It’s always fun to see how a City comes to life and lights up at night.
Beautiful display at the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof train station.
I love when classic architecture gets a facelift with lighting to bring it to life.
Part of the fun of traveling abroad and letting yourself explore past the major tourist attractions is turning a corner and finding little gems like this. Go out…. explore… find the hidden treasures!
After my first day of walking all over Frankfurt, I came back to the hotel,
took a much deserved nap, and then got back up and decided to go for a run.
I got all ready to go and started jogging…
only to find that I was stopping far too often to see the views & take more pictures…
so it really didn’t count as a RUN!!! More like a quick paced walk with a LOT of stops…
much of it the same route as earlier, plus a great old church and a cool bridge
covered with old padlocks!!!
So here’s part of the riverside running path I want to jog on…
as you can see I’m above it taking pictures… and NOT RUNNING!!! Ha!!!
GIF made from Sgt. Engstrom’s video.
I want to clear a few things up about the recent kerfluffle around Ladd Circle.
Turns out the Portland Police Bureau is anything but eager to do more enforcement. That’s what Traffic Division Sgt. Ty Engstrom shared with me in a phone conversation today.
First, let’s recap: On Tuesday, the PPB issued a statement and shared a video about the lack of stop sign compliance by people who ride and drive through Ladd Circle. The statement included a video of people blowing dangerously through the stop signs (as you can see above, one person rides through just as another person steps into the crosswalk). The behaviors were taking place at intersections where we’ve covered the exact same problem several times since 2007. The statement also said, in response to multiple complaints from nearby residents, that the PPB plans to do enforcement missions. A mention of last year’s fatality statistics and the city’s Vision Zero efforts further tied Ladd Circle to the PPB’s ongoing safety concerns.
Unfortunately, the statement didn’t fully capture the agency’s thoughts and intentions on this sensitive issue.
Not surprisingly, many people responded with anger and frustration. And with good reason. Ladd Circle is a relatively safe place. It’s not on any of the city’s Vision Zero or High Crash Network lists. And the design of this circle is terrible. The stop signs should be yield signs. In 2007 we shared a letter from City of Portland traffic engineer Scott Batson stating as much, where he explained the agency’s only reason for not doing it was the lack of recorded crashes and funding. “At this time, resources to devote to improvements where no clear safety benefit will result do not compete well with other capital improvement projects,” stated Batson.
The circle.
That brings me to my conversation with PPB Traffic Division Sgt. Ty Engstrom earlier today. Sgt. Engstrom is on the Vision Zero Task Force, is a self-described “avid cyclist” who’s on a racing team, and he works with traffic safety advocates all the time.
PPB Traffic Division Sgt. Ty Engstrom.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Sgt. Engstrom didn’t write the PPB statement that our story was based on, but it did come from his notes and concerns. He told me on the phone he appreciated the BikePortland post and he was happy the issue was being talked about.
On the phone today, he shared more background and explained his perspective more clearly. Keep in mind that Sgt. Engstrom used to commute by bike himself through Ladd Circle everyday. Here’s what he said:
“Anytime someone fills out a TRACK-it or 823-SAFE request [the City’s system for filing public traffic safety concerns], I go through all of those. I triage them based on what our goals are — whether it’s Vision Zero, High Crash Network streets, fatal crashes — because we’re short-staffed and I can’t send my officers everywhere. I’m trying to do as much as I can, with the resources I have, and I’m trying to think outside the box. To be creative.
I don’t want to go down there [Ladd Circle] with a bunch of cops and make a bunch of stops. I’ve done that before. I’ve been through all that… And it’s really more of a headache than anything. We just end up with a bunch of complaints!
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Recently I’ve gone down there on my own about three or four times. I just set my motorcycle out there with the emergency lights on and wait. A lot of people will run the stop sign and I just shout out to them, ‘Hey that’s a stop sign!’.
I know that Ladd Circle and that whole neighborhood is not where we’re having the big crashes or fatalities. However, it is a neighborhood with a lot of people that want to walk their kids to school, and to enjoy walking in their neighborhood.
