GEARs | Greater Eugene Area Riders » Ped/Bike Master Plan

Write a Letter to Support 24th Improvements

Shane MacRhodes — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:56:13 +0000

Update/Reminder: The general meeting of the Friendly Area Neighbors is tonight 7-9 at the Washington Park Cottage (2025 Washington). I heard from the City that they are presenting at 7:30 pm and there should be time after their presentation for questions/answers.

Now would be a great time to write a letter to City Staff & Elected Officials to support their proposed design for 24th Ave. (Friendly to Chambers) which will include consolidating parking to one side of the street, removing the small bulb outs, adding bike lanes, removing the painted center line (for greater traffic calming), and adding a marked crosswalk and school zone near ATA/Family School.

There have been two community meetings where city staff collected input and gave information to over 30 people at each meeting. No opposition was voiced at the meeting that the city showed their recommended design, however a letter from the Friendly Area Neighbors Executive Board (most of whom were at both meetings) has been written to the City opposing the design and asking the city to keep parking and the bulb outs and instead of installing bike lanes to add sharrows and signs to the street. Those measures will do nothing to make the street comfortable for anyone but the most confident and secure cyclists. Both TransPlan and the PedBike Master Plan call for bike lanes on the street for a reason! Write city staff and the City Council now and encourage them to move ahead with their recommended changes.

Here is a great letter from GEARs Advocacy Committee Chair, Sue Wolling, that should give you some ideas for your own letter (to mayorandcc@ci.eugene.or.us):

Dear City Officials,

I strongly urge you to accept the planned improvements to 24th Avenue that would include bike lanes and a pedestrian crosswalk, removal of on-street parking and bulb-outs as necessary, and unstriped travel lanes intended to help slow traffic speeds. This design will encourage transportation choices both for the people who live in the neighborhood and those who travel through, including families attending the nearby schools and using the playing fields at Westmoreland Park.

The planned street would make it safer to walk and bicycle on 24th Avenue. This was a high priority among those who attended public meetings concerning the design of the road, and matches the City’s goals of supporting active transportation. The current street design, even if sharrows and signage were added, is adequate for confident adult cyclists, but does not provide the safe environment needed to encourage inexperienced cyclists and children to walk or bike

When we build “complete streets” that accomodate all modes of travel, compromises are necessary. In this case, staff has chosen to reduce the amount of space dedicated to automobile storage in order to provide bike lanes. Since all houses along the street have garages and driveways, and since parking remains available on one side of the street and on cross streets, giving up the underutilized parking on the south side of the street is a reasonable compromise. While adjacent homeowners might suffer some inconvenience from the loss of on-street parking, they, like others, will benefit from better opportunities for active transportation. When choices must be made, we have to favor using streets for transportation over using them to store vehicles.

I congratulate staff on moving forward with Council’s directive to provide transportation choices and promote sustainability, and urge you to accept this well-designed plan that already has considerable buy-in from the neighborhood.

Sincerely,

Sue Wolling

W 24th Avenue Street Rehabilitation Project Open House II

Shane MacRhodes — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:31:51 +0000

A final neighborhood open house has been scheduled for Thursday, January 5^th to discuss the street rehabilitation project for 24^th Avenue (from Chambers St to Jefferson St).

There will be a presentation and discussion on design alternatives for this street. Alternatives discussed will include removing on-street parking on one side of the street, installing bicycle facilities, and changing the nature of existing traffic calming devices.

The Ped/Bike Master Plan calls for bike lanes on this section of 24th and it is the best East-West corridor for cyclists in the area. Come give your input on the importance of completing our active transportation network with safe and comfortable facilities for cyclists.

Agenda:

Presentation of alternative street configurations
Questions and answers
Discuss project timeline

Location: Adams Elementary School (Cafeteria/Multipurpose Room), 950 West 22^nd Avenue, Eugene, OR 97405

Date: Thursday, January 5^th

Time: 7:00 to 8:30 pm

Questions? Please contact Reed Dunbar at reed.c.dunbar@ci.eugene.or.us or (541) 682-5727

Sustainability Commission to Discuss Ped/Bike Master Plan

Shane MacRhodes — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:06:06 +0000

As the official liaison between the Sustainability Commission and GEARs, I wanted to let you know that the Sustainability Commission will be discussing the draft Ped/Bike Master Plan at its meeting this Wednesday, Dec. 21. The meeting is:

Wednesday, Dec. 21, 5:30 p.m.

