Commuting - Where'd Everybody Go?

Since Portland, OR recently received 6 inches of snow, I've missed quite a bit of commuting. Fortunately, I've been on holiday from work, but I still need to put my mileage in to maintain both my physical conditioning and my sanity. So, as soon as the snow/ice receded enough, I hit the streets and continued my work commute/return commute as though I were working - I just ride in, turn around and ride back for my 25 miles.

Granted, it was still slippery in some areas (I tried coasting over an ice patch and paid for it with a scratched rear derailler and a bruised ego), but I still expect to see the regular commuters. Instead I've seen about 3 total in a week. Where'd you all go?

One nice thing - I can't ride in usual the bike lane because it's covered in plowed snow and sand gravel. While I used to get threatened and honked at while riding out of traffic's way in the separate bike lane (go figure???), I now get a wide berth from just about everyone and I'm taking the entire right half of the auto lane. I guess people are a little more understanding given the circumstances. Well, I guess some people are; I read Randya's post about his experience with threats/vehicular assault in our same town during this time. Anyway, I find it odd because I was certain that regardless of the gravel and snow covering the shoulder, people would still expect me to get out of their way and try to ride through it - or stop and walk my bike when I encounter a foot (30 cm for you metric oriented folk) or more of piled snow.

I should mention however, I think their patience is running thin because this morning I had more than a handful of autos whiz by me with inches to spare. Even though I'm in the traffic lane, they evidently still feel the right to pass without adjusting their path much at all. As more snow melts, I'm sure this trend will continue as most motorists will not understand why I don't ride in what they perceive to be a completely clear bike lane. . . never mind the piles of gravel that I can't control my skinny tire road bike in. . . Oh well, I don't care as long as they don't hit me - I'm not budging until the sweepers arrive to clear the mess.

All in all, it's pretty nice out there in the traffic lanes and I'm getting a first hand look into the "no bike lane" philosophy - there's certainly merit to it considering my new experiences. So to all you Portlanders that haven't resumed your riding yet - get out here! I miss my fellow commuters.

Since Portland, OR recently received 6 inches of snow, I've missed quite a bit of commuting. Fortunately, I've been on holiday from work, but I still need to put my mileage in to maintain both my physical conditioning and my sanity. So, as soon as the snow/ice receded enough, I hit the streets and continued my work commute/return commute as though I were working - I just ride in, turn around and ride back for my 25 miles.
You know, when I'm off from work, the first thing I think about is, "Gee, I need to take my car out for a spin. I think a dry run to work and back would be just about perfect."

A little sarcasm, there. But if ChezJfrey's comments don't make the difference between driving and cycling as plain as the nose on your face, nothing will.

You will see me on the road tomorrow, so no worries. The past couple days there have been major patches of black ice, and not being a fan of bruised egos and other body parts I have driven to work. Now with the rain returning and the ice receding I am going to get back in the saddle again.

I only wish that they didn't gravel the hell out of the roads. No stopping power with an inch of gravel in the bike lane. Don't hesitate to call the city's street sweeping 'crisis' line to suggest bad areas (ok, too many to mention but this is a useful number anyhow)

503-823-CYCL or online at www.trans.ci.portland.or.us (Bicycles->Bike Route Need Maintenance entry form)

I was on my bike at least a little every day during the storm and its aftermath. I live near Hawthorne and commute up to the Lloyd district, so if you saw a guy with a black and red messenger bag on a brown singlespeed with silver fenders, that was me. I had to leave the geared bike at home because my shifter cables had all frozen in place! The actual snowfall on Tuesday morning wasn't too bad at all for riding except where vehicles had left ruts, which kicked my skinny tires around. I just wore my winter boots and walked any dangerous/impassable sections. The only mishap I had was on Thursday, when the ice got really bad. I was riding straight and smooth up 12th street when a jackas$ in an H2 passed me really close going way too fast. I startled and in the blink of an eye I was sliding down the street on my back. Luckily I had my helmet on, because there's a dime-sized divot in it now. The roads actually got more dangerous as the thaw progressed because drivers were moving faster and more aggressively, while I was still carefully picking my way through the snow and slush. Now that the side streets are passable, it's much safer out there, except for the banks of gravel in the bike lanes everywhere.

The major downside to riding during the storm is that my co-workers have abandoned all doubt as regards my insanity. The funny part is, all the drivers of massive 4x4's stayed home in their suburban houses while I was able to get around town without major problems.

Portlanders,
Help out a Midwesterner thinking about relocating to your fair city and you might see me out there commuting. My wife got a very good job offer (flexible start date) out there and we are trying to make an informed decision. We are very excited and terrified about the prospect living in Portland (I am the one that needs the handholding as I don’t have a job lined up). Sorry in advance for hijacking the thread. You can send me a private post so as not to clutter up the thread.

We visited Portland once and had a good but brief impression.
Saw the downtown and west side but don't have a clue for the work-a-day side of the city. We are coming out in mid-February and want to pack as much as possible into a 4-day weekend. What should we see? Neighborhoods? Surrounding area (saw Mt. Hood, the part that wasn't covered by the clouds)?