The original complaint this time came from someone who lives near the corner where there’s a marked crosswalk and a bus stop and people walking kids to Abernethy School [a few blocks away]. Bicyclists and cars come up to that intersection, they look left to see if anyone’s coming, then they make the turn. That’s the kind of thing that can be dangerous.
We’ve had two recent fatalities that were at very slow speeds [he was referring to one on Burnside and 55th in December and the one at SW Salmon and Park]. Both involved pedestrians who died as a result of the secondary impact of the fall and hitting their head on the ground. If someone gets hit here, even at slow speeds, maybe they’re older and a bit more fragile, and suddenly we have a fatal crash.
What’s more telling to me is that this is an area where a lot of bicycles commute through. I used to commute through there on my bicycle. There are a lot of bikes, and the behavior they’re exercising here is indicative of the type of behavior throughout the rest of the city — in areas that may involve High Crash Corridor streets or more dangerous conditions.
My goal with putting out a statement was to get the word out to as many people as possible. I’ve been talking to The Street Trust to PBOT, to all of them, to hopefully correct some behavior. I don’t want to do another mission out there. I really don’t. But we need to make sure people change their behaviors. We had too many fatals last year.
I’m on a bike racing team. I’m out riding a lot. I know it’s aggravating to stop at all the stop signs… But I go to too many of these fatal crashes that involve all modes of transportation. If we can in anyway project messages to people to be more careful. That’s all I want to do. I’ve had to get creative with low staffing levels and I’m totally all about doing whatever we can — before enforcement.
I hope this helps clarify the intentions of the PPB around this issue. I also hope we can make some progress on this issue.
Regardless of whether there are “Stop” or “Yield” signs — we all have the responsibility to use utmost caution and good judgment as we go through these intersections. Please always ride and drive with respect for others. And pass it on!
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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Car stopped at no parking sign in front of Bridlemile Elementary School in southwest Portland.
(Photos: David Stein)
Publisher’s note: This post is by southwest Portland resident David Stein. He shares the story behind a local project he worked on as part of the much-heralded PSU Traffic & Transportation Class. It’s a great example of how to identify and tackle a nagging street safety problem and we hope it’s an inspiration to some of you. Stein is also a member of the PBOT Bicycle Advisory Committee.
As a student project in the Portland State University Traffic and Transportation course, I decided to try improving a safe route to Bridlemile Elementary in southwest. In the class we’re told, “You have a PhD in your neighborhood,” and the leaders encourage us to make Portland a better place through a class project.
My PhD is in the Bridlemile neighborhood. I’ve lived there for over six years and have been active in the Bridlemile Neighborhood Association (including over three years on the Board of Directors and two as chair). For my project, I chose to improve SW 47th Drive, because my daughter goes to Bridlemile Elementary School. With only one road for entering and exiting the school, and Hamilton Park next door, traffic on SW 47th Drive can be challenging for everyone. Combining school busses, parents dropping off kids, and kids riding their bikes or walking to school with normal neighborhood and park traffic leads to a daily exercise in controlled chaos. Safety hazards include dangerous U-turns, reduced visibility due to parked cars and an underutilized traffic circle.
Here’s a map I created for my project presentation that lays out all the issues:
Seeing the chaos first-hand while walking my daughter to school last February as these issues were also being raised in BNA meetings, was eye-opening. There had recently been advocacy work around other projects for Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) due to funding from the Fixing Our Streets program that was being allocated at the time. Improving SW 47th Drive didn’t make the cut for that funding. However, there was enough community interest to put together a meeting for a variety of stakeholders later that month. So that’s what we did.
A group of residents, the school principal, representatives from the neighborhood association, and Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) Safe Routes staff met on a rainy morning to walk through the issues that were engineered into the roadway. Following this encouraging meeting everything was quiet – updates were sparse.
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New crosswalk at SW 44th!
With the start of the 2018-19 school year it was time to check back into the project and try to see what could be done to get some changes implemented. As luck would have it, the principal was already in contact with several nearby residents on this project and the Traffic and Transportation course would be an ideal conduit to see what could be done.
