Hello,

I have been walking down N. Central to get to the center of St. Johns since 2003. I was enthusiastic that Central would be a Bike Boulevard, but I did not know it would be one of the first Bike Boulevards to have barrels blocking it. I think the barels are an eyesore, that they are unnecessary, that they block the street cleaning so the trash and leaves pile up, and at large that it just takes away from the aesthetics of the walk.

I bicycle often and I have never seen another Bike Boulevard with barrels blocking the street, so it took me (and many other neighbors for that matter) by surprise. They are not appealing for one this, as well the cars were not recklessly speeding before the barrels were in (because of the speed bumps) and I felt very safe as a pedestrian—there are extra wide planter strips on Central already!

Please, remove the barrels and bring a better feng shui back to the neighborhood. They are ugly.

Thank You,
Michael Sisler

Thanks for the comments and feedback, Michael.

When we did our outreach in the neighborhood in 2010, the neighborhood requested that if we installed a barrier that we do not just put in concrete but instead something that can be planted.

The concrete barrels are actually planters. The neighborhood has agreed to plant the barrels so that they are not so drab and ugly. The bureau will provide funding for the plants and soils and the neighborhood will plant the barrels. This should be more aesthetically pleasing than just plain concrete.

I believe the neighborhood will plant the planters this month (typically our Parks and Bureau of Environmental Services partners plant in the Fall so that the plants are more likely to survive than in the dry months of summer).

North Central will also have the posted speed limit reduced to 20 MPH. There were concerns about removal of stop signs on Central especially near the community center and the barrier effectively regulates “cut through” traffic by commuters without a destination in the neighborhood.

I don't believe the Green way map is complete. The street that runs next to Cleveland High that intersects with Powell has all of the Green markings at the intersection and the bicycle emblem. Isn't this a green way street too? shouldn't it be on the map also?
Thanks
CH

Hi Chris - Thanks for the comments. We are currently updating the map. Can you give me the street name that you are referring to?

Thanks,

Scott Cohen

Thanks to all the bike blvds and other bike friendly projects, I've gone "car light" since september. In my months of riding I've come up with some suggestions to improve some areas:

The painted sharrows on bike boulevards seem to be placed to inform those on the route that it is a shared roadway, but if they were painted close to or in the intersections then they could be used for way finding (I know some are in instances of the route turning - but not always). A prime example is the Alameda Bike Blvd (from NE 37th to 47th), there are a number of intersections where multiple roads connect to the route and no sharrow can be seen until you find the route yourself (especially difficult to do at night when you've never ridden the route before...).
Additionally, when looking for a bike blvd (such as when coming home from a new place) I don't realize I've crossed one until I am through an intersection and need to do a U-Turn because the sharrows are about 15 feet from intersections.

There is no sharrow or obvious signage leading bikes to the Bryant street pedestrian bridge (heading east from interstate ave). The is a sharrow leading bikes away... I know the bridge is there but someone new to the area might not.

Concord bike blvd crossing Ainsworth - I recall the original plans had more that currently exists. Currently when crossing this I wait for cars to pass then 'take the lane' and ride to the left turn back onto Concord. This sometimes confuses drivers as they like to stop for me to cross, but then I take the lane and they end up having to follow slowly behind me for a bit (at least they are nice about it).

Turning left onto concord from Rosa Parks is tough as the bike crossing through the median is narrow. It seems it was only designed for crossing Rosa Parks and not turning off of Rosa Parks even though Rosa Parks has bike lanes (tougher on my long tail cargo than my road bike, but if I had a trailer I'd probably ride on the wrong side of the road to avoid crashing into the median...). Not much that can be done there now I'm sure, but something to think about in future designs.

Going street pedestrian bridge entrances are extremely narrow to turn into/out of. Cutting 1 or two feet from the walls and adding a small concrete ramp to make the entrances wider would be a huge improvement. I've resorted to just taking Interstate ave because I've almost taken passengers knees out when I try to use that bridge on my long tail cargo bike.

Green bike route signs that have arrows are difficult to discern from a distance. Perhaps adding a green sharrow type line in the turn direction (so instead of just the white end being kindof pointed, having a parallel green strip a few inches from it to make kind of a double white arrow. Hard to explain but instead of ===> make it ===>>, did that make sense?)

The route to the airport from the south is nice, but when I'm hauling luggage and my kid it's very difficult to get to the walk signal buttons (did not appear to have actual bike signals) where it crosses airport way. The sidewalk sunken sidewalk sections make for difficult turns (need to turn sharp to avoid hitting the curbs). Same issues approaching Jantzen Beach from the south.
Getting to the airport path is dangerous though, on 42nd from Holman, along 47th and cornfoot.

I'm sure I have more suggestions and comments but that's enough for now. Main thing is the location of the sharrows can be improved for future boulevards. Let me know if you have any questions on my feedback or would like more information. And thanks for helping make biking more convenient than driving!

Thanks for all of the suggestions Jon. I'm forwarding your recommendations to Jeff Smith, who can help put them in motion.

You are correct about Concord/Ainsworth - the orignal plan called for a more robust design that was dropped based on neighborhood concerns. The current sharrow design was the compromise.

I live along SE Bush St. in East Portland which was designated as one of the new bike boulevards. While the designation has certainly increased the number of bikes using the street it has also created some really unsafe conditions. The proximity to Ron Russell Middle School means a lot of the kids use this as a pedestrian path to and from school as well as many residents using the street to get to shopping and Tri-Met stops. The street is fairly narrow and much of it is without sidewalks. The lack of sidewalks coupled with the constant pedestrian traffic has created many close calls and it's just a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt.

What will it take for the City to address this matter? The council and PDOT claim that they want safe bikeways as well as safe routes to and from schools and shopping, but all actions seem to show otherwise.

Hi Mike - Thanks for the comments. When you have a safety concern, one of the best ways to let PBOT know is to report it to 823-SAFE or safe@portlandoregon.gov. That provides a record of your concern and has a staff person in our traffic investigations division take a look.

As for SE Bush improvements, we we're able to install speed bumps to help slow auto traffic - which is one of the most effective safety improvements PBOT can accomplish, since auto speeds are directly tied to severity of crashes and injuries for people walking and rolling.

While sidewalks on this stretch of SE Bush would be ideal, the current improvements provide a safer environment for people walking and rolling.