Knife River Corporation, working under contract to the Eugene Public Works Department,
began work early this year to extend the path from River Avenue, under the Randy Pape’ Beltline,
along Division Avenue to Beaver Street. The primary source of funding for the project was a federal
transportation enhancement grant administered by the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The project extends the existing West Bank trail to connect the River Road and Santa Clara
neighborhoods. Previously, bicyclists and pedestrians wishing to cross the Beltline corridor had to
use River Road, a busy arterial street with five lanes of traffic moving approximately 32,000 vehicles
a day. The extended trail provides a safer option that reduces the number of vehicle conflicts with
pedestrian and bicycle movements. The project also provides a connection from Eugene’s Bascom
Riverbank Trail System to the street system north of Beltline.

The new 12-foot-wide, concrete path is about 3,200 feet long and includes pedestrian-scale
lighting, a retaining wall next to the Willamette River under Beltline, and an undercrossing at the
main truck entrance to the Delta Sand & Gravel yard on Division Avenue.

The extension to the West Bank Path segment brings the total length of the Riverbank Path
system to approximately 14.5 miles: 2.7 miles on the West Bank Path, 4 miles on the South Bank
Path, 2.8 miles on the East Bank Path, and 5 miles on the North Bank Path. The path system is
named for former Mayor Ruth Bascom, who was an avid cyclist and a strong advocate for bicycling
facilities in Eugene.

Also this summer, the segment of the South Bank Path was reconstructed from Greenway
Bridge to the RiverPlay Discovery Village Playground in Skinner Butte Park using voter-approved
bond measure funds.

As Lee Shoemaker, the cities Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator states:

“We realize it ends just short of the neighborhood to the west of Beaver Street.  Lane County had a project in their capital improvement program to upgrade Beaver and Hunsaker to urban standards and add bike lanes and sidewalks.  The project was removed from their CIP due to funding constraints.  The project is included in the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan.”

This is an exciting extension that when connected with a new Beaver/Hunsaker will really improve connectivity and safe/comfortable cycling in that region of town.

Hi , I’m Paul and I’m in need of some help. After many months on the road I have to end my cycle trip in Eugene. Its been no normal trip. I have been cycling a 4 wheeled 2 seated bike car more than 8000 miles. Due to family & personal reasons I have to return home to England. I’m trying to find my bike car a new home and I was wondering if you might possibly be able to help? I’m either looking for a Sale or possible Trade for a normal bicycle. I hate to leave the bikecar behind but sadly we cant continue our journey together.

I will be staying at the HI-Hostel, 970 West 3rd Avenue, for the next few nights (I hope to arrive this evening).
Maybe you could circulate this around your cycling community and friends to help me relocate this machine as I would hate to see her on a scrap pile. I can be contacted on this email: everittpaul@hotmail.co.uk

going-solo.co.uk is my website for more details.

Thank you for your time and help.

Paul Everitt

Here’s the info:

Traffic Advisory
Alder Closed Wednesday from 18th to 19th to Install New Bike Signal Pole

Work to upgrade the traffic signal at the intersection of Alder Street and 18th Avenue will require closing a portion of Alder Street to through traffic for several hours on Wednesday, Oct. 26.

Alder Street between 18th to 19th avenues is scheduled to be closed to southbound traffic from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday. The southbound and northbound bicycle lanes will also be closed in that area. All sidewalks as the crosswalk on the south side of 18th Avenue will remain open.
The closure will allow a crew from the Eugene Public Works Department to install a temporary bicycle signal pole at the southeast corner of Alder Street and 18th Avenue. In about a week, the crew will return to install the signal indicators. Once completed, the signal will provide a dedicated signal phase for bicycles to cross the intersection.

The dedicated bicycle signal phase at Alder Street and 18th Avenue is one of a number of improvements designed to increase safety for bicyclists and pedestrians on Alder Street from Broadway to 19th Avenue and on 13th Avenue from Alder to Kincaid streets. Other improvements include buffered bicycle lanes and a “cycle track” on Alder Street, sharrows and parking reconfigurations on 13th Avenue, and a new signal to be installed in November at the intersection of Alder Street and Broadway.

