Category: Impact

The Street Trust’s Newest Collab: Parkrose High School

Posted on by Burgin Utaski

 

November 7, 2024

In February of 2023, The Street Trust connected with The Pathfinder Network to discuss community engagement and collaboration with the students at Parkrose High School. The Street Trust is currently working as the backbone organization behind an initiative to build a multi-modal pathway in East Portland at the cross levee spanning from Sandy Blvd to NE Marine Drive at about 142nd (running north-south), strategically linking Argay and Parkrose Neighborhoods to the bustling Columbia River. 

Guided by The Street Trust, this community-driven project will increase accessibility, connectivity, safety, and resilience within our neighborhoods. We envision an interconnected path between Parkrose and Argay Neighborhoods, providing crucial access to the Columbia River. By improving access to green spaces and reducing the urban heat island effect, the path will assist in creating a harmonious relationship between people, nature, and the built environment.

Essential to this project is extensive community engagement, understanding the needs of those living, working, studying, recreating, and playing in the Parkrose, Argay-Terrace, and surrounding neighborhoods. By fostering collaboration across sectors and stakeholders, we aim to enhance the quality of life for residents, creating a more vibrant and accessible community while championing historically underserved populations. 

Thanks to a grant from APTA, The Street Trust was able to fund this collaboration, including a presentation at The PATHfinder Club about civic engagement through public space, the onboarding of a Youth Steering Committee Member (Parkrose sophomore Bradynn D.), and a compensated walk audit with thirteen club members. 

Bradynn, our Youth Steering Committee Member, has participated in stakeholder meetings for the project, where we government, private sector, and community partners oversee the project. Her contributions to the communications and public safety plan as a well-connected Parkrose resident have been invaluable. 

Most recently, Club members joined The Street Trust staff in a walk audit along the proposed pathway. During the walk, students received a meal and provided feedback about what they would like to see on the path. Students highlighted the need for good lighting, a paved path, vibrant public artwork, and security features. Some students even highlighted interest in community activation projects like a community garden or a monthly food truck event. Of all student attendees, 100% said they would use this path if built! At the end of the walk, each student received a $25 Visa gift card.

Looking forward, The Street Trust would love to continue collaboration with The Pathfinder Network and the amazing students at Parkrose High School, encouraging students to get involved with local community projects and feel empowered doing so. One way to encourage this is continued compensated engagement, where students are paid for their time and expertise. This multi-modal path project is a several-year-long process to plan, fund, and build, and we hope to continue this partnership with The PATHfinder Club throughout.

 

Ride2Own: A Pioneering Step Towards eBike Accessibility in Oregon

Posted on by staff

 

Oregon’s eBike enthusiasts were abuzz this fall with the electrifying news of the Ride2Own launch in Portland’s Portsmouth neighborhood. This groundbreaking initiative, a brainchild of The Street Trust in collaboration with We All Rise,Oregon DEQ, and PGE is set to revolutionize eBike accessibility in Oregon, particularly for historically excluded communities.

The Ride2Own program is not merely about providing eBikes. It’s a comprehensive approach that encompasses education, gear, and community-building. The overarching goal? To create transformative experiences through e-mobility and initiate a ripple effect that expands sustainable transportation options across the region.

The program’s first pilot kicked off on October 1st, 2023, with a year-long pilot in the Portsmouth neighborhood of Portland, reported by KPTV. The program is providing the first cohort of 15 electric bicycles to community members with low-incomes who would otherwise lack access, education, or support for e-mobility. Participants will track their experiences over twelve months and, upon successful completion, keep their bikes for free.

This is the first of four pilots Ride2Own will be conducting across the Portland metro region. The other neighborhoods are Portland’s Parkrose, Milwaukie, and Hillsboro. A total of approximately 90 eBikes will be distributed to qualifying community members across the four pilot areas.

“I am excited about the opportunity to be a part of making bike commuting even more accessible to members of communities of color like myself,” said one program participant in their application.

