TriMet will observe this year’s Transit Driver Appreciation Day on March 18th. For over a decade, the municipal transportation corporation has used this day to invite its users to thank those who keep the system moving. If riding on public transportation this Wednesday, event organizers encourage people to say “thank you,” wave, give a card, or smile at the operator. Riders can sign a banner at one of four transit center locations or post their message of thanks on an online kudoboard.
Image courtesy triMet
TriMet’s role is critical in building housing density and lowering Oregon’s carbon output. Modern Portland multi-family developments often lack onsite parking or offer minimal vehicle storage space. This development model helps maximize the housing units on a property and encourages people to forgo a private vehicle. Instead, city planners who rezone for more density anticipate that residents will use other commuting methods, including public transit. This model should reduce the environmental impact of transportation in Oregon, but it depends on fast and effective alternatives that use less polluting propulsion. TriMet is the largest transportation provider in the region for those without personal vehicles, providing over 56 million rides in the 2025 fiscal year.
Transit drivers are not only responsible for safely moving people throughout the community but also play an impactful role in reducing climate change and mitigating the housing crisis. TriMet drivers always welcome daily appreciation, but March 18th is an appropriate time to communicate your gratitude.
At the beginning of the year, TriMet announced a series of proposed cost-cutting measures planned for August and asked for rider feedback via an online survey. Those early cost-saving adjustments would have eliminated the Line 19 Bus route, among other reductions, and its closure would have ended NE Glisan Street’s century-long run as Montavilla’s transit backbone. The transit provider updates its proposal with a partially restored Line 19 route that will retain most of the existing path from the Gateway Transit Center to Downtown Portland. The TriMet Board of Directors will consider the updated proposals and vote on these changes on April 22nd.
Other potential changes were also refined to lessen reported impact but would similarly reduce functionality for transit users, push more people to existing TriMet lines, or encourage driving to some destinations. TriMet leaders are trying to close a $300 million annual budget gap through a variety of measures. Since first announcing the issue in July 2025, the transit agency says it has reduced spending by about $150 million through cutting expenses, eliminating staff positions, and pausing service expansion efforts. The next round of reductions aims to trim service or remove low-ridership lines where riders have other, sometimes less functional, options. In fiscal year 2025 (July 1st, 2024, through June 30th, 2025), 15,600 riders boarded Line 19 each week. Of those weekly transit users, 7,617 started their trip between I-205 and stops at Southwest Lincoln Street and 4th Avenue in Downtown Portland. Losing that route alarmed some riders, who were vocal in their opposition to the change.
TriMet graphic from March 2026 showing current and proposed cuts to the MAX Green Line and Line 19 bus route among others
The updated plans for the NE Glisan Street bus would maintain Line 19 along the busy commercial street where it serves several high-traffic destinations, including Providence Portland Medical Center. Downtown, the updated route would connect with the Line 58 path, creating a direct transit link between the Beaverton and Gateway transit centers. The line’s name would change to “19-Glisan/Canyon Rd” to reflect the updated path west of Downtown Portland. Lines 4 and 10 buses would cover some of the southeast leg of the route currently served by Line 19.
TriMet graphic from January 2026 showing current and proposed cuts to the MAX Green Line and Line 19 bus route among others
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On Wednesday night, February 25th, community members and City representatives gathered in the cafeteria at Atkinson Elementary School for District 3’s local transportation funding open house. This is one in a series of four in-person events led by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to help inform the Portland City Council, which will consider new ways to fund the maintenance and operation of Portland’s streets. Mayor Keith Wilson spoke at the event, summarizing some of the alternative funding options under consideration. People interested in learning more and contributing their perspective can visit the online open houseand take a post-open house survey.
