Funding for projects up for comment
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor) on November 13th, 2006 at 11:10 am
Metro has narrowed their list of transportation projects down to a “first-cut list” and is now seeking public comment to decide which ones get funded.
There are several opportunities for public comment and your chance to weigh in ends on December 1st.
Many bicycle-related projects are on the list including,
- an improvement to bike parking at the Hollywood Transit Center,
- bike lanes on Columbia Blvd. and 82nd streets,
- the North/South “50s bikeway”
- and many others.
There’s a listening post tonight in Beaverton and tomorrow and Thursday in Portland. Here’s the list of times and locations.
So please make sure to let Metro know how you feel about these projects…or you’ll have no right to complain when your pet project is left off the list.
Email This Post
Possibly related posts
November 13th, 2006 11:13
Am I right in reading that there is nothing on the westside in Multnomah county? At all?? The streetcar extension looks interesting...
November 13th, 2006 11:48
Jonathan, it looks to me like the Marine Drive trail gaps are NOT on the proposed project list, if I'm understanding the Metro bureaucratese correctly -- "1st Cut" designation seems to mean, counterintuitively, that it's still on the proposed list.
November 13th, 2006 11:55
you're right Jeff. Marine Drive gaps seem to have not made the cut. Bummer. I've edited the post. Thanks for catching me on that.
November 13th, 2006 12:08
Bummer indeed. If enough people show up at the Metro listening post or email comments to voice their support for this project then it could be reinstated, one would hope.
and, here's an intriguing project that is still on the list, the Milwaukie-Lake Oswego trail, which would open the existing RR bridge to bikes & peds - planning & preliminary design only:
http://www.metro-region.org/article.cfm?articleID=3940&do=details&pid=1840
Very cool.
November 13th, 2006 17:47
Greg, you are right. There is a strong eastside preference at PDOT, Metro, and the BTA, and the funding reflects that.
I wish Dan Saltzman were over PDOT. Then there might be someone in a decision making role who understands the westside and can adequately represent the westside.
Current decision makers are either unfamiliar with the westside and/or they assume that what works for the eastside belongs on the westside.
And unfortunately the condition of Portland's westside roads is worse than the eastside. Some statistics for SW Portland:
"SW Portland (not including downtown) has more transportation infrastructure deficiencies than any other area of the city. SW Portland has 19% of the city’s total street miles, but has:
· 35% of the city’s substandard local streets.
· 45% of the city’s substandard arterial streets.
· 25% of the city’s gravel streets.
Only 15% of streets in the SW transportation district have sidewalks."
From http://old.swni.org/November%202006web.pdf
Maybe someday someone will be able to think beyond the eastside perspective?
November 13th, 2006 20:12
The lack of sidewalks in SW Portland is frankly appalling, relatively popular, walkable areas of SW (the Multnomah Village area, Hillsdale, for instance) have almost no sidewalks on side streets and main streets without sidewalks are not uncommon.
Aside the obvious safety issue, there's the matter of creating neighborhoods, in my opinion walkable neighborhoods are places where neighbors are more likely to know each other. I know the cost of updating all of these streets is tremendous, but we should be making an effort to updating a small percentage of them every year.
If there's not money currently in the budget, perhaps it's time to introduce a Portland gas tax for road-only improvements?
I'm very much a transit enthusiast, and I bike to work nearly every day of the week, but we should ignore our roads as we build up the rest of our infrastructure.
November 14th, 2006 01:41
"Maybe someday someone will be able to think beyond the eastside perspective?"
C'mon, Cate! Have you forgetten about the tram, the trolly and the tunnel under the zoo?
It'd take some funny math to figure the east side has got more funding per capita than the west side?
And east side, west side, whatever. We should build infrastructure where it will be best used by the most people. That is going to tend towards downtown and the east side.
BTW, why do you need sidewalks when you can just have James deliver you in the Bently?
November 14th, 2006 08:28
Weastsider said "C’mon, Cate! Have you forgetten about the tram, the trolly and the tunnel under the zoo?"
Jonathan's post refers to "bicycle-related projects", as does my comment.
"BTW, why do you need sidewalks when you can just have James deliver you in the Bently?" What basis do you have for that comment?
November 14th, 2006 13:06
I posted a comment to Metro on the proposed extension of the Rock Creek Trail stating I was against any expansion until Hillsboro deals with the trail crossings at Evergreen and Cornell. Basically Hillsboro tries to ignore the fact that the trail is really 3 unconnected trails since they won't even stripe a crosswalk, let alone put in a reasonable crossing with traffic signals. Look at the Springwater; all the major streets have signalized crossings.
Part of the problem we face on the westside is dealing with multiple jurisdictions, each with their own biases and misconceptions about bicycle and ped facilities.
November 14th, 2006 13:10
Just a correction Jonathan;
Bike improvements to the Morrison Bridge are not part of the current funding proposal. As the website states:
The deck replacement would not affect bike and pedestrian movements; a separated bike and pedestrian facility is being constructed with funds from a previous MTIP cycle.
As for the West Side, there is plenty of money going to the west side. It's simply not being used for bike safety.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60961560@N00/297549140/
November 14th, 2006 13:35
Anyone know the details on the "separated bike and pedestrian facility" planned for the Morrison?
November 14th, 2006 15:06
"As for the West Side, there is plenty of money going to the west side. It’s simply not being used for bike safety."
this is pretty accurate... However I am concerned particularly with westside multnomah county. Its pretty striking to read every single item in the list on the website jonathan linked to and to not see one bike or pedestrian related item on the westside of portland.
November 15th, 2006 09:31
PFin:
Several years ago the County and City ran a process to design a bike-ped path for the Morrison Bridge. Funding for building it is in place and its construction should begin in 2009. It would have started earlier but for all the other construction occurring downtown and the need to not further hinder bridge traffic while the Burnside is operating at reduced capacity and Trimet will be running their buses on 3rd & 4th.
The path will be 15'-wide and will run along the south side of the bridge. It will connect on the east side to Water Avenue on a rebuilt Water Avenue ramp (that will be separated from the I-5 off-ramp) and will connect on the Westside to Naito Parkway at Morrison Street. A bicycle lane will also be striped on Alder from 2nd Avenue up to the bridge to make an eastbound connection.