(November 6, 2014) Let Portland By Cycle (PBC) keep you active and on your bike all winter long. Just in time for the rainy weather, PBC is offering a free All Season Cycling Class on Thursday, November 13 from 6:30-8pm at the PCC Climb Center, 1626 SE Water Avenue. Here are a few examples of what you will learn:

• Simple bike maintenance tips for winter
• Strategies for staying warm and dry without breaking the bank
• Bike handling techniques for wet weather
• More…

For some additional motivation for trying out your new skills, join PBC for the Coffee and Donuts Ride on Saturday, November 15 from 9:45am-1pm starting from Irving Park at NE Fremont and 7^th Avenue.

This ride will be an easy paced loop with several stops along the way to refuel and is great for folks new to biking or new to the area. The approximately 14-mile route will follow mostly low-traffic streets and neighborhood greenways with some off-street paths. As always, the ride is free but helmets are required.

Be sure to bring your own cup for coffee and cash for snacks. As an added incentive, there will also be a free raffle at both the class and the ride. We hope you’ll join us! 

To sign up for the Portland By Cycle e-newsletter, click here.

(November 6, 2014)  – The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation advises the traveling public that street improvements will require the street closure of NE Killingsworth Street from NE 33^rd Avenue to NE 42^nd Avenue on Saturday, November 8, 6 a.m. through 6 p.m.  Alternate routes are available on NE Lombard Street and NE Prescott Street.

The lane closures will allow crews to pave about 1.48 lane miles of the street.

 Parking restriction barricades will be in place one or two workdays before the start of work.

 Access will be maintained for businesses and residents. The public is advised to expect delays while repairs are being made. We ask the public to travel cautiously and use alternate routes during the one day closure.

 This work is weather-dependent and the schedule may change.

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(Nov. 6, 2014) In response to high demand for taxi service on weekend nights, the Portland Bureau of Transportation will launch a Seasonal Taxi Permit Pilot Program this weekend.

Starting Friday, Nov. 7, 2014, companies and vehicles currently permitted to provide non-emergency medical transportation will be eligible to provide on-demand taxi service Friday and Saturday nights, from 5:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. each night. This pilot program will terminate on January 2, 2015.

The change comes as PBOT prepares to begin a top-to-bottom review of the City’s regulations for taxis, limos, town cars and other services, which are regulated by the Private for Hire Transportation (PFHT) Division. The City Council moved the division from the Revenue Bureau to PBOT effective July 1, 2014.

New tracking software has identified times during which there is a definitive shortage of taxicab vehicles available to serve the public during periods of peak demand.

Initial reports indicate that during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, there is an approximate 90 percent availability of Broadway and Radio cabs requested through their contracted smartphone application, called Curb.

On weekends, that percentage drops to 60 percent and lower. For instance, on Saturday, Oct. 25, between 2 and 3 a.m., 206 requests for rides were made to Broadway Cab and Radio Cab through Curb, but only 50 of those requests were fulfilled.

“As we enter the holiday season, the busiest time of the year for taxi companies, there is a pressing need for more cabs on weekend nights,” said Leah Treat, Director of PBOT. “Further review of how best to serve increased calls for on-demand, private for hire transportation service in Portland is needed. We’re committed to look at ways to modernize and improve taxi service in Portland.”

Complaints regarding the availability and long wait times for taxis account for the majority of complaints received by the PFHT Division. At this time, the most current data on taxi availability and response times is only available through Curb on calls to service for Broadway and Radio cabs. However, this data is consistent with the availability of other taxi companies permitted by the City of Portland.

The Seasonal Taxi Permit Pilot Program was authorized under Administrative Rule 16.40.520.J by the Director of Transportation and expires on January 2, 2015. As many as 100 vehicles are expected to be eligible to apply to participate in this pilot program starting Friday, Nov. 7.

A list of all permitted for-hire transportation operators is available here: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/revenue/article/296082. For more information about the PFHT Division, or to file a complaint, call 503-865-2486 or email Regulatory@PortlandOregon.gov.

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(Oct. 30, 2014) The Portland Bureau of Transportation invites the public to learn more about the Our Streets PDX transportation funding effort and provide comments at two upcoming public meetings.

An open house will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 5, at Carvlin Hall at St. Philip Neri Church, 2408 SE 16th Ave. Enter Carvlin Hall from the parking lot, which can be accessed from SE 16th Avenue or from SE Tamarack St. Information will be available about transportation safety projects and maintenance programs proposed for funding and options for new transportation revenue. PBOT subject matter experts will be available to answer questions and the public is welcome to provide comments that will be forwarded to the City Council.

A City Council hearing and first reading on an ordinance for the funding effort will be held at 2 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 20, at City Council Chambers, 1221 SW Fourth Ave. A second reading and vote are expected in December.

Discussion of a transportation user fee was started earlier this year by Mayor Charlie Hales and Commissioner Steve Novick. The Our Street PDX effort to develop a new transportation funding mechanism has involved inclusive outreach, including town halls, online surveys, advisory committee meetings and a five-hour public hearing in May. The Transportation Needs and Funding Advisory Committee, formed in January, continued meet through the summer to explore transportation funding options, while two additional workgroups were convened in July to provide a recommendation to Mayor Hales and Commissioner Novick on alternative transportation funding approaches.

One discussed how to lessen the impact of a transportation fee (and other City utilities) on low-income residents as well as non-profits and public institutions. The other consisted of leaders in the business community considering how to refine the business and non-residential component of the fee. Instead of a transportation user fee based on average daily trips, the workgroups recommended a personal income tax and a business flat fee. The workgroups’ full recommendation report is available at www.OurStreetsPDX.com.

Learn more at www.OurStreetsPDX.com or ask questions or provide comments at ourstreetspdx@portlandoregon.gov Talk about it on twitter, using hashtag #ourstreetspdx or see @pbotinfo

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