Mark your calendars for the next City of Portland Employee Bike Bus on Aug. 28! Catch a ride on one of six unique routes. Use the starting location or hop on along the route. All ride leaders will have a bright lime green bandana tied to their handlebars for easy identification. 

This is the fourth employee bike bus this summer. If you haven’t had a chance to ride yet, we hope to see you! Contact Brittany Quale or Kailyn Lamb with questions or reach out to the ride leader of the route closest to you! Find more details, including ride leaders, on our bike bus event page on the PBOT Employees site.   

September is National Preparedness Month and your Public Works Service Area Emergency Managers along with PBEM’s Preparedness Manager will cover the topic of home preparedness.  

The current best practice is to have two weeks’ worth of supplies ready for your household during an emergency. The State of Oregon developed a two-week-ready program. Join Courtney Duke, Senior Emergency Management Planner, to learn more about this program and hear Chris Carey, PBEM’s Preparedness Manager, talk about what an emergency manager has in their emergency plan at home. Click here to join the meeting 

Are you interested in hosting a Lunch and Learn? Contact Kailyn Lamb.  

If you’re anything like me, you were glued to your screen the last couple weeks watching athletes from around the world compete in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Maybe you know the U.S. led in overall medal count, but did you know there’s been an Olympic-worthy contest happening under our very noses? Members from the Traffic Operations team recently concluded the Traflympics, where they competed to see who could complete the most traffic investigations.  

When the public submits safety requests, they often trigger traffic investigations which the team then evaluates. Requests might be to change pavement markings, signing, or parking. After the investigation, the team either submits a work order for Maintenance Operations to make the fix or, if no change is recommended, the team lets the requestor know why they’ve decided against it. 

Competitors were Lise Ferguson, Sarah Carney, Bella Guardia, and Alex Garate. 

And the standings are... 

Bronze: Lise Ferguson, Engineering Trainee/Intern, with 10 traffic investigations 

“It was indeed a tear-jerking ceremony that will have a lifelong emotional impact that I hope we can all recover from eventually,” said Rick Nys.  

No great competition is without controversy. Honorable mention Alex Garate claims he was robbed. No additional public comment was provided by the time this story published.  

Congratulations to all competitors! We love this example of making our everyday work fun. Traffic investigations are an important part of PBOT’s work and help us make timely safety improvements.  

Additionally shout-outs to Marisa Trujillo DeMull and Sarah Carney for creating the medals.  

Wendy Cawley and Director Williams chipped in to provide a prize to the medalists.  

Per PBOT’s Media Policy (2.01), when the media asks you questions (even if it's a simple factual or technical question), you must refer them as soon as possible to PBOT’s Public Information Officer Dylan Rivera or Communications Director Hannah Schafer. PBOT’s Communications team handles all communications with reporters and bloggers, local or national.   

Never talk to a reporter on “background” or “off-the-record.” There is no such thing. Talking with a reporter, even as part of what you consider a casual or friendly conversation, is potentially on the record and fair game. Always contact the Communications team first to help navigate communication with media. If you’re unsure, email the full Comms team at PBOTcommunications@portlandoregon.gov.  

You may also not create new social media channels on behalf of the bureau. This includes YouTube. If you need to host a video or post something on social media, contact PBOT’s Senior Social Media and Internal Communications Coordinator Kailyn Lamb.  

Refresh yourself on PBOT’s full media policy, found here on the PBOT Employees site.

After paving is done, PBOT will restripe the roadway to add wider buffered bike lanes and six new marked crosswalks at Monteith Avenue, Wall Avenue, Macrum Avenue, and Carey Boulevard. This work tees up the forthcoming N Willamette Boulevard Active Transportation Corridor Project, a $6.1 million investment in pedestrian, biking, and transit improvements along the corridor, from Rosa Parks Way to Richmond Avenue.  

As of Sunday, Aug. 4 there will no longer be on-street parking on the repaved section of N Willamette Boulevard. This new road configuration was developed after extensive community input. 

The volunteers were excited we were there to provide these safety items and answer questions. Overall, a huge success. 