PBOT didn’t grant our request to make this an official sign.
After that, I went through the course’s iterative process of identifying the project, coming up with solutions (in line with what had officially been requested following the aforementioned walkthrough), and then contacting city officials. The last step was critical as PBOT was working behind the scenes on improvements to the road and had made a request to enable the installation of a marked crosswalk. During this process I was also in touch with the school and neighbors to keep them informed. After notifying the principal of the hang-up with the marked crosswalk, things moved quickly. There was a flurry of activity as details of the changes were announced. After some community input, several ‘No Parking or Stopping’ signs were installed along with a brand new crosswalk. In addition, there were lengthy explanations of some requested changes that weren’t implemented so everyone could understand the degree of consideration that went into this process.
And if you’re curious, I should mention that “No U turn” signs in low-volume residential areas are considered by PBOT to be ineffective, no matter how many times people request them (we requested them several times).
As a result of this project kids are safer going to and from Bridlemile Elementary School and Hamilton Park, on SW 47th Drive. The new crosswalk and marked car free areas improve visibility and make it clear that people on foot are in the area.
After going through this process, here are some key takeaways:
➤ Consistent communication is important for any project, and regular check-ins can help keep the project moving.
➤ Contact information is publicly available online and phone calls can be surprisingly productive. There were no secret handshakes or unlisted phone numbers required to make this project happen.
➤ Having an organized coalition within the neighborhood actually helped PBOT, since they don’t have the staffing or determination to push through a small project like this if there is resistance.
➤ There’s a need for long-term education and outreach for the traffic changes implemented by this project. It will take some time for parents to get used to dropping their kids off a bit further away from the school. Messages have been sent from the school about the changes though compliance is still lagging.
➤ One reason this project was implemented so quickly was the promise of having crossing guards, which are now in place before and after school which also serve to calm traffic.
➤ Finally framing this as a Safe Routes to Schools project definitely helped to get this prioritized within PBOT. BNA has improved communication with PBOT as knowledge of their programs, funding models, and internal priorities has become better known.
It’s been a few months now since these updates were completed. The new crossing is now staffed with a parent or staff member (including the principal at times) to assist kids and parents crossing the street. Compliance with the signage and road markings has improved as people became more aware of the changes (staffing of the crosswalk has helped with drop-off in the morning). It’s still not perfect, though there is a significant improvement in the traffic flow and feeling of safety for kids getting to and from school.
Finally, this project was the result of many people who put in a lot of time before, during, and after the actual project implementation. Without the help of Ryan Bass, Kurt Haapala, Carlos Hernandez, Brad Pearson, Lale Santelices, and many other dedicated people, this project would not have been possible.
[We hope you found David’s experience helpful and inspiring. Below is a PDF of his class presentation.]
PTTC - A Safe Route to School— David Stein
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The post Adventures in Activism: How one Portlander made the route to his daughter’s school safer appeared first on BikePortland.org.
Portland resident Clara Honsinger’s (Team S&M CX) dream season continues Saturday at the World Championships in Denmark and a local cafe is hosting a viewing party so you can cheer her on (in your pajamas).
(Photo: Drew Coleman)
Time to put together your weekend plans.
Whether you like cyclocross or not, you’ve got to be excited and inspired by the season of Team S&M CX cyclocross rider Clara Honsinger. She just keeps getting better and better. Last weekend at a very challenging UCI World Cup race she went from a start of around 40th place to finish 19th. 19th! That’s against the very best racers in the world. And she was the 2nd place Under-23 rider. On Saturday, Honsinger will look to close out her big season with a strong showing at the World Championships in Denmark. If you’re not lucky enough to be there in person, roll over to Breadwinner Cafe on Williams Avenue where they’ll open early to see the live feed.