# # #

CONTACT: Steve Gallup, Assistant Traffic Engineer, 541-682-4960

From Public Information Section, 541-682-5523 or 541-954-2938 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The plan will show improvements that will help pedestrians and bicyclists travel safely and efficiently through the city. It will include shared-use paths to standard bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, bicycle boulevards, and tunnels and overpasses that will help getpedestrians and cyclists safely across busy streets. As quoted in theRegister Guard, Rob mentions “We’re looking to hear from people: Did we choose the right projects? Are we looking at the right kind offacilities?  What do people think about the policies we arerecommending?”

Join us for this very informative meeting. Tuesday, October 25, 6pm-8pm, Countryside Pizza, 645 River Road

Blind Stoker on Co-Motion Tandem (via Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

The City of Eugene Adaptive Recreation program needs some assistance this Tuesday with a group of 8 teenagers from Mobility International USA who are blind. The City will be providing an adaptive bike day with them from 1:45-3:15 at the Amazon Center and they are looking for some folks with tandem bikes who could come and give these kids a biking experience.

They have 4 tandems, but not experienced captains. If there are some folks who have their own tandems and could bring them that would be great if not they can use the City bikes.

Contact Patty to volunteer:

Patty Prather
City of Eugene- Adaptive Recreation
2580 Hilyard St.
541-682-6365
www.eugene-or.gov/recadaptive

More information on Adaptive Recreation Services:

Located at Hilyard Community Center, Adaptive Recreation Services provides year-round, community-based recreational, social, and educational programs for Eugene area children, teens and adults with disabilities. We provide participants with the opportunity to develop new skills, enhance awareness of their community and natural environment, build self-confidence, and recognize personal potential.

Blackberry bRamble on Sunday, August 7!

For this year’s Blackbery bRamble, we’ve kept everything you loved last year: the scenic routes, spectacular food, friendly volunteers and dependable service.  But this year, after  you finish your ride, you can relax in our beer garden, soak those weary muscles in a hot tub, or watch your kids at the Bike Rodeo!

That’s right!   Besides the Full Century (100 mile), Metric Century (100 kilometer/62-mile) and “Who Needs a” Century (39 mile) rides, we’ve added the following:

• A 10-15 mile Family Ride through the neighborhoods of Eugene
• A Bike Celebration in Amazon Park, featuring bike-powered music, a beer garden, bike stunt competitions, and more
• Post-ride swimming (and showers) at Amazon Pool
• A pre-ride dinner on Saturday night at Hilyard Community Center, to benefit Eugene’s Adaptive Cycling Program
• Overnight camping the night before the ride, including  a free pancake breakfast
• Shakespeare-in-the-Park performances on Saturday and Sunday night

This year’s ride starts/finishes at Hilyard Community Center in Amazon Park, 2580 Hilyard.   For more information, see http://edu.eugenegears.org/bramble

By pre-registering, you’ll save money–and on the day of the ride, you’ll sign in and be on your way in less than a minute!

Registration is open NOW at www.orbike.com.  Registration is limited to the first 500 riders.  Save your spot by registering today!  And pass the word on to your friends!

A community coalition, Friends of the Fairgrounds (FoF), has formed to engage Lane County Administrators and Commissioners in a discussion. This actions impacts many people in Eugene by making a publicly funded space inaccessible to the public, making walking and biking a less convenient option, impeding a safe connection to two neighborhood schools, denying access to an open space, and arresting legitimate users’ ability to monitor the space, which is a proven crime deterrent.

FoF supports connectivity and safety for active transportation options. We believe that keeping the Fairgrounds gates open contributes to a more safe and enjoyable transportation experience in one of Eugene’s most vibrant areas.

Please help us to engage our county officials by signing the petition at this link: http://www.petitiononline.com/Lec4all/petition.html

And please pass this message forward to anyone you believe would like to see the Fairgrounds maintained as a public open space. If you have any questions, please contact Anya Dobrowolski with Friends of the Fairgrounds at anya.dobrowolski@gmail.com.