The two-hour event at 5800 SE Division Street saw visitors drop in between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. as they moved through a self-guided arrangement of poster boards, with City staff available to ask questions and take notes. Portland transportation leaders have spent years warning the community and elected officials that its funding is overburdened by project-based restrictions, preventing 70% of PBOT’s budget from reducing a $6 billion maintenance backlog that impacts road conditions, sidewalks, bridges, signs, lights, and other infrastructure. Much of the funding sourced from Federal and Oregon State sources is for specific projects, such as new crossings or other safety infrastructure, and cannot directly fill potholes or repave roads. Even if a one-time grant were sourced to repair all of Portland’s transportation infrastructure to a “fair” condition, without an updated maintenance revenue source, PBOT assets would decline over the following decades, and a new generation of Portlanders would face the same systemic problem with infrastructure upkeep. In Wilson’s remarks, he painted a troubling picture of Portland’s $85 billion in street assets. “65% of our roads are in a state of not good repair. Most of the nation is above 50%, we are at 35% [for fair condition roads]. So we’re in trouble.”
Mayor Keith Wilson speaking to attendee at the February 25th transportation funding open house
The primary reason for the funding shortfall is inflation, with the presentation material noting that the costs of transportation, construction labor, and materials have increased rapidly while general funding sources have not kept pace. The mayor also pointed to the inequity and ineffective nature of a fixed gas tax that federal legislators have not increased since 1993. “I think we all know that fossil fuels and liquid fuels are going out of style. I drive an electric vehicle myself, and I don’t pay gas taxes. So when we think about paying our fair share, we have to think about the new generation, the new century, and not look to the last century for a failed taxing policy,” said Wilson. He explained the City is looking at “dozens of different options from around the country and the State” to evaluate for Portland transportation funding.
In the open house materials, PBOT has surfaced several proposals that may lay the groundwork for future street funding. Visitors read information about a possible “Street Damage Restoration Fee” that would be charged to utility companies, contractors, or other entities that excavate or trench in the public right-of-way, damaging streets and sidewalks. These crews, including other Portland bureaus, must repair the damage. However, that work often fails to adequately restore the full integrity of a street or sidewalk, and those assets can fail prematurely, a decade or decades earlier than expected.
Presentations also asked attendees to consider a “Transportation Utility Fee” as a funding source, as 31 other Oregon cities have implemented. It could be a monthly fee added to existing public utility bills, which residents and businesses pay. That money collected would support basic road maintenance, such as fixing potholes, and requested safety improvements. A “Retail Delivery Fee” concept would require major retailers to pay a fee for packages delivered to customers through the city’s transportation network. This would come from companies like Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, Target, and eBay. Colorado and Minnesota have programs like this, but Portland could be the first city to enact this if the City Council adopts this idea. This approach could cover prepared-food transportation in addition to, or in place of, packages with a “Third-Party Food Delivery Fee” similarly proposed.
Asset graphic courtesy PBOT
The open house materials also stressed accountability through audits and transparency. Mayor Wilson’s remarks also centered on shifting taxes rather than simply layering new revenue sources on residents. “The one that we’re gonna be talking about is the transportation utility fee that is going to be a replacement for a gas tax… It’s a real fair way that all houses and/or businesses will pay a portion. My promise to you is if council passes this, I will work to phase out your gas tax for fixing our streets because it’s just not fair, and we have to start rethinking how we’re gonna move our city forward.
PBOT encourages people to visit portland.gov/pbotfunding for more information and share feedback by noon on Wednesday, March 4th, 2026. After that date, extending into May, Portland City Council members will deliberate on the presented materials and community feedback.
Correction: Updated a percentage in Mayor Wilson’s quote clarifying a statement that most cities in the nation have more than 50% of streets in “fair” or “good” condition and Portland is at 35%.
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On Friday, February 13th, TriMet leadership instructed the 82nd Avenue Transit Project designers to work toward creating 7 miles of Business Access and Transit (BAT) lanes along most of Portland’s portion of 82nd Avenue. The transformative project would convert the 72 bus line into a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system under TriMet’s FX (Frequent Express) moniker, with high-capacity vehicles, modern stations, traffic signal priority, and, now, transit priority on the outer lanes of 82nd Avenue. This updated project scope will increase the current project’s proposed $350 million budget by at least $8 million, and the project partners are depending on yet-unawarded $150 million in federal funding.
TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. made the directive to advance the incorporation of significant BAT lane allocation in the design at the project’s Policy & Budget Committee meeting. This follows months of public dispute over restricting a lane of automotive travel in each direction on a busy north/south connector road that was formerly a state highway until transferring to Portland’s ownership in 2022. BAT lanes serve two primary functions in a transportation network. They are focused on providing local access for vehicles on congested streets and on providing transit systems with a less encumbered lane to move more reliably between stops. Advocates for the design note that driving to a business’s parking lot entrance on a busy road requires a visitor to wait in rush-hour congestion even if they turn onto the street a block away. In those conditions, it can also take a significant time for a motorist leaving a driveway to exit and merge into traffic. BAT lanes can help address those situations by requiring all outer-lane travelers in private vehicles to turn right within a block. Supporters also tout the BAT lanes used by emergency vehicles, which can speed through congestion when time matters.
BAT lanes are strongly supported by surveyed residents who favor a faster, more effective BRT system on 82nd Avenue. People who spoke in support at the 82nd Avenue Transit Project Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meetings also appreciated the anticipated reduced speed of BAT lanes on the curb adjacent portion of the road. 82nd Avenue once had parking along its outer edges that later became travel lanes, leaving pedestrians and fast-moving vehicles inches apart. However, many businesses are concerned about the economic impact of a sudden change in vehicle throughput. Although 82nd Avenue is not at capacity at all times of day, it does often become congested, and transportation models indicate that introducing this level of BAT lanes will divert 20 to 25 percent of traffic to other routes during peak times. Local businesses that started their ventures on a state highway years ago worry that this change will force them to relocate or close as their customers take a different route to avoid heightened congestion. People advocating for 82nd Avenue to transform into a more pedestrian-forward design say that new shoppers will come by foot and by bus, but that mode shift can take years, and many of the small businesses that have made up 82nd Avenue’s culture say they cannot survive the transition timeline, which is far from certain.
Feb 13 Business Access and Transit (BAT) lanes graphic courtesy TriMet with MV News directional notation
The TriMet adopted design for BAT lanes closely represents the community-supported design, and the project 82nd Avenue Transit Project CAC endorsed design, referred to as the “More BAT Lanes” option, with one notable exception. The nearly seven miles of transit-priority updates will stop before and resume after SE Powell Boulevard. During the January 28th CAC meeting, presenters explained that because that cross street is still a state highway, the Oregon Department of Transportation would require significant improvements at that intersection and on SE 92nd Avenue to accommodate the agency’s design standards for vehicle throughput. They explained that it would dramatically increase project costs or significantly delay the design process, seeking exemptions.
The project is targeting a 72 FX Line opening in 2029 and still has many milestones to meet before construction can begin. Planners need to find additional funds for the BAT lane portion of the project and secure federal funding in a challenging time for states seeking support from national leaders. TriMet says the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) gave the project a Medium-High rating, a strong indicator that it could receive those funds. Proponents of the BRT investment point to this corridor as an essential focus for efforts. TriMet’s Line 72 bus provides nearly 66,000 rides each week and is the busiest bus line in TriMet’s system. It also represents the highest-ridership bus line in all of Oregon, making it an ideal candidate for upsizing to strengthen the network’s backbone. Many riders use this route along 82nd Avenue to the Clackamas Town Center to connect with other lines. Transit designers say reliable and timely performance is essential to improving the network and reducing future congestion by getting more people out of personal vehicles for daily commutes. People can provide comments and learn more at the project website (trimet.org/82nd/).
Disclosure: The author of this article previously served on the 82nd Avenue Transit Project Community Advisory Committee (CAC).