McNutt Room, Eugene City Hall, 777 Pearl

There’s an opportunity for public comment at the beginning of the meeting. The Ped/Bike Plan is on the agenda for 7 p.m.

While the Commission is generally supportive of bicycling and walking, it wouldn’t hurt to have supporters of bicycling tell them that we’re counting on the Sustainability Commission to push the City Council for a strong commitment to bicycling. We’d also welcome any specific comments or recommendations you have about the Ped/Bike Plan. You’ll find the Plan athttp://www.centrallanertsp.org/EugeneTSP/PedBikePlan/Home

In addition, any time you have any issues, concerns or questions you’d like to bring to the Sustainability Commission, please don’t hesitate to tell me, and I’ll try to make it happen. That’s the whole point of our having liaison relationships with various groups involved in Eugene’s efforts toward sustainability.

Thanks–and I’d love to see you at Wednesday’s meeting!

Sue Wolling

October General Meeting- Ped/Bike Master Plan Presentation

Shane MacRhodes — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:44:19 +0000

Join us as Rob Inerfeld presents the Eugene Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan. Rob is the city’s transportation planning manager and has a presentation that lists bike and pedestrian-related upgrades the city could undertake over the next 20 years. The plans range from creating bike lane along Willamette Street from 17th to 32nd avenues, connecting popular path systems with separated facilities (cycletracks), to building a bike and pedestrian overpass over Randy Pape Beltline.

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

Input On Our Future Transportation System

Shane MacRhodes — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:54:56 +0000

This post was originally published in similar form on the EugeneSRTS site.

There are few meetings happening this week that will inform and influence our transportation system in the coming years and your input is needed.

On Thursday (Oct. 13th) from 11:30-1:30 the Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) is meeting at the Eugene Public Library (100 West 10th Avenue) and will be discussing the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). It’s a good time to let the Commission know that active transportation options are important and that we need more facilities that allow more people feel comfortable walking and biking throughout our community. Public comments (limited to 3 minutes) are at the beginning of the meeting

This would also be a good time to indicate support for some of the projects called out for funding in the next round of Flexible Funding from ODOT. Those projects include the following (more information on each in these letters of support):

Blair/Van Buren Active Transportation Corridor
West Bank Bike Path completion
Regional Bicycle Wayfinding/Signage/Shared Lane Markings
Bob Straub Parkway/Mt. Vernon Road Pedestrian Improvements
A Bikeshare Feasibility Study
A Regional SmartTrips Program
Middle Fork Path Phase 2b
Highway 99/Roosevelt Pedestrian Improvements
Main Street Safety Improvements

Also on Thursday there is an Open House from 4:30 to 6:30 PM, at the Library to discuss the Regional Transportation Plan. The MPC will adopt the RTP in November and we need to make sure that facilities that make walking and biking just as easy (if not easier) than driving are a center piece of that plan. Go to the open house and give feedback on the importance of a great active transportation system. Connect the paths with a system more people will feel comfortable using (families, kids, and those currently not walking or riding as much as they want because they are not comfortable doing so).

Basic info on the RTP: The MPC adopts an updated RTP every 3-4 years. The Metropolitan Policy Committee is comprised of public officials from Springfield, Eugene, Lane County, Coburg, Lane Transit District, and the Oregon Department of Transportation. The RTP enables our community to receive federal money for transportation and provides a framework for selecting which projects to build with federal money. There is a draft RTP now available for public review (also at the Eugene and Springfield Public Libraries).

If you can’t make the meetings comments may be sent to mpo@lcog.org (email) or Lane Council of Governments, 859 Willamette, Suite 500, Eugene, OR 97401-2910. Questions on the RTP may be directed to Paul Thompson (pthompson@lcog.org), Senior Planner, (541) 682-4405. Submit comments by November 7, 2011 for consideration as part of the adoption process.

