

“This feedback and situations like this are precisely why we haven’t wanted to be viewed as a public forum. Oregon courts have ruled that, at least for the time being, we don’t get a say in what we can run on our vehicles and shelters.”

At the crux of this issue is whether or not people (like myself) who feel that the ad campaign is offensive and inflammatory can expect that TriMet and the marketing company who bought the ad — both of whom are understandably much less tuned into the sensitive nature of road safety and behavioral issues covered on this site — should be expected to share and understand these sensitivities.

Hopefully if they didn’t “get it” before this, maybe they do now.

– Read TriMet’s Advertising Policy Standards here.
– Read more about the Karuk Tribe v. TriMet case here.

Well-known local activist killed while riding in Virginia

2009-07-03T18:09:32Z

Bonnie Tinker
(Photo: Just Out)

61-year old Portland resident Bonnie Tinker, was killed yesterday while riding her bike on the campus of Virginia Tech.

Tinker was attending a Religious Society of Friends conference when the incident occurred. According to The Roanoke Times, she was struck by a dump truck and died on the scene. The Oregonian reports that the crash was a right-hook. The collision is under investigation.

Tinker was very well-known in the Portland community and was the founder and executive director of Love Makes a Family, Inc., a Portland non-profit that works for marriage rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples.

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A friend, writing about Tinker’s death on BlueOregon.com, wrote:

“She worked so very hard, and there was no doubt that she cared deeply, passionately and thoroughly about what she did. She devoted her life to the work of queer rights and peace.

Tinker was a member of the P.O’d Grannies and according to The Oregonian she was arrested in 2008 for protesting at the downtown Portland Armed Forces Recruiting Center.

For details on upcoming memorial services, stay tuned to the Just Out blog.

Jobs of the Week

2009-07-03T14:34:34Z

We’ve had a great selection of jobs posted this week.

Check out more info here:

Transportation Public Advocate — Office of Mayor Sam Adams
Part-time Bike Mechanic — Waterfront Bicycles
Category Business Manager (Top-of-Car) — Yakima Products, Inc.

For a complete list of available jobs, click here. If you’d like more information about the BikePortland Job Listings, contact us, or visit the Job Listings page.

You can sign up for the all the latest job listings via RSS or email.

These are paid listings (except for volunteer positions), so when you apply, please remember to tell them you saw the job on BikePortland.org!

Photos, impressions of new bike corral on SE 28th at Ankeny

2009-07-03T00:17:11Z

New bike corral installed yesterday in front of Crema at the corner of SE 28th and Ankeny.
Slideshow below - (Photos © J. Maus)

Yesterday, city maintenance crews put the finishing touches on Portland’s 19th bike corral (number 20, just a block away at SE Pine, should be done any day now). This one is in front of Crema Bakery on SE 28th at Ankeny.

The first thing I noticed as I approached on the southbound side of 28th is how nicely the new, angled orientation of the racks works. Putting the staples at an angle makes them easier to slide into and it also means that bikes don’t stick out into the street as much (something I’m sure PBOT is happy about).

This corral also makes this intersection feel like even more of a bike district. SE 28th, with its bridge over I-84, is a very popular north/south bike route. And Ankeny is one of the busiest bike streets (and one of the original bike boulevards) in Portland.

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As I said, 28th is a busy route, but with only one travel lane in each direction and on-street parking on both sides, it’s not always the most pleasant place to ride (not a lot of space for bikes and taking the lane sometimes results in shouting matches). Thankfully, Metro awarded the new Twenties Bikeway project $2.38 million in the recent round of regional flexible funding (more on that project in a separate post).

PBOT has plans to install a 4.5 foot
wide bike lane on this street.
Where will it go?

The Twenties Bikeway project is slated to make 28th much more friendly to bikes. But (and thanks to a reader for pointing this out) the plans for this segment of SE 28th (between Burnside and Stark) call for the removal of on-street parking on one side and the installation of new, 4.5 foot bike lanes on each side.

The questions I’m still trying to find answers to are: Which side of the street is slated to have car parking removed (there will be a bike corral on each side)? And, how will PBOT fit a 4.5-foot wide bike lane between the new corrals and motor vehicle traffic?

