Commissioner Nick Fish, Volunteer Kiel Johnson, and Board Member Tommy Brooks

CCC's Laura Koch highlights the importance of providing equitable access to transportation options.

Community Cycling Center's Laura Koch and Parks & Recreation’s North/Northeast Zone Manager Sue Glenn shared their wealth of knowledge and experience. Both have been intimately involved in community based work within the New Columbia housing development in North Portland.

As a follow up to their Understanding Barriers to Bicycling community needs assessment conducted in 2009, the Community Cycling Center is focused on strengthening community partnerships and tailoring their programs to engage youth and adults who have multiple barriers to bicycling.

“Through our partnership with New Columbia and in collaboration with Parks and Recreation, Janus Youth and the Bureau of Transportation, we’ve engaged over 113 youth and adults at New Columbia this spring through our Bike Club at University Park, our Create a Commuter workshop, quick fixes and community ride to Sunday Parkways and a Bike for Kids event,” Laura explained.

During the ride on Saturday, Egbevado Ananouko, a community member who works with Janus Youth’s Village Gardens caught up with our ride in McCoy Park to share his experience. Egbevado was one of 12 adults who earned a bicycle through the Community Cycling Center’s Create a Commuter program in May and volunteered for the Bikes for Kids event on July 11th. Egbevado’s bike was recently stolen from a TriMet bus but he was proud to show us the new bike he purchased so he can keep on riding. Egbevado was excited to be more involved in his community to promote bicycling and encourage young people to wear their helmets.

Commissioner Fish is officially responsible for Parks and Housing, but he's also a strong voice of funding for active transportation – recently he voted in support of complete street priorities at a contentious JPACT funding meeting as an alternate to the Mayor. The BTA appreciates his leadership and looks forward to engaging in more conversations about better integrating transportation options with other valuable community services.

What will it mean to BUILD IT where you live?

Click image to download pdf file

Currently, 57% of areas zoned for residential and mixed commercial/residential use are within one quarter mile of bicycle facilities. With the construction of funded projects, access will expand to 66% of all residential and mixed commercial/residential use areas. Much of the Portland Bicycle Plan remains to be funded, but when it's fully built out, 97% of all areas zoned as residential or mixed commercial/residential areas will be within one quarter mile of bicycle facilities.

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What do your streets stand to gain when all projects planned are funded?

Click View> Navigation Panels>Layers.

From here, you can click on the

icon next to the choices for each map layer to either display or hide the labeled routes. Hide all future projects and notice the difference in access between the projects on your everyday routes that are currently funded and what the future has in store!

Bring bikes to your streets–BUILD IT!

Metro’s JPACT is a public entity that advises our regional government on hundreds of millions of dollars of transportation funding annually. It is made up of twelve local elected leaders and five transportation and state agency officials.

On July 8, they are planning to set funding targets for $20 – 24 million dollars in Regional Flexible Funds for the 2014-15 fiscal year. That might sound like a lot of money, but it’s actually just a small portion of the total amount spent on transportation in the region. For comparison, the annual amount of public funding that is spent on transportation infrastructure and maintenance in the Portland metropolitan region is about $630 million. Most of those funds go to for roads, bridges, freight, and transit; only 2% goes to bicycle facilities, trails, and sidewalks.

Regional Flexible Funds are one of the primary sources of funding for bicycle, pedestrian and trail projects.  According to Metro’s Active Transportation Council, 21% of all funding for these types of projects in the region comes from Regional Flexible Funds.

Freight initiatives and active transportation projects are currently competing for the funds, and the outcome is vital to our region’s future.  In the last two funding cycles, active transportation and complete streets projects have received an average of $19.9 million, reflecting the awareness that trails, sidewalks, and bike facilities have very few sources of funding relative to the huge allocations for roads, and that the small amounts available can make a big impact for biking and walking.

However, this time around, JPACT is considering shifting significant funding to freight.   Freight projects are important, particularly multi-modal projects including rail projects and those that improve system operation. But freight projects receive funding from a wide array of federal, state and local sources.

At the current level of funding for active transportation, it will require 166 years to build out all of the trail, bicycle and pedestrian projects in Metro’s 2035 Regional Transportation Plan. The majority of these projects derive support from Regional Flexible Funds.

So, Regional Flexible Funds represent a small fraction of total regional transportation spending but they are nearly one quarter of all regional bike and pedestrian spending. We are left with one obvious question: Why spend these funds on freight?

The likely reason is political pressure. Powerful business groups have organized a campaign to leverage funding for freight, proposing that 75% of the available funding be used for freight, which would reduce active transportation funding by over $14 million.

