(Photos J. Maus/BikePortland)
20 stories, hundreds of images and many new friends and discoveries made for a highly successful NW Portland Week. Thank you for reading and contributing (I think the comment threads were as interesting and valuable as our reporting). And a special thanks goes to our 250 subscribers. Their monthly payments are what make these special reporting projects possible.
So, what did we learn?
We learned that northwest Portland has more potential when it comes to bike access investments than any other part of the city. And if you think those investments would only target “the rich” you might want to read Michael’s excellent story that debunked that myth.
Spending a week on our bikes in northwest also made it clear that this part of our city is growing rapidly. At times it felt like I couldn’t bike more than a few blocks without seeing chain-link fences and construction equipment. New office, retail and residential buildings are popping up everywhere from the already-dense inner Pearl District to the former industrial lots out on NW Naito.
It’s imperative that we get this growth right. We did it right once before 100 years ago during the northwest’s first apartment boom and now we’re getting a second chance.
The bad news is that if too many of these new residents hop in their cars the streets won’t work for anyone. The good news is that after over 15 years of neglect the City of Portland is finally poised to invest in more bike-friendly streets throughout the quadrant. And there’s one marquee project — the new Flanders Bridge — that could really move the needle.
With new greenways and (hopefully) a new crossing of I-405 at Flanders, all the beautiful people who bike to and from northwest will be much safer and happier.
Speaking of being happy, we had a great time capping off the week at our Get Together on Friday. It was fun to meet readers who followed the coverage and wanted to talk with other northwest Portland riders. Thanks to Corsa Cafe and Western Bikeworks for hosting. Here are a few more photos from the event…
And thanks again to all of you who read and contribute (both editorially and financially) to BikePortland. Our work is making a big impact and we can’t do it without your help.
Oh, and stay tuned… We’ve got one last story coming that we couldn’t quite finish up last week. A profile of Allan Classen, editor of the NW Examiner neighborhood newspaper.
— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org
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