Category: Neighborhoods

24th Avenue Appeal Dismissed

Posted on by RideCoordinator

The appeal to the administrative order that removed parking and bump-outs along 24th Avenue to allow installation of bike lanes from Chambers to Friendly has been thrown out!  The decision was made yesterday and announced today. The project will continue with: removal of the existing “bulb-outs”, adding bike lanes on both sides of 24th (4-5 ft on 1 side and 5-6 on the other), consolidating parking to one side, removing the painted center line, adding one new marked crosswalk (at Fillmore), and adding a school zone near ATA/Family School. You can read a bit of history of the project here.

The hearings official states that while the main issues from the appellants were related to the community outreach and citizen involvement, the Eugene City Code states that removing parking comes down to the City Traffic Engineer having to consider certain factors in that removal. Once the Traffic Engineer demonstrated that those factors were considered the Administrative Order is able to stand.

This is great news for people who use (or want to use) 24th as their East-West corridor. Many neighbors and community members came out to speak up for these needed changes. This project is underway now and we should be able to enjoy the finished product during this summer! To those who worked hard to help foster this project along, thank you very much. As we continue to work with city staff, neighborhood groups, and community leaders to make improvements for cycling in Eugene we continue to learn the best way to make projects happen that benefit everyone. We certainly learned a lot on this project and hopefully we can take that knowledge forward and create even more positive change.

 

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.

Keeping it Green & Local

Posted on by RideCoordinator

GEARs will be at the “Local and Green Community Conference” happening this Saturday at the First Methodist Church on Olive st. Here is more information on the conference as well as HERE.

What – “Eugene – Local and Green – Getting Started, Moving Forward, Working Together.” A community conference for living more planet and people friendly.

When – Saturday, October 30, 8:30 to 4:30

Where – First Methodist Church, 1376 Olive St. [“the toaster church”]

Note – There will be bike parking in the church courtyard. Access is at the northwest corner of the building. There is covered space in the courtyard. Please ride a bike.

Who – The Neighborhood Leaders Council Committee on Sustainability and many great community groups and organizations.

Contact – Jan Spencer, 686 6761, spencerj@efn.org

Sliding scale – $5 to $20. Light refreshments provided. Fine to bring your own lunch.

Proceeds to help restore OSU Extension Services in Eugene

Eugene Local and Green will focus on practical actions people can take for living more local and more green. The conference is non partisan and its tone will be positive.

Presenters and panels will touch on regional food security, transforming the urban landscape, neighborhood and community
collaborations, green success stories, neighborhood mapping along with challenges and exciting strategies for the coming years. There will be plenary sessions, discussions, panels, over 20 community organizations tabling and time to mix, mingle and network. A lunchtime caucus by neighborhood will interest many.

The conference will also call attention to many examples of going local and green. Some at home, some as casual arrangements between neighbors and friends, others as formal collaborations in a variety of partnerships between the city, schools, non profits, non governmental agencies, neighborhood groups, communities of faith and businesses. Still other collaborations are between urban and rural areas.

Eugene Local and Green looks to these examples as models for more ambitious initiatives and collaborations in the near and long term. Given the trends in economics, the environment, culture, resources and climate change; going local and green deserves to be a priority within every aspect of our lives.