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TriMet will honor Rosa Parks with free rides for all passengers this Wednesday, February 4th. Transit operators will suspend fare collection on that day until 2 a.m. February 5th. Portland Streetcar and C-TRAN operators will also offer rides without cost in observation of the civil rights icon’s 113th birthday. Riders who tap a Hop card or ticket will receive confirmation of valid fare, but the automated systems won’t charge them, and ticket machines will not allow any ticket purchases on February 4th.
In 2020, TriMet’s District 5 Director Keith Edwards proposed the resolution declaring Parks’ birthday as a day of remembrance across the public transportation system. That year, TriMet adopted the fare holiday across the 533-square-mile service district to recognize Parks’ contribution to the Civil Rights Movement. 2026 is the sixth straight year TriMet has commemorated the bravery of Parks, whose name is most notably associated with the struggle to bring equity to public transportation as part of a wider racial equality movement.
Graphic courtesy TriMet
On December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks challenged Montgomery, Alabama’s segregationist city ordinance that required black Americans to give up seats in the “Colored” section of the bus for white riders when the reserved white section ran out of seats. Parks’ refusal of the bus driver’s commands to give up her seat resulted in her arrest. Her act of civil disobedience led to the year-long Montgomery bus boycott and a significant court decision that found bus segregation unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Parks suffered years of harassment for her role as a public face of the Civil Rights movement. Still, history has quickly recognized her contributions to equality through that 1955 peaceful act of defiance, and her later work, which has had a lasting impact on America’s ongoing effort to repair its racial inequities.
Recently, TriMet announced a series of proposed cost-cutting measures planned for this August. Elimination of the Line 19 Bus route is among the possible reductions, and its closure would end NE Glisan Street’s century-long run as Montavilla’s transit backbone. Other potential changes would similarly reduce functionality for transit users, push more people to existing TriMet lines, or encourage driving to a destination. People have until January 31st to contribute their perspective on these updates via an online survey.
TriMet leaders are trying to close a $300 million annual budget gap through a variety of measures. Since first announcing the issue in July 2025, the transit agency says it has reduced spending by about $150 million through cutting expenses, eliminating staff positions, and pausing service expansion efforts. The next round of reductions aims to trim service or remove low-ridership lines where riders have other, sometimes less functional, options. In fiscal year 2025 (July 1st, 2024, through June 30th, 2025), 15,600 riders boarded Line 19 each week. Of those weekly transit users, 7,617 started their trip between I-205 and stops at Southwest Lincoln Street and 4th Avenue in Downtown Portland.
TriMet graphic showing current and proposed cuts to the MAX Green Line and Line 19 bus route among others
For people accustomed to boarding a bus on NE Glisan, TriMet recommends the Line 20 bus on East Burnside Street, with the MAX Blue or Red lines also offering options for those close to stations. The Line 20 already sees almost double the ridership of the Line 19, with 59,618 weekly boardings in fiscal year 2025. However, for some riders, walking an extra 1,200 feet between NE Glisan Street and East Burnside is a significant burden. It also ends the historic role transit played in forming Montavilla and the commercial corridor along NE Glisan Street.
These details of the 1889 Hart-Royal Company broadside for Mount Tabor Villa Addition show an extension of the Morrison Street Bridge Motor Line going through the subdivision (the red rectangle on the right). Courtesy of the Oregon Historical Society
Starting in 1889, Montavilla developers sold parcels to residents based on future transit service along NE Glisan Street—originally named Villa Avenue—in advertising for the Addition. By 1892, the operators of the City and Suburban Railway extended their East Ankeny line to Montavilla on Glisan up to 82nd Avenue, but without the full loop around Mt. Tabor. In 1948, streetcar service in Montavilla ceased, with buses replacing trolleys. That era of transit service to the neighborhood helped businesses flourish and shaped the community around that corridor.