Submitted by Maria Hernandez Segoviano 

Miss last week’s Lunch and Learn? As PBOT’s Senior Community Engagement Coordinator, I provided an overview of several new resources and tools for staff, including our new language access tracking form, a form to request sponsorships, as well as a shared spreadsheet to track public events. We also talked about city staff who receive the language pay differential. 

Language Access Tracking Form 

PBOT is required to track language access to comply with federal Civil Rights Title VI law. This means every instance and every type of access—both when staff proactively provide translation and interpretation or when staff do this work in response to community members asking for it.  

Our new Language Access Tracking form helps keep us in compliance as well as understand what kind of language access PBOT provides currently. It was developed with guidance by the Citywide Language Access workgroup and in coordination with our other Public Works bureaus. 

Use this form in real-time for all language access work you do, of all types—verbal and written, with a vendor or without. We will use this data to understand institutional barriers and where there are gaps we need to address as an organization.  

If you’re still planning a project, you can always fill out our Comms Services Request Form and mark “Yes, I will” on the question about whether you’ll be using translation.  

Language access work you should track includes but is not limited to:  

• Using Language Line to communicate with a community member
• Using a vendor to translate written materials or a website
• Arranging for a non-English interpreter or translating materials ahead of time for a public event or community meeting 
• Acting on a community request for interpretation or translation, including in your capacity as someone receiving the language pay differential. 

Language Pay Differential policy 

The city is still refining policy and best practices around those receiving the language pay differential. We’ve highlighted some key passages in the policy you should keep in mind: 

On functioning as a language link:

Qualifying bilingual or multilingual city employees…function as a language link while they assist the community member experiencing institutional language barriers in connecting to a professional language service provider, either in the form of telephonic interpreter, video remote interpreter, or on-site, in-person interpreter. A professional language service provider, such as an interpreter, must be contacted when there could be:

• Safety implications
• Health implications  
• Legal implications
• Financial impacts
• Notices of rights and disciplinary action 

On the rights of community members: 

At any point in the interaction, the community member has the right to request a professional interpreter, or translator, if they are requesting a written translation, at no cost to them, according to their civil rights.

On doing written translation work: 

Qualifying employees are not required to do any written translation work. If employees choose to do any written translation, they should limit these jobs to a short page, sentence, or tagline. Any translation created by an employee must have a quality check by another employee who has passed the language test to ensure accuracy as much as possible. All other translation jobs, especially those with legal implications, must be submitted to translation service. 

Contact Maria Hernandez Segoviano for guidance or to connect with other staff who receive the pay differential. Or visit PBOT’s Language access and translation process page for more information.  

Sponsorship Request form 

Part of my work is coordinating outgoing sponsorships to community-based organizations. We created a Sponsorship Request form to track these requests and review them internally while we improve this process for staff.  

Find the sponsorship request form link and other tools on our Communications resources page, under the public engagement header. 

Public Events tracker 

We currently track all upcoming public events and community meetings using a shared Excel spreadsheet. These are events PBOT staff are planning, participating in, sponsoring, or simply know about given the relationships we’ve built. This is a great way to see when and where our colleagues might be out in the community. Use it as an opportunity to share resources, swag, even talking points. Find the Public Events tracker here. 

PBOT Events Notification calendar 

Any time staff holds a public event, speaks on behalf of PBOT at a public event, provides professional input in a public setting, or represents PBOT at a function where decisions/outcomes may affect PBOT, you must, as staff liaison for that event, add it to the PBOT Public Events Notification calendar in Outlook. This is for both staff awareness and because we highlight upcoming meetings in the weekly Scoop email bulletin every Friday. This is also a helpful heads-up to leadership and the Communications team as well. 

To add an event to this calendar, create it in Outlook and add “PBOT Events Notification Calendar” as an attendee. Include all relevant details, including the address for in-person events and/or log-in instructions for virtual. 

Monthly meetings on public outreach 

I host a monthly meeting that covers the various needs and resources for outreach. Email Maria Hernandez Segoviano to be added to the list. 

More to come 

Additional tools we talked about in last week’s Lunch and Learn still need refinement. This includes trackers for community partnerships as well as for training and professional development. 

Stay tuned for more on these tools and other resources in a future Street Cred.  

