Daily commuter and reader but new to the forum.
Employees of a night club have started parking in the bike lane on W Burnside between 2nd and 3rd. I noticed cars there starting last week. I spoke to a member of security as I rode by this evening and he said that’s just where they park their cars starting at 8pm into the night (this was a 6:30pm, so that already didn’t make sense).
I’ve been riding this street a couple of nights a week for a few years and it is the first I’ve noticed it.
Does anyone know if this is an agreement with the city, like the lane by the Saturday market, or if this is something I can report (and if so where)
I’m pretty sure this blockage has been regular and ongoing for a while. I’m also pretty sure that they do not have an agreement or permission from the city to block the bike lane in that location.
I first noticed that cars were parked there in the evening at least eight months ago. I happened to cross paths with some patrol officers who were buying food in a restaurant shortly thereafter. I asked them to do something about the vehicles parked in the bike lane.
Their blase, unconcerned response was emblematic of the general attitude of cops that I’ve encountered in Portland. They said they might go over and check it out, but the gave me the impression that they had no intention of taking any action to try to get the cars to move or to issue a citation.
Pester the people at Temporary Street Use Program Temporary Street Use Permitting (TSUP) | Portland.gov
You could contact them at CPAC@portlandoregon.gov by email as well. Inquire whether they’ve granted street use permit for specific purpose at specific location; then depending on answer, or the lack of answer, follow through with the 823-SAFE contact someone else shared with you about illegal bike lane blockage. Document the vehicle, license plate number, description of people involved, the address associated with the violative conduct and the business name of the tenant of the address.
St. André Bessette Catholic Church has been known to illegally claim turf on the street on the north side of Burnside between Broadway and 6th Ave with cones and Dante’s does the same thing from time to time on south side of Burside between 3rd and 4th Aves. Both of these entities do so illegally without permit from CPAC/TSUP. PDX PBOT is a corrupt bureau and they often turn a blind eye on these violations; and skirts inquiries by ignoring them.
It is lead by Hardesty; and it was lead by Eudaly, so go figure.
@lindabikes If you’ve spoken to someone from security, then surely, you know which business it is. Why did you not identify the night club by name? I am wondering if it is the Dante’s. They have a pattern of carving out turf on parking spaces on Burnside in front of the club at night as if those public-right-of-way spaces are their private property, illegally shutting out public use and appropriating it as their own VIP parking.
The White Stag building has permission from the city to close the sidewalk on Burnside for maintenance but that’s on the north side between 1st/Naito. There is no usage that I’m aware of at all for bike lane closure for any purpose on W Burnside between the river and SW/NW 4th.
Call parking enforcement; or wait until 11:15PM and call police non-emergency and specifically relay that PBOT enforcement line says to call the police non-emergency after hours (which is true). To avoid preferential non-enforcement, simply state there’s an unoccupied vehicle that’s been in the bike lane without hazards on and doesn’t appear to be in the process of making deliveries.
It’s just they typical mayhem of a city that rarely enforces its laws. People of Portland have noticed this and realize that consequences will be slow to come and typically inconsequential. If you don’t get a response from PBOT you can try to call the mayor’s office at 503-823-4120. Leave a message. They may get back to you. (PBOT is still led by Hardesty and her focus has been on misguided racial and social justice instead of making PBOT a functional bureau……so it’s hard to get them to respond to any type of enforcement request.)