In addition to the potential elimination of Line 19, East Portland transit users could see the Green MAX light rail line shortened to only run between the Clackamas Town Center station and the Gateway Transit Center, prompting riders to transfer to other lines to continue downtown. TriMet’s highest ridership bus, Line 72, would retain current service levels on 82nd Avenue but reduce evening service between Cully Boulevard and Swan Island to every 30 minutes after 8 p.m. and once an hour after 10 p.m. The Line 20 could terminate at the Sunset Transit Center instead of continuing to the Beaverton Transit Center, and Line 77 buses may have route adjustments west of NE 9th Avenue. All riders should review the trimet.org/servicecuts site for details that may impact their future commute.
TriMet encourages transit commuters and occasional riders to complete the online survey by January 31st so its planners can make modifications before this summer’s planned cutbacks. Business owners whose employees and customers depend on TriMet service may also want to contribute their perspective in the survey, as transit service has historically improved business district prosperity. People concerned about these reductions in service can also reach out to their state representatives to ask for more public transit funding, particularly in light of Oregon Governor Tina Kotek’s call for lawmakers to scrap the newly passed transportation bill, which is facing implementation delays due to opposition efforts. Additional State funding for transit districts from a replacement Transportation Act could soften TriMet cuts as it attempts to balance its budget.
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As part of the 82nd Avenue Transit Project currently under development, Oregon Metro and TriMet have launched a survey to gauge the impact of station construction on recreational and historic areas along the planned Bus Rapid Transit route. Provided details and several questions focus on work to convert the existing bus stop in front of the Montavilla Community Center, at 8219 NE Glisan Street, into an FX–Frequent Express station. Additional improvements impacting the recreational center include widening the connecting sidewalk along Montavilla Park’s NE 82nd Avenue frontage.
Transit line improvements will provide faster bus service along 82nd Avenue from the Cully neighborhood to Clackamas Town Center through a partnership between TriMet, the Portland Bureau of Transportation, the Oregon Department of Transportation, and Metro. The project offers several components that will impact 72 bus riders and street users along the route. Draft plans will transform some sections of the pedestrian zone near stations by improving sidewalks where they connect to new boarding platforms, offering covered seating, lighting, trash cans, and digital signage similar to some FX2 stops on SE Division Street.
Expanding the sidewalk width along Montavilla Park’s western edge and creating the FX station would push the property line eastward towards a row of mature trees, making 1,300 square feet of parkland public right-of-way. Construction crews would stage materiel along the worksite using 1.37% of the adjacent park property for temporary access. TriMet expects construction work to begin in 2027 and last around two months. Visitors will retain access to the park and community center throughout the project.
Montavilla Park site diagram courtesy TriMet and Metro
Transit planners have asked community members to complete several surveys meant to guide the 82nd Avenue Transit Project. However, this outreach is designed to share specific information about park, recreational, and historic resources in the project corridor that pertain to federal regulations governing the transit planning process. Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act prevents harm to publicly owned parks, recreation areas, and historic sites that are along this transportation project’s path. The survey documents explain that “transportation agencies must show there is no feasible and prudent alternative and that all possible measures are taken to minimize harm.”
The other federal regulation under consideration is Section 106, which requires federal agencies to consider a project’s impact on historic properties. The Milepost 5 Apartments—originally the German Baptist Old People’s Home—at 823 NE 82nd Avenue is on the National Register of Historic Places (NHRP), and designs will need to minimize impact to that site. TriMet plans to remove the bus stop and shelter in front of that property and build a new FX station 300 feet north on the same block. Historians and archaeologists will evaluate the history, setting, and characteristics of older buildings and sites to determine whether any other resources in the project area are eligible for listing on the NHRP.
National Register of Historic Places registered German Baptist Old People’s Home at 823 NE 82nd Avenue (now Milepost 5 Apartments)
Survey questions allow community guidance on preservation considerations and gather comments on plans that could impact recreational spaces along 82nd Avenue, which may be affected by the transit development. The survey is available until January 18th, 2026.
Disclosure: The author of this article previously served on the 82nd Avenue Transit Project Community Advisory Committee (CAC).
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Q – Was cycling popular in Montavilla’s early years?