Finally, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee will be meeting this Thursday as well (5:30-7:30, Sloat Conference Room, Atrium Building, 99 W. 10th) and will be discussing these and other issues including:

Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan Update (20 min)
Pavement Preservation Projects-2012 (25 min)
Grant Applications (10min)
Regional Transportation Plan (30 min)
Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts (20 min)

Finally, to help inspire you, here is a letter from Sue Wolling, the GEARs Advocacy Committee Chair. She makes some great points about the need to build an active transportation system for everyone, especially that untapped market of ‘potential bicyclists’. Get inspired and get writing.

Final Open House for Ped/Bike Master Plan

Shane MacRhodes — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:37:34 +0000

Please come to the final Open House for Draft Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan on Monday, Sept. 26 where there will be an opportunity for public feedback on the plan from 5 – 7 p.m. in the downtown Eugene Public Library‘s Bascom-Tykeson Room. At the open house, copies of the plan as well as large versions of the maps will be available for review.Comment forms will be provided and City staff will be on hand to answer questions and take note of public comments.
City staff are seeking input on this draft plan through Oct. 14. The plan can be found at www.eugenepedbikeplan.org where feedback is also being accepted. Staff will present the plan to the City Council on Wednesday, Oct. 12.

Please contact Transportation Planning Manager Rob Inerfeld at 541-682-5343 or rob.inerfeld@ci.eugene.or.us with any questions.

GEARs Advocacy Committee Meeting, June 14–Open to All GEARs Members

anya.dobrowolski — Wed, 18 May 2011 01:20:30 +0000

posted by Anya Dobrowolski, Advocacy Committee Chair

Riding the success of our spring advocacy efforts, the GEARs Advocacy Committee (AC) will be meeting in June to discuss to start putting together a local advocacy strategy. The June meeting will cover two important actions that will help us move forward to make bicycling in our community even better than it already is:

1) Create a draft mission statement for the AC that we can share with the people and groups that we will be engaging with;

2) State developing an outreach strategy to educate local politicians and community leaders about the important role that active transportation plays in the community.

GEARs Advocacy Committee Meeting
Tuesday, June 14th, 6PM
University of Oregon, Hendricks Hall, Room 100 (across University St. from the EMU; find a UO campus map here: http://map.uoregon.edu/)

The meeting is open to all GEARs members. If you’d like to get more frequent updates on the AC’s work and join in on the discussion, you can join our Google group by going to http://groups.google.com/group/gears-advocacy-committee?lnk=srg&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8 and clicking on the “join group” button on the right side of your screen.

Advocacy Committee ACTION Meeting, 2/21

Paul Adkins — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 17:16:04 +0000

We last held an Advocacy Committee Meeting on January 31 to get everyone up to speed on various bike-related issues, and think about initial steps for the committee to make. Now we are going to be having an action meeting, where the intention is to develop distinct actions for the committee to take. The details are:

Monday, February 21
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Coquille Room, Erb Memorial Union, University of Oregon (near the food court)

The meeting will focus on two items in particular:

1. Developing recommendations for priority bicycling projects for the Eugene and Springfield TSPs.
2. Developing recommendations for potential state legislation dealing with bicycling.

Other groups have already done a lot of analysis and commenting on the above items, and so our deliberations won’t be starting from scratch. Once we have developed some recommendations, they will be taken to the GEARs Board in March so that they can be formally adopted, and then submitted to the cities/legislature. We can also use these as firm footing when we go to Salem for the Active Transportation Summit in March!

As always, let me know if you have any questions by emailing pricearmstrong@gmail.com.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Open House- Thursday, Oct. 14th

Shane MacRhodes — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 22:46:51 +0000

Join the Eugene Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan Project Advisory Committee on October 14th for your chance to share your ideas about improved walking and bicycling conditions throughout the greater Eugene area. The Project Advisory Committee (PAC) is excited to hear new ideas about existing conditions and how to make active transportation safer. Susan Peithman, BTA statewide advocate, will also be on hand to talk about riding in Eugene and cycling issues in Oregon. This Open House will be held at Monroe Middle School (2800 Bailey Lane) from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

GEARs will be hosting a group ride to the open house. Meet at Arriving by Bike @ 2705 Willamette St. at 4:00 p.m. Richard Hughes will lead this 5.5 mile (11 roundtrip) ride.

For more information about the Eugene Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan, click here.

Transportation Remix- Save the Date!

Shane MacRhodes — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 06:21:36 +0000

Transportation Remix
Building Livable Communities Through Bicycle & Pedestrian Design

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