Submitted by Gabe Graff 

The first phase of construction of the SW Fourth Avenue Improvement project is well underway!  PBOT's contractor is currently upgrading corner ramps and running new conduit on SW Fourth Avenue between Grant and Mill streets. 

Outreach to businesses 

We know not everybody enjoys roadwork as much as we do. Being near one of our active construction sites can be challenging with noise, detours, and temporary traffic control. PBOT project managers and construction managers do our best to partner with those directly affected by construction. A key piece of this work is ensuring adjacent businesses remain easily accessible.  

This kind of door-to-door engagement during design and construction has been a key part of our work on this project, a busy downtown corridor. You can see the benefits of this engagement firsthand by visiting the block of food carts along the westside of SW Fourth Avenue between College and Hall streets. We established a temporary pedestrian route to ensure all the food carts are accessible during construction. We also coordinated our work with work being done by the owners of the food cart lot to add a sewer connection. Thanks to that coordination, they’ll be able to complete the sewer work before we pave.  

Along that same block, but on the other side of the street, we are also coordinating with the roofing company working on the 1900 Building, ensuring their cranes lifts don’t block access to businesses or building entrances. Orchestrating all this is work, but it means less disruption for Portlanders and a better finished product.  

Support local 

PBOTers can help by supporting locally owned small businesses in the construction area. The project team encourages you to patronize these food carts over the next three weeks, particularly Portland Gyro located on the corner of SW Fourth Avenue and Hall Street or Gyro Place at the corner of College. Both carts have shifted back to allow safe pedestrian access during construction. Consider organizing a lunch meetup with colleagues at the food cart pod and enjoy eating by nearby Lovejoy Fountain.  

Construction Manager Scott Clement and Project Manager Gabe Graff both personally recommend the Lamb Gyro at Gyro Palace. Ask for extra napkins – you’ll want them. 

Submitted by Judge Kemp and Sarah Goforth 

In July, staff from the Transportation Wallet in Parking Districts, reached out to those in the Central Eastside and Northwest parking districts who primarily drive to work. The ask? Seeing if they would be interested in commuting car-free twice by the end of July in exchange for a FREE $20 TriMet Hop card, a $20 BIKETOWN bike-share credit, and a $15 Lime scooter credit.  

Rules were simple: participants had to be commuters who mostly drive, they couldn’t be current Transportation Wallet holders, and they had to answer short questions before and after participating.   

Mainly we wanted to know what drivers liked or didn’t like about their commutes. 

Thirty-one drivers participated. After their car-free commutes, we asked similar questions about what they did and did not enjoy about their commutes, this time about using TriMet, bike-share, and e-scooters. 

Here are some unedited responses of what they did enjoy: 

• I’ve enjoyed feeling healthy, alive, and connected with more of the city. I’ve enjoyed biking smoothly past bumper to bumper traffic. I’ve enjoyed feeling good about the environmental effects of bike commuting, not to mention the personal savings.
• Got to walk more and explore/stumble into different areas I don’t generally spend time.
• Riding bicycle first thing in the morning is a great way to wake up. The ride home is decompression from the workday. And I got to see deer!  

Things people did not enjoy about their car-free commute:  

• How much time they spent waiting for the bus or MAX, and that it took longer than driving using TriMet, especially on the return trip after work.
• The safety concerns regarding other TriMet riders who were “violent/unstable,” “clearly high,” and “had hygiene issues.” 
• One person noted that “BIKETOWN bikes are not well maintained” and the defined service area for both BIKETOWN and Lime scooters “made visiting friends or attending activities out of the core urban center challenging.”   

Here are a few things drivers learned from their car-free commute: 

• I enjoy being in nature, meeting new people, and frequenting new places. I could probably use a car a lot less, overall, with a little planning.
• It's really not that hard actually and you don't have to worry about traffic :) Might be more tough in the winter weather, but I'll give it a shot since it feels nice. 
• I signed up for BIKETOWN and Lime scooters, which I hadn't had before. Even though I didn't use these services to get to work, I'm excited to try out these options.
• TriMet can be convenient, but BIKETOWN needs major improvements. 

We’re looking forward to introducing more drivers to this car-free commute test drive in the future!