UPDATE: According to PBOT Bicycle Coordinator Roger Geller, the Twenties Bikeway project is still years away and the final design for 28th is yet to be determined. “It’s way too early to say how the corral will be impacted in a design treatment for 28th,” he wrote in a comment below, “In other words, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Stay tuned for more corrals coming to SE 28th. PBOT’s Sarah Figliozzi says one is slated in front of Fonda Rosa/Beuhlaland at Couch Street and in front of Tabla/Bishops at Davis.

Check out more photos in the slideshow below (or browse the gallery):

– If you’re curious how PBOT selects locations for these bike corrals, read our story from yesterday, How PBOT plans for bike corrals.

City brings bike boulevard plans to neighborhoods

2009-07-02T18:54:36Z

City is rolling out public outreach
process for more bike boulevards.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The City of Portland is about to embark on a series of open houses to inform neighborhoods about their bike boulevard plans.

The Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is busy planning and designing 15 miles of new, low-traffic streets throughout the metro area. PBOT has planned two open houses for each of the six neighborhoods/districts where the bike boulevards are planned.

PBOT has already completed their public outreach process for the N. Wabash and SE Spokane bike boulevard projects and now they’re tackling the outreach component for projects on; NE Going, N Bryant, N Concord, SE Mill, SE Center, and SW Terwilliger/Westwood.

According to PBOT’s Transportation Safety Program Manager Mark Lear, the first of the two meetings will discuss what PBOT hopes to achieve with the project and why they selected those particular streets.

Lear says they’ll bring data to the first meetings showing residents current crash rates, traffic volumes and crossing treatments; “Essentially, we want to share with them what we know about the streets so we can determine how to best prioritize improvements.”

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The idea is to “get smarter about local knowledge” of the streets Lear said. He also mentioned that in between the two meetings, PBOT will work with neighborhoods to try and plan bike rides and/or walks to get a first-hand look at the conditions.

At the second meeting, PBOT plans to bring neighborhoods one or two proposals of their recommendations for street improvements and get further feedback. Lear made it clear that they won’t be asking for an up or down vote on the project, but would just want to get a general “OK” on the plans before moving forward.

PBOT is being extremely careful in communication with neighborhoods about these bike boulevard projects. They have a clear memory of battles over street “improvements” (not everyone agrees on how to improve a street) and they obviously hope to steer clear of those and have a smooth public process. Primarily, PBOT wants to make sure residents feel empowered by the process and not like PBOT is coming to them with pre-conceived plans.

In a copy of an invite to the Going Street open house, PBOT writes (bold emphasis theirs, not mine), “The Bureau of Transportation has scheduled a public meeting to discuss the potential project with your neighbors.”

If all goes well, and neighborhoods like the recommendations from PBOT, it would then either be approved by the Director of PBOT or City Council.

According to Lear, the goal is to have the first 15 miles of bike boulevards completed by June of next year. PBOT has $780,000 to spend on the project, cobbled together from a variety of sources including $350,000 from the Bureau of Environmental Services’ Green Streets program, $180,000 from Mayor Adams’ newly established Affordable Transportation Fund, and $75,000 from the Portland Development Commission’s Interstate Corridor Renewal Area program.

PBOT should have more information on their website soon. For now, more details can be found on the BTA website and the full meeting schedule is posted below.

Schedule of Public Meetings
Note: All events will take place from 6:30 - 8:30 pm

NE Going
Tuesday, July 7 & August 4
Bethany Lutheran Church, 4330 NE 37th Ave

N Bryant
Thursday, July 9 & August 6
Columbia Cottage, Friends of Columbia Park, 4339 N Lombard St

N Concord
Tuesday, July 14 & August 11
Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, 5340 N Interstate

SE Mill
Thursday, July 16 & August 13
SE Precinct, 737 SE 106th Ave

SE Center
Tuesday, July 21 & August 18
Mt Scott Community Center (Poolside Room), 5530 SE 72nd Ave

SW Terwilliger/Westwood
Thursday, July 23 & August 20
Multnomah Arts Center, Room 30, 7688 SW Capitol Hwy

Editorial: Marketing campaign asks the wrong question

2009-07-03T01:03:00Z

I really hoped to ignore this story, but now that word about it has spread I sort of have to (unfortunately, a mere Twitter update didn’t suffice).

