Event celebrates a safe and healthy way to get to school and expansion of Portland Safe Routes to School’s program into middle schools

WHAT:     Thousands of school children from more than 60 schools will participate in International “Walk + Bike to School Day” on October 8, 2014, showing that it’s easy, healthy and fun to walk and bike to school.

At 8 a.m. on Oct. 8^th, City Commissioner Steve Novick, Transportation Bureau Director Leah Treat, Principal Pam Joyner and other officials will join school youth in the walk to Hosford Middle School in Southeast Portland and celebration at the school.   The Hosford celebration also marks a milestone in the popular Safe Routes to School program, marking its expansion from elementary schools to middle schools.  The program has helped expand walking and biking by elementary school students by 35% since it began in 2005.

WHO:      More than 150 students and parents walking and biking to school ; City Commissioner Steve Novick; Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Leah Treat; Hosford Principal Pam Joyner, Portland Public School Board Members Greg Belisle and Bobbie Regan; Representatives from community organizations.

WHEN and WHERE:

8 a.m. Wednesday, October 8 at Sewallcrest City Park at SE 31^st and Stephens Street: Commissioner Novick, Director Treat and other officials will meet and join the “walking school bus” to the school. 

8:15 to 8:45 a.m.  at Hosford Middle School , 2303 SE 28th Place: Officials and youth from two “bike trains” and the “walking school bus” will converge at the school, where there will be youth activities and a celebration.

Additional information may be found at http://www.walkbiketoschool.org/

###

Media Contact:

Diane Dulken 503-823-5552

diane.dulken@portlandoregon.gov

Portland Bureau of Transportation

Twitter @PBOTinfo

(October 7, 2014) –   A Portland Bureau of Transportation analysis of 20 years of traffic data found that road diets, or reconfigurations, on Portland’s streets lowered speeds and significantly reduced traffic crash rates.

The results demonstrate the value of these reconfigurations as a tool to improve safety on busy multi-lane streets. 

Sources: Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles Crash Data, 1993-2012, Portland Bureau of Transportation (vehicle speeds)

PBOT analyzed crash data on all five road sections in Portland where the bureau reorganized a two-way arterial from four vehicle lanes to two vehicle lanes and a center turn lane. In some instances, Portland also added bicycle lanes. PBOT often refers to these changes as “road reconfigurations.” Nationally, this treatment is known as a “road diet.” 

On Portland’s streets that have undergone road diets, PBOT’s analysis found on average:

• 37 percent reduction in traffic crash rates
• 10 percent reduction in the 85^th percentile speed*

In addition, the amount of traffic dropped six percent, which mirrors traffic volume reductions across the City since 2005.  

(October 3, 2014 UPDATE) -  The contractor for this project will prepare to restripe the left lane of N Williams on Saturday, October 4 and begin to close the left lane for restriping on Monday, October 6. By Thursday, the entire left lane from NE Broadway to Killingsworth Street will close for restriping.

Travelers should expect delays.  Motorists are advised to use alternate routes, such as NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.  Bicyclists may continue to use the right bicycle lane on N Williams Avenue this week or may use NE Rodney Street as an alternate route.  Construction hours will be 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day but the lane closure will be in effect around the clock.

Additional details about the North Williams Safety Project may be found in the news release below and at www.northwilliamssafety.org. . View the “A Safer Place for Everyone” banner campaign. View the “A Safer Place for Everyone” brochure.

News Release: North Williams Avenue street design installation begins; left lane to close shortly

edit contentAs street design takes shape, “A Safer Place for Everyone” outreach campaign gets underway featuring safety messages from residents

(September 16, 2014) – Construction begins later this week on a new street design for North Williams Avenue, a corridor that serves a growing neighborhood as well as being a popular commute route between downtown and North Portland.

The new street design will extend from NE Broadway to Killingsworth Street and will require up to three months to complete.  Safety improvements will benefit all travelers, especially pedestrians, and changes will affect the look of the street and traffic flow for all travelers.