It’s unfortunate that these groups don’t seem to understand the value of active transportation in our community enough to support funding it at a higher level. Not only do biking and walking boost our economy and reduce traffic congestion, they substantially improve our health and financial security.

Economic Growth – The annual local bike industry, with 1500 sustainable jobs, returns generates nearly $100 million into the local economy.

Reduce Traffic – Since 49% of all daily trips made in the US that are less than 3 miles it is easy to see how increasing access to biking and walking reduces the amount of automobiles on our roadways, and improves freight movement.

Improve Health – The US Center for Disease Control states that, “Expanding the availability of…health-enhancing choices into transportation policy has the potential to save lives by preventing chronic diseases, reducing motor-vehicle-related injuries and deaths, improving environmental health, while stimulating economic development and ensuring access for all people.”

Financial Security – Residents in the Portland region realize annual savings of nearly $800 million from spending less on transportation.

Investing in active transportation and complete streets is a win-win proposition. The only thing missing is political will. That is where we come in. We can urge JPACT members to demonstrate support for active transportation.

Now is the time to encourage JPACT members to support allocating Regional Flexible Funds to active transportation and complete streets projects at or above previous levels.

First, make a phone call to your locally elected JPACT representative. Let them know how important this issue is and that now is not the time to cut funding for beneficial active transportation projects.

Second, write a letter to JPACT. Send it directly to Metro staff member Kelsey Newell. Tell your personal story and be sure to ask for active transportation funding at or above previous levels. Refer to the BTA's advocacy toolkit for tips on effective communication.

Third, tell a friend. Be sure to forward this message to others who want to protect funding for bicycles, sidewalks, and trails.

The hour-long route will start in the pink plaza at SW Oak and 6th st. From there, we will pedal up Broadway, across the Hawthorne Bridge, and continue north on the east side of the river to the Broadway Bridge. The ride will culminate at BTA headquarters at 233 NW 5th Ave around 7pm.

Build It! is a BTA campaign to get the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 built. The plan is focused at creating a community that is safe and accessible to active transportation with the initiative to expand the percentage of commuters traveling by bicycle to 25%.

Get out, get active, support Build It: Ride with us Friday!

The BTA requested the meeting to review current conditions and discuss long-term plans and alternatives to ensure safe, comfortable access for bikes in the area. We discussed the entire corridor, not just the S curves. Here's a summary of what we learned at this meeting.

The S Curves
According to the City, the current design (with restriping and buffer) is considered technically safe and "up to code." We remain interested in further study of the option to retrofit the curves with a grade- or barrier-separated cycle track. We were informed that physical separation could be a challenge due to cost and maintenance issues. The City claims separation would inhibit street sweeping through the curves.

For ongoing evaluations of safety and effectiveness of the current design, engineers are relying on their own observations and experiences as well as public comments and complaints.

Bike Boxes on NE Couch
Bike boxes protecting cyclists from dangerous right hook crashes at major intersections are on the City’s list of potential improvements.

Bike Boulevard coming to NE Davis
NE Davis is identified as a future bike boulevard and will help complete the transportation corridor with safe and desirable connections for all types of bicyclists. It will give families, seniors, and new riders a more comfortable alternative to the heavy traffic and tight conditions on NE Couch.

Access from SE Ankeny
The City said cost constraints forced them to cut plans for a traffic signal at SE Ankeny and MLK, The traffic signal would have provided unique and safe access for westbound cyclists making the new connection between the Ankeny bike boulevard, under the bridge at SE Third to connect with the S Curves. Without it, crossing 4 lanes of motor vehicle traffic and a streetcar line presents an extra challenge for bicyclists.

What You Can Do: Ride through the area and contact the city to share your comments. Speak up in support of the safety features you'd like to see in the area.

View project details here.

Contact Mayor Sam Adams here.

Contact PBOT Project Manager Chris Armes here.

Thank you,
Gerik Kransky
Portland Advocacy Manager

Original Post [May 17, 10:00 am]
In a letter to the Portland Bureau of Transportation last week, the BTA thanked PBOT for responding quickly to safety hazards on the new East Burnside/Couch couplet and invited engineers to meet on site and discuss alternatives for long term solutions in the corridor.

Read the full letter below.

May 12, 2010

Dear Ms. Keil,

We at the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) would like to work with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to improve bicycle access and safety on the Burnside/Couch Couplet project. We appreciate your swift response to recent bicycle crashes and would like to discuss some additional engineering improvements with you and your staff.

Thank you for the quick fix of re-striping all travel lanes to add width to the bike lane and for buffering the bike lane at the final curve.

We believe that the sweeping curves on Couch leading up and onto the Burnside Bridge as currently configured still present a safety risk for bicyclists. We would like PBOT to consider physically separated bicycle facilities as a long-term fix that is both safer and more comfortable for morning rush hour commuters.