A –Soon after the invention of the modern two-wheeler, the bicycle craze swept the country. It reached its peak in the 1890s and early 20th century. In Montavilla, there were not only local bicyclists but also Portlanders who liked to head for the countryside in east Multnomah County. A popular bicycle route, the Base Line Cycle Path, went right through Montavilla on what is now Stark Street.
One sign of cycling’s rising popularity is the increase in bicycle sales in Portland. They grew from 2,000 in 1897 to between 14,000 and 18,000 in 1899. There was also an increase in Portland bicycle dealers: from 11 in 1895 to a high of 24 in 1899, then dwindling to 12 in 1905.
What accounts for the bicycle’s popularity? Partly, it was the thrill of riding fast and far wherever you wanted to go—at least, compared to walking. But, also, the availability of the new Safety bicycle and lower prices made bicycling less dangerous and more affordable. A new Vanguard, for instance, cost $85.00 in 1896, but by 1898, you could get a mail-order Acme for $39.50. This was still a high price for the average worker making less than $800 a year, with women, minorities, and laborers earning even less.
Portland cyclists liked to make excursions to the countryside for the fresh air, exercise, and scenery. But most roads were poorly maintained. They were also crowded with horse-drawn vehicles, whose drivers did not yield kindly to cyclists.
To solve this problem, bicycle organizations—particularly the United Wheelmen’s Association—advocated the creation of cycle paths along existing roads, like those already found in other U.S. cities. But who would pay for them? The answer was a road-poll tax on bicyclists who would use the paths. The United Wheeling Association issued tags to all its dues-paying members—1 dollar for men and 50 cents for women and minors—to help pay for bicycle paths. Then, in 1901, the Oregon legislature passed a bill requiring all those who used bicycles to pay an annual tax of $1.
The United Wheeling Association’s 1898 bicycle tag. Source: The Oregonian, August 19, 1898, page 10
One of these paths headed east from Portland and passed through Montavilla’s main commercial street on Base Line Road (now Stark Street). Multnomah County constructed four-foot-wide paths on either side of the road. By March 1900, they were completed from the Morrison Bridge to Montavilla. Later, they extended as far as Gresham.
An Oregonian reporter offered a preview of this new bicycle route in the newspaper’s March 26, 1900 edition:
“As the road is as level as any around Portland, and runs through a beautiful country, the route will no doubt be a favorite one. There is, to be sure, a stiff climb up the Mount Tabor hill, but there are no urgent reasons why the rider who is not inclined to exertion cannot get off and walk, and the view as the road swings around the north side of Mount Tabor is worth twice the climb. A dozen of the sinuous branches of Columbia Slough may be seen shining in the distance, the Peninsula country is spread before the rider, and closer at hand the cottages of Montavilla form a little city of themselves.”
The article was accompanied by a map showing the routes to the bicycle paths east of the Willamette River.
“Routes to Bicycle Paths,” Morning Oregonian, March 26, 1900. North points right. The Stark St./Base Line route is the vertical line below the “R” in River at the top of the map. Source: Historic Oregon Newspapers
The Morning Oregonian of October 16, 1900, called the Base Line Road cycle path “the most popular and attractive drive out of Portland.” But what did Montavillans think of the throngs of weekend bikers whisking through their community? What did they make of those athletic wheelwomen—some undoubtedly wearing the new, shockingly “masculine” attire: bloomers, knickerbockers, and divided skirts?
A woman wearing knickerbockers on a lady’s bike. Such “masculine garb” marked the beginning of more functional clothing for women. Source: Maria E. Ward, Bicycling for Ladies, N. Y., Brentano’s, 1896 (Google book)
Whatever they thought of the bicyclists and the new, controversial clothing, some were definitely worried about the dangers of bicycle traffic. In 1901, 80 residents signed a petition complaining about frequent accidents involving children. The County Court sided with the petitioners and ordered bicyclists to use the middle of Base Line—rather than pathways—for three blocks in Montavilla.