Yellow lines are the project area

*This article originally appeared on WeBikeEugene

As we reported back in March (twice), April, May and August the City has some great plans for completing one of the ‘missing links’ in the Eugene bicycle transportation system, the connection of the Alder St. ‘bikeway’ to the river path system. The city received official word on November 16th that they were awarded a $707,000 grant from the ODOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Grant Program and can now move forward with those plans.  The City decided to piggyback the grant application with their Pavement Preservation Program which is slated to repave Alder from 19th 18th to Franklin in the summer of 2011.  At the end of October the Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (OBPAC) met in Seaside Astoria to decide which of the 90 communities that applied for over $37 million in projects would receive the $5 million that was available. Five  Eleven communities were awarded funds including Eugene plus two alternates if extra funding comes available.

Key components of the project include the construction of a new south AND northbound bicycle facility on Alder Street, a new signalized crossing at Franklin and Alder, on-street parking reconfiguration on 13th Avenue, increased bicycle parking capacity, and significant pedestrian enhancements in the small business district. Final designs are still being worked out and initial scoping with city departments, utilities, and others will happen in the coming weeks. The city is still working with ODOT to make sure the grant funding is able to be used at the same time as the Alder and University repaving project. If the City and ODOT intergovernmental agreement (IGA) takes too long to put together the whole project may have to be shelved until summer of 2012 but the city staff is working with ODOT to move the process along and hopefully we’ll see some action this summer. Sheila Lyons, the ODOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager, says the IGA is on track and they have worked with a similar timeline with other Eugene projects, including the bike lanes on East 18th Ave. near University.

This Cycle Track from Dunsmuir BC has some great bike parking separation from traffic.

David Roth, Associate Transportation Planner with the City of Eugene says that some of the design elements are still being worked out including what the “Cycletrack” that is in the application will look like.

From the grant application:

“The new 2-Way Cycletrack will consolidate bicyclists on the east side of Alder in a highly visible designated space the entire length of the corridor.”

The city is considering a true cycle track that would be a slightly raised and separated facility made out of concrete to distinguish it from the roadway and the sidewalk and buffered by car parking where it exists. They are also looking at other physical separations and special markings at intersections.  As stated in Alta Planning’s “Lessons Learned: Cycle Tracks”  a true cycle track needs this kind of separation and distinction:

By definition, cycle tracks are separated from travel lanes and pedestrians by a physical barrier, such as on-street parking or a curb, or are grade-separated.

Portlands newest cycle track (Going & 33rd) via BikePortland

To make a truly comfortable bicycle facility that road users from 8 years old to 80 feel good about riding the City will need to use many new and interesting tools that have the potential to make this a showcase facility and could put Eugene back on the map as a forward thinking bike-friendly community. As the City moves ahead with the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and creates a design toolkit for that plan, this project could be one of the first in the new age of Eugene’s bike/ped infrastructure, one that isn’t just about the “confident and enthusiastic” cyclists (most likely you if you’re reading this blog) but is also aimed at getting the 60% of people who are “interested but concerned” out onto bikes more often.

Beyond the improvements to Alder St. there are some major improvements coming to 13th Ave between Alder and Kincaid as well. As laid out in the grant application:

The sidewalk on the north side of 13th Ave will be widened by 5 feet to accommodate pedestrian travel, sidewalk seating areas for adjacent cafes and businesses and landscape improvements.  To facilitate the wider sidewalk, on-street auto parking will be consolidated on the south side of 13th in a back-in angled parking configuration to maintain existing supply and to provide for a safer interaction with bicyclists and pedestrians on the street.  Eastbound cyclists will be accommodated with shared lane markings, whereas westbound cyclists will travel in a wide, well-marked concrete contraflow bike lane.