A local web marketing/consulting firm has plastered a MAX train with the question: “Should cyclists pay a road tax?”

The company says they’re doing this campaign to demonstrate how effective they are at analyzing web conversations. They say the question of bike licensing and registration have been hot topics in Portland lately (and then they link to an article we posted way back in March).

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I don’t agree that the topic has been “hot” lately; but it might be now, thanks to this misguided publicity stunt.

The problem is that the question has (yet again) been posed in a discriminatory and unbalanced way. It plays into the idea that there are two classes of people, “cyclists” and “motorists,” and that “cyclists” are somehow getting a free ride and don’t deserve to be on the roads.

That premise is blatantly untrue.

No matter how many times it’s rationally refuted, this question about whether bikes pay for the roads continues to come up.

So, let’s review a few things:

According to the Federal Highway Administration (FWHA), 92% of the funds for local roads (the ones where people ride bikes the most) come from property, income, and sales taxes — which everyone pays for.

Most people don’t ride on interstates or state highways, but 8% of highway funds come from general taxes, which are paid by everyone — so people who don’t even own a car end up subsidizing motor vehicle travel.

But that’s just the start of the subsidies all taxpayers (yes, even “cyclists”) pay. Consider how general taxes help pay for all the fire trucks and ambulances that respond to the daily carnage caused by cars crashing into each other.

And that’s just the start. I could mention how bikes have a negligible impact on roads, where cars and trucks cause extensive and expensive damage (ridden over any big bumps/ruts/potholes lately?).

In fact, a May 2008 study by UC Davis’ Institute for Transportation Studies estimated that; “the total ‘tax subsidy’ to motor-vehicle users in the US may be in the range of $19–64 billion per year, or $0.11–0.37 per gallon of motor fuel.” (Thanks to a commenter below for pointing this study out.)

Oh, and there’s also the thing about how having bikes on the road means lower health care costs, safer streets for all users (not just people on bikes), better air quality, less congestion, and so on and so forth.

It’s very unfortunate that this ad campaign will do nothing but perpetuate a fallacy and enrage people in cars who already spew this question as they rage by people on bikes who have every right to be on the road.

And, like similar arguments I’ve had to make when The Oregonian and a local shock-jock radio station irresponsibly fanned the “bikes vs. cars” flames, this type of thing can have a tangible, negative impact on public safety.

If they wanted to delve into this topic, they should have asked “Do people who drive cars pay enough?” or even better, “How the heck are we going to pay for these roads?!”

The company says they’ll plaster another MAX train with the results of their study. We can’t wait. Maybe once this is over we can finally move on to a more important topic.

TriMet re-opens portion of I-205 path

2009-07-01T23:25:21Z

Entrance to transit station and multi-use path at SE Division Street.
(Photo: TriMet)

TriMet re-opened a 1.6 mile section of the I-205 multi-use path yesterday. Word from spokeswomen Mary Fetsch is that the stretch between SE Caruthers and SE Harold is now open since light rail construction has been completed in that segment.

Fetsch also said that the section of the path from Foster south to Clackamas Town Center/SE Sunnyside Rd. is set to open on September 12th, the same day TriMet opens their new MAX Green Line.

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The project to build the Green Line began in March 2007 and bike traffic through this vital north/south corridor has been re-routed ever since. Light rail construction is now complete, but Fetsch says the southern portion of the path will remain closed while they finish up the re-paving and lighting installation.

Once the nearly 7-mile long project is completed, the multi-use path will be wider in many spots, will have an elevated crossing over SE Foster/Woodstock, new lighting, direct access to MAX transit stations, and revamped landscaping and public art installations.

For full details on updated detours, download TriMet’s fact sheet on the project (200KB, PDF).