Business owners who offered food and drink no doubt welcomed the weekend bicycle traffic. An article on the bicycle trend in The Oregonian of September 17, 1899, mentions farmhouses and booths along the Base Line Road bicycle route offering lunch and refreshments for bicyclists. In Montavilla, they could stop for sweet treats at Mrs. Winnie Burdett’s confectionery shop—located about where the Academy Theater is today. Or they might enjoy libations at William Grimes’ roadhouse or Captain Schneider’s beer garden, both at the corner of Base Line and 80th.
Grimes’ 5 Mile Road House at Baseline (Stark) and 80th Avenue. Photo courtesy of Bud Holland Collection
This boost to Montavilla businesses was short-lived. As the bicycle fad faded, fewer paid the bicycle license tax, so path maintenance began to slip. Still, in 1903, the Base Line path was one of the most used, even though it had not been repaired for a year. By 1906, Portland’s cycle paths were generally disappearing. The Base Line Road path continued a little longer, but it is not mentioned in newspaper accounts after 1908.
Many Montavillans may have been happy to see the weekend bicyclists go, but soon new and faster vehicles—motorcycles and automobiles—appeared. An item in the local Beaver State Herald on February 27, 1913, described bicycle riding as a little better than walking and as requiring too much human energy. The motorcycle, on the other hand, needed only a little gasoline and some oil for the joints. “All you do is hold the reigns [sic] and do a little steering, no work, no danger of exhaustion, just like sailing.”
And then there was the automobile. In October 1902, a car traveling 35 miles per hour in Montavilla prompted locals to ask the Oregon legislature to impose speed limits on county roads. The world was changing from slow to high-speed propulsion.
Sunday Oregonian, September 16, 1906 Source: Historic Oregon Newspapers
Title Image: “Cycle touring,” Harper’s Weekly, April 11, 1896 (artist, A. B. Frost): Source: Library of Congress LC-USZ62-108253
By
Patricia Sanders
This is part of Montavilla History Questions Answered, a series of history related articles. If you have questions about Montavilla’s past that you’d like answered, local historian Patricia Sanders will investigate your question. Please email your questions to history@montavilla.net and we may feature it alongside Patricia Sanders’ research in a future.
On November 6th, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) opened its fourth round of the Community Charging Rebates (CCR) program, which subsidizes the cost of installing electric vehicle (EV) chargers for businesses, nonprofits, public entities, Tribes, EV service providers, and owners of multifamily home complexes. Large sections of Montavilla and East Portland reside within the project’s “Priority” area, and organizations that add to the charger network could receive $8,000 per Level 2 charge port installed or up to 80% of eligible expenses.
EV Chargers in the Portland Community College Southeast Campus parking lot
Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality won a $197 million federal grant for its “Climate Equity and Resilience Through Action” program in 2024. From those funds, ODOT will disperse $10 million to support the installation of Level 2 vehicle chargers in priority communities by providing rebates to eligible public and private entities. Past versions of the charger program, launched in 2023, used state funds. Officials plan to fund future rounds of the program with combined state and federal money.
EV Chargers in the Glisan Landing parking garage
The program aims to fill gaps in Oregon’s EV charging infrastructure by reducing the cost of installing charging stations in multifamily housing, public parking areas, and workplaces. People interested in the current funding round have until March 31st, 2026, to participate. However, the program reimburses eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. Eligible projects can start the application process before they complete charging-station construction, as long as the unit is operational within 300 days. Otherwise, they could wait until work is complete and apply for a rebate within 90 days of installing an EV charging station.
ODOT Community Charging Rebates Program priority map showing Montavilla
Interested groups can visit ODOT’s Community Charging Rebates Program webpage or reach out to a Portland nonprofit partner, Forth, which is working with the Oregon transportation agency to provide technical assistance and support for applicants interested in installing EV charging on their property. Representatives from Forth are reachable at ODOTchargingrebates@forthmobility.org or (503) 724-8670. Residents in multifamily housing located within the priority area may want to contact building management to see if this program would incentivise building ownership to add a charger, and business owners with parking could also look into the feasibility of supporting EV charging for guests, as many area grocery stores have started offering in recent years.