It’s hard to overstate the significance of this launch. At a time when Oregon’s transportation sector contributes a staggering 40% of the state’s GHG pollution, initiatives like Ride2Own are not just welcome; they’re imperative. Ride2Own’s overarching goal is to create positive, transformative experiences through eBiking and initiate a ripple effect that expands sustainable transportation options for residents and reduces the amount that people need to drive (VMT, vehicle miles traveled) across the region.

“Portland General Electric is excited to award funds from DEQ’s Oregon Clean Fuels Program to support our partners in expanding cleaner transportation systems across the state,” said Elyssia Lawrence, senior manager, Product Manager and head of PGE’s Transportation Electrification team. “Transportation electrification plays an essential role in accelerating the clean energy transition. It is going to take all of us working together to achieve a cleaner and more equitable future for all Oregonians.”

Ride2Own stands as a testament to what’s possible when innovation meets determination.
In a world where the status quo often reigns supreme, Ride2Own is a reminder that with the right vision and commitment, we can build transportation systems that serve everyone equitably. As we celebrate this launch, let’s also recommit to a future where every Oregonian, regardless of background or zip code, has access to safe, sustainable, and inclusive transportation options.

Special thanks to The Street Trust Board Member Paul Buchanan, for helping bring the Portsmouth Neighborhood Pilot from idea to reality and to PGE Drive Change Fund, which is funded via the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Clean Fuels Program. Funded by the sale of Oregon CFP credits, which PGE aggregates on behalf of residential customers who charge their electric vehicles at home, the fund supports projects aimed at expanding electric mobility options and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The DCF prioritizes projects focused on serving vulnerable populations and underserved communities.

Getting Back To The Streets: TST’s ’21-22 Impact Report

Posted on by staff

 

Back in September, The Street Trust published our first annual impact report. This report details our most transformational successes that we were able to achieve in FY 21-22. These successes would not have been possible without the dedicated support from our board, our members, and our partnerships. To everyone who has been part of our hard work over the past year:

Thank you!

 

The Street Trust Brings SRTS To Eastern Oregon

Posted on by Henry Latourette Miller

 

Over the Summer, the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes To School program unveiled the pilot of the new Jump Start Train-the-Trainer program. This program helps school districts, staff, and other safe routes advocates learn the skills to teach bicycle and pedestrian safety to students across Oregon through onsite training.

Street Trust staff lead the pedestrian safety part of this program. In August, these staff members visited Baker City along with other members of the ODOT SRTS team and worked with advocates to help them prepare for bicycle and pedestrian safety lessons this Fall. Recently, Baker County received funds from a grant to purchase a fleet of bicycles for schools to encourage safe biking practices. 

The team provided the participants lessons in bicycle and pedestrian safety, along with resources so they can easily implement the lessons in their own programming.

“The hands-on portion of the training gave a very informative example of what we will have to do”, said Jessie Wilson, SRTS Coordinator in La Grande, of her time at the training.  “I really appreciated this experience”. 

Thank you to the great team in Baker City for inviting us to do this training! We are excited to continue to bring Jump Start to more communities throughout the state.

Interested in bringing the pilot Jump Start training to your school district? Send in your interest to our form to be considered for the pilot!

 

Bring Jump Start To Your School District!

 

Get Ready to Walk+Roll this School Year!

Posted on by Henry Latourette Miller

 

The school year has kicked off and it’s time to prepare for this year’s five Walk+Roll to School events!

This year The Street Trust is supporting five unique events that hundreds of K – 12 schools will participate in across Oregon:

  • International Walk+Roll to School Day – October 12, 2022
  • Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day – November 14, 2022
  • Winter Walk to School Day – February 2023
  • Earth Month – April 2023
  • Walk+Roll May Challenge – May 2023

Interested in hosting one of these events at your school? Please visit our webpage here to learn more about hosting an event and to order free incentives for the students at your school.

 

Host a Walk+Roll To School Event at Your School!

 

 

TST Leads on Combining Bike and Bus Trips

Posted on by Madi Carlson
A teenager poses next to his bike on a bus rack

 

Combining bike and bus trips opens up a world of possibilities, making it possible to access places far away, exhaustingly hilly, and otherwise hard to reach.

This is why The Street Trust loves helping people learn and practice this important skill.

