Want to Share That Ride? Not So Fast, City Says
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______CAPTION ______FOLIO ________JUMP WORD ________JUMP PAGE NO. ________STORY ENDS RAMS REDUX State champ Central Catholic reloads — SEE SPORTS, B10 PortlandTHURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2014 • TWICE CHOSEN THE NATION’S BEST NONDAILY PAPERTribune • PORTLANDTRIBUNE.COM • PUBLISHED TUESDAY AND THURSDAY Fewer blacks own keys to a home If they buy at all, African-Americans Eric Hansen drives around look outside city core downtown Vancouver, Wash., on a By STEVE LAW The Tribune Friday afternoon to demonstrate Portland is continuing the ex perience to lose African-American he provides to homeowners, despite a riders as an recovery in the city’s Meet Eric, UberX driver. housing market. TRIBUNE PHOTO: The latest U.S. Census data JAIME VALDEZ show only 29.5 percent of black households in Portland your owned their homes in 2012, down from 32.4 percent in 2010 and 38.2 percent in 2000. Col- lectively, blacks owned 4,199 UberX homes in Portland in 2012, down from 4,626 in 2010 and 5,044 in 2000. What’s more, fewer blacks driver are even seeking mortgages. Only 95 African-American couples or families applied for Many workers praise home-purchase mortgages in program, say it paves all of Multnomah County in Want to share that ride? 2012, a paltry 1.5 percent of way to earn money the total, according to federal data. Six years earlier, before By STEFANIE DONAHUE the housing bubble popped, The Tribune Not so fast, city says 575 black families or individu- als applied for home-purchase Fifty-eight-year-old UberX loans in the county. driver Eric Hansen pulled up The loss of hundreds of on Eighth Street in downtown ■ Offi cials want more time to consider black homeowners means Vancouver, Wash., last week. Portland is reducing its al- He said hello with a grin and allowing mobile apps linking riders, drivers ready small base of middle- swiftly clicked opened the class African-Americans. It’s trunk of his 2007 Toyota Rav4 also a sign that remaining to expose a full cooler of bot- By STEFANIE DONAHUE drum up public support here. A smartphone African-American families tled ice water and coffee. The Tribune Already the Uber Portland Twit- screen shot are losing a time-tested way to It is a service he provides all of ter account has more than 1,600 stabilize their fi nances while shows his customers, he says, “because Mobile ride-hailing applica- followers — and people are building assets for retirement information it usually starts everything out tions such as Uber, Lyft and talking. Just look up the or economic and social ad- about an UberX with a smile.” Sidecar are getting rave hashtag # wewantuberpdx or vancement, says Tom Cusack, Hansen was introduced to Uber reviews from users in cities # pdxneedsuber. ride through a retired federal housing offi - just fi ve weeks ago and started across the globe. But for city offi cials, it is not parts of cial who publishes The Ore- operating as an UberX driver in But Uber drivers are not navi- as easy as hitting “follow” to Vancouver, gon Housing Blog. Vancouver on its fi rst day in early gating the streets of Portland voice their approval. including the “What are you going to do July. Since then, he has provided just yet. With just 460 taxicabs legally driver’s photo to accumulate wealth?” Cu- about 150 rides, signed up 30 driv- Portland is the largest U.S. permitted by the city to provide and type of sack wonders. “You’re not go- city without the service, de- vehicle. ing to get rich or pass along See DRIVE / Page 2 spite the company’s efforts to See UBER / Page 2 TRIBUNE PHOTO: STEFANIE DONAHUE See HOMES / Page 11 City aims to calm traffi c on busy bike corridor will expand to more than and he appreciates the effort. But North Williams twice its current width. on his daily commute to his shop changes call for one The incredibly complicated and back home to North Port- plan involves dozens of other land, Sutfin avoids the very car lane, bikes on left modifi cations, including moving street that has brought so much the bike lane from the right side business to his door. By PETER KORN of Williams to the left and adding “Williams is a very uncomfort- The Tribune traffi c signals and turning lanes able road,” Sutfi n says. Drivers for cars. who park cars poorly leave the Portland transportation of- Abraham Sutfin is taking a front or back ends of their cars fi cials unveiled last week their wait-and-see approach. Sutfin jutting out into the bike lane, he plans for traffi c and bike opened his Abraham Fixes Bikes says. The occasional car door changes on North