Community Spin for December 2011

Some bike lanes are covered with wet and slippery leaves and debris right now.  The city will respond to HAZARDS IN BIKE LANES as promptly as possible.  Call the Maintenance Dispatch Line at 503-823-1700. This number is staffed 24/7.  Also the city has been bringing in extra crews to sweep major arterials with a focused attention on bike lanes.  The other number, 503-823-SAFE, should only be used for engineering and infrastructure concerns.  They will get to these requests as soon as possible.

An illuminated bicycle sign has been installed and turned on at NE COUCH AT GRAND AVE.  A bike box has already been installed at the intersection but collisions have continued.  There have been several injury accidents.  Right turns on red are not allowed but right-hooks have been continuing during green lights.  The sign, which says “turning vehicles yield to bikes” and shows a bike graphic, only goes on when a bike is present.  Some question whether there is too much sign clutter at this intersection and other cyclists state that they will just “take the lane” where they feel safer.  We’ll see how it works.

The GOING STREET BIKE BOULEVARD (neighborhood greenway), called the “best bike boulevard in the City” by PBOT, got a new crossing treatment on NE 15th Ave.  This is one of the higher volume cross-streets on Going St. which received no initial improvements.  PBOT has just installed a new traffic diverter.  This will cut down on auto traffic volumes as it prevents cars from continuing on 15th and from turning left on Going. The diverter is not wide enough for a refuge but there are places for bikes and pedestrians to cut through.

As you know, THE SELLWOOD BRIDGE is going to be replaced.  Work has already begun on the $268 million project to replace the 86-year-old bridge and will continue until the end of 2015.  An actual ground-breaking ceremony will be held the middle of December.  There is still a $28 million shortfall, which will be met with either finding more money or changing the design slightly.  However, a temporary “shoefly” detour will be built.  The present bridge will be moved over onto temporary piers and a temporary approach span will be constructed.  It has been done before so it should work.  This temporary detour will remain in place throughout construction.  Bicyclists and pedestrians will still have use of the existing sidewalk on the detour bridge so it shouldn’t be any worse than the present situation.  Construction of the “shoefly bridge” will shave 12 months and up to $10 million off the project cost.  There will be some, minimal, bridge closures.  Eventually, the new bridge will include a wide, multi-use path for pedestrians and cyclists.

THE CITY OF VANCOUVER, WA. has awarded a $70,000 contract to Alta Planning and Design to promote biking, walking, ride-sharing and transit into downtown Vancouver.  The project will attempt to demonstrate that outreach programs can be successful in reducing single occupancy automobile trips.  The Vancouver City Center Vision goal is to have at least 35% of future downtown commuter traffic coming from non-single occupancy vehicles.  They hope for a 3% increase in the first year with 1% coming from biking.  Also in news from across the Columbia River, CLARK COUNTY’S BIKE/WALK PLAN has earned a national award from the Active Living Research group for promoting walking and biking as a way to fight childhood obesity.

Sharon Fekety