Promotion: Montavilla News is supported by contributions from businesses like Otter Wax, a neighborhood producer of small-batch specialty goods handcrafted in Portland. Using only natural ingredients, they make modern care products that are steeped in tradition. We thank them for their support.
Crews recently replaced the speed and red-light enforcement cameras on 82nd Avenue after Portland City officials switched vendors this summer. The pole-mounted equipment appears inactive, with the Tuffak polycarbonate lens covers still donning its logoed protective film. However, drivers can anticipate the system’s activation, with a period of warning letters issued before the City switches to issuing citations for excessive speeds or failing to stop for a red traffic signal.
Nov 18, 2025, equipment installation on NE 82nd Ave facing E Burnside St(Weston Ruter)
Around the beginning of August 2025, crews working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) removed the newer intersection safety camera systems the City of Portland installed along 82nd Avenue the previous year. In summer 2024, crews installed new cameras along 82nd Avenue and in other areas of the City to deter speeding and running red lights in crash-prone areas. The camera system installed at 82nd Avenue at E Burnside Street monitored an intersection where a speeding vehicle killed an area resident in October 2023. Cameras at NE 82nd Avenue and Glisan Street monitored multiple directions of traffic where a driver hit and killed a wheelchair user in April 2023. The equipment removal was not an effort to reduce automated enforcement but instead supported a citywide effort to replace camera equipment with newer systems developed by NovoaGlobal, making that company the sole supplier and operator of the City’s speed and intersection safety camera program.
Left image shows original equipment on NE 82nd Ave near E Burnside St and then post removal condition (Jacob Loeb)
The City had 32 camera positions before the vendor switch, and the Portland Police Bureau operates two mobile Traffic Division speed enforcement vans that the City will also upgrade with NovoaGlobal equipment. For some City leaders, that is too few to reduce risky driving behavior adequately, and they advocate expanding the program. This summer, Portland City Councilor Steve Novick said in a KOIN News interview that he is interested in emulating other jurisdictions with fewer traffic fatalities per capita that have substantially more cameras in use. However, some residents oppose the automated cameras used in issuing citations. Objections voiced include concerns about excessive government surveillance, fining drivers instead of building infrastructure that encourages safety, and the inequitable distribution of cameras across the City that could penalize poorer communities.
NovoaGlobal equipment on NE 82nd Ave facing E Burnside St (Jacob Loeb)
PBOT notes that incidents involving speeds above posted limits are a top contributing factor to deadly crashes across the Portland region. Additionally, ignoring traffic signals causes a significant number of crashes. Some street safety advocates in favor of citation-based deterrents stress the importance of changing harmful road behavior through a variety of methods, including fines. Camera citations are not the only solution needed for safer streets. However, a majority of surveyed Portland residents support the expanded use of traffic cameras.
NovoaGlobal equipment on NE 82nd Ave facing NE Glisan St (Jacob Loeb)
Opponents of automated camera-based systems worry about privacy implications that could track drivers across Portland and the danger that city budgets will become dependent on fines, favoring revenue growth over correcting harmful behavior. Rules on camera placement and revenue use can limit the potential for misuse. PBOT’s website indicates that the program will only retain video footage not used in a citation for 30 days. Additionally, State law requires municipalities to spend the money collected from speeding tickets to cover the program’s costs or to pay for safety improvements and programs on the High Crash Network.
Drivers in Portland can expect to see up to 35 cameras operational by the end of 2025 if installation crews keep to schedule. Motorists should anticipate system activation at any time and travel cautiously.
by
Jacob Loeb
Correction: Updated to indicate Intersection safety cameras issue citations for speeding and red light running and removed yellow light running. PBOT notes that going through a yellow light in Oregon is a violation if you are able to stop prior to entering the intersection.
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