Category: Infrastructure

Transportation Bill Update

Posted on by RideCoordinator

A little update via “CenterLines” of the National Center for Bicycling and Walking:

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: WE’VE GOT A DRAFT TRANSPORTATION BILL!*

by Mark Plotz

-> *And, well, it is called “MAP-21 or the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act” but after reviewing the relevant sections of the 600 or so page bill, the question that remains is: Progress-for whom? The bill, which comes out of the Senate Environmental and Public Works (EPW) Committee, is the product of a bipartisan agreement between Chairman Boxer (D-CA), and Senator Inhofe (R-OK), the Ranking Minority Member. You may be wondering what the #1 friend of the environment in the Senate and its #1 denier of global warming (respectively) could possible agree on-that rainbows are pretty, and that puppies are cute? I wish those were the stakes. No, what they seem to agree on, judging by the bill, is that Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School, Recreational Trails, and complete streets ought to be forced to compete against each other, and against other worthy uses (environmental mitigation of highway projects, HOV lanes, BRT-to name a few uses), all while the highway capacity program remains largely untouched. Naturally, we disagree.

Fortunately, fixes are in the works and will be introduced by Senators Cardin (D-MD) and Merkley (D-OR) as amendments during the Committee’s Wednesday mark up session. Both amendments would restore protected funding for bicycling and walking programs, while making sure there is open and fair competition for the funding that remains. We’ve also received late word that Chairman Boxer will introduce an amendment to remove some of road programs that were being pitted against bicycle/pedestrian uses. Still, we have concerns and reservations about the bill.

Stay tuned to NCBW’s friends for the latest legislative updates:
America Bikes’ statement: http://bit.ly/ukFta6
League of American Bicyclists update: http://bit.ly/tjPhzk
Rails to Trails’ Press Release: http://bit.ly/sFsdax
MAP-21 text: http://1.usa.gov/u5XZuB

 

"If We Build It…" Photo Exhibit

Posted on by RideCoordinator

Eugene undertook a step toward becoming more bicycle friendly when it installed a two-way bike lane on Alder Street this summer, separating bicycles from moving cars. While the Alder Street cycle track was under construction, 11 University of Oregon students were exploring the home of numerous such cycle tracks – The Netherlands – on a study abroad course.
The course, “Sustainable Bicycle Transportation,” inspired the students to create a photography exhibit to share their experiences and to help facilitate a community conversation about what other bicycle innovations might be possible in the Eugene-Springfield area.

The exhibit, which is free, opens Thursday, Nov. 3, at Humble Beagle, 2435 Hilyard St., from 6-8 p.m. Photos will be on exhibit until Thursday, Nov. 17.

LCOG Debuts App For Improving Eugene/Springfield Bicycling

Posted on by RideCoordinator

This week planners at Lane Council of Governments (LCOG), debuted “CycleLane” a free application for iPhone and Android that allows residents of the Eugene-Springfield to help planners better understand bicycle behavior.  Users in the area can download and use the application, which sends information about their preferred bicycle route to LCOG data bases for analysis and planning.

The app consists of a GPS interface which tracks a person’s ride from origin to destination. After downloading the application, it asks for a few pieces of information pertaining to the user like frequency riding and age, which are all optional and confidential.  Once the ride is completed the user is asked to submit the trip’s purpose and then the trip information is saved on the phone and simultaneously submitted to LCOG. Think of this application as a travel survey that asks where and why you are riding, but automatically maps your route rather than asking you to write it down from memory.

“The key to success will be getting local residents informed about this app and how much it will help local planners”, said Josh Roll a planner leading the effort. With more trips, riders can help inform LCOG which routes are popular for riding and at what time of day, informing the region’s bicycle planning process. Additional demographic information requested upon downloading the application will also inform policymakers of how to best plan for a diverse riding population.

The application may be downloaded for iPhone or Android from their respective markets and more information about the app itself can be found at the Cycle Lane website: http://cyclelane.lcog.org. As an incentive, users that choose to enter their email address will have an opportunity to win a free gift certificate to a local bicycle shop. Josh Roll, stated that identical technology was employed in San Francisco with great success, and they were able to gather 20,0000 unique trips, a treasure trove of data that will greatly inform their bicycle planning processes.

So get out there and use that smart phone for some smart planning help.

Alder 18th-19th Closed Part of Wednesday

Posted on by RideCoordinator

One of the cities busiest bicycle corridors will be closed at one intersection tomorrow. Please be aware of this closure and adjust your travel/timing accordingly.
The closure (and short notice) is unfortunate but at least it is for a good cause- Eugene’s first dedicated bike signal.

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

Willamette Street Bike Lanes Coming. Sharrows too?

Posted on by RideCoordinator

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

 

Action Alert- Write Councilors Regarding Willamette Bike Facilities

Posted on by RideCoordinator
TransPlan Map showing Willamette Bike Infrastructure Priority

GEARs Members,

We recently learned that there is going to be a re-paving project on Willamette Street from 29th Avenue to 32nd Avenue and that the city “left out” plans to add bicycle facilities.  This runs contrary to the city’s own policy of adding bike facilities to road reconstruction projects, especially those called out in TransPlan.  While this is a serious error, especially given the fact that the Willamette and 29th area was highlighted at the last Advocacy Committee meeting as a top problem spot for biking, it is not irreversible.

The current project the city is repaving is 29th to 46th. We would like to ask the City to pull the section from 29th to 32nd off the table for repaving this year until the right measures can be taken to facilitate including bicycle facilities on this section of roadway.

We are asking you to write your city councilor (click here to find out who your councilor is) to put pressure on the Public Works Department to correct this problem before the pavement is laid and the paint dries.

Below is an example letter:

—–

Dear [Councilor’s name],

I am writing to express my concern about an upcoming road project on Willamette, from 29th to 32nd Avenues.  This major commercial and residential area is in urgent need of bicycle facilities, and as part of TransPlan it has been identified to include those facilities. Unfortunately this was missed by staff.  This  violation of the city’s own policy needs to be addressed.

We are asking that this section of the project be pulled out of the current scope of work until the proper work can be done to install the required bicycle facilities.  Please talk to Public Works staff to make sure that this oversight is corrected before new pavement is laid and the paint dries on restriping.

Sincerely,

[Your name

Your address]