Roth says that one of the design elements still being worked out is the width of the sidewalk on 13th and that they may have to decrease their optimistic 5 feet of additional sidewalk to something more like 3 feet to make room for the parking configuration and to allow room for motorists and cyclists on 13th.  Some community members have called for a car free zone or no parking zone in this section while most businesses supported this project because it didn’t remove any on-street parking.  An active street life already exists here and with the most cyclists and pedestrians in any part of the city there is great potential for this area. Allen Hancock, a local advocate, has encouraged the City to create a “lively gathering place with food carts on the sidewalks, space for vendors in booths (think of the UO street fair), trees, tables for sidewalk cafes, occasional concerts” and more. He admits that this would require much wider sidewalks, removal of parking, and maybe even some people who would take their business elsewhere.  However, he says “no one has approached business owners with a vision for creating this kind of vibrant business climate–they were asked what kinds of changes they would like to see to the roadway.  It’s no surprise that they said “Keep the parking!”

Lyons, from ODOT, says that one of the strongest aspects of the Eugene application was how it addressed the pedestrian environment in this area and how the improvements of the wider sidewalk would effect one of the biggest users in the area. As the City moves ahead with the design it will be interesting to see what they do with this important gateway to the University.

Other features on Alder and 13th of note include on-street bicycle parking corrals, wayfinding signs, paystation parking meters, lighting, landscaping, and the integration of public art into the project.

Here are some photos of current conditions with notes on improvements needed:

What are your thoughts on this area? Do you ride through here now? What do you think of the plans so far?

What does the future hold for active transportation in North American cities?  With each passing year, walking and bicycling rates increase as more people choose to get around on foot or by bike based on interest in improved personal health, environmental considerations and simple economics.  While some North American cities are already figuring out how to accommodate these increasing numbers, others are playing catch-up after years of auto-centric development.  The City of Eugene, an early innovator in non-motorized transportation design, is preparing an updated Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan to help guide transportation decisions for the foreseeable future. How does creating more transportation options build a more livable community?  How can we make our public spaces, including our streets, more family friendly and usable by more people?  What are other communities doing and how can Eugene become an innovator again?

On the evening of Friday, October 22nd, you are invited to join us as we explore the topic of emerging and innovative bicycle and pedestrian design with a panel of speakers including Edward Fischer, former ODOT State Traffic Engineer- FHWA International Ped/Bike Scan Trip Report, Jessica Roberts, Alta Planning and Design- “Homegrown Innovation”, Tools & Projects from around the US, and Hugh Prichard, retired developer and real estate broker- Report from Velo-City Copenhagen.  Our panel will be moderated by Sheila Lyons, the ODOT Pedestrian and Bicycle Program Manager.

When: Friday, October 22. Happy Hour 5:00-6:00 PM Panel Discussion 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Where: Oregon Electric Station, 27 E. 5th Ave.
Details: Free valet bike parking, light refreshments and no-cost entry. Beer, Wine, & Food available for purchase

Event sponsored by, City of Eugene, point2point Solutions, GEARs, Eugene Safe Routes to School, and Envision Eugene

More Information: www.eugenepedbikeplan.org, or call Dave Roth, Associate Transportation Planner at 541-682-5727

For our September general meeting GEARs is pleased to present Joe Biel and Elly Blue in their Travelling Bikestravaganza!  Please join us on Thursday, September 9th from 6pm to 8pm for a traveling road show of bicycle talk, movies, zines, and transportation activism and advocacy. Elly Blue and Joe Biel will present short videos and a slideshow about Portland, Oregon’s famous bicycle culture and infrastructure, followed by an interactive discussion of the future of transportation infrastructure and advocacy in our town and beyond.

Elly Blue and Joe Biel after talking with local bike advocates at the Twin Cities Zine Fest on July 10, 2010. Photo credit: Sarah Morean.

Joe and Elly are avid bike journalists and filmmakers (not to mention organizing conferences, publishing zines, going on cross-country bike tours…) from Portland.  Everyone is welcome to attend and participate in the conversation. Microcosm Publishing will have a table of books, zines, and movies.

Thanks to the generous support of our co-sponsor, LiveMove, this event is free to the public!

Who: Joe Biel and Elly Blue
What: Bikestravaganza: Off the Chainring Tour
Where: University of Oregon

When:Thursday, September 9th