And that’s just one of the great ideas we’ve got for you. Check out all of our upcoming event picks below…
Portland E-Scooter Experience Seminar – 11:30 am at PSU Karl Miller Center (SW)
The Transportation Research & Education Center at Portland State University invites you to a special brown-bag seminar to learn and discuss more about our city’s experience with e-scooters. Delve into data with PBOT staff and share questions and insights with some of the smartest people in town. More info here.
Movie Night at Breadwinner Cafe – 5:30 pm (N)
Warm up with friends and watch the classic Breaking Away in the cozy cafe adjacent to Breadwinner Cycles on Williams Ave. More info here.
Kidical Mass 2019 Planning Meeting – 6:30 pm at Books With Pictures (SE)
What collaborations, initiatives, routes, and other fun things do you want to help Kidical Mass with this year? Bring your notebook of ideas and help local organizers plan the biggest and best year ever. More info here.
Cyclocross World Championship Viewing Party – 6:00 am (Saturday and Sunday) at Breadwinner Cafe (N)
Come and root for Portland’s Clara Honsinger as she battles on the world stage at the Championships in Bogense, Denmark. Clara placed an amazing 19th place overall and 2nd in the U23 category last weekend! Women’s race is Saturday and men’s race is Sunday. Cafe will be open early for viewing both days. More info here.
Plant Trees by Bike – 8:30 am (N and SE)
Friends of Trees needs your help planting trees in several north and southeast Portland neighborhoods. This is a great way to do something nice for the planet, meet great people and help build our community. More info here.
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Endless Summer Saturdays Club Roule Ride – 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at Crema (NE)
I’ve been watching this weekly ride from afar and the turnout and vibe looks really strong. It’s a nice intermediate pace that appeals to a lot of riders. Expect 25-30 miles with a good dose of climbing. More info here.
Caddyshack Ride – 12:00 pm at I-205 bike path just south of Marine Drive (NE)
This annual classic promises lots of smiles, socializing and discovery of backroad routes next to local golf courses in honor of Bill Murray. The lunch stop at the gold club is reason alone to give this a try. Led by none other than Maria “Bike Kitty” Schur! More info here.
Sauvie Shootout – 9:00 am at Ovation Coffee (NW)
Portland’s premiere weekend training ride will take you out to the legendary island, up the west hills, and back into town. Expect the group to split and to find new riding buddies. More info here.
Belmont Goats Ride – 10:00 am at NE 96th and Sandy
A Portland Wheelmen Touring Club ride leader will take you on a relaxed jaunt to see the new home of the infamous Belmont Goats. There will be a bakery/coffee stop at the Panera on Hayden Island. More info here.
Stay plugged into all the bike and transportation-related events around the region via our comprehensive event calendar.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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The post Weekend Event Guide: Caddyshack, Clara Honsinger at Worlds, Belmont Goats, and more appeared first on BikePortland.org.
Okay, so I’ve never seen one of these in the States.
And there were no signs or explanations. It was out front of the train station.
I’m pretty sure what it is… but please… go ahead… DISCUSS!!!
Oh, the “entertainment” of traveling abroad… Ha-Ha!!!
Our hotel was just a couple blocks from the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof Train Station. A pretty cool place with lots of trains, railroad tracks, shops and open air food markets… also a pretty “cool” place as it is all open air!!! No heat, but “plenty” of fresh air & pigeons!
While I enjoyed walking & wandering through Frankfurt… I keep getting reminded that I would rather have MY BIKE!!! I could get further faster… crossing bridges, touring parks and seeing a LOT more if only I had my bike!!! Sadly, it wouldn’t fit in the overhead bin on the plane!
While cruising through Frankfurt’s museum row, I had to take some time out to go through their Art Museum… filled with a lot of German artists (go figure) and a few stand-out favorites. I loved being introduced to the paintings of Lotte Laserstein… as well as Ferdinand Hodler, Karl Von Piddol, Franz Xaver Winterhalter and a “fresh new” Monet painting BEFORE the Claude Monet style we all have come to know & love!
Lotte Laserstein
Ferdinand Hodler
Karl Von Piddol
Franz Xaver Winterhalter
Claude Monet
