Floyd A. O'Reilly Blog: Uber announces new staging lot and pickup/dropoff zones at Moda Center

Friday, November 17, 2017

Uber announces new staging lot and pickup/dropoff zones at Moda Center

Another year has past, @uber and @lyft drivers park in and block bike lane. Do something about this @trailblazers @PBOTinfo http://pic.twitter.com/4yGerdQ52G

— Steve 911 (@Intersection911) October 31, 2017

Ride-hailing giant Uber has responded to complaints of their persistent, dangerous, and annoying bike lane blockage behaviors outside of the Moda Center.

Uber’s map showing new staging lot north of Broadway and pickup/dropoff zone on Winning Way.

The problem, as documented by our friend Steve Bozzone in the above tweet, happens after Trail Blazer games (and we assume other big events) when Uber drivers block the bike lane on the south side of the Moda Center on NE Multnomah Street.

We joined with Steve and other readers to help raise a stink about this on Twitter recently and caught Uber’s attention. I engaged with them via private messages a bit and explained the problem and a possible solution. Then today another reader pointed us to an Uber blog post where they address the issue.

Hi @Uber_PDX can you pls tell drivers to stay out of bike lanes around @ModaCenter after the games? https://t.co/iz2MKRPx7u

— BikePortland (@BikePortland) November 16, 2017

Here’s the statement Uber has just released:

As the exclusive rideshare partner of the Blazers, we have teamed up to make driving easier at this busy venue. We are excited to announce a new staging lot and pickup/dropoff zone after hearing your feedback.

With thousands of fans attending Blazers games each week, we have created a staging lot with a first-in, first-out system to give you a better driving experience. You will be able to queue up in our lot located on the corner of N. Benton Ave. and N. Broadway.

We have also moved the pickup and dropoff zone, which is now located along Winning Way. Once you receive a request, head across N. Broadway and make a left on Winning Way to find your rider between N. Benton Ave. and N. Center Ct. St. There will be police to help direct the flow of traffic across N. Broadway.

Be sure to familiarize yourself with our staging lot and pickup/dropoff areas so you can easily connect with your riders on gamedays at the Moda Center.

We hope these measures have the intended impact. Uber, if you’re reading this, we have many sources out there monitoring the situation and we’ll be in contact if the issue isn’t resolved.

Thank you for responding. And… go Blazers!

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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