Early in the project, the left lane of North Williams Avenue will close to all traffic. It will reopen in mid-October as a left side bike lane.  No detours will be in effect during construction but alternate routes are available.

The alternate route for people traveling by bicycle is NE Rodney Street, a neighborhood street that has been upgraded with speed bumps to discourage cut through motor vehicle traffic.  The alternate routes for drivers are NE Martin Luther King Boulevard or N Interstate Avenue.

The new street design will include these major improvements:

• A new traffic signal will be installed at the busy N Cook Street crossing.
• New striped crosswalks and curb extensions at five crossings will improve pedestrian visibility, making it safer and easier to cross.
• Bus and bike travel are being separated to reduce conflicts and improve safety.  Buses will continue to stop on the right side of the street while the bike lane will be expanded to a width of 12 feet and transferred to the left side.
• The speed limit is being lowered to 25 mph along most of the corridor; and 20 mph where foot traffic is highest, between NE Fremont and Skidmore streets.
• Green transition zones in the left side bike lane indicate where motor vehicles cross the lane to turn left.

The left side bicycle lane is expected to open in mid-October, once the Cook Street traffic signal is operational.  The additional construction, such as crosswalk restriping, is expected to entail minimal traffic disruption.

The project was developed in 2012 after a 16-month public involvement process to identify how to make N Williams Avenue a safer place for all travelers and to address longstanding community concerns over pedestrian safety in particular.

“A Safer Place for Everyone”

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is launching “A Safer Place for Everyone” outreach campaign to inform people of the new street design and encourage all travelers to share the road.  The campaign is an outgrowth of the public involvement process where people suggested increased outreach around safety.

The “A Safer Place for Everyone” campaign features residents sending their safety messages to fellow residents via a series of banners and A-boards. The banners, soon to be posted to light fixtures along the corridor, will be displayed through the winter. 

The transportation bureau also mailed an “A Safer Place for Everyone” brochure to area residents and distributed to local businesses and other gathering places.  The public is encouraged to share photos and their own messages on social media with the tag #northwilliams. 

More information is available at www.northwilliamssafety.org  including a map and construction highlights. View the “A Safer Place for Everyone” banner campaign. View the “A Safer Place for Everyone” brochure.

Contact:

Diane Dulken Portland Bureau of Transportation

503-823-5552 diane.dulken@portlandoregon.gov

(October 2, 2014)  -  To improve safety on one of Portland’s High Crash Corridors, the Portland Bureau of Transportation will restripe and reconfigure lanes this weekend on East Burnside Street from SE 14^th Avenue to Laurelhurst Place, just west of Cesar Chavez Boulevard. 

The safety improvements are projected to reduce crashes by about 30 percent. The Transportation Bureau recorded 383 crashes and one pedestrian fatality in the ten-year period ending in 2012. Additional benefits include improved pedestrian crossings and access to transit and a better environment for the business district. 

The East Burnside Transportation Safety Project was requested by adjacent business and neighborhood associations and developed in partnership with community members. Burnside Street is one of the city’s ten High Crash Corridors, roadways with unusually high crash rates and that are targeted for safety improvements for all.

As part of the East Burnside Transportation Safety Project, this stretch of road will change from two lanes in each direction to one westbound lane, one center turn lane, and two eastbound lanes. The new configuration will add about 15 on-street parking spaces.

Restriping is scheduled for this weekend, October 4 and 5, with some additional work possible on October 6.  Work is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.  During work hours, parking will not be allowed on the westbound side of the street.

People traveling during work hours should expect delays and are advised to use Sandy Boulevard as an alternate route. This work is weather-dependent and the schedule may change.

A second phase in spring 2015 will install three pedestrian islands and marked crossings at 18^th, 22^nd and 24^th avenues on the west leg of each intersection. In addition, PBOT will apply to the Oregon Department of Transportation for posted speed reduction from 35 to 30 mph.  More information is available on the project brochure and the Burnside High Crash Corridor website.