Category: Local

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.

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

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

October General Meeting- Ped/Bike Master Plan Presentation

Posted on by RideCoordinator

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

Tandem Captains Needed

Posted on by RideCoordinator
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.

 

Register for the Blackberry bRamble!

Posted on by RideCoordinator

The sun is shining, blackberry vines are growing several feet each day–and momentum is  building toward the

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!

Friends of the Fairgrounds Petition

Posted on by RideCoordinator

As many of you know, the Lane County Fairgrounds have recently begun locking their gates except during public events. This cuts off a critical north-south connector between the College Hill/Friendly St. and the Jefferson Westside/Whitaker neighborhoods. The policy was enacted without public outreach and without gathering the opinions of those affected by the closures.

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.

City of Eugene Receives $707,000 Grant (Originally posted on WeBikeEugene)

Posted on by RideCoordinator
The yellow line shows the project area
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. Continue reading “City of Eugene Receives $707,000 Grant (Originally posted on WeBikeEugene)” →