So what’s the deal on the weather. I am used to cold, clear and bright winters, terrific storms which race in the spring and fall dump a ton of rain and leave and hot summers with great electrical storms. I know you get less rain per year than we do but is it really overcast from October to June? Or is that just what you tell outsiders to keep them from noticing what a gem of an area you live in.

Is the town as bike friendly as I hear? I am a self-proclaimed bike addict (kayaker too). I ride with a group here on the weekends, are there any good clubs out there? I saw the Portland Wheelmen but the 700 members is intimidating, my group has 40-50 regular riders. Is there good riding (on road and off-road) easily accessible from town. I like taking rides from 35 to 100 miles.

What's the job market like? I am an architect and don't know anything about the market. Any architects in the forum?

Thanks for any help you might provide and sorry again for 'jacking the thread.
Mark Williams

ChezJfrey- during the bulk of the storm I was using the buses. My girlfriend wouldn't let me ride on the ice... The bus schedule wasn't without its flaws, but I was overall impressed by the determination to keep them going.
Yesterday I started commuting by bike again, and hence fulfilled my addiction. I was smiling the whole way. There were some ice patches on the east side, but today my route was almost completely melted. I know how you feel, I was somewhat dissapointed by the lack of commuters. I guess we all have our limits...

Streetdog- I think you will really like it in P-town. Almost everyone here is not originally from here. It is just a place where people seem to migrate to, and with reason. The people are generally friendly, there is a uniquely strong sense of community for a major city, and yes, it is a great place for bicycling. There is still a long way to go, but compared to almost anywhere else in the country, people are more aware of cyclists, there are a plethera of paths and bike routes, and quite a few bicycle commuters. There are a lot of great rides within and beyond the city.
As for recommendations for areas, I am very parial to the eastside of the river, but that's just me. Depends on what you are into. Northeast is quickly becoming a great place to live. There are many nice neighborhoods in southeast as well. You can also find some lovely areas up in the west hills.
As for the weather, Spring and summer here are absolutely beautiful, although it does rain a lot in March~May. It actually gets pretty hot from July-September. Fall and winter are very mild.
As for the job market, that's probably the only setback for Oregon right now. We just hired an architect with a masters degree to be a basic drafter. There does seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel, though.

Good luck!

Street Dog - Don't be afraid of moving out here. Like gonesh said there are very few actual native portlanders. Everyone is from elsewhere.

A couple places to visit:
neighborhoods -
*do check out downtown (pearl, old town, NW) - these areas are way overpriced in my opinion and not really for my style of living but for many people the condos and shops are great. much redevelopment is happening there.
* alberta - NE alberta from 7th to 33rd is fast becoming hip. sure you will see boarded up buildings and falling down houses, but this area when I moved there 7 years ago almost had no businesses at all (house prices have skyrocketed incidentally)
* hawthorne - SE hawthorne from downtown to the high 40s is great with a lot of businesses and what not
* north portland - I believe this is one of the last really truly affordable housing areas. Some great houses, plus the new light rail line will be serving this area.
* sub-urbs - yes, portland has a lot of suburbs (we in the inner city seem to forget that since I don't venture out there much). if you are a suburban type person we have 24 cities and vancouver, washington that make up our urban area, so check these places out

WEATHER
Okay, you hear about gray, rainy days here. It is true! It took me a couple years to really adjust to it, but I look forward to it after our dry hot summer. Those couple days when the sun does shine brightly in the winter you will see all the portlanders escape their cages and emerge. Because we don't get many really cold days, our trees lose their leaves in november, and spring starts in february. Seriously!! Grass is green all year around and the lush ferns and moss wouldn't be possible without this weather so I am happy for it (plus it keeps out those Southern Cali types). My hint: stay active!! I bicycle as much as possible and a little more than an hour away are the ski slopes. A few more hours beyond that you can get into eastern oregon (Bend) and see the sunshine.

Oh yeah, also check out the Craigs list ( http://portland.craigslist.org/ ) which carries job announcements and other things.

There are plenty of places to bicycle, so don't worry about that. Though the Wheelmen is a huge group, it has so many rides that most rides are only a dozen or so people I believe.

Okay, enough of me drooling about my fair city. Can you tell that I like it here? :D

If you have any specific questions don't hesitate to contact me.

I lived in the Portland-Vancouver area all through the 80s & found it very liveable. Just a couple negatives nobody mentioned so far. 1. Due to a geographical feature called the Columbia Gorge, there is quite a climate difference between the Eastside & Westside. The Gorge funnels cold wind from East of the mountains so there can be snow, icy roads & even ice storms on the East side while conditions are fairly tolerable on the Westside. As a cyclist, I never got used to the frequent Winter wind. The farther West you go, the less you notice it. 2.When I lived in Portland the North end was very high crime. My son worked there & had several bad experiences especially when he pumped gas at a station on North Killingsworth. Holdups were common! Hopefully things are better now. Don