On Monday we took a group to visit the PSU Transportation Center demonstration rack. In addition to the usual discussion of rack specs, gear, and security, we took a deep dive into bike lifting–which is a great first step anyone with a bike can practice at home beforehand. There are a variety of spots to place each hand on your bike to comfortably lift it a couple feet straight off the ground and then move forward onto the rack. The weight of your bike and how that weight is distributed will influence what works best for you. You’ll probably put one hand somewhere below your saddle and one on or near your handlebars.

A woman holds a silver ebike aloft in front of her torso by the chainstay and downtube

Holding the chainstay and downtube

A teenager lifts a silver bike up onto a bus rack by holding its seatpost and headset

Holding the seatpost and headset

New to us this session was someone hefting their bike by the chainstay! (The chainstay is the short tube parallel to the ground between pedals and rear wheel.) The chainstay on the far side of the bike, no less! Grasping that and the top of the downtube (the lower main tube between handlebars and pedals) was this person’s preferred method of lifting a very light bike.

Requirements

Not every bike fits on the rack. The below requirements from TriMet are spot on, as we’ve learned from explorations in pushing the boundaries during practice sessions:

  • Wheel sizes 20-29 inches
  • Wheelbase up to 44 inches (this is the distance from the *center* of your front wheel to rear wheel, not end-to-end of your wheel edges)
  • Tires up to 2.35 inches wide
  • 55 pounds and lighter

Tutorials

There are some terrific resources you can watch before setting hand to top tube…or stem, down tube, chain stay, headset, etc…

Want to try?

The PSU Transportation Center is located at 1812 SW 6th Ave, next door to the PSU Bike Hub. The demonstration rack is indoors and masks are encouraged. Summer hours are Monday through Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and once classes begin on September 26th hours will change to Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It’s convenient to arrive by MAX: catch the green or yellow line to PSU Urban Center/SW 6th & Montgomery.

What about FX?

FX2-Division is TriMet’s new high-capacity bus service along Division Street in Southeast Portland, starting September 18th. FX bendy buses have interior floor racks and TriMet has produced a video tutorial: How to load your bike on an FX bus.

Practice with us!

We’ll visit the PSU demo rack again soon, and we’re in the process of coordinating visits to Portland’s other demo rack at Community Cycling Center. These sessions and all our other events can be found on our event calendar. Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll let you know via email.

 

Sign up for email updates

What TST Learned at The Last Sunday Parkways of 2022

Posted on by Madi Carlson
A Sunday Parkways attendee on roller skates stops by The Street Trust corner

 

With August coming to a close, we say goodbye to another epic Sunday Parkways season after a fun finish with East Portland Sunday Parkways. We rocked the day away at an intersection near Gateway Discovery Park with DJ Doc Rock and, thanks to the out-and-back route, were able to interact with tons of event participants–some twice!

Our volunteers polled hundreds of walkers and rollers to find out how they arrived at the event and the results were enlightening.

Bikes for the win!

Feedback from Sunday Parkways attendees
‘What would make it easier for you to drive less?’ feedback from Sunday Parkways attendees

A solid 33% of the participants we polled arrived by bike or ebike. A small portion of these came multimodally– by combining their ride to East Portland with MAX, bus, or car- but for the most part people used a single mode of transportation.

A lot of folks drove to Sunday Parkways, but 24% of the people we polled were part of a carpool rather than driving alone.

Anecdotally, a great many of the people we spoke to lived very close to the route and walked or biked over. It’s wonderful when open streets events pull crowds from both near and far.

As The Street Trust looks to reevaluate and evolve some of our programs to adapt to a post-pandemic world, we were eager to ask everyone one question: What would make it easier for you to drive less?

“More car-free streets” is always a popular answer to this question during an open streets event, as well as one of the next best things in many respondents’ opinions: “Protected bike lanes.” With ebikes gaining in popularity, it was nice to see a lot of ebike-related responses, like:

  • Ebike incentives
  • Plugins for ebikes
  • Cheaper ebikes

In transit-related answers a few we got were:

  • A third slot on bus bike racks like in Seattle and Vancouver
  • Transit to nature
  • Willamette ferry

For the first time ever we had a clear fan favorite of an answer: moving sidewalks. While this inspired a lot of people to consider more fanciful responses, the 10-year old who made the suggestion had recently visited Hong Kong’s Central–Mid-Levels escalator and walkway system and experienced a moving sidewalk firsthand.