We are also concerned about the high volume of cars and buses entering and leaving the right travel lane on NE Couch, increasing the likelihood of a right hook crash. We ask the city to explore ways to improve safety and security by making sure drivers are aware of bicyclists as they prepare to make a right turn.

While we understand that the feasibility of specific suggestions may not be possible at these locations, we strongly encourage PBOT to consider these recommendations along with any other innovative safety improvements. We would also like to work together to analyze the entire corridor in order to provide safe routes for bicyclists of all abilities.

Site tour and review

Thank you again for your swift response to these safety concerns. The BTA would like to partner with PBOT to conduct a safety evaluation and assessment of long-term solutions for the Burnside/Couch couplet. We ask that you and your engineers take us on a site tour to experience and discuss alternative solutions directly. We suggest a meeting at the Burnside Bridgehead project area during morning rush hour to see what is happening and discuss how best to address our safety concerns.

The BTA believes that together we can continue to make Portland a world-class bicycling city where 25% of residents commute by bike, as envisioned in the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030. We look forward to working with you to ensure that our major arterials are safe and comfortable for bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike.

Sincerely,

Gerik Kransky
Advocacy Campaign Manager
Bicycle Transportation Alliance

Existing facilities come to within a quarter mile of 57%, or approximately 45.6 out of 79.5 square miles, of areas zoned residential or mixed commercial / residential.

Existing and funded facilities: 68% or 52.2 miles

Existing, funded, and planned facilities: 97% or 77 miles

Click to download PDF (17.7 MB – large!)

Note: This is a geospatial PDF. Acrobat Reader 9.0 or later is required to take advantage of its features. Click Tools >Analysis >Show Analysis Toolbar to access location and measurement tools. Click View >Naviation Panels to access layers.

NE Holman and 13th Now

After the open house as I pedaled East on the soon-to-be Holman Neighborhood Greenway, I felt very much in love with my city for a number of reasons.

1. The room was packed. People in Portland care, and they show up. The crowd was totally engaged in the conversation whether the topic was expansion of the neighborhood pocket park or the placement of curb extensions.

2. City staff are smart and awesome. The PBOT staff presenting handled dozens of pointed questions with clear, supported answers and reasoning, and as the evening progressed, it became clear how creatively and efficiently City staff were using limited resources to accomplish shared goals: stimulus funding to provide directional signage and pavement markings, Bureau of Environmental Services funding to provide stormwater management that will double as curb extensions, transportation funding to provide traffic signs, crosswalk markings, curb ramps, and pedestrian refuge islands/diverters. Only together do all of these elements create a neighborhood greenway.

3. The room was buzzing about a piece of the plan to turn pavement into park. Neighbors and City staff identified an opportunity that's not in the standard Neighborhood Greenway toolbox. At 13th and Holman there is a little pocket park that could be extended right through the street providing through access to bikes and pedestrians while diverting auto traffic. The project is not set in stone, but it made it to the drawing board with clear understanding that it would be a cooperative effort between PBOT, BES, possibly the Parks Bureau, and most probably some neighborhood sweat! Life is good in the City that Works. . .Together!

While the BTA continues to push our elected officials on all levels for a more wholesale reprioritization of transportation funding, we salute the professionals and community members who are doing awesome, creative work to improve our community with the limited resources we have.

There are two more neighborhood greenway open houses left for the current phase of planning. Is one of them in your neighborhood?

The Federal Transit Administration is gathering comments on extending the "bicycle catchment radius" around transit projects to 3 miles. The radius usually considered today is 1500 ft, or about a quarter of a mile, a distance catching walking more than cycling. The expanded radius would allow for many more improvements proposed in the 2030 Bike Plan for the area to be considered related to the transit development.

The 3-mile radius would encompass essentially all of SW and SE Portland, but some particularly notable areas are the Sellwood/Springwater area, Reed College, Woodstock, and Clinton. If you would like to see bike improvement in that area, especially if you would appreciate having good bike connections to the new line, then you can attend the Planning Commission meeting and state your support for bicycle improvements and for the increase in the catchment radius.

The goal of having testimony at the meeting on the 13th is to encourage the Planning Commission to recommend to City Council that the City ask TriMet to include some of the planned bicycle improvements in the around the LRT stations in the project to build the light rail line so they would be eligible for 50% or 40% Federal match, which would make it a lot more likely that they might be built (and built sooner).

The meeting will be on April 13th from 12:30pm to 5pm at the Planning Commission's regular meeting place in Room 2500A at 1900 SW 4th Avenue (SW 4th and Harrison).

If you are interested, please get in touch with our rockstar volunteer Alexis Grant.