Williams shop at ground zero of the North opening into the bike lane is an- Avenue. Two lanes of vehicle Williams biking scene, at the cor- other danger. The fi ve-foot-wide traffi c will become one in ner of Williams and Fremont bike lane gets so crowded during what has become the city’s Street, four years ago. His busi- rush hour that fast bike riders primary north/south biking ness has grown steadily each are frequently in conflict with corridor, and the bike lane year and he hasn’t even needed slower riders. to advertise. About 4,000 bike rid- The planned changes on ers pass by his shop every day on North Williams might reduce the Williams — up from 3,000 when problems that have led Sutfi n to he started. use a mix of neighborhood Sutfi n recognizes the resourc- streets on his daily ride. He’ll TRIBUNE PHOTO: JAIME VALDEZ es the city is putting into making Buses moving over to the right create confl icts with the thousands of daily riders in North Williams Avenue’s biking safer on North Williams See BIKES / Page 5 bike lane. A new street plan will move the bike lane to the left of traffi c. “Pamplin Media Group’s pledge is to Portland Tribune MAX’S ART POPS deliver balanced news that refl ects the stories of our communities. Thank you IN ROSE CITY for reading our newspapers.” Inside — SEE LIFE, PAGE B1 — DR. ROBERT B. PAMPLIN JR. OWNER & NEIGHBOR 481115.082114 A2 NEWS The Portland Tribune Thursday, August 21, 2014 Uber: Riders, drivers rate each other ■ From page 1 A Union Cab While increasing cabs on the leaving the road would help “meet supply rides for hire, and costly penal- downtown Hilton and demand on the fl y,” Miles ties in place for nonlaw-abiding Portland and says they just do not have that drivers, Portland offi cials have Ex ecutive Tower flexibility — noting that the opted to take their time to con- is one of dozens city permitted an additional 78 sider adding more competition of tax is that taxicabs last year. into the mix. They could even- must have a city Unlike Portland cab compa- tually allow, but not exclusively, license to nies, Uber adjusts its own fare companies like Uber to legally operate. and does not require UberX operate in the Rose City. drivers to purchase commer- TRIBUNE PHOTO: JAIME VALDEZ Portland offi cials Eric Hansen of Fisher’s Landing “This discussion has just cial auto insurance or acquire a have moved started,” says Dylan Rivera, commercial license. uses his 2007 Toyota RAV4 for slowly on spokesman for the Portland Bu- Uber’s more expensive ser- rides as an UberX driver. reau of Transportation, calling allowing vices, including Uber Black, it an “opportunity to take a ridesharing Uber SUV and Uber Taxi rides thoughtful look at our regula- programs are commercially licensed and tion.” because of city covered by commercial insur- licensing Drive: He emphasizes it will take ance policies. The company months, not weeks. requirements. provides $1 million of liability While Rivera says change is TRIBUNE PHOTOS: coverage per incident. And not imminent, he thinks “it is JAIME VALDEZ while the company encourages Riders highly likely (the city) can ac- UberX drivers to purchase lia- commodate more competitors.” July to legalize Uber and simi- simply providin g information bility, collision and health in- San Francisco’s Uber is just lar applications to operate in and connecting drivers to the surance, it is not required. one of a handful of smartphone the city with no caps on the marketplace. Because Uber says they are a can be apps available on the market number of drivers. technology company, drivers that connect users looking for a Local law agree to take complete respon- ride with company-authorized Within the Rose City As city offi cials ponder what sibility for the services provid- rejected drivers in the area. In the past Uber representatives came is next for the tech-savvy appli- ed. According to their terms fi ve years it has expanded to to Portland’s Private-for-Hire cations, Portland taxicab com- and conditions, by using the more than 90 cities in the Unit- Transportation Board of Re- panies are trying to remind application, passengers enter ■ From page 1 ed States, includ- view last Septem- them that fairness is key. at their own risk. ing Eugene, Sa- ber. They pointed “Taxicab regulations go way But Behrend says features on ers, and with the help of promo- lem and Vancou- “ They like to to what they beyond safety,” says Raye the app, including estimated tions, says he’s earned about ver, Wash. called barriers in Miles, president of Portland’s time of arrival and GPS servic- $1,000 per week working full- Transportation make it sound the city code, Broadway Cab.