A group of people on bikes visit TST's booth at Sunday Parkways

How do you get around? And what would make it easier and/or more likely for you to go places more often without driving? Help shape The Street Trust of the future by taking our survey!

 

Take Our Survey!

 

What Adaptive Biketown Means To Me

Posted on by Henry Latourette Miller

 

Adaptive BIKETOWN is a great start for making cycling more accessible to disabled people – Cassie Wilson, Community Engagement Assistant at The Street Trust.

As a disabled person, I’d never gotten to ride a bike as an adult until I found one that works for me at Adaptive BIKETOWN.

During the 2022 Oregon Active Transportation Summit I connected with Roshin Kurian from the Portland Bureau of Transportation, who manages Adaptive BIKETOWN, BIKETOWN for All, and the Transportation Wallet. Roshin encouraged me to check out Adaptive BIKETOWN and see if one of the bikes they have would meet my needs.

Shop manager Kristin Miller helped me try out several different adaptive cycles. I have a form of dwarfism which resulted in mobility related disabilities. Despite not being able to walk long distances, my legs work fine, so I hoped to find a foot-powered trike of some kind that could work for me. Unfortunately none of the current adaptive foot-powered cycles available were a match for my short and disproportionate skeleton. Instead, I found a small adaptive handcycle and took it for a spin!

Adaptive BIKETOWN is located just to the west of OMSI’s north parking lot along the Eastbank Esplanade. It’s a great location for anyone trying out cycling for the first time since you don’t have to ride alongside car traffic. That being said, I did get to ride on the road in a bike lane very briefly between the Eastbank Esplanade and the Springwater Trail, which was a new and exciting experience!

Overall, the handcycle worked great for me. Going up inclines proved difficult as the handcycle required me to use muscles that don’t get worked much, but I was lucky to have a friend (because riding bikes with friends is fun!) who could push me up tough inclines.

I ended up riding about 5 miles, which was the farthest I’ve ever manually moved my body in my whole life(!) and I had a blast doing it. I’m excited that I now have way to ride bikes with my friends, and look forward to enjoying it even more when it’s a bit cooler outside.

Adaptive BIKETOWN is a great start for making cycling more accessible to disabled people. I hope to see their fleet expand to include more variation in electric assist adaptive cycles (to make hills less daunting). I also hope to see more bikes tailored for specific types of disabilities such as those recently released by UK bike company Islabikes for people with disproportionate dwarfism.

Adaptive BIKETOWN is a great way to try out a bunch of different adaptive cycles in one place to find one that works for you before going out and buying your own.

Learn more about Adaptive BIKETOWN on their website or join us Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 10am for our Harry Styles themed adaptive bike ride! RSVP to the event or sign up to volunteer.

Celebrating the ‘Riverlution’ – Heat Island to River Relief a Success

Posted on by Henry Latourette Miller

 

Nothing Beats a Heat Island Like a Cool River Swim

This weekend, in partnership with BIKETOWN and TriMet, The Street Trust led its friends and members on a guided bike and transit ride from the Lents town center to The Big Float in Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

Lents was the deadliest heat island during last summer’s heat dome disaster and the dangerous conditions persisted during this year’s record-breaking heat wave.  The Street Trust understands that our climate crisis affects frontline and low-income communites disproportionately. We also know that an estimated 30% of Oregonians don’t drive. That’s why, we chose to support Lents’ residents with affordable, safe options to access the cool waters of the Willamette River without having to drive. 

While most participants rode their own bikes or used Biketown to take advantage of the beautiful sunny day, The Street Trust also distributed transit passes to anyone who didn’t feel comfortable cycling. Despite being known as a multimodal leader, many Portlanders feel uncomfortable cycling and/or accessing public transportation. Our focus on providing multiple mobility options to The Big Float is indicative of our efforts to be more inclusive while also promoting a critical mobility service. 