Reader photo: How not to park your bike

2009-07-01T23:21:47Z

An example of rude bike parking on Vancouver Ave. (Photo by Mary)

A reader just sent this photo in with this comment:

“Shame on You” bike parking today at the Red Cross on Vancouver Ave, near the hospital. Very funny, and sad, and annoying as all hell. I could not fit my bike into the rack, hooked it to the handrail, and got a “warning” from security.

Do you run across examples of thoughtless bike parking practices in your daily rounds? Here’s a chance to get it off your chest and make suggestions for improvement.

At streetcar pep rally, LaHood has high praise for Portland

2009-07-02T04:03:08Z

In a show of political support the likes of which I’ve never seen, a host of elected officials were on hand this morning to welcome U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to Portland. They assembled at the base of the Aerial Tram (with tons of bikes parked everywhere) to cheer on Portland’s fast-moving streetcar plans and to unveil a prototype of the first streetcar to be made in America in nearly 60 years.

Speaking to the crowd, LaHood made it clear where he stands:

“I came here today because Portland is the transportation capital of our country, Portland is the green capital of our country, Portland is the streetcar capital of our country, and Portland is, the livable community capital of America!”

(That line went over so well, LaHood repeated it again at the end of his speech.)

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LaHood lauded the fact that public transportation has been “part of the DNA here” for decades. “It’s difficult to imagine greater Portland,” he said, “without streetcars, light rail, and buses to take commuters and tourists almost anywhere they need to go.”

Owner of Powell’s Books and Chair of Portland Streetcar Inc., Michael Powell addresses the crowd.

It was a day for hearty congratulations and optimism and pats on the back. Rep. Peter DeFazio called federal money set aside for Portland’s streetcar projects, “a great example of a good earmark.”

Governor Ted Kulongoski piled on the green excitement by calling his recently passed Jobs and Transportation Act of 2009 “the greenest” in Oregon’s history (despite the fact that it was roundly criticized by environmental groups, gives only paltry consideration to bicycles and has $900 million worth of highway project earmarks).

Congressman Blumenauer was very excited to have LaHood’s support for streetcar and livable communities. He praised LaHood for being able to figure out in four months, “what the Bush administration couldn’t figure out in four years.”

Also during his speech, Blumenauer said the event, “Celebrates the nexus of how our community has approached livability, transportation, land use and empowering citizens.” He also pointed the adjacent LEED Platinum building and “bicycles all over the place” and said the location of the event “highlights what we’re all about.” (He also referred to George Will as “goofy” for his criticisms of LaHood and Portland).

After the speeches, the dignitaries took a ceremonial first ride in the new streetcar.

Bikes had a silent presence at the event.

I came to this event knowing it wouldn’t offer much in the way of bike news, but I wanted to see first-hand what it’s like for a non-highway transportation mode to garner so much mainstream political attention.

An event like this — only with a bike funding project announcements and a new, “Made in USA” bicycle in place of the streetcar — should be the primary goal of every bike advocacy group in the nation.

I agree with speakers that the event signals a “new dawn” (or more accurately a re-dawn) for America’s transportation future, but I wonder where bikes fit in. It’s growing ever more clear that our historic allegiance to cars and highways is on the wane (slightly), and it’s also very apparent that streetcars and light rail trains are masterfully seizing the opportunity to feast on the federal funding trough in their place.

I have a lot of questions about this enthusiasm for streetcars. At what cost do we reap its reported benefits (construction and ongoing operations are very expensive) relative to costs to aggressively promote bike usage? Will their presence degrade the quality of the bikeway network? What mode — bikes or streetcars — have the highest return on investment? Are streetcars a viable mode of transportation or are they primarily a tool to spur new development? How will bike projects compete against streetcar projects for non-motorized transportation funding?

As the shiny new streetcar rolled down the tracks for the first time, stuffed to the gills with Sec. LaHood and just about every major politician in our region (except for Mayor Adams, who was likely in a City Council meeting), I couldn’t help but notice the irony that there was a major lack of bike parking capacity to service the nearby buildings.

Let’s hope that, in this moment of cheerleading for livable communities and excitement for funding green transportation modes, the interest from politicians to seriously invest in our bikeways doesn’t just roll on by.

– More coverage of today’s event on the Portland Mercury blog.