The City of Eugene is working on the repaving plans for Willamette St. including a section between 29th and 32nd. As many local riders know this is a major area of concern for cyclists and a missing link in our bike transportation infrastructure.  Originally there were no plans for bike infrastructure in the designs but after concerns raised by GEARs members and the Eugene Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) the city updated the striping plan for this section. A report was given at last weeks BPAC meeting. The BPAC made recommendations on those plans which called for Southbound bike lanes to start about 50 feet from the 29th & Willamette and Northbound bike lanes from 32nd to about 200 feet before the intersection of 29th & Willamette.   The BPAC felt that a major missing piece of the plan were sharrows where the bike lanes wouldn’t be leading all the way to the intersection.   Here is the letter they sent to staff requesting some changes to the project:

Dear Mr.Schoening,

I’d like to thank the City, and especially Rob Inerfeld, for working hard to incorporate changes that improve walking and cycling facilities on Willamette Street between 29th and 32nd. We truly appreciate the time and effort, particularly on this project with such an extremely short timeframe. After hearing the project update from Rob at our last BPAC meeting, the members ask that you consider the following recommendations:

As we all know, this is an area of real concern that has been identified by the community, and in multiple transportation plans. While we understand the limitations of time and funding for moving forward with this project, we must also recognize that many of the bicyclists on Willamette will not be using 31st to head east, but will want to access the intersection at 29th Ave. Their choices currently are to ride on the sidewalk or squeeze between auto traffic and the sidewalk in a lane too narrow to share – both unsafe options. Sharrows would help address these concerns by:

Include sharrows on Willamette Street between E. 29th Place to 29th Ave (northbound), and between 29th Ave. to where the bike lane starts (southbound). This is our most urgent request. The group feels most strongly about this recommendation.

Increase visibility and predictability of cyclists by directing them to the proper lane position. Reduce conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists. The roadway is the best place for bicyclists on this stretch of Willamette and sharrows demonstrate this.
Reduce the safety hazard for motorists (cyclists on the sidewalk are less visible and less predictable)
Alert motor vehicle drivers to the presence of bicyclists.

Make 31st Avenue the preferred route from Willamette Street to the Amazon Path

By encouraging bike traffic to use 31st instead of the easement through the Hawthorne Apartments, we believe that impacts to Shelter Care residents can be minimized, and we feel this provides a better connection to the Amazon Path.
Add sharrows to 31st Ave. (with the benefits described above).
Add wayfinding signs at 31st Avenue to direct cyclists east.

Increase signage at Hawthorne Apartments

We understand that cyclists will continue to use this easement, and recommend that the City install additional signage to reduce conflicts with residents.
Add a way-finding sign at Pearl for northbound bike traffic, for better access to the Southtown Shopping area.
Thank-you for your commitment to improving facilities for all roadway users and including those choosing active transportation. We believe that these improvements will go a long way to improve a missing link in our transportation system.

Sincerely, Holly McRae, BPAC Chair