This multimodal event was the first of its kind for The Street Trust, and based on initial feedback we hope to continue offering transit tickets, BIKETOWN access, and mobility guides for future events.

“Heat Island to River Relief” bike ride participants met their guides at 10AM at the Lents Town Center, where the local farmer’s market takes place. Several passersby approached The Street Trust to ask us what we were up to (probably something to do the giant pile of lifejackets strapped to a bike trailer). These encounters demonstrated to us that there is interest in BIKETOWN and bike events in the Lents neighborhood, which is also home to many of our priority communities. 

OUtdoor fun - Andre in a Doughnut Float, Madi looking sleek in Black logo tee and pants

Some participants took TriMet’s #14 bus, which has frequent service and stops directly in front of Lents Town Center. The bus dropped us off only a few blocks away from the Tom McCall Waterfront Park, making the journey very convenient while also offering a refuge from the heat. Taking in that stellar view of the Willamette as the bus crossed the Hawthorne bridge was also a reminder of how lucky this city is to have such an incredible public resource… and how important it is to ensure that everyone feels like they can access it. The journey also allowed us to connect with each other and talk about the impression that folks had about Portland’s transit system. 

Overall, the Heat Island to River Relief was yet another successful community-oriented summer event from The Street Trust. Not only did it serve the important mission of reminding participants of the seriousness of the heat island effect and the different ways you can access one of the most important cooling amenities in the city; it also brought together the TST community for a little fun in the sun. And it doesn’t get any better than that. 

Thanks for being so welcoming to The Street Trust, Lents neighbors — we look forward to partnering and enjoying future events with you! Check out more pictures in BikePortland.

Want to volunteer for our next multimodal event? Sign up!

Cassie Wilson Wishes You A Happy Disability Pride Month!

Posted on by Henry Latourette Miller

 

Happy Disability Pride Month!

Although it’s not recognized federally, the disabled community recognizes July as Disability Pride Month in honor of July 26th being the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. 

At The Street Trust, we champion safe, accessible, equitable, and low-carbon streets. We also acknowledge that transportation justice and disability justice go hand in hand. Whether something is accessible or not means different things depending on the context, but it should always include access for disabled people because we overlap with all other groups. 

The Street Trust’s Community Engagement Assistant Cassie Wilson and Yamhill County Commissioner Casey Kulla during the Oregon Active Transportation Summit.

As someone with a mobility disability, accessibility to me means having the freedom to move through life with as much ease as someone who is not disabled. This includes anything from accessing housing, school, and work (in-person or online), to navigating our communities. Accessibility also emphasizes how mobility devices are freedom and independence for many disabled people, making it easier for us to move our bodies, as opposed to being ‘confined’ to them as is often how they’re described.

Something feels accessible to me when I don’t have to think much about it or go through extra steps to get my needs met. It removes the added labor of figuring out how to navigate life in a way that works for me. For that reason, it’s a lot easier to notice when things are not accessible such as buildings with one step to get inside or crosswalks without accessible (or any) curb cuts.

Speaking of curb cuts, everyone benefits from accessibility! The ‘curb cut effect’ demonstrates how increasing accessibility for disabled people accessing sidewalks by adding curb cuts also improves conditions for people pushing strollers, bicycles, skates, carts, etc.

As a disabled person living in a rural area without public transit, I am forced to drive. Driving is already expensive, and the cost only increases when you factor in accessible vehicle upgrades and added insurance for those features. When I was reliant on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), transportation accounted for over half of my below-poverty-level income. Increasing access to public transit, bike lanes, and sidewalks state wide would hugely benefit people who can’t drive due to disabilities, and it would also benefit the estimated 1 in 3 Oregonians who can’t or don’t drive as well as those who would choose not to if given feasible alternatives.

 

      – Cassie Wilson, Community Engagement Assistant @ The Street Trust

 

Celebrate Disability Pride Month with The Street Trust at our Pedalpalooza ride at 4:00pm on July 28th which starts and ends at Adaptive Biketown. 

 

RSVP To TST’s Pedalpalooza Event!